The winter getaway in Lofsdalen

In the early eighties the Mårding family decided to look for a plot where they could build a new mountain house. They chose Lofsdalen, a small ski resort in Härjedalen that attracted with magical skiing and magnificent nature. The house in Lövhammaren has since been a second home for the active couple Åsa and Thomas.

Both Nacka residents travel here both in summer and winter to enjoy the resort's many activities, such as downhill skiing, cross-country trails and downhill cycling. But with two teenage boys who have grown rapidly, the family has long wanted to add more space to the house's 80 square meters. Should they sell, or expand?

– When we felt that we needed more space we discussed whether we should sell and buy something bigger in, for example, Vemdalen or Åre. But here our teenage sons were unequivocal that they wanted to stay in Lofsdalen. Then we decided to add an attefallshus to get something in place that is top notch from the start, says Åsa.

After a colleague tipped Thomas about Sommarnöjen the floor plan became one of the most important factors when the couple looked at the different models. It is, namely, a big difference to use an Attefallshus as a summer house than to use it as a winter retreat, Thomas explains:

– In summer when you are dressed in flip flops and shorts you might want a terrace that you can easily open up to go in and out. In winter, however, you come in stomping with snowy ski boots that you don't want to trudge straight into the living room with.

Finally it was the attefallshus Tidlös with kitchen and bathroom that suited them best, where several customized solutions were made to prepare the house for the Jämtland winters. In the hall they laid stone flooring where underfloor heating was installed so that you can easily hang off wet clothes and other equipment after a day on the slopes. They also added spröjsade fönster as well as thicker insulation in the ceiling to make it extra warm and cozy up in the loft.

A proper kitchen was another must for Thomas and Åsa. In this model the kitchen is equipped with an induction hob, oven and dishwasher.

The assembly of the attefallaren is described by the couple as trouble-free, "with a quality beyond expectation". But in hindsight they recommend other house buyers to let Sommarnöjen handle the entire contract around foundation digging and sewer routing, something they themselves did not do. With the current construction boom in the mountains it would take a while before the couple could get an available contractor, despite that they started early:

"Take the extra cost and let Sommarnöjens project manager handle that part. That way you avoid ending up in the situation that arose for us, which saves quite a bit of headache," says Thomas.

Today the attefallshuset has an obvious place on the natural plot among wild heather, blueberry scrub and stately mountain birches. In some way it's as if it has always stood here, even though it's only been just over a year:

– Both neighbors and friends think it's become really good, above all that it blends so well with the surroundings. It was important to get the architecture right when you have a cabin from 1984 that is to stand next to a newly built attefallshus. It's something the architect at Sommarnöjen has really helped us with, especially how we placed the attefallshuset in relation to the main building, says Thomas.

Now the small attefall has become a really pleasant hangout where the couple can retreat when the house fills with happy youngsters:

"When one of the sons came up after the Christmas holidays with eight friends it was exactly as we had imagined. We stayed and had dinner and could then go out to the attefallshuset so that the youngsters could socialize on their own"

With a sofa bed in the living room you can accommodate another two people in the attefallshuset, a flexibility appreciated by the whole family. In short – you get quite far with 30 square meters, says Åsa:

– They are building a lot of very large houses in the mountain areas, where we think there is an advantage in not opting for a big house. It's more convenient with a reasonably sized house that holds more, but that can also be used by just two on other occasions.