The dream of building a house first took shape years ago. There were two criteria for the house: it had to be a log house and it had to be situated in the countryside. This gave rise to the Kuusamo Log Houses project, Villa Tranberg, which is becoming more and more of a dream come true for Jessica and Antti with each passing day.
When the couple Jessica Ålgars and Antti Vaalikivi decided to build themselves a ‘house for their adult lives’, as their children grew up and moved out, it was long referred to as the ‘little house’. They went to view several plots within an hour’s drive of Turku. By chance, they found a plot on a small island in Naantali online, and it immediately caught their eye.
– The rocky plot is covered in lichen and low-growing pines, and features a beautiful marsh where cranberries grow in the autumn. The plot reminded us of both Lapland and the archipelago, both of which are important spiritual landscapes for us. It doesn’t have its own beach, but the sea and lakes are very close by, say Jessica and Antti.
The cranberry of destiny
The cranberry played an important role when everything fell into place. The name of their dream plot is Villa Tranberg, a name given to it by the seller, Monika, because cranberries (tranbär in Swedish) grow in the bog in autumn and because cranes (trana in Swedish) sometimes fly over the plot.
– Monika, like me, speaks Swedish, and when she heard that we call our red camper van “Cranberry”, it almost felt like fate that we would be the plot’s next owners, says Jessica Ålgars.
The plot, which covers over a hectare, is situated in the heart of the countryside, with only forest deer and elk for neighbours.
The quality and service of the house supplier were the deciding factors
Jessica and Antti visited five different log house suppliers in Turku and attended the summer housing fairs in Lohja and Naantali. At the fairs, they were particularly impressed by the log houses, which seemed to have the longest queues.
Kuusamo Log Houses came out on top thanks to its reliable and knowledgeable sales staff, high-quality product and sensible value for money. The use of local labour – the Tähtinen brothers, who are from Mynämäki, as builders – also sounded like a safe choice. The rather long delivery time for the ready-to-move-in log house was not a problem, as Jessica and Antti were in no hurry with the project.
– The house was purchased in December 2021. We didn’t know then that in February Russia would launch a devastating war of aggression against Ukraine, the effects of which would also be felt in construction and the availability of materials. In hindsight, it was good that we finalised the deal before the war began, says Antti Vaalikivi.
The war has not affected the timetable; everything has progressed smoothly. The logs come from trees growing in the forests of Kuusamo and its neighbouring municipalities, and the workforce comes from a neighbouring municipality. When the world is in turmoil, this kind of local sourcing is a clear advantage and a source of security.
– Antti and I have been hiking and snowboarding in the forests of Kuusamo. In a home built slowly from timber grown in the Lapland winter, life feels safe, familiar and healthy, says Jessica.
It didn’t turn out to be a small house – nor a huge one
The house package chosen was the single-storey Harju. It has 128 square metres of floor space, three bedrooms and even a utility room.
– We both work remotely and have four children in total – teenagers and adults – so it couldn’t have been any smaller than this ‘small house’. Now that the house is up, it feels like the size is just right for us, Jessica says happily.
The construction work has progressed delightfully well and exactly on schedule. The concrete floor is currently being dried – which is, of course, evident from the large electricity bills – and the surfaces are being prepared.
The surrounding nature has inspired the choice of materials and colours. The logs were treated with Teknos wax, which has a light shade but leaves the logs their natural wood colour. A few walls feature vertical panelling, inspired by Norwegian timber buildings, among other things. The ceiling has wooden panelling and the floor will be oak parquet. The tiles reflect the colours and shapes of the surrounding archipelago cliffs.
The challenges and joys of a sparsely populated area
A large plot in the middle of nature is not immediately ready to move into; there are many things to sort out and order.
A well was drilled to a depth of 60 metres to provide water. An electricity connection had to be ordered and a decision made on which sewage system to install. Jessica and Antti looked into various options and, although they were interested in a small chemical treatment plant, they eventually opted for Vestelli’s solution, which features a septic tank and a separate greywater bio-treatment plant. The solution should be simple and virtually maintenance-free.
Earthworks are probably a major undertaking for every builder and perhaps also a source of wonder – and this was certainly the case on the Villa Tranberg site.
– On the rocky plot, quite a lot of rock had to be excavated and a fairly long road had to be built up to the house, uphill. Fortunately, we had a skilled local earthworks contractor, Rami, who tackled the challenges and managed to make the plot habitable whilst respecting the beautiful natural surroundings, says Antti.
The future residents of Rymättylä have used local labour wherever possible. Site manager Arto lives nearby, and through him Jessica and Antti have been tipped off about good local tradespeople for everything from groundworks to outdoor electrical design and snow clearing help.
– Everyone has been both professional and friendly, which gives us confidence that we will have a good life in Rymättylä, in a house surrounded by nature.
Jessica and Antti’s house will be ready to move into in summer 2023. In the next blog post, they’ll tell us what the house turned out like and what it’s like to live there.
Read more about the story and background of this house:
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Customer story
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Guest article
