A Contemporary Timber Frame Home

When Stuart Matheson and Trevor Blackman decided to undertake their first self-build project, they approached the task in hand with more zeal than zen. In fact, their quest to source every aspect of the build, from the construction method to the light switches, took them on something of a homebuilding pilgrimage of Europe. As a result of this methodical and meticulous approach, Stuart and Trevor are now in possession of a perfectly customised bespoke home set in a quarter of an acre of one of Edinburgh’s most venerable enclaves.

The fact that Stuart and Trevor managed to secure the location was a miracle in itself, since sites in this exclusive suburb of Edinburgh rarely come on the market. "Originally, we were looking to buy a property closer to Edinburgh, as we were living on the outskirts in a 1930s villa," explains Stuart, who like Trevor works in the city's legal and financial district. "But every property that we saw didn't compare to our own house, which we had spent over seven years doing up. Then I saw this piece of land advertised in the local newspaper and realised we could actually build our own bespoke house - so we purchased it in May 2002. The land came with planning permission but we didn't like the house that had been designed, so we started again from scratch."

Since this was to be Stuart and Trevor's long-term home, a half-hearted approach just wasn't an option. "We interviewed a number of architects - nine in total - and I then narrowed it down to three," Stuart continues. "The first one that we chose we later parted company with, because the design was beyond our budget - twice our budget in fact. Unfortunately, by taking them on board we lost £10,000 and had to start again from scratch." Eventually, word of mouth led to locally-based Rod Malloch of RMA Architects. "Rod was such a contrast to the big costly firms. And design-wise it was a very good collaboration because he is very client-focused."

The brief that Stuart and Trevor presented to Rod was essentially for a large two storey villa, with the first level embracing an open plan feel with lots of flexible living space, and a first floor featuring four bedrooms and three bathrooms. And this is duly what Rod designed spatially. Furthermore, Rod has orientated the extensively glazed main living spaces - dining, lounge and study - and master bedroom (with impressive balcony area) towards the south-facing secluded garden, which is also something of a suntrap.

The zinc monopitch roof is designed to increase the height and elevation of the south side and bring more light in as the ceiling heights get higher and higher in the south-facing bedrooms. The design incorporates larch timber cladding as well as the render. "The house is in a Conservation Area so we had to use as much natural material as we could," explains Rod. The result is a truly unique modern house incorporating traditional timber finishes. "Originally we were unsure about the timber on the top part of the house, but I think it actually makes the house," says Stuart.

A contemporary house in a venerable Conservation Area is generally not regarded as the stuff of pain-free planning, and Stuart admits that the three-and-a-bit-year building process did have its moments. "Planning was painless enough but once we got to the Building Control stage it was trickier as they hadn't seen this type of house before, so it took a while to get the building warrant." The main reason for this was the Griffner construction.

"We were concerned about the way things are built in Britain and the length of time projects take, so we went in search of a different construction method," explains Stuart. "In Germany and Austria most of the houses are factory built - off the shelf or bespoke. We liked the feel of Griffner houses (an Austrian company that has been in business for around 10 years). The result is, I think, the first house that the company has built in the UK."

Essentially, the whole house was constructed in the Griffner factory. The components - which arrived in six trucks - feature in-built insulation and render on the outside with plasterboard on the inside. The advantage of the factory-built conditions meant that the build was not at the mercy of the elements, and the construction kit went up in five days. Prior to this, the foundations, slab and drainage were installed by a local contractor.

The internal fitting out was completed by the Irish branch of Griffner Coillte and includes many systems sourced by Stuart and Trevor on their European reconnaissance trips. These include the cutting-edge double glazed windows by Austrian company Hrachowina Bauelemente Produktions, and the heating and electrical systems - including an EIB European Instabus electronic home system - by F&F Haustechnik. "The electronic home system controls the lighting, heating, and the blinds," explains Stuart. "The blinds are also attached to a weather station at the side of the house so that if the house gets too warm in the summer, the blinds automatically come down."

Stuart admits that although he and Trevor are delighted with the results, there are a few aspects of the build that they might have done differently: "Whilst the construction process took place we rented three different flats. It took much longer than we anticipated, and if we did it again I think we probably would have kept our house and sold it when we moved," he admits.

"The reason that we were six months late was that all the timber ceilings and beams had to be fire treated in order to meet the UK Building Control rules, and this hadn't been anticipated. When the untreated timber went up it was lovely and light, but when it was treated it became oppressive, so we got our German contractor to wallboard the ceilings," Stuart explains. "Also, at the outset Griffner Coillte made it clear that they would have done everything for us, but we decided to appoint a separate tradesman for the tiling and ask the kitchen manufacturer to take care of the installation. These were the two least successful elements of the process.

"But if we forget about the time frame and how stressful it was during the build period," continues Stuart, who oversaw the whole build, "then I am really happy with the end result." In fact, such is Stuart's satisfaction that he's already thinking about doing it again. I think the whole thing would be much easier the second time around!"

Further reading:

• A Super-E Airtight Kit House Imported from Canada
• A German Timber Frame Kit House
• Are Off Site Kit Houses a Greener Way to Self Build?