This two-story log home, owned by a Danish family is located approximately 70 miles from Kvitfjell Lillehammer in Norway. This region boasts extremely long summer days with moderate temperatures and winters with ideal skiing conditions and plenty of snow (often exceeding several meters in height). These factors lure both local and international guests to stay here. There is an interesting detail regarding this home, the log home kit was made in an American manufacturing facility and the home was built by an international building crew from Hungary.
This family of four, a husband and wife with corporate backgrounds and two young children, had the “ski-hut” built for vacation and investment (rental) purposes. The log cabin with 138 square meters living space lays on the South side of the mountain and has easy access to popular ski slopes nearby.
Selecting building site: The location to build this “hutte” could not have been picked any better by this outdoor-loving family. The nearby Lillehammer was the host for the 1994 Winter Olympics and in just a few short months it will host the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics, opening on February 12, 2016.
Construction did not stop with Winter’s arrival. As extreme weather conditions kicked in, snow shovels soon became an integral part of construction tools. The planning process included engineering work considering extreme snow-load and wind-load requirements so that the roof could withstand the thick snow cover and Winter storms which are common in the area. The larger part of construction took place between November and February and the home was move-in ready for the busiest part of the ski season (longer days starting in February allow for visitors to spend more time on the ski-slopes).
Local building codes allowed using only environmentally friendly materials for roof coverage. Such materials can include cedar shingles –customers used shingles made of Western Red Cedar -, grass-covered roof or slate-roof tiles. For this particular region, building codes allow for a maximum of a 30 degree roof pitch.
The main features of the home include pre-cut and kiln-dried 8” round logs for the exterior walls, Western Red Cedar roofing shingles, floor heating that can be remotely controlled via internet from Denmark, as well as a large sauna that can accommodate 3 guests at a time. Although the exterior appearance of the home is different from a traditional Norwegian ski-hut’s, the rustic-modern design and such amenities make this home unique in this popular Winter-sport area. The guest house also features such as large, glassed prow-front with dramatic view to the surrounding mountains.
Most popular guest house: This beautiful log home, called “Sambhur”, has been titled as the “Most sought-after cabin in Kvitfjell booking” due to its unique features and appearance.
