We didn’t want a poky granny annex – and so we absolutely love this

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When life threw an unexpected curveball for Chris and Deborah Burke, they decided to take action and plan for the future.

Chris had been diagnosed with cancer and so, very sensibly, the couple thought through how this would impact their lives and the changes they needed to make.

“It did shake us rigid at first but we then took stock of the situation. Given the diagnosis, and our daughter, her husband and two sons living in a house with an expensive mortgage, we thought wouldn’t it be better, and much nicer, if we all lived together,” explains Deborah. “A builder friend had told us about log cabins, and so I did some research, and then put the idea to our daughter.

“If they sold their house and we sold ours, we could pool the money and buy somewhere bigger in the Surrey town where our two grandsons were at school. The only real stipulation was it needed to have a big enough garden to put a cabin in.”

Deborah’s research quickly led her to the Norwegian Log website and, after a visit to the company’s Reading show home, their decision was made. Meanwhile the family had found a house in the right location with a large garden, and when they exchanged contracts on the new property, Norwegian Log’s team immediately set about applying for a Certificate of Lawful Use for Chris and Deborah’s annex.

“One of the things that attracted me to Norwegian Log was that they could do all of the planning. We could also create a layout for our log cabin bespoke to how we wanted it. It’s a beautiful product and the attention to detail is fantastic,” she adds.

Consent from the local authority for the annex was received in March, just a couple of months after the house sale had gone through, and by October, Chris and Deborah were able to move into their smart new log home.

“We absolutely love it. A lot of our friends thought we were mad and were moving into a shed in the garden. But when they saw it, and how our family is at the end of the garden, they all thought it was awesome,” Deborah explains.

The couple are able to dog sit for their daughter’s pet, and vice versa, help each other out with chores, meet for meals and enjoy a relaxing glass of wine in the garden. “We don’t live in each other’s pockets, but they are enjoying having us here and we are really feeling the benefit,” says Chris.

“This was really a future-proofing exercise. It’s such easy living. There is no maintenance, keeping it clean is simple. There is no painting to be done, and it’s so warm in the winter. Also we gave 10/10 to the Norwegian Log guys who erected it, and the after care is superb. Nothing is too much trouble, they are a fabulous team,” he adds.

When asked what advice they would give others considering a similar move, Deborah says, “Do it! We didn’t want a poky granny annex, so make sure you don’t pick anything too small as you’ll be resentful about your family living in a large house and you living in something second best. We absolutely love what we have chosen.”

Their cabin is bright, spacious and contemporary. A stunning open plan kitchen and dining area with bifold doors opening onto the garden, leads onto an airy sitting room, again with bifolds plus a stylish wood burner. The large master bedroom has an adjoining bathroom with a luxurious corner bath, and a separate double bedroom sits opposite a family shower room. There is even a handy utility room tucked off the main hallway. With the future in mind, doorways are wide enough for a wheelchair, the shower is accessible, and when external landscaping and decking is completed, an external ramp from the garden will be added.

The couple feel happy and settled. “We are really content,” says Chris.