A new year, a new project. The Lodge

So we saw this lovely Finnish Lodge / cabin by Garden Exteriors at the Losely Park Garden Show in July 2018, and immediately fell in love with it.

The lodge itself features:

• 45mm Single Thickness Scandinavian Redwood Walls giving exceptional insulation qualities
• Fully Fitted & Ventilated Floor with the added benefit of a tanalised sub-floor base
• Industrial Grade Felt Roof Shingles (available in black,forest green or terracotta colours) heat adhered to 18mm x 145mm Scandinavian Redwood Timbers
• 4 x Fully Opening Double Glazed Traditional Windows 900mm x 500mm
• 1680mm x 730mm Double Glazed, Double Skinned Door with Security Lock and Key

Inside:

• Galvanised and Powder Coated Central Removable Cooking/Heating Unit suitable for a range of different fuels.
• Galvanised and Powder Coated Daytime Fire Safety Guard
• Galvanised and Powder Coated Chimney and Detachable Smoke Hood incorporating Candle Holders
• Galvanised and Powder Coated Cowling to facilitate foul weather use during rain, snow etc.
• Set of Six Detachable Pine Lap Trays
• 420mm wide Scandinavian Redwood Benches fitted to five sides providing Seating for approximately 12 – 15 People
• Three fold out seat extensions giving a total 630mm deep seating area

The version we’ve decided to go for is the Medium Garden Lodge in

Prepping the garden

So the idea is to remove the two raised beds, the trellis and the archway (see the above photo) and place the lodge between the existing shed and the cherry tree, leaving enough room between the proposed lodge and the fence to allow for access.

The first step was to empty the two raised beds of soil and take out the sleepers. From what we can recall there was around 1.5 tones of soil between the two beds. All of this was spread around the back and front gardens. By the time they were empty we’d topped up all the flower beds.

The sleepers had to be dismantled using the sledge hammer method. I did try unscrewing them but as the wood had swollen in places the screws were stuck fast. Initially the thought was to recycle the sleepers to make raised beds elsewhere but given that some of them had started rotting there seemed little point. They’re too dense to be cut up and used for firewood, and would take far too long to dry out, so they’ll have to be disposed of. Still unsure how that will happen but potentially these will get taken away when the base is installed, but at a large cost per kilo.