Off the grid but not far off the beaten track

A secluded Midlothian home blends its eco credentials with centuries-old tradition, writes Kirsty Mcluckie

Ba’ad Park is a charming house which has spectacular views over Harperrig Reservoir, but it is just 12 miles from Edinburgh.

It was the secluded and quiet location that first attracted Gillian Knight, who bought it with her late husband, Jeremy Webber, in 1998 – exactly 200 years after the original cottage was built, according to its engraved datestone of 1798.

Webber wanted to live near water while Knight wanted to be near hills, so Ba’ad Park was a perfect solution.

The couple were also looking for a project and Webber, a theatre and festival lighting engineer, was also keen to see if they could create a sustainable house.

Their son, Oscar, was born at the start of the project and has grown up with it, eventually lending a hand himself in work that has taken the best part of two decades.

The site was originally two cottages with stables, but it has become one main house with an attached contemporary annexe of stone and cedar, designed by conservation architect Daniela Dobrescu-parr.

During the process, they have dug down to create space for an extra storey, built upwards and extended outwards.

The annexe was originally designated a workshop, but the beautiful contemporary design led to a rethink and the plans were amended to include two bedrooms with a kitchen-living area with a balcony. It is from here that the best views are found.

Knight says: “It is a very modern building, but it reflects the traditional style and it really links the house with the water.”

A radical overhaul was required for the original part of the building, taking it back to the original stone walls before replastering with traditional lime plaster.

Lime mortar was utilised on the outside walls and, where possible, original materials and reclaimed items were used. Where windows had to be replaced, likefor-like sash-and-case were installed in keeping with the age of the house.

Webber in particular was keen to source materials from reclamation yards. He found the oak flooring, used in the first floor kitchen and living room, from a sports hall – complete with marking tape – in a demolition yard in Glasgow. Knight says: “We planned to sand it down, but decided to keep the colours for character. It adds a really quirky element.”

Much of the work was carried out by Webber and Knight in between their day jobs – Knight works in clinical research –

which explains the length of the project. Their designs were driven in part by an ambition to be off-grid and to be as environmentally friendly as possible.

Today, the power comes from a wind turbine, set away from the house in a corner of the garden. As a back-up there is a generator, but Knight says it is switched on rarely on very still days perhaps once every few weeks, and even then it will mainly work from energy stored in its batteries. The feed-in tariff pays about £1,100 a year but a new owner could opt to connect to the National Grid.

The kitchen has a wood-burning Rayburn, which assists in the hot water production along with solar water heating panels and an oil-fired boiler.