Page 156 - Homes & Interiors Scotland

ARCHITECTURE

[Above] The three bay windows, belonging to the dining room, TV
lounge and living area, look out to the views at the front. The middle
section of each slides open to the terrace. [Left] Much of the lighting
is either concealed or in the form of downlighters. It is all dimmable

doors and drawer fronts by Westend Cabinet Makers.” super-insulated house. “Because the house is only used inter-
One of the defining features of the steading is the use of mittently, the payback and benefit of renewables isn’t there, so
Burlington stone. “The exterior cladding is actually waste the money was instead spent on the fabric,” he says.
product from Burlington’s quarry in Cumbria. TA Law There is, however, a whopping 18,000-litre water tank.
collects it and makes these beautiful walls with it,” explains “One of the biggest problems with the old house was the water
Cameron. “The most extravagant thing in the house would supply,” says Cameron. “This huge tank allows the house
have to be the Burlington kitchen worktop – a fantastic green to be fully occupied for a minimum of two weeks at a time,
slate with a honed finish.” The fireplace, designed by Cameron regard less of the weather. The water is taken from the hills so is
Webster Architects and featuring a built-in Stuv (the largest dependent on rainfall, though normally there’s plenty!”
available) that can function as an open fire or as a stove, is also During construction, it was snow rather than rain that
clad with Burlington slate with a pecked finish. delayed things slightly, otherwise there were no real logistical
There is no all-singing, all-dancing renewables systems challenges or hitches, apart from “hitting the odd culvert”.
(although the house has been future-proofed to allow “There were no showstoppers,” concludes the architect. “The
features such as solar water heaters to be installed if required only showstopper was the bats, but they now have their very
at a later date). Instead, the budget was spent on building a own bespoke loft in the original steading building.”

HOMES & INTERIORS SCOTLAND