SQUEEZY LIVING
Narrow house set to have wide appeal on Scottish Home of Year
Just four- and- a- half metres wide, the aptly named Skinny House is one of the narrowest detached houses in the country.
So it’s no surprise the two-bedroom open-plan property, shoe-horned into a driveway between two grand sandstone mansions in the shadow of the Wallace Monument, has become a local attraction in Bridge of Allan, Stirling.
Owner Austin Hal liday, 28, has become used to nosey strangers peering through the window of the home designed by his architect dad Bobby for him and partner Hayley Stewart, 29.
He said: “The house has caused quite a stir. It’s a curiosity. When it was first built, people would walk up and put their nose against the window at the front of the house.
“There is no hallway and the front door opens onto our living room, so we would be sitting watching a movie and a face would appear behind us at the glass, giving us a fright.
“People are still coming up for a nose but we now have cameras that noti f y us if someone is in the driveway. I can’t tell you how many times we have logged on to see folk wandering around the property.
“We have seen some very strange things. I’d never dream of doing that to someone else but we find it funny and I suppose the house is unusual. People also phone on a daily basis asking if and when I am going to sell it as they are desperate to buy it. “But the answer is no. It’s perfect for us just now and, even if in time we need something bigger, I think we will want to keep it in the family. It’s too good and personal a design to let go.”
But now property fans will get to see inside the quirky abode when it appears on Scotland’s Home of the Year tomorrow night. Austin, an estate agent, said: “Our home is certainly unique and has to be up there with one of the skinniest houses in Scotland.
“Everyone is mesmerised that we have managed to fit a house into such a small space. It’s so clever and that’s thanks to my talented dad, who weaved some magic to get it all fitted in.
“When I first saw the narrow strip of land, I thought there was no way we would be able to fit a two-bed home on the plot but Dad believed so I believed. “From the outside it may look tiny but inside it’s like the Tardis. He even managed to incorporate an outdoor cour tyard into the living room and another one out the back. It’s pretty clever.
“The downstairs is all open plan so you can see right through from the back to the front no matter where you sit in the house. It may seem small to some people but it’s got everything we need and more.
“As an estate agent, I look round five or six houses a day so I was pretty sure what I wanted in a home. For Dad to be able to
achieve what he has in such a small space is huge. It’s built on top of a hill and has beautiful views out over the town and the Stirlingshire countryside. Hayley and I could not ask for anything better.”
Austin, who at 21 became one of Scotland’s youngest managing directors, bought the piece of wasteland, which had a dilapidated wooden garage on it, in 2018.
The plot is situated within a conservation area on one of the town’s most sought-after streets where the listed homes cost up to £1.5million and it took three attempts to be granted planning permission.
Austin said: “We bought the land five years ago. It was overgrown with a tumbled down garage on it and a handwritten sign stuck up saying land for sale.
“Planning permission got rejected three times as it needed to fit in with the area and the two adjoining properties, which are listed. We eventually put in a design they liked and it was approved. It was a gamble but my dad always had faith he could get it over the starting line and he did. “I grew up in Bridge of Allan and wanted to stay here but, if we hadn’t been given the opportunity to build what we have here, we would have moved somewhere else, which would have been sad.”
The house proves to be a hit with TV judges Anna Campbell-Jones, Banjo Beale and Michael Angus and could end up narrowly beating the competition and making it through to the grand final.
Austin took some convincing to take part in the show. He said: “Hayley and I are quite private people so it took a bit of persuasion from my dad but then we decided to just go for it. As an estate agent, I am a big fan of the show but it’s different when it is your own house but I’m glad we decided to take part.
“When we found out when our episode would be airing, we decided to extend our holiday so we wouldn’t be here, so it will be up to Dad to deal with whoever might turn up to have a wee look. I might tell him to put out a donation box and collect some money for charity.”
Skinny House will take on an old manse in Auchterarder, Perthshire, and a cottage in Dunblane in tomorrow night’s show, which airs on BBC One Scotland at 8.30pm. They will be scored on architectural merit, distinctive design and original style to see which Central region home will win
a place in the final.