We've achieved our dream of a self-sufficient retreat

Many years ago, Roger White and his partner Christina Gray moved sheep and other livestock onto their land in the Mendips to keep the vegetation in check, and put a caravan on the land as a home while shepherding. A local man agreed to help care for the animals, and took up informal residence in the caravan until his death a few years ago.

Recently, Roger and Christina wanted to create a more comfortable base to support their farming and outdoor activities – but not in the old caravan. A friend had a Norwegian Log home, and they realised that something similar would be ideal for them, too. They chose a 3-bedroom Nordic (almost 80 m² – 857 sq.ft.) from Norwegian Log’s transportable homes range, and set about obtaining planning permission.

Roger and Christina were able to demonstrate that the old caravan had been occupied continuously for over 20 years, which helped secure Planning Permission for their new base.

The site is a mile from the main road up a difficult track, but Norwegian Log was able to deliver with the help of a local farmer’s tractor and trailer. “Norwegian Log was absolutely fantastic. Their can-do attitude really impressed us, and nothing seemed to faze them,” says Roger.

With no mains services on the site apart from water, they had to be very imaginative if they wanted to keep warm at an acceptable cost. They installed photovoltaic panels for electricity, and solar tubes for hot water, all mounted on the roof. A wood-burning stove in the living room also produces hot water. Some of the stored electricity powers the system’s vital pumps, and there is a back-up generator for the worst of winter.

“It’s always been our dream to have a self-sufficient retreat, and thanks to Norwegian Log we’ve achieved our aim. We couldn’t be more delighted with the whole project,” says Roger.