E


ven when they moved into their ungalow  built by Gladys’ parents in Inverurie, erdeenshire  over a decade ago, the


chance to uild their own place was on her and partner Calum’s minds. n act, one o the main reasons why they moved here, as well as the sentimental value o keeping the uilding within the amily, was that the half-acre plot of land had potential for another home to be built on it. Finally, after 13 years living there, the Trails decided it was time to ulfil their dream. aving oth grown up in nverurie, moving out o the area was always going to e hard or the couple. At one point they contemplated moving to more rural parts, but quickly dismissed this idea Gladys was concerned that it wouldnt e a good idea as they got older, eplains Calum. n addition, their eisting home was in the ideal location We had easy access to erdeen as well as having great shopping acilities. Whatever the net step in their ourney was, it was going to e in nervurie. lthough a seluild was their ig amition, they did consider some other options along the way. We had a look around some new uilds in the area, but they all seemed to be very close together, says Calum, adding We were used to living in a large, open plot of land.” They also nearly went down the route o selling the land to a developer, but in the end, because of the location’s convenience and potential, they finally decided that they were going to uild in their own ack garden. We knew that we had enough space or a new house in our garden, says Calum, uilding on it would e an opportunity that we couldnt aord to miss.


36 www.sbhonline.co.uk


FABRIC FIRST


Having never designed a house before, the Trails werent entirely sure what they wanted, ut this meant they approached the proect with an open mind. They did however have some preerences in mind. We wanted an open plan living, kitch- en, dining space, as well as lots o glass so the house is ooded with light  those were our main reuirements, assets Calum.  onus would e to have a music room or Calum, who is a guitar- ist, and an ensuite dressing room for Gladys. But before any of the designing started, without planning to do so, the proect ended up taking a aric first approach. s a way o enhancing their seluild knowledge, the couple attended a variety of self-building events. At one o the ehiitions in Glasgow, the couple recog- nised some of the representatives on a stand. The company was Scotrame, one o the largest suppliers o timer rame kits in the , and who happen to e ased in nverurie. We were very impressed by the quality of the materials and uild uality, and y the act that they were a local company!”


s well as discovering a kit homes aility to achieve a high insulation rating, they say they were also wowed y the crosssections they saw, which showed how much insulation goes into the walls. lso they were keen on how the standard kit designs could be adapted to meet their reuirements. With the couple eing new to the whole kit uilding arena, having a company with strong credentials ust around the corner was hugely appealing. inding an architect was net on the list, and Scotframe recommended architectural technician artin Coan. e was the ideal choice, says


jul/aug 2022


HIGH POINT


ter watching the house take shape in our back garden for a year, the high point came the day we moved in. t is such a pleasure to live in the house and it delights us every day. Walking into the open plan living space is a continual pleasure.”


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