Grand Designs Live

The story so far...

Who? Peter and Christine Hope.

What? A traditional Scottish Blackstone house, rebuilt and extended.

Where? On Harris, the most northerly island of Scotland’s Outer Hebrides.

How long? A year in planning, then 18 months to build.

Budget? £130,000.

High point? ‘Putting in the windows. We could finally see how wonderful the view would be’.

Low point? ‘Finishing the last sections of the walls. There was a howling gale and we were running out of stone’.

Traditional Building Methods

Architect Stuart Bagshaw says dry stone walls and turf roofs are indigenous to the area: ‘Dry stone walls provide nesting for birds, and using the local turf on the roof means the habitat is retained.’

Roofs with very steep pitches are not suited to turf. Turf at least 15cm thick sits above a textured layer providing water storage and drainage. Below this a membrane makes the roof waterproof.

Building 1m-thick dry stone walls requires great skill. For courses, see The Dry Stone Walling Association: www.dswa.org.uk