Many families find themselves stuck in a trap as they grow. They need more space just at the time when they can least afford it. A child or another child is wonderful but an extra cost and often mother is on reduced or no income or facing additional childcare costs. Or those sweet children who used to happily play with their toys in the lounge transform into teenage monsters whose aim in life is to deafen you with their music!

Palmako Laura Log Cabin – around £1,100

For something unusual this octagonal log cabin can be supplied with an optional grill stove and smoke extraction hood for magical dinner parties in the garden. Otherwise it offers a fantastic den and even somewhere to sleep visitors when you have a full house.

Interior Kim Octagonal Log Cabin
Moving to a larger house is going to cause disruption as well as the prospect of a larger mortgage, assuming you can get one. Building an extension is another option but there again you are looking at a lot of money and weeks if not months of disruption with builders recreating the battle of the Somme as they dig footings and so on.
An extension also assumes you have the space to do it and planning permission. It’s also possible to over-extend a house. We purchased a house where they had spent £40,000 on adding an extra bedroom and an extra downstairs room that we used as an office.
The property was only £10,000 more than neighbouring un-extended properties which meant their £30,000 loss was our gain. That was some years ago and you can probably double those figures today.
Log Cabins
One answer that is becoming increasing popular is to put a log cabin in the garden. There’s a range of sizes and prices but even the most expensive are far less than the alternatives and there will be
A basic model log cabinfrom Palmako offering nearly 5 square metres of floor space can be had for around £1,100 and built on site (assuming a solid base is in place) in less than a day.
Another day to paint it and you can banish the teenagers to the bottom of the garden.. or hide in there yourself.
All Palmako Garden buildings are constructed with FSC certified Nordic Spruce. This guarantees continued sustainability and minimal environmental impact. The timber is slow grown which gives it extra strength in sustainable forests
You will need an electrician to run power to it, usually that’s not a big job and it can be worth adding some insulation to save on heating costs.
You can combine a log cabin with a shed as in this British made Cotswold 8ft x 13ft combination. It features 28mm log construction with double glazed windows throughout and a strong 19mm Tongue and Groove roof and floor.
A double door leads to the living room and a single solid door gives access to the storage room, all for less than £2,000. More information from Greenhouse Stores, Cotswold Log Cabins.
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