You can see more pictures of the project progress here.
April 2018
Up and running. Our first real guests stayed with us and said they loved the place.
You can read their review here.
March 2018
All interior and exterior works completed. There are pictures of the completed facility here.
Our testers came and lived in the hut for several days. There were a few minor things which were all easily sorted. Overall they were really impressed.
February 2018
The hut build at the factory was completed. Final touches included:
- Installing the shower
- Finishing the kitchen with a custom splash back
- Testing the underfloor heating
- Securing everything for the journey to site
Our Hut was then loaded onto a low-loader for the careful journey to the site. With the help of our friendly local farmer we installed the hut on site; just hours before the snow hit us. Were we relieved!
We now need to finish everything off both on-site (like completing the patio and landscaping) and commissioning the hut itself. This is expected to take a few weeks.
January 2018
The hut is very close to being complete. The construction is complete and most of the equipment has been fitted including the bed, kitchen and en-suite. The only major pieces of equipment left to do are the TV and the log burning stove, which will be fitted once the hut is on site.
On site preparations for delivery of the first hut are well under way. The utilities hut and kennels have been completed and the services (washer, dryer and freezer for dog food) installed. See pictures here.
December 2017
Major progress (pictures online) on the hut including:
- Final insulated hut assembly
- Installation of fold down bed
- Installation of kitchen
- Installation of shower room
- Installation of most lights and electrics
Work outside has been continuing, but at a planned slower pace due to the weather.
October / November 2017
A lot of work has been going on in the background, much of which remains unseen. Some of the main works are listed below, and we expect to have pictures of more visible progress in the next few weeks.
The builders on the main site have been making great progress, in particular:
- Laying the foundations for the huts (initially just one, but hopefully more in time)
- Laying the first patio
- Building the patio fences
- Building the utility hut (for washing and drying facilities)
- Building the dog kennels
The main factory works have included:
- Assembling the first hut
- Then taking it the internal pieces apart to be painted
- Installing the insulation and electrical cabling
- Taking delivery of the internal parts like the bed, kitchen equipment etc
We have also done a lot of other site work including:
- Having a new electricity transformer installed to run the rural site
- Ordering the equipment for guest wi-fi
- Clearing old brambles and tidying hedges for the exercise field
September 2017
The factory has been busy:
- Making the hut base with insulation
- Making and painting the windows and doors
- Forming the roof structure
- Starting making the frame
- Casting the antique-style wheels (cast from an original hut)
On-site the main work has been:
- Completing the drainage and utility ditches
- Laying in the electricity cable (done by the electricity company)
August 2017
Major progress was made in August. On site this included:
- Digging out and laying the solid foundations for future huts
- Laying in all the utilities like, water, sewerage, electricity
- Installing drainage for the hut and exercise fields
Building of the first hut has begun in earnest including:
- Delivery of the construction materials
- Building the first parts of the timber frame
- Ordering the internal equipment.
Pictures of the progress can be seen on the project progress pictures page
July 2017
- Purchase of the land went through
- Builders on site to:
- Clear the site of old undergrowth
- Dig the foundations needed to support the huts
- Dig out the service systems (water, sewerage, electricity etc)
- Layout the carpark and paths
- We also ordered the first hut and building of the hut has started.
Prior to July 2017
We had 2 main issues at Bed and Basket. The first was that we were getting so busy that some of our regular guests were finding it difficult to book. The second was that because the barns are in converted stone buildings they all have stairs in them which makes it difficult for people (and dogs) with limited mobility.
So we spent over a year researching the options of what we could do and settled on high-quality shepherd’s huts. We reviewed and visited a number of builders of such huts and finally settled on one in Devon who not only made excellent huts, but was also willing to customise for our needs – particularly making them dog friendly.
At the same time we were negotiating with the local farmer and agreed to buy part of a field that is adjacent to Bed and Basket. Whilst providing the best dog-friendly holidays we can, the concept of huts is different to stone barns, hence the new name.
We applied for, and received, planning permission for the venture.
We also planted a twin hedge line along the cattle fencing at the edge of the planned exercise field.