HOW TO ADDSELF-CONTAINEDLIVING SPACE

Mavis Bolton with her private

log cabinAAnnyyoonnee wwiitthh eellddeerrllyy ppaarreennttss wwiillll kknnoowwtthhee aanngguuiisshh aanndd ssttrraaiinn ooff llooookkiinngg aafftteerr

tthheemm ffrroomm aa ddiissttaannccee.. MMoosstt vvaalluuee tthheeiirriinnddeeppeennddeennccee,, aanndd tthhiiss ccaann bbee aa wwoorrrryy ffoorrdduuttiiffuull ssoonnss oorr ddaauugghhtteerrss ttrryyiinngg ttoo ccaarree ffoorrtthheemm..

This was exactly the problem for JackieChapman, and her husband Arthur, ofWinslow, Bucks. When Jackie’s war veteranfather Maurice (83) became ill, it was clearthat he and her mum Freda (79) neededsome help. “They used to live in a small twoup two down in Harpenden” says Jackie.

“It was becoming increasingly difficult forDad to move around the house and man-age the stairs without tripping up or fallingdown”, she says. “Mum was finding it reallyhard to cope on her own. Every time any-thing happened, I had to drive up to themstraight away.”

Arthur, says, “We felt it was right to pro-vide a secure home for both of them clos-er to us.”

The Chapmans live in Buckinghamshire.on a 1 ⁄4 acre site. They toyed with the ideaof building on or constructing an annexebut Jackie’s parents now live in a spaciousand comfortable log home in the garden,literally on Jackie and Arthur’s doorstep.

The log bungalow, constructed from solidthree inch thick spruce logs, nestles in itsown patch of landscaped ground facing

hedgerows and open fields beyond. It hashad a little tweaking to provide the facilitiesJackie’s father needs. “He uses a walkingframe so it was essential that he hadenough space to get around independently”, says Jackie.

Maurice and Freda’s specially adapted loghome has a large and airy open plan sittingroom and kitchen, double bedroom, spa-cious shower room, utility room and airingcupboard. “We made sure the living areawas big enough for Dad to move aroundeasily”, says Jackie.

“The cabin provides a perfect solution forus’, says Arthur. “Jackie’s parents stillenjoy doing their own thing and are com-pletely self-contained and are able to lookafter themselves. They love the practicalhelp we can offer being so close to hand.”he says. Maurice and Freda regularlyentertain their friends in their new homewhich is the envy of many. The logs providea high level of insulation, keeping the housecool in summer and warm and cosy in win-ter. “It costs us well below £500 a year forlighting and heating’, says Freda.

Planning permission was sought for the28ft by 19/1/2ft log cabin. “We consultedour immediate neighbours first and theygave us a letter of support for our applica-tion so the planning came through withouta problem,” says Arthur.

Over 40,000 hundred year olds by 2008

MMaavviiss BBoollttoonn,, aa rreettiirreedd fflloorriisstt,, wwhhoosshhaarreess aa ccoommffoorrttaabbllee hhoommee wwiitthh

hheerr ddaauugghhtteerr IImmaallaa,, hhaass aatt llaasstt aacchhiieevveeddhheerr aammbbiittiioonn ttoo oowwnn aa lloogg ccaabbiinn.. TThhiissddeessiirree sstteemmmmeedd ffrroomm tthhee ooppppoorrttuunniittyy aassaa yyoouunngg ggiirrll,, ttoo ssppeenndd ttiimmee iinn aa bbooaarrddiinnggsscchhooooll llooggoo ccaabbiinn oonn tthhee oouuttsskkiirrttss ooffWWhhiittbbyy..

TThhaannkkss ttoo NNoorrwweeggiiaann LLoogg,, wwhhoo eerreecctteedd tthhee ccaabbiinn iinn aa mmaatttteerr ooff ddaayyss,,MMaavviiss nnooww hhaass hheerr rreettrreeaatt aatt tthhee bboottttoomm ooff tthheeggaarrddeenn..

MMaavviiss eexxppllaaiinnss,,””MMyy ddaauugghhtteerraanndd II eennjjooyy oouurrttiimmee ttooggeetthheerr,,bbuutt II lloovvee ttoo hhaavveemmyy oowwnn ttrraannqquuiillssppaaccee ttoo ssaavvoouurrtthhee ppeeaaccee aannddqquuiieett.. II hhaavvee aakkiittcchheenn,, bbaatthh--rroooomm aanndd eexxcceell--lleenntt llaarrggee lliivviinnggssppaaccee iinn wwhhiicchh ttooeennjjooyy lliisstteenniinngg ttoommuussiicc,, rreeaaddiinngg,,eemmbbrrooiiddeerryy aannddrreefflleeccttiivvee tthhoouugghhtt..iitt ggiivveess mmee ggrreeaattpplleeaassuurree ttoo kknnooww tthhiiss iiss aallll aavvaaiillaabbllee iinn aabbuuiillddiinngg ccrreeaatteedd ffrroomm rreenneewwaabbllee,, eennvviirroonnmmeennttaallllyy ffrriieennddllyy aanndd hheeaalltthh ggiivviinngg mmaatteerriiaall.. FFoorr mmee NNoorrwweeggiiaann LLoogghhaass ssoo bbeeaauuttiiffuullllyy aanndd eeffffiicciieennttllyy ccrreeaatteedd aa ttrreeaassuurree..

Time for peace

and quiet

The Chapmans at home in the garden

Mavis with

daughter Imala

Norwegian Log Buildings 0118 966 9236 www.norwegianlog.co.uk

NorLog Elderly 2 page 7/13/07 9:26 AM Page 1

Take a photo of your Norwegian Log buildingand win a case of champagne.We are always looking for photographs of logbuildings from satisfied customers for publicitypurposes, and so we are encouraging you tosend us a print. We will get our professionalphotography consultant to choose the winner.

Name

Address

Telephone:

Send to: NORWEGIAN LOG PHOTO COMPETITION, 230 LONDON ROAD, READING RGB 1HA

SNAP!

Last year’s winning entry from Alwin and

Sarah Tomosius

Rising 24-year-old rugby star JamesForrester (Gloucester RFC andEngland) is being sponsored byNorwegian Log Buildings. James fol-lowed up his first cap (against Wales atTwickenham in the Six NationsChampionship) with a second againstManu Samoa, also at Twickenham. 'Iused to help build log cabins in myschool holidays,' James recalls. 'I thinklifting and carrying big logs around thesites helped me build the strength andstamina I need to become a top-flightback-row forward.' At six feet four inch-es tall and 16 stones in weight, Jamescertainly packs the strength and soliditythat make him the impressive publicface of Norwegian Log Buildings.

NOR LOG SPONSORS ENGLAND’S FORRESTER

22

Looking after elderly or sick relatives is growing problem for millions of Britons. The high cost of residential medical care is

causing many people to consider other options.Additional accommodation utilising spare garden space is

becoming an increasingly popular solution.Norwegian Log provides a quick and efficient option with their

buildings which can be tailored to any size, shape or requirement.In the case of Les and Ann Goble, they saw the benefits of a

Norwegian Log building in the garden of Ann’s father’s home as away of allowing her father to retain his own home but have immediate help on hand. Ann’s father has a serious problem withhis eyes and the couple moved into his home near Reading so thatthey could offer practical support. But when they want to havesome time to themselves they head down the garden path to thetheir Norwegian Log cabin, where they can relax, read, watch television or use the computer.Karen Butler couldn’t live much nearer to her son Mike

without moving in with him. He lives in a log cabin at theend of her garden in Middlesex. Mike is disabled, but he livesindependently in the cabin while his mum is near enough tooffer a helping hand should he need it.

Five years ago, Mike had two major operations and had toconvalesce at his parents’ home for several months. WhenKaren was widowed, living close by, but not in each other’spockets, seemed the ideal solution. Karen had originally com-missioned an architect to build a bungalow for Mike, knockingdown a double garage to make way for it. She then spotted anadvertisement for Norwegian Log cabins and decided that onewould fit the bill and at a fraction of the previous estimate.Norwegian Log designed and built the 9m x 9m cabin, whichhas its own fitted kitchen and bathroom, for £50,000.

Neat retreatHelping hand in nearby cabin

Les Goble and his father-in-law relax

Mrs Karen Butler and her son Mike

Norwegian Log Buildings 0118 966 9236 www.norwegianlog.co.uk

NorLog Elderly 2 page 7/13/07 9:26 AM Page 2