A log house (or log home) is structurally matching to a log cabin (a house typically made from logs that have not been pulverized into conventional lumber). The term "log cabin" is not favored by most modern-day builders, as it normally refers to a smaller, more rustic log house such as a hunting cabin in the woods, or a summer cottage.

Log construction was the most common building technique in large regions of Sweden, Finland, Norway, the Baltic States and Russia, where straight and tall coniferous trees, such as pine and spruce, are eagerly available. It was also widely used for vernacular buildings in Eastern Central Europe, the Alps, the Balkans and parts of Asia, where similar climatic conditions prevail. In warmer and added westerly regions of Europe, where deciduous trees predominate, timber framing was favored instead.