Gill Siddall and her husband Stewart knew

Transcription

1 HOMES Prefabricated new build AT A GLANCE The pre-manufactured build was assembled in a mere two days Names Gill and Stewart Siddall Ages 52 and 57 Location Perthshire, Scotland Property Two-storey detached house Bedrooms 3 Bathrooms 3 Project started Spring 2014 Project finished Summer 2016 Size of house 311sqm (excluding carport and garage) Build cost 624,000 STYLE and efficiency The construction of this contemporary home was a stress-free experience for its happy owners Gill Siddall and her husband Stewart knew that they wanted to build their own house, but weren t relishing dealing with a mud-soaked building site in the middle of rural Scotland for months. So they opted for a prefabricated Hanse Haus. The day their new home arrived on the back of a truck from Germany was one of the most exciting of their lives. We were on site before 7am, with Christian Wittke the Hanse Haus sales agent, the build team from Germany, the crane driver and the safety officer all waiting, says Gill. There was a lot of traffic because the Ryder Cup was taking place at Gleneagles close by and the driver got lost. But the wait made it even more exciting when the lorry finally arrived and after that, everything ran like clockwork. Whole sections of the house were craned off the lorry in the right order and methodically placed and joined together. By the end of day one all the walls were in place, and the next day the roof was on and we were watertight. It was thrilling to see our home come to life before our eyes and so exciting to be part of the action. Hanse Haus sent a team to construct and finish the house. Everything from the electrical sockets to the 58 JANUARY 2018 / granddesignsmagazine.com granddesignsmagazine.com / JANUARY

2 HOMES Pre-fabricated new build HOMES Pre-fabricated Prefabricated new build The technical knowledge of the Hanse Haus team and basement specialist company Glatthaar resulted in a successful outcome above Elegant and simple, the neutral walls and oak floor provide a perfect backdrop for stand-out designer pieces such as the dining chairs left The kitchen s look is streamlined and there is ample storage space, hidden away behind flush doors paint colours except the kitchen and exterior landscaping is chosen ahead and put together on site. The kitchen came from a company in Perth and the landscaping, including the structural gabion baskets filled with hand-picked stone, was also undertaken by a local company. Gill and Stewart lived in a Georgian house in Berwick-upon-Tweed before they bought the plot and moved to Perthshire. Gill was born in Edinburgh and has family nearby, and Stewart is a keen salmon fisherman. Both work from home, so Scotland was the ideal place for their house. At first, the couple considered a traditionally built house in a contemporary style. Then they came across the Hanse Haus concept in a magazine and became intrigued. Working together with architect, Colin J. Armstrong, who runs his own practice in Inverness and was recommended by Hanse Haus, they devised a home on two storeys a basement and an upper floor to take advantage of the sloping site, maximise thermal efficiency and showcase the incredible south-facing views towards the Ochil Hills. The basement was an innovation Colin pioneered, confident that the technical knowledge of the Hanse Haus design team and its associate basement specialist company, Glatthaar, would create a successful outcome. The relationship between Hanse Haus and Glatthaar was one factor that contributed to our willingness to design a semi-basement solution, which many Scottish builders would quite frankly avoid, says Colin. This allowed open spaces to characterise the living areas. From the porch, a door opens to reveal the living space, which includes a seating and dining area with open-plan kitchen and floor-to-ceiling windows. From the basement a grand oak and glass staircase rises to the ground floor, with the full-height wall opposite forming a striking feature bookcase. Gill and Stewart run an international publishing company, selling books in English to wholesalers, shops and museums in Scandinavia. These Nordic connections have influenced not just the clean, contemporary style of the house, but also their attitude towards energy efficiency and eco-awareness. Our frequent business trips to the region inspired us to want to live in an environmentally friendly and warm house, explains Gill. We spend a lot of time in January and February in cold countries, but inside the houses are cosy. They know how to build well-insulated and draught-free homes that are economical to heat, with triple-glazed windows that can cope with the cold climate. The eco-credentials of their house are so impressive that the couple generate more electricity than they import from the grid. Considering we are in a cold area it s really something, says Gill. With the feed-in tariff the house is making us money. To minimise thermal losses, an FSC-approved timber frame construction The property s south-facing aspect was a purposeful design choice to take advantage of the spectacular Ochil Hills The exceptional kitchen was handmade locally and features an oversized island accented by pendant lighting granddesignsmagazine.com / JANUARY

3 HOMES Prefabricated new build Stewart and Gill furnished the living areas with Nordicinspired designs granddesignsmagazine.com / JANUARY

4 HOMES Pre-fabricated new build HOMES Prefabricated new build This double-height space creates a light-filled link between both floors uses thick continuous insulation in all the walls, roofs and basement slabs to create a seamless and airtight envelope that retains heat and uses less energy to keep warm. The walls are a structural wooden sandwich filled with glass wool, all the wood is kiln-dried and no chemicals are used. Solar heating and photovoltaics are mounted on the zinc-clad roof, chosen due to the roof pitch and longevity of the material, which are combined with ground source heat pumps and a mechanical ventilation heat recovery system. The house is airtight and highly insulated, and the south-facing triple glazing also adds solar gain. It all sounds very serious, but Gill and Stewart insist the whole undertaking has been fun and stress-free. They learned something about themselves during the process, too. Stewart discovered how easy it is to turn a dumper truck over, for example! says Gill. And I learned that no matter much how money you ve spent, some things are still a priority. In December 2014 it was clear we were going to be over budget, but I decided the Hans Wegner Wishbone chairs I coveted were a must-have. Now every time I look at them or sit in them, they make me happy because they re beautiful and comfortable. The same could be said of the house that arrived from Germany on the back of a lorry that memorable September day. GD TURN TO THE NEXT PAGE FOR PROJECT DETAILS Above Cool, calm and contemporary, the main bedroom benefits from both space and light, and includes his and hers dressing rooms and a luxurious en suite Right The en suite features largeformat tiles in rich tones to add warmth and texture Bottom right The guest bedroom on the upper level leads out onto the curved terrace 64 JANUARY 2018 / granddesignsmagazine.com

5 HOMES Prefabricated new-build Project details A closer inspection of this thermally efficient home Names Gill and Stewart Siddall Ages 52 and 57 Location Perthshire, Scotland Property Two-storey detached house Bedrooms 3 Bathrooms 3 Project started Spring 2014 Project finished Summer 2016 Size of house 311sqm (not including carport and garage) Build cost 624,000 FLOORPLAN A WORD FROM THE ARCHITECT It is an outstanding site in terms of south-facing views. We tried, and I think succeeded, to take advantage of those views from virtually every usable space. The linear floorplan and largely single-aspect basement avoids any solely rear-facing rooms, and the extent of glazing to the longitudinal south elevation also maximises solar gain. This all combines to result in an energy-efficient design that has low heating costs. Colin J. Armstrong, Colin Armstrong Architects SUPPLIERS PROJECT TEAM Architect Colin Armstrong Architects ( ; colinarmstrong.com) Drainage/sewage consultant JIG Environment ( ; jig.uk.com) Ground investigation Insight Geo ( ; insightgeo.co.uk) Structural engineer Cowal Design ( ; cowaldesign.co.uk) STRUCTURE Main contractor Hanse Haus ( ; hanse-haus.co.uk) Basement Glatthaar Fertigkeller ( ; glatthaar.co.uk) Stairs Angus & Mack ( ; angusandmack.com) Gabion baskets and hardscaping JML Contracts ( ; jmlcontracts.co.uk) Outside lighting Steve Milne Electrical ( ) Driveway P.J. Griffin & Sons ( ) Sewage Hutchinson Environmental Solutions ( ; hutchinson.co.uk) Security system Web Security Systems ( ; websecuritysystems.co.uk) FIXTURES AND FITTINGS Kitchen Perth Kitchen Centre ( ; perthkitchencentre.com) Feature bookcase Angus & Mack (as above) Dressing room fit-out Edenbrook Fife ( ; edenbrookfife.com) Walk-in larder and laundry D.E. Vine Contracts ( ) Planters Scaffa ( ; scaffa.co.uk) Outdoor glass balustrade Grille City Aluminium ( ; grillecity.com) FURNITURE Dining table, dining chairs and armchairs Moleta Munro ( ; moleta munro.com) Sofas Sofa Workshop ( ; sofaworkshop.com) GARAGE N CAR PORT UTILITY PANTRY KITCHEN DINING ROOM WC LOBBY LIVING ROOM LOWER GROUND FLOOR BATHROOM OFFICE BATHROOM UTILITY SNUG HALLWAY BASEMENT MASTER STORAGE DRESSING ROOM EN SUITE WORDS JAYNE DOWLE PHOTOGRAPHY PAUL T COWAN 66 JANUARY 2018 / granddesignsmagazine.com