PROPERTY OF THE MONTH A Scottish coastguard tower
An abandoned lookout tower on the east coast of Scotland has been transformed into a stunning contemporary family home with spectacular views
Standing guard over an expanse of North Sea on the east coast of Scotland near Montrose, the Usan Coastguard Tower was once a lookout post for the Rocket Brigade, the brave volunteers who rescued mariners in trouble on the waves. The Rocket equipment would have been stored in the basement and ground floor of the tower and brought out for use on the seashore when a boat ran aground or was in danger of crashing onto the rocks.
But the stone tower was abandoned about 70 years ago. By the end of the 20th century, the whole station was in a poor state of repair and the former lookout balcony had almost rotted away.
Concerned that such an important part of the community was falling into ruin, a local fisherman and his wife decided to buy the building and turn it into a family home.
To do this, they enlisted the help of Tom McCrank, owner of Montrose-based building firm MCK Construction, who went on to win the Federation of Master Builders’
Large Renovation Project Award for his work on the scheme, as well as the overall 2019 Master Builder Award.
Having grown up in the area, Tom had always been fascinated by the coastguard building and was delighted to be asked to take on the job. ‘The brief was simple,’ he says. ‘The owners wanted to add a new-build section with a light feeling to contrast with the heaviness of the stone tower, and create an open-plan living area that made the most of the tower’s position overlooking the sea.’
The architect, Garry Adam – also located in Montrose – proposed linking old and new by cleverly designing the new roof to connect to the pitch of the existing one.
This arrangement incorporates a two-part triangular glazed window on each side, which offers sea views even when the owners are climbing the stairs to bed.
The tower had two rooms, so was the logical choice for the two bedrooms.
‘The planners’ main concern was that the principal elevation remain unobstructed,
The single-storey addition on the side of the century-old tower houses the kitchen and living area. Architect Garry Adam designed the extension, which was built by Tom McCrank of MCK Construction
though unusually in this case, that elevation was considered to be the sea-facing one,’ Garry explains. ‘So we had to come up with a plan that extended out the side of the tower, which is more visible from the road. The planners were also keen to keep the impact low and insisted on a relatively small footprint for the new extension.’
A dark grey zinc-clad projecting bay window added to the first-floor bedroom and a similar feature in the lounge give the owner and his family a constantly changing panorama over the rocky shoreline. A further bay window in the kitchen allows sea views from the sink. All the windows are double glazed and sited to provide maximum solar gain, over and above the typical Scottish standards for insulation.
The judges of the Master Builder Awards were impressed by the way the new element sits in relation to the original building in the £160,000 project. In particular, the timber-framed glazed extension blends with the tower’s surroundings and maximises the expansive views over the North Sea.
At the rear, a set of stone steps, the entrance to the original lookout post, now leads to the master bedroom, giving the house an unusual feature.
The judges also remarked on Tom’s resourcefulness on a tricky, exposed site that is often battered by winds. One of the biggest practical hurdles was to create good access to the property by making a temporary road through a friendly farmer’s adjacent field.
‘This was a job where the clients had a particular dream, and it was a challenge for the team to fulfil that vision,’ says Tom. ‘I like to think that more than 100 years after the lookout was built, accommodating farmer eyes will still be there, monitoring the progress of its new owner from the picture windows when he puts to sea in his fishing boat.’
• Contact Tom McCrank, the builder, at mckconstruct.co.uk
• Contact Garry Adam, the architect, at garryadamarchitect.co.uk