After looking for a site in Perthshire to build our own house for a couple of years, Helen found this elevated site 1 mile from Bankfoot, with long ranging views in all directions.

The site was sold with Planning Permission to demolish the existing ruinous steading and the less ruinous cottage.

We chose to keep and develop the cottage along with our new build house, a future timber garage building would complete a courtyard facing south.

The best views and the evening sun are in the west and the main public rooms of the house are orientated in this direction leading onto covered verandas, an influence from New England on an otherwise Scottish exterior. Grey stained timber could point to local influences or to a more colonial architecture.

The roof form, while predominantly 1¾ storey, is brought down to a lower eaves height at all the entrances/exits, creating an intimate human scale and grounding the house in the landscape. Oversized chimneys and different dormer types help create a dynamic but traditional profile.