The couple’s first thought was a traditional ‘block-construction’ house, but the local planning department said they would only grant permission for a property that would remain part of the business – a ‘manager’s house’. This proviso also meant that the new build would have to be of timber construction – in keeping with what was already on the croft. The obvious solution was to build another log cabin. “We worked with my dad’s company and the Artichouse Factory in Finland, which is the company he had sourced the original lodges from several years previously.”
Having also worked in sales with her dad for a while, Ailsa was familiar with the process and their designs. “You can choose one of their designs and extend it, alter the layout and once you’ve decided on the final design and have your building warrant, you send the Scottish Building warrant drawings to the factory in Finland, and they start putting the house together,” says Ailsa. The reason for this is that regulations in Scotland are slightly different to those in Finland – and a bit stricter – so the final design must comply with the Scottish Building regulations. The couple’s design wish list included three
bedrooms, an office with its own entrance, an open plan kitchen so they could socialise, a large deck for dining outside, and a luxurious bathroom to compensate for their years washing in the caravan’s cramped shower room. It took approximately a year for planning
permission to be granted, but after work commenced in February 2017, the project
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gathered pace. “It’s like a giant game of Jenga,” Ailsa explains. “The pieces are precisely cut and labelled in the factory in Finland and then delivered to site. The log wall arrived in May and went up within four days, so you could soon see the shape of the house and where the windows and doors were going to be.” As this log wall isn’t load-bearing, a timber frame is built within the log walls and it's the frame that supports the weight of the roof. This method allows the logs to settle over time. The rest of the build took a little longer than four days, but the building was still wind and watertight within a few months. To keep finances on track once they were in the house, the couple also chose to install an air source heat pump for their underfloor heating along with an efficient wood burner. And with regards to insulation an initial amount was preinstalled between each log at the factory, with the main insulation fitted in the cavity between the studs in the timber frame on site. “It isn’t a full eco house, but it is very high quality and economical to run.” While the process is an efficient way of building – the one thing that is more time- consuming is treating the logs. “We painted the house in Osmo Oil, and it looked really natural and golden, but it didn’t last very long which was a bit disappointing – as it was very expensive. It’s what they use in Finland, but I think it could be down to the climate here. Finland is cold but drier, Scotland is damp. We’ve just finished repainting it with a Sadolin wood stain so it’s a bit darker than when it was first built.”
LOW POINT
“The joiners had an issue with the rafters, and they didn’t go in right; however, it was resolved within the day.”
nov/dec 2021
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