A farmer for most of his adult life in rural Staffordshire, Bob Holmes was looking to diversify his business operations and made the decision to put some of the 270 acres of land that he used for bull rearing and arable farming to an alternative use. Having turned a pond on his land into a huge lake filled with trout and carp a few years ago, this seemed the perfect location for some holiday cabins.  

What started out as one holiday cabin, quickly became two and will soon be five, luxury, bespoke, hand-built waterfront cabins with each one occupying its own tranquil space overlooking the vast lake, boasting a high specification interior and featuring a separate outdoor freestanding bath tub.

Aiming to create bespoke, luxury cabins with a difference, the owner wanted to offer smart home technologies which would capture energy efficiencies in their operation and application. A priority was the ability to plan around bookings to ensure that lighting and heating were on upon guests’ arrival and that there was controllability of heating on demand - with remote control and access to systems where guests may have difficulty, an important consideration. 

This required the need to overcome any issues that arose due to the cabins’ remote, off grid location, with connectivity and smart home tech needing to operate over a standalone 4G network. The solution was found in Scolmore’s Click Smart+ range of smart home products recommended by the professional installer already involved in work at the farm, Martyn Walley, managing director of electrical contracting firm, Hide Ltd. 

Martyn commented: “The Click Smart+ range is designed to simplify and streamline connected home products – lighting controls, smart sockets, smart switches, security cameras and sensors. It utilises Zigbee technology – one of the most widely adopted smart home communication protocols. Zigbee certified devices require the Click Smart+ Hub and communicate with each other using a mesh network which creates multiple pathways for the connection of multiple smart home devices without compromising signal and communication range.

“I have worked with the ClickSmart+ range on numerous projects and can testify for its ease of use and the wide range of applications it can be utilised for. It is designed to bring convenience, comfort, security, energy saving and ultimately more control in the home and workplace. Installation is simple and flexible, with no additional cables or wall cutting required, making it ideal for existing or newly constructed buildings.  

Martyn has used various products from Click Smart+ and these include:

• 10A 1 gang smart Switching Receiver and the 150W 1 gang smart switching receiver. to remotely control all the interior and exterior lighting.
• smart Fused Connection Unit (FCU) to control the immersion heaters.
• smart window and door sensor which is being used to control heating for energy efficiency but can also be used for security.
• smart temperature and humidity sensor for controlling temperature and energy efficiency.

Other products from across the Scolmore Group that were specified and installed by Martyn include a consumer unit from the Click Elucian range. He continued: “The Elucian range was designed with the installer in mind and offers an extensive range of metal consumer units that cover a broad range of installations with a number of features and benefits that will enhance the products’ convenience, flexibility and safety properties.” Martin chose the 12-way metal consumer unit that comes furnished with a 100A Mains Switch supplied with a surge protection device along with RCBOs providing individual circuit protection within the lodges.

The Click Aquip66 range of weatherproof sockets, light switches and switch enclosures provided the solution for all outdoor electrical requirements such as the outdoor bathhouse and boiler room. Products installed included:

• Click Aquip 13A socket outlet on the lodge porch / veranda area.
• Click Aquip weatherproof light switch in the external boiler room and bathhouse area.
• Click Aquip 1 gang enclosure within the bathhouse to house the ClickSmart+ Fused Connection Unit controlling the hot water.

The Aquip66 range is designed to offer a high level of protection against ingress of water jets and dust and all products in the range come as completely sealed units. They offer a number of features and benefits. They are IP66-rated, have a robust polycarbonate construction, and offer high impact resistance and UV protection against fading. The flexible rubber base allows for mounting on most types of uneven surfaces. 

From another Scolmore Group company, Unicrimp, and providing vital protection from any incidence of electrical surge is the Unicrimp earth rod or earth electrodes. These conductive metal poles are buried directly into the ground and connected to the Earth circuit of an electrical installation. If there is a fault, they provide a low resistance path that allows electricity to safely dissipate out into the ground.

Commenting on the luxury cabins project, owner Bob Holmes said: We were very lucky to have local electrical contractor Martyn working on the job. He really understood the requirements of this particular project with its remote location and desire to offer clients a bespoke and different experience and that’s where the smart solutions came in. Martyn led us with the choice of products to meet the brief. He is very tech savvy and the Click Smart+ products he recommended and installed are first class, I can’t fault them.”

With three of the luxury lakeside cabins now fully operational and welcoming visitors, work is continuing to complete the remaining properties which will be finished in the next six months. As well as bespoke interiors of the highest specification, these original oak framed holiday cabins offer visitors a stunning lake view, private patio or balcony, dedicated work space, fully fitted kitchen, king sized bed and private ensuite bathroom, and a separate outdoor freestanding bath tub. There is free parking available on the premises, with an EV charger installed, and guests will have private access to their orchard garden to the left of their cabin and will be able to walk along the tracks on the farm enjoying beautiful countryside walks.