New House, Lochaber

Kearney Donald Partnership were originally approached to extend and refurbish an older house on the site. After detailed consideration of the existing building its was decided to demolish and build a new highly insulated, low maintenance house.

The accommodation was to provide a three bedroomed house with living room, dining kitchen, utility and boot room. The site has spectacular views over the loch facing southeast direction. Our clients wanted as many rooms as possible to have loch views.

The design evolved into splitting the house into three wings with the accommodation split into a central wing with living room and main entrance, another wing with the large kitchen/dining room, utility room and boot room.

The final wing housed the three bedrooms and the bathroom and shower room. The wings slide pat each other to open up the panoramic views with the living room itself having a raised floor level again to maximise the views.

The kitchen/dining wing is built over a steep drop in ground level with the outer edge of this wing supported on galvanised steel columns.

The kitchen Dining room has a dual aspect with views southeast over the loch and northeast through an oak woodland to a further expanse of water.

The living room, kitchen/dining room and the central “spine” hallway have vaulted ceilings which in turn allows for feature internal lighting to be used throughout these spaces. We designed a feature bookcase wall which separates the living room from the central hallway and entrance.

The bookcase is double width fronting onto the hallway and the living room. The depth created allows for the steps up to the raised living room to be accommodated within the depth of the wall. KDP also designed the front entrance door and screen and also the feature fencing along the road edge of the property.

Externally the house has low maintenance materials with the roofs finished in zinc. The walls are finished in white render on two wings with the kitchen dining wing finished in Accoya timber cladding coloured black. The same material was incorporated into the fencing and gates combined with galvanised steel. Aluclad double glazed windows and doors are also used throughout.

Our clients are establishing the “garden” to the Lochside of the house although this is a natural garden interspersed between the oak trees and the rock outcrops.