Merry Xmas

Ah well, 'Tis Xmas yet again.

A hectic past few days getting the roof shingles on the Microlodges in the workshop ready for delivery at the start of the year. Preps are now underway for the SECC show on the 4th of Feb (where does the time go?). It seems like no time at all since the last show.

Like everywhere else, we have been blanketed in white, and luckily due the construction in the summer of our double oil barrel wood burner, it has been nice and warm in the cutting room, which is more than can be said for the assembly area....Sorry Gary.

Lucy

Hurrah....update...Lucy eating again

Cat Burglar????

www.microlodge.co.uk

Well a good end to the week, apart from Wednesday night.

Firstly, the good part. We have the weekend off as transport for builds 4 & 5 going to Noah's Ark in Perth can't come until Monday, so we are all taking the 2 days off for a treat.

Also, more camping sites are in the process of the planning stage for their own 'Hobbit houses'.

Now, the Wednesday night....

For months, Lucy the cat has been getting me up at all hours through the night, so bought a catflap months ago and I've been 'intending' since (repeatedly) to get it fitted. So at last, tools brought from the workshop, it was installed, and so much easier than the last one I tried.

So far, so good.

Fitting the magnetic collar to Lucy....no problem. Still good.

Then, at 3 in the morning, I hear a crescendo in the kitchen. Something not so good is happening in there. I leap out of bed, barefoot, and straight onto a floor littered with cat biscuits.

Now, I could likely do the hot coal-walking stuff if I was mentally prepared for it beforehand, but the sharp pain caused by scattered Whiskas bikkies contacting soft feet was excruciating.

To make matters worse, Lucy was doing the 'wall of death' run around the kitchen, with her stainless steel food bowl firmly attached to the side of her head, courtesy of the magnetic collar to operate the bloody catflap.

The update is that all cat bowls have been replaced with plastic ones...oh, and she still hasn't eaten since the incident.

New Concepts

MULTI-ROOMs???

Well, the heads have been scratching and we have arrived at a design to allow us to 'dock' any number of Hobbit houses together. We had 2 units sitting side by side ready for delivery to Noahs Ark caravan site, plus a spare 1/2 hour, so we started toying around with a tunnel design to join the lodges together...and put together a rough prototype joining doorway system.

It would mean we could have a 2 bedroom, kitchen, bathroom & living room layout for the same cost as a car lock-up garage in Edinburgh....

Our sales team have been busy lads over the past wee while, visiting the show at Birmingham and various sites throughout Scotland.

We now also have a new manufacturer set up to supply our mattresses, with a choice of 16 colours to choose from.

New DVD

Cannes film festival, watch out....

Well actually, not really, but we have just invested in new video gear, with the intention of making a DVD showing the birth and construction of a microlodge.

Starting next week, we will hopefully get some time lapse footage of a 'hobbit build', which is good as it will make us look as if we are working faster than normal.

This will show the making of the 3rd unit ordered by Noahs Ark in Perth and we will film right through until the delivery and handover of the microlodge.

What else.....

Our new sales and marketing team are now in position and have already generated a great deal of interest in the microlodges, both at the Birmingham caravan show and on their travels around the country. So, a warm welcome to Robert Mather, senior and junior.

More Noahs Ark

As promised, some pics showing the larger rear window for the latest builds. Saturday delivery for the first of the Perth Hobbits now booked.

Insulation installed

Dougie making the larger windows.

Ready for window fitting and varnish

Noahs Ark

The new-style hobbit houses are now in production. These are for delivery to the Noahs Ark caravan site in Perth.

Looks like a fine place to stay, with go-karts, 10 pin bowling, golf driving range and a huge kids adventure room.

The longer versions, incorporating a 'kitchen area' with fridge and microwave, improved ventilation vents, wider double bunk and coat hooks are looking good.
New cutting jigs have been made, and a fantastic concept in saw blades have been imported from the States which allows us to cut our circles in a fraction of the time compared to the router method.

Pictures to follow soon.

Summer hols

http://www.microlodge.co.uk/



Well, at last, we got away for summer hols, and it was a disaster.

Full of hope and cheer, we decided to do the Great Glen and West Highland Way.

All kitted up with our brand new, super flip up tent and optimism, we drove off to Crianlarich and stopped off at the wigwam site at Strathfillan.

Upon arrival at site, plumes of steam had started bellowing from the bonnet area of the car, and upon inspection, the hose into the interior heater had broken from its spigot. Luckily, thanks to their very helpful maint. man, we aquired a piece of central heating pipe and some steel putty and did an on site repair.

The constant downpour was only interupted by heavy drizzle, but we were cozy enough, albeit a tad cramped, and had the guitar out for a sing-song.


Next day, we headed North to stop at the Red Squirrel campsite at Glencoe.

At this point we discovered we couldn't close the tent doors with the blow-up mattress inflated, so decided to split the difference and have closed doors and semi-inflation.
So far then, not too bad, until we tried to find a pub showing the Scotland footie game. We found a bar at last....40 miles away in Fort William...and Scotland won, so the travel was justified.

In good cheer, we headed the 40 miles back South, and luckily, being still in the tail end of summer, the rain was reasonably warm.

Off out that night to catch a band at the Clachaig Inn, where the steam from soggy hillwalking gear created an artistic haze around the stage.

Fortified by the strength of Guiness, we headed back to the tent, dreading the thought of not being able to close the tent flaps, a problem that had been pre-solved for us due to the fact that the 'borrowed airbed' actually had a slow leak in it and was now as flat as a flat thingy.

So, next morning, sore, stiff and extremely wet, as the new 'flippy-open-tent turned out not to be as waterproof as one would expect, we cancelled the rest of the hols and headed home. Next year, I think we will hitch a microlodge to a trailer and travel in style!!

Microlodge hobbit houses on GMTV

At last, someone posted the microlodge feature done on tv last week, but we are still looking for the one done just before the X Factor on 29th August. Any help there??????

The article can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZCK9_9AaRo

Hobbit Houses featured on National TV

www.microlodge.co.uk

Well, a week of surprises for us.

Firstly a few well known visitor to some of our lodges in the form of Iain Smith MSP and Sir Menzies Campbell again.

Then a couple of features on National TV, which we knew nothing about. (if we get the film from ITV, we will link it to the website...unless you know someone who has recorded it??)

We all spent a lovely day yesterday in the Perthshire countryside, planning out for a 'Microlodge Village', complete with winding pathways through the woods to access the lodges. Looking forward to seeing the installation of that.

We are also in the process of looking for a secondary assembly unit as orders for the start of next years season have escalated.

A great deal of interest has been shown in our new 'shower/bathroom' unit, as of course, this would allow customers with basically just land, create a self-contained site in its own right, with a microlodge also kitted out as the reception/office also.

We have been getting feedback from units in situ, and income generated has exceeded the set targets for the season, so happy customers out there.

Curtains for Microlodge

www.microlodge.co.uk

Yet another new additional service to your microlodge options.

You can now link from the website to the Ikea materials page and chose your own fabrics, and we will make the curtains for you.

Bigger and better

www.microlodge.co.uk

New plans have been drawn up now for the next build of our extended microlodges. The length has been stretched to 15ft 9", thereby allowing us to install a 'mini kitchen' area near the doors.
This will consist of a fridge, microwave, kettle and worktop area in addition to the freeview TV already installed, to make a visit to our microlodges even better.
The plans for this can be seen on the website.
Also due to customer feedback, coathooks will be fitted in the porch area, and vents fitted to allow better airflow, as we were informed that the lodges were too warm.
Now the good news....even with these additions, the price will stay the same for orders submitted to us this year, but due to our wood stock prices due to rise by 10% soon, there will likely need to be a small price rise come 2010.

Scottish Caravanner Magazine

www.microlodge.co.uk

Nice surprise today at work.


The microlodges have been featured in the Scottish Caravanner magazine in a 2 page spread, of which we were completely unaware of being written.
Looks like it's going to be a busy late summer and autumn, especially if the California project also goes ahead.

Fife Business Matters

www.microlodge.co.uk

Today was interview day for an article on microlodges to be published in the Fife Business Matters magazine, so a visit to The Big Partnership, Scotlands leading PR company was in order.
We are also now in the process of designing a more 'oval shaped' lodge that will almost double the internal capacity of the Hobbit range allowing us to install an enclosed bedroom, shower/bathroom and a sitting area.

New Visitors gallery

www.microlodge.co.uk

Well, we now have the chance to publish microlodge visitors pics onto the website.
We also updated the searches to include the new buzzword ' glamping '.
A good few inquiries coming in now, some from as far afield as California, plus more orders are arriving.
Looks like no summer holidays for us.

http://www.microlodge.co.uk/

We now have our new sales team in situ, so any new enquiries can be directed to us via the website or by calling Keith Saye on 01279 725345 .

Also new to the website is our comments page, so if you have stayed in one of our microlodges, please feel free to leave feedback.
Steve Millar

video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybMLN3f3WAI

See the new video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybMLN3f3WAI

Sauchope opening day

Well, Saturday was hectic as Sir Menzies Campbell was due to open the latest project at 11, yet at 1 minute to the hour, the last screws were going in the stairs. Luckily, he was running 10 minutes late, and all went to plan for us.

Into the hill

The decking is now taking shape, and bookings for the weekend are coming in. Should be a good launch for Sauchope links park.

The Crane Lifts completed

At last, after much nail chewing, the Crail Microlodges are installed on their raised platforms.

Digging the hill

www.microlodge.co.uk

The start of instalation of the Microlodge houses into the hillside has begun, with a 78 Metre decking platform at Sauchope links park. Once again, the weather has been kind to us, and the usual wind coming off the sea has managed to stay just above Arctic conditions. The crane should be lifting the houses into their final positions on Friday, so fingers crossed it all goes well.

The last of the batch of 6 Microlodges has now been delivered to Sauchope Links Park in Crail. At present, the diggers have been in and dug 6 slots out of the hillside, and next week, a 75 metre decking will be installed around the houses. Need to be ready for the grand opening on the 27th of March. In attendance, we believe, will be Sir Menzies Campbell.

The latest news is that all the units are fully booked for the Easter period, and bookings rapidly coming in for the summer season.

Model Building

It's all coming together now for SECC. Printing works are in the final stages and the missing entry tickets have been replaced, and the 1/4 scale model will be finished on Monday.

Some of the Microlodge team.

We now have a slideshow published on you tube.

SECC Glasgow

Well, it's a new year and things are getting busy here. We are in the process of gearing up for the SECC caravan show in Glasgow, 5th - 8th February. We are in the midst of building a quarter scale model to take along, and as usual, have left the new brochure printing to the last minute.

The next batch of lodges have been delivered to Crail and kitted out with TV facilities and mattresses, so looking good.