Gives my daughter the freedom to run her own business and have her independence – we now want one for our other daughter

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Running a traditional livestock farm in the picturesque New Forest, Wendy and Steve Maughan know only too well how full-on looking after animals can be.

So, when their daughter Gemma started her own equestrian yard and livery business on site, but started to crave a living space of her own, they knew the solution had to be on their doorstep.

“Gemma obviously needs to be here so she can care for the horses. Like others her age, she hasn’t got the collateral to buy something local in the New Forest, and the only other option would have been to buy a small house somewhere in Southampton. But what would happen if there was an issue with one of the horses in the middle of the night. It just wouldn’t have worked,” explains Wendy.

Living in a National Park, the Maughans felt the solution was a log cabin home for Gemma and used a planning consultant to gain permission for one in their large farmhouse garden. Gemma found Norwegian Log online and when they visited the company’s show homes in Reading, their decision was made.

“The build and wood quality were so good,” says Wendy. “I also really liked their contemporary designs with the extra width as I’d grown up in a house with big open windows and I know how nice that is. Also in the long term, we might end up in this cabin ourselves, so I wanted it to be somewhere I could live too.”

They picked a two/three-bedroom contemporary cabin with a bathroom and utility/boot room. “During the build, the Norwegian Log build team was amazing, as good as gold. You could hear them all laughing with our other contractors whilst they were working as they were getting on so well,” says Gemma.

With her new home now complete Gemma just has to add some new front steps and outdoor decking to finish the look. Inside she’s already making the most of the spacious kitchen and glass-fronted living area that boasts beautiful views across the farm. “Being able to eat when I want and have people over has been brilliant,” she says. “It’s just so cosy and all my friends love the smell of the wood.”

The building has been such a success that Wendy and Steve would now like one for their other daughter Laura and grandson Charlie who have recently moved back into the family farmhouse from abroad. “It might have to be a smaller cabin but we’d rather have one from Norwegian Log as we want the same build quality,” Wendy adds.

Asked to describe her experience of Norwegian Log, Wendy says: “So professional, and the buildings are of the highest quality and really substantial. There just weren’t any compromises, that’s what we really valued. You normally have to chase contractors to make sure corners aren’t cut. We didn’t have to do that at all.”