House renting

Skroblaki 17, or “Skroblakówka”, is a place to which we cordially invite you. We fell in love with it at first sight, and it was in early spring 2021. An old cottage, a long, narrow yard, ending with a forest wall (as it later turned out, the property also includes a fragment of the forest closing the yard from the north). A brick barn on the right, opposite it are the picturesque ruins of a farm building, hiding a beautiful vaulted cellar. The first visit and immediate concrete plans: a small renovation of the cottage, we will turn the barn into a stable, the farm building into a place for social meetings, the basement must remain, a paddock for horses, development of both slopes. All you have to do is buy something quickly, roll up your sleeves and start making your dreams come true…

The wooden cottage made of solid logs, facing the road, was built in 1944, after a great fire destroyed over half of the houses in this then populous village. The pine used for construction was beautiful: thick, slender, resinous. No wonder that the wood is still in perfect condition after almost 80 years. Therefore, when carrying out renovation works, we did all the insulation from the inside, wanting to maintain the original external appearance. Of course, not everything was as simple as it seemed at first glance. The end of the war was not a good time for proper investments. The house made of solid wood was built on equally solid stones, but with virtually no cement mortar. The foundations were constantly leaking and after removing the floor, it turned out that two foundations needed to be replaced. This required lifting the entire building for the duration of the replacement. After the cottage was placed on new foundations, another surprise: the chimney, which was already in poor condition, collapsed, and the structure of the kitchen stove, which was the main element of the entire building, was damaged.

Fortunately, Mr. Darek, who carried out the renovation, turned out to be a man of great talent and a great heart for tradition. Not only is he a great specialist in construction, water and electrical installations, but he is also a skidder. He made a detailed inventory of the stove, carefully dismantled it, trying to keep the tiles intact, and then rebuilt the stove. Exactly as he was.

Before the renovation, the house had no running water or bathrooms. However, it had quite a large utility area and a pantry. They were converted into two bathrooms, a corridor and a small technical room. 

At the same time as the renovation works, the search for equipment continued. We wanted to decorate the house in a rustic style, with original old appliances. We brought all the furniture from France and had a lot of fun rummaging through the antique shops there. France’s wealth in this area is enormous. The country, unlike Poland, was not destroyed or plundered by foreign armies wandering around it. The French also have enormous respect for antiques, despite their unlimited resources. The joy of searching for furniture and discovering our “gems” was accompanied by the satisfaction that we managed to bring a few of these “treasures” to Poland, to Skroblaki, enriching at least a little this land robbed of its material heritage.

We would like to share with you our admiration for this place and the joy of creating it and bringing it back to life. We cordially invite you to “Skroblakówka”.

At guests’ disposal:

Guests have access to the entire house, offering comfortable accommodation at any time of the year. In the autumn and spring period, the house is fired with wood (kitchen core connected to a tiled stove) + electric heaters. The house has a fully equipped kitchenette, including: sink, electric hob, oven, dishwasher, fridge, electric kettle and all necessary kitchen utensils. A wood-fired cooktop, in addition to preparing meals, is also perfect for drying mushrooms, which are abundant in the forests surrounding Skroblaki.

During your stay at “Skroblakówka”, you can also use external catering in the form of breakfast baskets prepared by “Prynuka” and delivered to the place at the ordered time. Guests can also order lunches or dinners at “Prynuka” and take advantage of the sauna and banya there. The “Prynuki” menu includes traditional borderland delicacies and we guarantee that no one will leave hungry. The passage from “Skroblakówka” to “Prynuka” takes a 5-minute walk through the charming “street” of the village of Skroblaki.

The house can accommodate a maximum of 6 people. For sleeping we offer: a room with a double bed; a room with two single beds and a living room with a fold-out sofa. Guests also have at their disposal a set of maps, guides and books on various topics, as well as addictive board games for rainy days and evenings…

There is also a whole, fenced yard and a shed house with a barbecue. In the yard there is an ecological solar shower and an additional Scandinavian dry toilet.

It is also possible to set up tents with comfortable sleeping places in the fenced forest part of the property, which can be quite an attraction for the youngest.

“Skroblakówka” is also a place where you can come with your four-legged friends , including not just any friends, but HORSES. There is a 6-box stable, two small paddocks, straw and hay. And above all, wonderful horse trails in the vast wilderness of the Knyszyńska Forest (including a marked horse trail).