Trevarno, The Journey

Trevarno is now our 6th Scandinavian lodge at Coombe Mill and you might expect by now that we would have the build schedule running like clockwork. On paper we do, yet in reality every time we build it feels like we run right up to the wire on timing causing just a little stress on my part! Two weeks before our first holiday makers arrived the Lodge looked like this:

The Fun Begins

I blogged before about the build to this point and my worries of the cream sofas that were in fact green, so when Farmer Nick and I took a day out in search of all the finishing touches, I was armed with a camera for colour matching and coordination. I love this part of the build, a bit of quality time out together while the children are at school and a chance to show my limited artistic flare for matching styles and colours. Nick was laughing at me with my camera but it actually helped no end. I think I get the last laugh, clearly he is not happy posing with this wall art, and no, we didn't buy it!   

With purchases made it was a solid week of carpentry for Nick from curtain poles to bath panels and stair gates to garden furniture before the carpets were laid, stored furniture could be brought over from the farm shed and finally my finishing touches added from our day out. 

Proud of the Results

In the end it is our most stylish and practical build yet and far from the peppimint green candy shop I had feared on first seeing the furniture in the shed. The upstairs playroom has been filled with toys every youngster will enjoy, while the breakfast bar gives a new dimension to the room and extra work surface space. In the master bedroom the super king bed gives us a headache every time on purchasing all the necessary, but I really feel a luxury property deserves a luxury size bed with ample space for little ones to climb in too! With all the energy efficiency of Trebah with solar panels and under floor heating, I want to move in! See what you think:

Our First Guests for Trevarno

Saturday saw our first holiday makers arrive. Having never been to Coombe Mill before, they had no idea what to expect. As I led them inside I was thrilled to hear "Wow, this is amazing" as their first words. Their little girl ran straight upstairs to investigate the toys and the whole family happily posed for me in their new home for the week.

Tempted to Book?

It turns out our reputation for new builds precedes us and just on the back of the success of Trebah, Trevarno Scandinavian lodge is already full to the end of the year except for week commencing 13th

 October and Christmas or New Year. If you can take advantage of any of these 3 dates I will take £50 off the booking price. Quick, when it's booked, it's booked! You can read more about Trevarno Lodge on our website page

A Final Plea

I am very proud to be a finalist for the MAD blog awards. Voting closes next week, do have a look as there are some lovely blogs in the finals. If you are looking for me *says hopefully* I am in Family Fun and Small Business  

I am also up for Blogger of the Year with Loved by Parents as me "Fiona Cambouropoulos" in Special Awards

Thank you. 

Inspired by Trebah

When we took on Coombe Mill nearly 10 years ago, there was just the cottages and riverside lodges. Since Eden in 2004 we have been adding to Coombe Mill with Luxury Scandinavian lodges. Trebah was our first eco Scandinavian lodge designed for a family of 4. It has proved so popular with the energy efficient under floor heating, money saving solar panels providing hot water, ultra modern decor and vast play room that we have been inspired to repeat and enhance the design for Trevarno.

Building Trevarno

Work began back in November last year. By Christmas we had the shell assembled, and I was running away with ideas of renting by Easter! Thank goodness Farmer Nick held me back. Here we stand now just into May, and we are far from finished! Every time we build I forget just how long the process really is. There is so much insulation to make these properties so energy efficient, plumbing, electrics and endless little carpentry jobs drag the middle phase out so that I worry about completing before the first paid guests arrive.

Our Builders

We have used the same trusted builders since we began http://www.northcoastlogcabins.com/ Originally they built the Play barn, or Farmer Nick's original shed as it was back then! We were so impressed with a builder who delivered on time and to budget that Trevarno will now be our 6th lodge built by North Coast. They are a small moorland business from the neighbouring village of Blisland who are now expanding internationally. 

Trevarno Our Journey in pictures

Trevarno Now 

With the grass seeding and the lawn being well watered during April, from the Outside at least is looking ready to rent. 

To come: delight or disaster?

Order lead times on kitchens, white goods and carpet fitting have all given us the usual stresses on top of running the rest of the business and keeping order in the family! With just 3 weeks till our first paid guests arrive I am worried I may be handing them a set of keys and a painting brush at the moment! Having tried 3 carpet fitters last week all of whom quoted 3 weeks before a fitting date could be met I was back to pulling out my best negotiation skills (being an ex Tesco buyer comes in handy on occasions like this) and now the lovely people at  http://www.bodminflooring.com/ have agreed to fit by the end of this week. *Phew*. A similar narrow escape on the curtains came today when I suddenly realised we had forgotten the wardrobe curtain, poor Nick found himself back in the car again to the shops, never a short journey from here, to grab the very last set in the size we needed.

Sharing my biggest worry

We have bought a beautiful sofa set for Trevarno and gorgeous dining room table and chairs, all modern leather which I still swear were in matching cream. Now they are here and waiting in Nick's shed I can see the sofas are pale green and the chairs cream. I am going to need some imagination to pull these colours together without it looking like a candy shop of peppermint creams!

Inside Nick's dry store shed for storage

I know this will not be the last of the panics over the coming couple of weeks and I so look forward to sharing some finished, complete and hopefully tasteful photos before the first guests arrive!