Cosy timber cottage for weekend getaways

Dear Jonno, I love seeing your designs in Farmer's Weekly, and there is generally an argument who reads it first in the family. We would love you to design a small timber cottage for us that we can build as a weekend getaway, with at least three bedrooms, for family and friends who tag along. Our site is in the foothills of the Drakensberg, and we have access to pine plantations all around us. The local sawmill has planking, and what they call 'siding,' basically the outer edge of the trees cut to planks. Some are decent enough to include in the building and will help hide the home among the surrounding forests. I envisage a living room and kitchen on the ground floor, and the bedrooms all upstairs. Kind regards, James and Connie

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Dear James and Connie,

I have a passion for designing timber homes, and if they are treated correctly and maintained well, will last for decades. Here is my getaway cottage design, using timber with aesthetic character.