Life is wood for the class of ’92
A touch of timber seals couple’s contentment in home of 26 years
FOR the 25 years David and Wendy Hughson had lived in their home in the Edinburgh suburb of Auchingane, they had been trying to find the best way to exploit their stunning views over the Pentland Hills.
They had built not one but two conservatories, but neither provided them with what they were looking for.
It was only when they enlisted an architect last year that they finally came up with a winning solution – one which has provided a wow factor and transformed the way the couple live. “We moved into the house in 1992, about three years after it was built,” explained David.
“It’s a Wimpey house and we added an extension over the double garages around 10-15 years after we bought the place. We really wanted to fulfil the true potential of the south-facing garden but really struggled.
“The first conservatory we built didn’t quite work, so eventually we knocked it down and used the same foundations to build one slightly different. It looked fine for a while, but gaps began to appear, it was becoming draughty, and we had the usual issues of it being roasting hot in the summer and freezing cold in the winter.”
Then a good friend recommended they get in touch with Sam Foster, an architect based in Dunfermline.
The results have blown the couple away.
“We also wanted to extend the kitchen as well as tick off the three big issues for us, which were increasing the living space, increasing the views and increasing the home’s overall insulation,” David continued.
“We explored it with Sam and we are just so happy with
what he came up with.” Sam recommended a builder to the couple and he got to work on the project, which was completed in September last year.
“There’s not even a brick involved,” David explained. “It’s all timber and insulating materials. Sam is very environmentally driven.”
Recycled newspaper and sheep’s wool were used for the insulation, and the windows are from Danish firm Rationel.
They are energy-efficient timber windows which can contribute to the insulation of a property.
Rationel will be at The Scottish Homebuilding & Renovating Show at The Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston, on October 20-21.
David added: “It’s not a lean-to extension, where the highest point would attach to the main building.
“For us, it’s the other way round and the highest point is at the garden sloping down to the house.
“A lot of light comes in to the rest of the house, as the view to the hills aren’t blocked by a conservatory. We are in it all the time. The extended kitchen is used every day, while my wife sits in the snug area, which has a beautiful window seat, to watch TV, and I sit in the living room watching sport on the other telly.
“We now have fantastic views and anyone who visits is blown away by what Sam has designed.
“We only wish we had done it sooner.”