The forest house on Singö with a personal touch

Far out in northern Roslagen lies Singö, an island with a couple of hundred permanent residents right on the border to Uppsala län. Here Birgitta and Roger have their holiday home, where both fox and roe deer sometimes peek out among the property's trees. There are also moose in the area – and it's also rumored that a wolf recently prowled around the island.

– It's a typical Roslagen environment with rich nature and lots of boating in the summers. We basically have a pure forest plot with spruce and pine, but in winter when the foliage doesn't cover the view you can get a small glimpse of the sea, Roger says.

The plot was bought by Birgitta's parents in the 1960s and originally consisted of a small friggebod with two bunk beds which later was joined by a cabin of 25 square meters. Over time a larger main building was constructed that has been used extensively over the years, but fitting visiting children, grandchildren and friends is not always the easiest, they explain:

– Since the children like to come up here with their friends we started to consider whether we might need a larger guest cottage, but during the process we realized it was better to build something new for ourselves and instead use the old main building for guests and children.

The plan was to find a modular house that could quickly be put in place and work began to scan the web for possible options, where Sommarnöjen early emerged as a strong candidate. After a visit to the show house at Arlanda and several private viewings the couple settled on the model Tidlös Sommar with its classic architecture and pronounced gable roof:

– We decided to tear down the small cabin and place the new house a bit higher up where we have it fairly free and open on the plot. The floor plan Hav then suited best with the large social area along the front long side, but since we had some of our own wishes we didn't follow the drawings to the letter.

A customized floor plan with built-in furnishings

To stay within Sommarnöjen's module dimensions the model Tidlös Sommar 90 was used as a base. Together with Sommarnöjen's project manager Birgitta and Roger then adapted the layout so that the kitchen got a larger area, while the glass section at the opposite end was removed to protect against prying eyes. Instead a window was installed high up at the ridge which beautifully illuminates the social area with slanting light from above, where a stove was also installed.

In the rear bedroom section built-in wardrobes and bench cabinets were designed in the couple's bedroom, as well as built-in beds in the smaller guest room. The third room, which is now used for storage, also has a tailored solution that easily allows for an extra sleeping place when needed. Sommarnöjen also designed fixed fittings for the hallway and bathroom to optimize storage possibilities.

Initially Birgitta and Roger leaned towards the interior style Rå, but ultimately chose Varm with covering spruce paneling on walls and ceilings that fit well with the forest plot outside:

– Everything was built so solidly and nicely by Sommarnöjen. They really created a warm and cozy indoor environment which also requires very little maintenance since the interior style Varm mostly consists of wood. Externally we chose tar-based paint (tjärvitriol), which also blends nicely into the surroundings, says Birgitta.

To make room for their new sommarnöje the couple needed to fell some trees on the plot, but during the work it was discovered that the harmful spruce bark beetle had attacked the spruces – and it was widespread. With great sorrow Birgitta and Roger were forced to cut down far more trees than they had counted on, vegetation they hope to restore in the future by replanting.

The advantage with Sommarnöjen is that you can make your house personal

Fortunately the spruce bark beetle's advance was the only setback during the house process, with the remaining plot preparations and assembly proceeding without problems. In July 2022 the house was delivered to Singö, something which according to the couple went “as smoothly as can be”:

– Everyone thinks the house is fantastically nice, we only get praise. When we now hold viewings here ourselves we sometimes get the question of whether we would have done anything differently in hindsight, but we wouldn't. The advantage with Sommarnöjen is that it's possible to make your house personal, even if it is turnkey.

As retirees the Södermalmsborna can now enjoy their new house to the fullest, where they more or less live full-time during the summer months. Roger himself finds it hard to choose a particular favorite spot in the house, but he is really pleased with the spacious kitchen – it is namely his domain:

– There is such a harmony in the house, combined with it also being so practical and functional. We spend a lot of time in the open living area, but the kitchen turned out really great. It's so lovely to stand and cook at the kitchen island and look out over the natural surroundings through the large panes of glass.