Make the most of perfect locations
Contemporary rural self-builds offer comfortable and stylish homes without the hassle, discovers Kirsty Mcluckie
There are distinct advantages to buying a self-built home. You can you move into a completed house, with none of the hassles of a development project, and – unless the former owner was building for profit – there are likely to be many added extras giving a much higher specification than most available from a commercial developer.
People building for themselves tend to be more indulgent with topend fixtures and fittings rather than keeping an eye on profits.
In terms of price, properties perform like cars, so there will be a premium paid for a brand-new place, whereas a nearly-new one can offer a lot more value for money.
If the property is a relatively recent build, it is also likely to have modern design features far in excess of that of an older home.
Add an already landscaped and maturing garden and a modern designed home becomes the ultimate luxury.
A contemporary home in a rural setting, unlike its more traditional neighbours without the benefits of modern insulation and glazing, will be likely to have been designed specifically to make the best of the views and the orientation.
Loch Riddon House, near Colintraive on the Cowal Peninsula in Argyll and Bute, is a case in point.
Built a little more than ten years ago, the house faces due south and from its raised vantage point, there are views south across Loch Riddon towards Tighnabruaich in one direction and up the loch to Glendaruel in the other.
The house has large windows which frame the views, engineered oak flooring throughout the ground-floor level, Nordic double glazing and custom joinery. Three of the four bedrooms have dual aspects and the house has incomeproducing solar panels.
Outside, there is an acre of pretty garden, with a timber shed and machinery store, dog kennel and enclosure, and a hen house, overlooked by a viewpoint dining area at the front of the house.
Cowal is a beautiful area, within an hour and a half of Glasgow. The settlement of Glendaruel, two miles away, has a tiny but well-regarded primary school, while state-school pupils can weekly board free of charge at the secondary in Dunoon.
Fearna Lodge Estate lies near the attractive fishing village of Lochinver and is about two hours from Inverness. The property is a superb modern five-bedroomed lodge with 735 acres of land providing red deer stalking, rough shooting, duck flighting, and salmon and trout fishing.
It is close to one of the most spectacular and unspoilt stretches of coastline in Scotland with some of the UK’S finest beaches.
Sitting in an elevated, private position, the lodge was built in 2012 and benefits from 360-degree views from floor-to-ceiling glass walls.
It has solar panels, underfloor heating on the ground floor and a large wood-burning stove.
The Ice House at Crinan Ferry, Kilmartin, Argyll, is a totally different proposition, but has the advantage of being at least partially converted.
Designed to make the most of the spectacular views to Loch Crinan, it is a stone and glass structure built to preserve locally-caught salmon in ice in Victorian times.
The project was featured on George Clarke’s TV programme The Restoration Man. Featuring a vaulted ceiling under a turf roof, most of the the hard work has been done and planning permission is in place to create a two-bedroomed home by finishing the interior.
An outdoor hot tub is also ready to go and the property comes with private loch frontage.