Our Latest Home Renovation Project: The Log Cabin

Usually our home renovation projects end up taking a long time, but our latest one was a speedy one. We knew we wanted to create a log cabin in our garden to create additional space. But also to utilise some of the space we just didn’t use in the garden. Originally it was going to be a longer term project. But when we found out we were expecting a baby we knew it needed to happen sooner rather than later.

What’s now the babies nursery was originally part gym, part photo studio for my blog and part storage. And we needed somewhere to put it all.

How the project started and the initial log cabin build

Luke had done a lot of research into what we wanted and found the company Dunster House. We opted for a cabin that was 5.5×3.5m in size as this would give us the space we wanted. We originally approached a gardener we use to clear that space in the garden and flatten it, but after some conversations about longevity etc we decided to opt for a concrete base.

This did add an additional cost but thanks to a quick turnaround from the gardeners we use we had one poured and in our garden within the week. The actual log cabin itself was delivered flat pack style (doors and windows included). Then it was down to Luke and his dad to build it.

If we’d had the right weather the whole thing could have built in a single day, but rain prevented that. And while I can’t directly comment Luke was so impressed at how easy it was to put together.

Kitting out the log cabin

Once the outside build had happened it was time to turn the inside into exactly what we wanted. We knew we wanted to split the cabin into two distinct spaces. One side for me to use as the equivalent of what we moved out of our spare bedroom. So a gym/ photo space/ storage. And then the other side for Luke and his gaming because it’s something he loves doing, and it takes up a lot of space.

My side is pretty much complete and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. I have a Peloton bike in there with space to add a fold-up treadmill in time. And I have all my weights with plenty of space to use them in the centre of the room. Then in the back corner I have my photo table and light set up ready for taking photos for gift guides and other blog related things. And a big wardrobe which I use for storage.

For my side of the space we opted for gym flooring which is super hard wearing and will take the brunt of weights and heavy machines. Whereas for Luke’s side we opted for carpet tiles for the cosy feel, plus being tiles they were easy to put down and can easily be replaced if one gets damaged.

Luke’s side isn’t fully complete (it still needs some shelves in the recess and some decor, but it’s a functional space that he’s using.