A
s a Cornish farmer, Bob Coad has always
held strong opinions on ecology and the
merits of sustainable building, so when it
came to designing a woodland cabin on his own
land there was no question that the project would
be as environmentally benign as possible.
“There had been a caravan on our farm for
almost 40 years which was occupied by a retired
farm worker, Andrew, who grew all his own
vegetables – giving away the surplus to friends in
the village,” explains Bob. “Andrew died when he
was in his late 80s, so we needed to move the old
caravan and decide what to do with the small
piece of land where it had stood.”
Bob and his wife, Pat, planned to build a
secluded woodland cabin on the plot using local,
natural materials and causing as little disruption to
the immediate area as possible. “Andrew was a
master of make do and mend,” says Bob. “After a
lifetime spent working on farms he lived frugally in
the caravan and discarded very little, spending his
time gardening, repairing hedges and walking
his dog.”
Andrew’s consideration and knowledge of his
natural surroundings inspired Bob and Pat to
design something simple and rustic, which theycould rent out for holidays to people in need
of a rural escape – creating an additional
income stream.
The couple grow crops and raise sheep and
cattle on their 350-acre farm, in the quiet village
of Cubert on the north coast of Cornwall, five
miles from the busy seaside resort of Newquay
and within walking distance of Holywell Bay.
“My father originally bought the narrow strip of
land as part of the farm and then it was passed to
me while Andrew was still living there,” Bob
explains. The land stands between an old barn
and a field, and is edged with elm trees, making it
a peaceful setting with long views towards the
sand dunes.
Although the couple had a vague idea about
building a house in the woods, they soon realised
that expert guidance would be needed as this was
their first new build project.
Bob continues: “I got O-Level woodwork at
school, but that didn’t really equip me for
building a cabin, so Pat went to the Cornwall
Home and Lifestyle Show, where she met
Stuart Bowman-Harris on the Good Life Joinery
stand.” He adds: “I then had a chat with him
on the phone and visited an oak-framingTRANQUIL
Standing in a tranquil
woodland setting and inspired
by a “true countryman who
once lived on the site”
Juneberry cabin was designed
and created with a ‘make do
and mend’ ethos using local
and reclaimed materialsLOW POINT
A timber cabin in the woods, designed as a tranquil Cornish rural retreat, has
been carefully crafted from reclaimed, natural and sustainable materials
TEXT DEBBIE JEFFERY IMAGES UNIQUE HOME STAYS
RECLAIMED RETREAT
CASE STUDY
“Building the cabin took
longer than we thought,
partly because of the site
location, but not having a
fixed deadline gave us
more time to solve any
problems.”
–Bob Coad80www.sbhonline.co.uk july/august 2019