Attracting all types of visitors from long weekend holiday lets to permanent holiday homes, log cabins have been used in the UK for more than 40 years.

Currently enjoying a boom in popularity, the first timber lodges began to appear on UK sites as far back as the Seventies. Forty years on, some of those early trend setters, on the banks of Lake Windermere, are still in use today.

While budget is always going to be the primary consideration, it is important to consider your target market, location and site layout before making an investment commitment.

“A lodge park could look to invest anything from between around £20,000 to over £100,000 for a single lodge,” says David Hollyhead, a specialist lodge consultant.

“The lower end often attracts a high turnover of clients paying lower rates and although this can provide a rapid return on investment, higher costs may be incurred from refurbishments and replacements,” he advises.

“At the higher end, the incredible quality and finish of topend units matches any top-class housing project and owners have the option of becoming more involved in the design of the home and its interior,” adds David.

PREMIUM RATES

Robert Matthews from Baltic Timber Lodges says that many 50-plus retired people, with good disposable income, will pay a premium for premium locations without the noise of a typical caravan park; summer rates of £650 plus are not uncommon.

“We recently constructed four larger lodges on a site that overlooks a golf course in a popular holiday resort; an investment of £250,000 has returned £700,000, plus weekly site fees,” Robert reveals.

A cheaper initial investment than the larger lodges and cabins, camping pods typically attract a transient market of walkers, fellwalkers and hikers, to those sites located on popular trails and routes, such as the Pennine or Cumbrian Ways.

Robert says: “A complete camping pod for two people can be constructed from around £4,000.

“If occupied for 90 nights per year a pod will give a return on investment of around 68 per cent in the first year, based on two sharing at £30 per lodge per night.”

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