LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE
It’s a touch of Scandinavia in Scotland.
THERE’S no place like home.
So when Jane McFadzean wanted her own place back in Scotland, she decided to build on the family farm, Dalduff, in Ayrshire.
“I’ve been in London for 20 years and the draw home becomes inevitable over time,” she explained.
“I wanted somewhere of my own when I came back for visits, but the question was how I could do that.”
Jane, who works in advertising, became aware of The Wee House Company, an Ayrshire firm that builds modular, timber homes off site, which are then transported to customers’ plots to be erected.
“My budget wasn’t endless and on the farm we like to try to work with local businesses in whatever we do,” she continued.
“I met with their team and they gave me a framework to customise. I made 90% of the decisions during that meeting.
“There were certain things I wanted, such as the French doors facing down the valley towards my horses.
“House building is daunting for everyone, but especially doing it from London.”
Jane and her brother, James, were brought up on the farm and Dalduff means a lot to them.
“We both spent time in London but my brother came back full-time and diversified the farm into a wedding venue over the last five years, which has been very successful.
“We also have a butcher’s shop on site.
“The farm is a really big part of all of us.”
Before building the house, Jane would stay at either her parents’ house or with her brother when she came home.
But having decided she wanted to come back up the road more often, it was time for her to find her own place and The Wee House Company made it possible for her to join the rest of the family on the farm’s estate.
“The house was built in a matter of weeks – five weeks off site and three on,” she said.
“I came home to see it being delivered and it went up in a day, not completed obviously, but by the end of the day I could see I had a house.
“Two important factors were that it was in keeping with the surroundings and that there was minimal disruption with weddings booked in.”
The £99,000 house has a Scandinavian style interior by London designer Katy Stevenson Bretton and boasts of an openplan kitchen and lounge area.
Jane wanted a traditional Belfast sink and chose a log burner to complement the house’s appearance.
Jane added: “I was lucky to have the opportunity to build something in the place I was brought up and that means so much to me, because I know not everyone can do that.
“It was such an easy experience for someone who thought they would never build a house.
“My only regret is I didn’t do it earlier.”
For more information, go to theweehousecompany.co.uk