The Backcountry Hut Company (BHC) is a Canadian-founded, architecturally designed prefab cabin system — winner of Construction Product Design of the Year at the BLT Built Design Awards 2024. Highland Heritage Woodworks holds the exclusive licence to manufacture and install the BHC product line across the UK market. As an established master carpentry and sawmill business with years of experience crafting high-specification cabins, they handle everything from the first timber to the final fix — manufacturing every component in their own workshop and installing it on your site. You benefit from an internationally recognised design, manufactured and installed by a local team you can deal with directly.

BHC offers a family of architecturally designed systems, each with its own character, however for the UK market we are currently focusing on Systems 01 and 02:

• System 01 — A single-storey cabin with a sleeping loft, built around 18m² modules that combine to scale. Well suited to couples, small families, or those wanting a proper wilderness-feel cabin with room to breathe.

• System 02 — The flagship two-storey design, inspired by alpine lodges, with floor plans ranging from 65m² to over 165m². Multiple modules can be combined, with options for master bedrooms, ensuite bathrooms, and generous open-plan living spaces.

We'll happily spend time understanding your site, your intended use, and your budget before recommending the right system for you.

Pricing depends on the system chosen, the size and configuration, site access, and any bespoke finish requirements. As a guide, BHC cabins represent a premium, architect-designed product and are positioned at the premium end of the market —but they offer exceptional value when you consider the design quality, the speed of installation, and the longevity of a structure built to last generations. We provide detailed, transparent quotes following an initial consultation and site assessment. We'd encourage you to get in touch early so we can give you a realistic picture for your specific project.

Whilst the Canadian BHC offering supplies panelised kits because of the distances involved in North America. Highland Heritage Woodworks provides a complete, end-to-end service — they manufacture every component of your cabin in their own workshop to BHC's exacting specifications, transport everything to your site, and their own skilled team carries out the full installation. Interior finishes, fixtures, and fittings can also be discussed as part of your project scope. What we don't cover are foundations, site preparation, and connections to mains services (electricity, water, drainage) — though we'll work closely with you and have an ecosystem of partners who can deliver this for you, or we can work with your contractors to make sure those are properly coordinated.

In most cases, yes. Whether you need planning permission depends on your site, its location, and how you intend to use the cabin. Structures used as permanent dwellings, holiday lets, or developments within National Parks, National Scenic Areas, National Landscapes/AONBs, or other protected areas will usually require planning permission. Permitted Development rights may apply in some limited circumstances. As part of the HHW offer we are here to coordinate for you access to our architectural partners who can guide you through this process.  We recommend addressing planning requirements early, as the project cannot proceed without the necessary consents. We can supply all the technical drawings, structural specifications, and material data needed to support your application, and our experience with UK building regulations means we can help you understand what's likely to be required.

Foundations are always site-specific and need to be designed by a structural or geotechnical engineer based on your ground conditions, topography, and local authority requirements. BHC systems are typically suited to a ground screw or pile foundation, which minimises disturbance to the ground — particularly valuable on sloped, remote, or ecologically sensitive land. We can provide structural engineering services to properly assess your site.  We’re also experienced in coordinating the handover between groundworks and our installation team to keep the build moving smoothly.

Every project is different, but here's a typical journey: initial consultation and site visit → system selection and design configuration → planning application (timelines vary, typically 8–16 weeks) → foundation and groundworks by your contractor → cabin manufacture in our workshop → installation on site by our team → handover. Once planning is in place and foundations are ready, our on-site installation is measured in days and weeks rather than months — one of the great advantages of a precision-manufactured system over a traditional build. We'll keep you informed at every stage and work to a clear programme agreed at the outset.

Absolutely. BHC's design philosophy is rooted in sustainability, and that runs through everything we do as the UK manufacturer. The structural and cladding timbers we use are Grown in Britain and FSC-certified.  We source timber from within 30-40 miles of our workshops, utilising the exceptional quality materials that grow here in the north east of Scotland.  Indeed, if we work together we will invite you to the forest to see the trees that will become your project.  And because we operate our own sawmill, we have full traceability over our supply chain from the log through to the finished component. The prefabricated insulated panel system minimises waste in production, the groundscrew foundation approach protects the land your cabin sits on, and the buildings themselves are designed to be highly energy efficient — well suited to year-round use in the British climate.