Smart, thrifty and beautiful
A Norwegian style house fits the West Coast perfectly finds
WIHEN Gordon and Jane Petrie set out on a Scottish road trip in a camper van back in 2005, Gordon wanted his wife to see the north west Highlands as this was a favourite location for his family holidays when he was a child. F he was hoping to convince her of the merits of the area, it certainly worked. “We stayed in Gairloch, and Jane just fell in love with the place,” Gordon says. The couple, who live in Cambridge, were so taken with the whole area that they decided to look for a bolthole - a holiday home to escape to whenever they could. Initially they looked at traditional properties but, as Gordon says, “Nothing fitted our dream.”
When his father and brother spotted this Norwegian style house being built in 2007 on a trip to the area, Gordon and Jane travelled north the following weekend to have a look at its far from traditional lines. “The house is constructed to a Fjordhus design, with open plan living spaces that are full of light, and with very high insulation levels, which was a major factor for us as a lot of the traditional houses we’d looked at didn’t have great insulation.” he says. In this part of the world you can certainly understand their desire to keep the elements at bay.
The house was only partially built at the time, but while they admired the what was taking shape and the benefits described of owning an eco home, there was one particular feature that sold the house more than any other. The couple clambered up a ladder onto the roof to take in the views across The Minch to Skye. As Gordon says: “That was it” and looking at the wide panorama, it is easy to understand.
But the house is also its own selling point. 15 Fasaich is located in the hamlet of Lonemore, close to Gairloch.
The main part is a triple aspect open plan living and dining room and kitchen, set over three levels, with French doors leading out to a decked seating area.
The master bedroom is on the ground floor with three bedrooms upstairs along with an additional seating area on the landing with cathedral ceiling and stunning views.
The extensive use of glass throughout the house isn’t just for looking out of, however, it enhances the solar gain, and the interiors are warmed through a heat recovery and ventilation system with underfloor heating throughout the ground level, complemented by the wood-burning stove.
Gordon acknowledges that this house and its cosiness, ease of maintenance and inexpensive running costs will influence whatever property the couple choose in the future in terms of energy efficiency and they are unlikely to ever go back to a draughty period property.
The views this house affords however, may prove impossible to compete with in any other location.
Guide price of £285,000; contact CKD Galbraith on 01463 224343 or visit www. ckdgalbraith.co.uk