| RADICAL TRANSFORMATION + 3D MODELLING |
When the soon to be owner of The Clearing approached The Design Bothy, the Planning Permission for a new build home near Huntly, Aberdeenshire, had been approved, with the Building Warrant at the early stages.
By taking the "off the shelf" kit home by contractors Sylvan Stuart and reimagining the interior into a custom designed home specifically for the owners needs, this project turned into both a new build home project and a radical transformation. This was done without impacting the planning permission already gained and was coordinated smoothly with the building warrant.
The proposed floorplan was enhanced in a variety of ways. The result is an 80% increase in the SQM of the open plan kitchen / dining / sitting room (without altering the outer building dimensions in any way), a larger 3rd bedroom from single to double, two dressing areas adjacent to the upstairs bedrooms, 3 king sized bedrooms in total, a reading gallery at first floor with bundles of daylight, enhanced storage solutions and ensuring a strong connection to the outdoors with the entire layout re-oriented to give maximum gain for South light, privacy and a natural outdoor eating space, while also making gains on natural daylight internally.
Don't be fooled though, taking a houses floorplan apart and putting it back together again in a way that exceeds its previous design + better supports the way the homeowner wants it to function, is a complex + process. It requires a deep thinking analytical design process, expertise in Architectural design principles and a solid understanding of the Scottish Building regulations.
When done well, it can offer you a vastly improved home (compared to an off the shelf kit), at little to no extra overall build cost. The clients have managed to realise a dream space that provides exactly what they were looking for without knowing they were looking for it - and crucially, within their budget.
Pro tip: explore a variety of floorplans when redesigning a space. Your final floorplan will almost always be an "amalgamation" of the various options - one idea often leads onto another, so expect to be taken on a bit of a "design journey" when radically transforming the interior layout of your home.
Additional info: 3D visualisations of the interior + exterior were also produced and finalised 2D drawings were created and passed to the builder. On-site design advice was available for any design elements that came up. This all supported the client in getting what they wanted from their new build holiday home project.
STAY IN THIS LUXURY ECO HOME + IMMERSE YOURSELF IN THE ARTWORK OF THE TALENTED CONTEMPORARY SCOTTISH ARTIST - DONNA LOUISE IRVINE |
Click on the links to see either Donna's Art Gallery (past works) online and commission yourself a fabulous work of art, or alternatively, stay in The Clearing and immerse yourself in her artwork and the surrounding woodland for a peaceful stay in a modern eco build holiday home on the outskirts of Huntly in Aberdeenshire.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE HOW THIS HOME WAS BUILT ?
Here are a few on-site, during construction pictures showing various bit and pieces of the build. See if you can match any of the during construction images with the real life finished article from the pics above.
THE CLEARING HAS RECEIVED INCREDIBLE FEEDBACK.
Thinking a design has been well created is not necessarily the same as actually achieving it. The Clearing has humbled me with the amount of positive reviews of the interior space. There's no denying the location is 10/10, if you enjoy tranquillity (who doesn't?) and the service that Dave + Donna provide is outstanding. The tradesmen + main contractor did a wonderful job. It's nice that the architecture is appreciated too, especially by those who had no input during the design process.
That's when you know you've hit design gold, when people who have never been before love the flow and function of the space. Here is just one random review, Many more available on The Clearings airbnb page.