Vielma Le Villa was built with boldness

A holiday cottage of their own: a long-held dream 

Nelli and Matti, from Espoo, had been dreaming of their own holiday cottage in Lapland for several years before they began to seriously consider how they could turn their dreams into reality.

“As keen skiers, we’d travelled a lot to Saariselkä, Ylläs and Levi. When we started planning to buy a cottage, we initially considered buying a holiday flat in Levi,” says Nelli.

“When Sameli Lähdesmäki from PolarHouse rang, he quickly realised that our ultimate dream was, after all, to have our own cottage. When it turned out that PolarHouse also had a vacant plot in Levi, our original idea of a holiday flat soon turned into building our own cottage – and thank goodness it did. Thanks to Sameli; without his encouragement, we would only have realised half of our dream.”

Renting out the property helps to finance their dream

It was clear to the couple from the outset that the scale of the building project would require financial realism.

“The idea from the very beginning was that the holiday home would also be rented out. Building projects are so costly that letting is a handy way to finance the realisation of your own dream. I do remember struggling with the idea at first, as it meant opening up our home for others to use.”

“Levi offers a wide range of services and is easily accessible by air. These are key factors for holidaymakers when choosing a destination and have a direct impact on demand for the destination,” says Nelli.

The decision wasn’t an easy one, but in the end it proved to be the right one. The option to let the property opened the door to a dream that might otherwise never have come true.

For skiing enthusiasts, Ylläs would have been the top choice for the cottage’s location, but the prospect of letting the property tipped the balance in favour of Levi.

The Aava model with a dark interior

The plot in Immellompolo, on the banks of the Vielmajoki, had planning permission for 110 square metres. PolarHouse’s Aava model was a good fit for the plot.

“Choosing the model was quite easy, as the Aava immediately felt like it would work. We only made minor changes to the floor plan in terms of the room layout.”

“The guiding principle for the interior was dark tones, which I think suit Lapland well and really stand out in the Lapland holiday home market. Our home in Espoo is very light in colour, so it was nice to create a different atmosphere in the holiday home. We also chose dark windows and doors, as well as a black kitchen. We weren’t aiming for anything ultra-luxurious, but rather small, luxurious details and a high-quality overall look. The end result looks exactly as we’d imagined.”

During the building project, the roles fell into place naturally, with Matti, as a construction professional, taking charge of the tendering process, and Nelli handling the choice of materials and the interior design.

Quick and smooth construction

We signed the contract for the house package in spring 2025, and the cottage was completed in February 2026.

"The groundworks were due to start in the autumn, but luckily we managed to bring them forward by three weeks. The house was completed really quickly, and everything has gone really well in every respect. The local builder kept us actively informed, so we were well up to speed with the progress of the build.”

“Everything has gone really well with PolarHouse and exactly as originally agreed. Everything has been open to discussion and negotiation.”

“It was great that we were encouraged and had the courage to go ahead and build our own holiday home. Now we’re looking forward to seeing how the lettings go through Hilla Villas. We’ve also been able to enjoy the new holiday home ourselves, along with the ski trails that start right from the garden. A holiday home can easily be built both for your own enjoyment and for letting.”

The letting of the Vielma Le Villa holiday home is managed by Hilla Villas.

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