In 2019, a new architecturally unique log house was completed in the village of Gassel in the Netherlands, close to the city of Grave. The gorgeous, contemporary and ecological log house was the joint creation of its owners Guus and Liesbeth Habraken and the architect Werner Evers of Solid Green Architecture. Pellopuu manufactured and delivered the entire pine log structure of the house, as well as all of the timber parts used for the floors, doors, windows and the special wooden exterior surfaces of the house.
The 120 square-metre house has two floors. The first floor consists of a single large space that combines living room, dining room and kitchen. On the second floor, there is a large and luxurious master bedroom with its own bath, a large guest bedroom, as well as a bathroom and a separate toilet in between the rooms. Above the second floor, there is an attic storage space.
The house is located in a new suburban area where the neighboring houses are yet to be built. The large windows of the house provide nice views to the garden as well as to the forest and the fields beyond.
The idea for the log house started to take form as Guus and Liesbeth were on one of their frequent vacations to the Italian Alps.
“We wanted to build something special and use natural materials as much as possible. Another thing we valued was the quality of indoor air. On our next vacation, we stayed at a guesthouse whose owner worked for an Italian company building timber and log houses. Discussing our plans with him, we found that a breathable log structure would provide the perfect and natural solution for our needs, complete with healthy and fresh indoor air. As an additional benefit, we would be able to build the house much faster using logs, as the main structure of the house would take only a few weeks to assemble. This is how we finally came to choose log as the building material,” says Liesbeth.
“We then began visiting different timber companies, in the Netherlands, Belgium and Italy, but we did not find a suitable solution. At this point, Pellopuu was recommended to us by our architect Werner, who had worked with the Finnish company many times before. We then contacted Pellopuu and showed them our designs. They said they would be able to deliver what was needed, and also their price was acceptable.”
“Before finalizing our plans, we wanted to visit Pellopuu’s factory in Finland. Thus, in January 2019, we visited Pellopuu in the white winter of Lapland, and were convinced of Pellopuu’s exceptional production quality and high standards.”
After the visit to Lapland, Guus and Liesbeth applied for a building permit, and in approximately 2 months everything was in order for them to sign the contract with Pellopuu.
“Once we placed the order, the delivery and assembly were fast. The ready-to-assemble structures were delivered on site during the first week of July. The delivery included also Pellopuu’s own professional supervisor, who would personally oversee the entire assembly on site. Pellopuu’s supervisor was a true expert, with extensive experience in assembling log houses all over the world,” says Liesbeth.
“The delivered parts fitted perfectly, and the structure was assembled in a matter of weeks. Then, based on our special design, we added completely natural wood fibre insulation on the exterior of the log structure. Finally, the insulation was covered with sleek, vertical planks of Siberian larch delivered by Pellopuu, giving the house a nicely contemporary look. By mid-September the house was completely ready. It took only two months to build, from start to finish.”
“All in all, we were very happy with the project. Today, people say we have the most beautiful house in the village. I think that is a nice compliment for a job well done,” Liesbeth concludes.
See more images of this beautiful house in the References section.
Pellopuu is a supplier of top-quality, versatile and advanced log structures. We use ecologically responsible, tight-grained northern timber and process it into top-quality laminated logs, producing some of the most advanced structural solutions in the industry. Download our brochure here