Popular presenter Juuso Mäkilähde tested a housing fair home – and will start building his own log home in the autumn

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Free for publication on 27 July 2020 at 10:00

Popular presenter Juuso Mäkilähde tested a housing fair home – and will start building his own log home in the autumn

"I’m nervous and actually rather scared about the construction project, but I know we’ll get a perfect home.”

Finnish Radio journalist and presenter Juuso Mäkilähde is facing the unknown. He’s having his first home built for his family. They chose a modern log home, combining all the good elements of living: being close to nature, healthiness, ecological choice and a style that fits into the urban setting. The family had a mini holiday in the Tuusula Housing Fair area and lived for a while in a Honka Huomen house: "We had a wow effect as soon as we entered.” 

"I had always thought that I wouldn’t be up to the task of having my own house built. But I suppose that’s the way it is: if you want to achieve any dreams in life, sometimes you just have to jump in at the far end and see what happens,” says Juuso Mäkilähde. Construction of their home will begin in the autumn. 

His family of four were given a rare opportunity in July to test what their future home will be like. They stayed for a weekend in Honkarakenne’s Huomen house before it was open for the public at the Housing Fair. "Getting to know about modern log construction has been an eye-opening experience,” says Mäkilähde. He shares his feelings about the weekend on his Instagram account. 
  

Well-being and smart solutions

Having two small children, Juuso Mäkilähde and his wife are keeping busy. "That’s why I want to give my family a relaxing and safe home. What I love about log is that it’s a natural material, it breathes, and it’s clean and ecological,” says Juuso Mäkilähde. The couple loved the Huomen house also because of the feeling of space and the urban, streamlines architecture.

Their weekend stay also taught them about smart solutions that increase comfort and eco-friendliness. Even the family’s two-year-old was quick to find the buttons that control the lighting and temperatures. "And of course we had to test them in every room,” says Mäkilähde with a chuckle. "The idea with a smart home is simply to make your life easier. It brings added comfort and safety and also makes living more ecological, as it saves electricity, for example.”
  

Podcast and Youtube series for other people getting their first home to enjoy

Their log home will be built in the greater Helsinki area. The 160-square-metre home was designed by Honkarakenne architect Tuuli Petäjä-Sirén. Juuso Mäkilähde will be sharing his experiences with other people getting their first home by publishing a podcast series on the construction project next autumn. As the construction project progresses, there will also be a Youtube series in spring 2021. The series will be produced in partnership with Honkarakenne.

The family’s dream is one step closer to being a reality. But there’s some realism, too: "You think that as I have a home built for us, we get a home in the middle of nature and we can enjoy peace and quiet. Of course the fact is that we live a beautifully hectic and chaotic family life at the moment, so perhaps ‘peace and quiet’ is stretching it a bit. But at least we are closer to nature,” he says with a laugh.

Honkarakenne Ltd supplies high-quality, healthy and ecological log homes, holiday homes and public buildings. Its buildings are made from Finnish solid wood under the Honka® brand. The company has delivered 85,000 buildings to over 50 countries. We manufacture our home packages in Finland, at our own factory located in Karstula. In 2019, Honkarakenne Group's consolidated net sales totalled EUR 47.5 million, of which exports accounted for 34%. www.honka.fi 

Additional information and interview requests

Heidi Kaunokoski, Marketing Manager, Honkarakenne Ltd, +358 50 524 9687, heidi.kaunokoski@honka.com

Learn more about Honka Huomen:

Valokuvat: https://honka.com/en/media/

Virtual tour and information about Huomen: https://www.honka.fi/fi/huomen/

Follow Juuso Mäkilähde’s log house project

Instagram @juusomakilahde 
Podcast series in Finnish Hirsipodi – in search of the perfect home in Supla from mid-September onwards