Woodland Cabin

Woodland Cabin by De Rosee Sa | Photo © Will Scott

De Rosee Sa architects have recently completed a low budget lakeside cabin using local materials. The cabin is located on the edge of woodlands in the village of Nouvelles, Belgium.

A self-build project, the new 35 m2 cabin replaces an old dilapidated timber structure. The brief was to create a woodland cabin that could function as a picnic & BBQ venue, a guesthouse and a studio. It needed to be lightweight, simple & economical. Furthermore, it had to be built of timber beams and cladding that had been milled from trees in the surrounding woods by Max de Rosee’s father.

Designed for various uses: working, sleeping and socialising

To capture the surrounding natural beauty, its openings respond to the outside views and approaches to the cabin. The internal space has been designed for various uses including working, sleeping and socialising, and is heated by a wood burning stove.

“Working within the £25,000 budget, our practice undertook the construction of the cabin ourselves during various trips over to Belgium. Materials used include concrete strip foundations, a suspended timber floor on brick dwarf walls, external timber cladding, which had been specially treated with used tractor oil, and internal OSB cladding.”

Photography: Will Scott