STATELY-Albion’s two bedroom Salisbury Log Cabin, which the company launched at the Newbury Show in May, is slightly unusual in that it is a 44ft long single unit, but rather than being the usual 10ft wide it is 12ft 6in.

In other respects the Salisbury is similar to some of the other models in the company’s range of lodges, the exterior being offered with either timber or brown Canexel cladding. And like the other lodges, the Salisbury has a pitched roof and brown soffits, fascias, rainwater goods, window frames and doors.

All this made me wonder why the Salisbury is called a ‘log cabin’ while the Warwick for example, is called a lodge.


Holiday diner

The front door is about mid-way along the front side elevation. As you go into the home, the door to the bathroom is immediately facing you, with the lounge, dining and kitchen areas to your left.

The dining area is at the front of the home opposite the L-shaped kitchen, while the lounge area takes up the rest of the space here. In the show model the dining area had been equipped with a circular table and four chairs but still tended to encroach into the kitchen area.

However, though the Salisbury is built to the BS3632 residential standard, it is intended as holiday home and hence I did not feel that the actual size of the dining area was all that important.


Necessities

The kitchen does not have very much worktop space, but it does have the basics necessary for the holiday lifestyle – a four-burner hob above an oven, plus an extractor, an adequate number of cupboards and drawers, and a built-in fridge/freezer.

Importantly, too, there is a built-in dishwasher beneath the drainer in the sink unit. At the end of the sink unit is a low- level wall separating the kitchen from the lounge. Behind the hob the wall has been tiled to the underside of the extractor, but elsewhere the splashback is no more than two tiles high above the worktops.


Wall of Glass

The lounge is rectangular in shape and is a good size, being approximately 13ft 4in x 11ft 9in – large enough for a three seat sofa and an armchair. Facing them, on the opposite side wall, is an attractive fireplace and electric fire. There is also a point for a wall mounted TV above the fireplace and storage for a DVD recorder below it.

The end wall of the lounge is almost fully glazed, having a pair of patio doors with a tall window unit either side of them. There is laminated flooring throughout the whole area – lounge/diner and kitchen – and lighting is via a triple pendant in the lounge ceiling and a light bar with four downlights on the ceiling in the kitchen.


Bathroom

Although the bathroom has a 5ft 6in bath there were two unusual features in the show home. First, there was a shower on the end wall above the bath but it was at the opposite end to the taps. Second, the usual shower screen along the outer edge of the bath had been replaced by a section of wall that I have to say I did not like, since I felt it made the area somewhat claustrophobic.

A short distance from the wall is a pedestal washbasin with a wall-mounted mirror above it, but no light. As there is only one central light in the ceiling I feel an additional light above the washbasin would be beneficial. I was also disappointed that there were no cupboards or shelves for toiletry storage. Nor were there any hooks to hang your clothes on. In fact, about the only place to put anything was on the windowledge above the bath, or on the cistern of the toilet adjacent to the washbasin.

Tiling was restricted to either end of the bath and along the wall behind it and to the width of the washbasin and about 15in above it. But again, this is a holiday home, so I did not feel these faults were particularly serious.


Twin bedroom

Next to the bathroom is the second bedroom, which is large enough to take two 2ft 6in beds with a freestanding bedside cabinet between them. On the party wall with the corridor is a built-in double door wardrobe plus a small three-drawer chest between it and the right-hand bed.

On the wall above the beds are five wall cupboards. Opposite the foot of the beds is a radiator and a tall mirror with a semi-circular top. There is a switched 13A socket above the bedside cabinet but other than that there is only one central ceiling light in the bedroom. It’s also worth noting that there is loft access here rather than in the more usual place – the corridor.


Master and En Suite

The main bedroom and en suite takes up the full width of the Salisbury at the end of the home. As you enter the room the 4ft 6in double bed is facing you with a row of wall cupboards above the headboard. These stretch from the outside wall to a single built-in wardrobe on the en suite party wall. In the base of the wardrobe are three drawers. There is a second wardrobe in the corner of the bedroom next to the door to the en suite, and this has a small electric radiator for airing clothes.

The en suite takes up the corner of the bedroom and is fairly small. It contains a pedestal washbasin with a mirror on the wall above it, a low level toilet, a radiator and an obscure glazed window above the radiator. Lighting here is from a single ceiling light and again, I think a light above the mirror would not come amiss. Also, as in the bathroom, there is nowhere to store toiletries or hang clothes.


OUR VERDICT

The Salisbury Log Cabin isn’t going to set the world alight. It’s a holiday home (albeit built to residential standards) and as long as it’s viewed it that light I think buyers will find plenty to be pleased about. Hopefully, they won’t have to spend large amounts of time on exterior maintenance and the use of laminated flooring internally should cut down on vacuuming and carpet cleaning. Though the workspace in the kitchen is limited, it is equipped with everything necessary for a holiday home, notably, a good size fridge/freezer and a dishwasher.

Similarly, the dining area is a bit restricted, but there’s nothing to stop you moving the table into the lounge area without encroaching too much on its space. A light above the mirrors in the second bedroom, en suite, and bathroom would certainly be an improvement. So, too, would a cabinet or two for storing toiletries in the bathroom and the en suite.

Having said all that, the Salisbury is a holiday home, though being built to residential home standards it should give good service for many years. Additionally, it comes with an ex-works price that certainly won’t frighten the bank manager!




Technical details
• Type: single unit leisure lodge
• Standard: BS3632
• Size: 44ft x 12ft 6in
• Bedrooms: 2

Room sizes
NB: all dimensions are approximate only
• Lounge area:  13ft 4in x 9ft 3in x 11ft 9in
• Kitchen/dining area: 6ft 10in x 11ft 9in
• Bathroom: 5ft 6in x 7ft 8in
• Bedroom two: 8ft 2in x 9ft 1in
• Bedroom one: 8ft 9in x 9ft 2in
• En suite: 5ft 1in x 2ft 9in

Main features
• Built to BS 3632
• Timber or canexel cladding
• Vaulted ceilings to living area
• Loft access
• Patio doors to front
• Integrated fridge/freezer
• Integrated dishwasher
• En suite

Price
£40,000 ex works (incl VAT)


CONTACT

Stately Albion Ltd, Unit 20, Darren Drive, Prince of Wales Industrial Estate, Abercarn, Newport NP11 5AR. Tel: 01495 244472 Email: [email protected] Website: www.stately-albion.co.uk


This review was published in the September 2009 issue of Park & Holiday Homes magazine. To order our latest issue please click here.


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