HAVN Construction Update: Meet Alpen and Skog, Our New Boutique Cabins in Western Maine

There is something especially exciting about a build reaching the point where it stops feeling like a set of plans and starts feeling like a place.

At HAVN, our new boutique cabin escape in Woodstock, Maine, that moment is happening in a big way. Our first two cabins now have names, Alpen and Skog, and both are moving quickly toward the next stage of construction.

Set among the woods and mountains of Western Maine, HAVN is being created as a place to slow down, reconnect with nature, and settle into the kind of thoughtful, design-forward escape that feels far away from everyday life. Each cabin will have its own personality, but both are being built around the same idea: elevated stays that feel private, restorative, and deeply connected to their surroundings.

Meet Alpen: A Modern Alpine Cabin Takes Shape

Our first cabin is officially named Alpen.

Alpen is our take on the modern alpine cabin: warm, architectural, and cozy without feeling overly rustic. We are pulling inspiration from Swiss chalet forms and the feeling of a great après-ski retreat, dramatic rooflines, tall ceilings, expansive windows, dark exterior cladding, warm wood, and a layered interior designed to feel equally inviting after a day on the mountain or a quiet day spent doing very little at all.

This week, Alpen reached one of the most meaningful milestones of the build: it is officially weathered in.

The exterior siding is now on, roofing is underway, and the cabin is starting to take on the exact silhouette we envisioned. With the exterior closing up, it is easier to appreciate how Alpen will sit in the landscape, and how the dark siding, cedar soffit details, and strong, simple cabin shape will create a striking contrast against the Maine woods in every season.

Inside, a tremendous amount of less-visible but equally important work has also been completed. Both electrical and plumbing rough-ins are now in place, meaning the framework behind the walls is ready for the systems that will make Alpen comfortable and functional year-round.

For a small cabin, every inch matters. We have spent a lot of time thinking through how Alpen will live: where the light lands, how the ceiling height changes the feeling of the rooms, where guests will set down a bag after arriving, and what it feels like to look out at the trees from bed, the kitchen, or a cozy seat by the fire. The rough-in stage is where those plans become fixed in place and the cabin’s layout begins to feel tangible.

Next week, Alpen moves into a very satisfying phase: insulation and drywall.

Once the walls are insulated and sheetrocked, the interiors will change almost overnight. The open framing will give way to rooms with real scale and definition. The vaulted ceiling will read more clearly, the large windows will feel even more intentional, and we will be able to start seeing the canvas for the finish selections we have been planning, tile, cabinetry, flooring, lighting, wall treatments, and all of the small details that will give Alpen its distinct personality.

There is still plenty ahead, but Alpen is entering the stage where the transformation becomes increasingly visible from week to week.

Meet Skog: A Forest-Inspired Retreat Begins to Rise

Our second cabin is officially named Skog, the Norwegian word for forest.

The name felt right immediately. Skog is being designed as a forest-forward escape with a slightly more mid-century point of view than Alpen. It will have a warmer, earthier palette, sculptural details, rich wood tones, and a sense of connection to the surrounding landscape at every turn.

While Alpen is beginning to close in, Skog is at the exciting beginning of its vertical journey.

Its full slab is now in place, a major milestone and the foundation for everything that will come next. It may look like a simple expanse of concrete right now, but it represents a huge amount of site work, planning, and coordination. It also means that the footprint of Skog is no longer an abstract idea; it is physically there on the property, ready for its walls, roofline, windows, and interior spaces to take shape.

Next week, Skog will be framed and weathered in.

That is when the transformation will happen fast. Framing will reveal the scale of the cabin and its roofline, and weatherproofing will begin to protect it from the elements as the build shifts toward interior work. We cannot wait to see Skog rise from the forest floor and begin to reveal its own distinct character.

Like Alpen, Skog is being designed for an elevated outdoor experience as much as an indoor one. Each HAVN cabin will eventually have its own private space to unwind, envision quiet mornings in the woods, evenings under the stars, and a place to recharge after exploring nearby trails, rivers, mountains, and the best of the Bethel and Sunday River area.

Building a New Kind of Maine Getaway

HAVN is located in Woodstock, Maine, near the Bethel and Sunday River region, where the landscape makes it easy to embrace every season. Winter brings skiing, snowshoeing, and crisp mountain air. Spring and summer bring long evenings, swimming holes, hiking, and lush green forest. Fall, of course, brings the kind of foliage that makes Western Maine one of the most beautiful places to escape for a weekend.

But HAVN is not just being designed as a place to stay after a day of exploring. We want each cabin to feel like a destination in itself, a place you are excited to return to, whether you spend your trip outside all day or never leave the property at all.

That is why the design process has been so intentional. Alpen and Skog will share a common foundation of comfort, privacy, warmth, and nature, but they will not feel interchangeable. Each cabin is being given its own material story, color palette, and personality so guests can choose the kind of retreat that feels most like them.

Alpen will lean into alpine warmth and cozy drama. Skog will lean into the forest, earthy tones, and a more mid-century sense of ease. Together, they are the beginning of HAVN.

What’s Next at HAVN

The next few weeks will be full of visible progress across the property.

For Alpen, we are looking ahead to insulation, drywall, continued exterior completion, and the first big interior transformations. For Skog, framing and weatherproofing will take it from a finished slab to a recognizable cabin in remarkably little time.

After that, both cabins will begin to move toward the details we have been most excited to bring to life: warm wood ceilings, tile, kitchens, lighting, flooring, decks, and the private outdoor spaces that will make each stay feel special.

We know a construction update is not the same as the finished experience, but these milestones matter. They are the first real glimpses of what HAVN will become: a pair of thoughtfully designed boutique cabins in Western Maine, made for long weekends, mountain days, slow mornings, and time spent close to nature.

Thank you for following along as Alpen and Skog take shape. We cannot wait to show you what comes next!

With Warmth and Hygge,

The Stay Hygge Team