New build completed

[Eddie2k]

After the good reaction I got when I posted in GD I thought I'd make a little build log from start to finish.

It's been about two years in the making since first applying for planning permission.
Luckily I didn't need to go down the self-build mortgage route as the devlopment company were footing the bill until the complete certificate was issued.
The development company let me chose what ever I wanted.
So I set up a meeting with the builders they were using and told them what I wanted (double height ceiling and windows in lounge with upper mezz level and a huge garage. Gave them my budget and they took it to their architect and here we are.

As it stands just now there is 3 bedrooms, 1 study, 1 Shower room + an ensuite.
Future plans is to add more bedrooms(cinema maybe) and a huge bathroom in the space above the utility and garage. There's approx 67 Sq/m to use up there.

The only problem I have now is deciding on furniture.

I'll let the photos do the talking.

 

[Eddie2k]

The frame was actually build by the local builders who did it to the architects drawings
I looked at scotframe etc but the cost of delivery to Shetland far exceeded getting it bespoke

 

[Eddie2k]

Where's the front door? I came here looking for an entrance.

I don't see to have any good photos of the entrance, but it's just to the right of the van.

Are you able to share more about the process you went through to acquire the land and gain permission etc?

It was actually relatively simple a local civil and marine engineering company were branching out into housing and had bought the land from a farmer and applied for planning for the roads and 8 plots.
The architect then took care of everything for me, planning permission for the house, building warrant etc.

timber cladding or cedral board?

In hindsight cedral would have been better as it doesn't require any maintenance I'm led to believe? or at least as much as timber but it would have put the costs too high for me.

Amazing! Where is this? And do mind if I ask how much this cost?

It's in the Shetland Islands, 50k for the plot and 200k roughly for the house. This includes all services, landscaped garden, fencing and tarring.

Had a look around the area on google earth, i could get used to it, gets you away from the pond life you see in the city.
Whats the area like for power cuts, do you have a back up or just ride it out.

The area has everything I need, new co-op, 2 pubs, Indian and Britains best chippy in uk(2015) and two hotel restaurants.
Shetland's main town in 15 minutes in car.
Power cuts are pretty rare, I'd say maybe one a year in my area and don't usually last more than 12hours
When this is the weather report what do you expect

It would be interesting to get more information on the heating system.

I have the company coming round to show me what and how everything works, so I will get back to you on this.

Panasonic Air to water heating system (ground floor underfloor heat and 2 radiators upstairs)
Paul HRV heat recovery system

 

[Eddie2k]

yeah, it's not cheap for that kind of area! I was just interested as I wouldn't put any horizontal natural timber onto a house in a coastal location anywhere in scotland but as long as you keep up the maintenance i'm sure it will be fine!
looks like a decent job tho, did you appoint the architect directly or was it all done through the contractor?

Timber clad houses are actually very common in Shetland so hopefully it's tried and tested method. I do see a few cedar type and composite cladding these days though.
It was mostly all done through the builder, but I did speak to the architect directly a few times regarding changes and just CC'd the builder in on the emails for the cost.

Thanks to this thread I've spent several hours over the past couple of days searching for land in Shetland and Orkney, daydreaming!

Although it's quite modern these days it's still a different lifestyle to what most are used to.
I work offshore and occasionally co-workers from scotland/england get night-stopped in Shetland due to weather and they just can't comprehend living anywhere like it.
West coast of Scotland on the otherhand is absolutely stunning, and easier to get to main cities when needed

 

[Eddie2k]

I asked you about that above. What is the lifestyle like and how is it different? It's easy to make assumptions about island life, but I'm interested.

Sorry I missed your comment up there. The winters aren't that severe really (to me anyway) We usually get snow around Feb but it's not enough to cause much distribution.

It's mainly wind and fog that causes problems here.
But when it's nice it's really nice (lots of good photos from this photographer)



I've maybed worded that wrong... the main drawbacks I see compared to living on the mainland are:

Delivery - Next day doesn't exist, it's usually 3-4 days depending on the courier - Royal mail are actually the the best as local couriers tend to keep stuff at the depot until it's worth their while travelling the distance.
Getting companies to delivered at all can be a nightmare sometimes, they either won't do it or it costs a fortune.

Transport - Unless you've got car you're pretty much knackered as buses are far and few between.
Fuel is considerably more expensive.
A taxi journey from a night out in Lerwick will cost me between £50-60 to get home.

You won't find any big name shops here apart from Coop/Tesco.

It's expensive to get to the mainland (Family of 4 + car on the ferry is £754 peak season 1 way)

Interesting choice of hob for that space - Neff T41D90X2?

You have good eyes! I was looking for one that had 4 rings next to each other so it left space on the otherside of the island
I also just liked the look of it

 

[Eddie2k]

I was one of the first customers for the company who supplied the kitchen (Nolte) and they gave me a deal on Neff appliances They're also well known for their good aftersales in Shetland - They did advise me that Neff also owns Siemens and Bosch at the time though.

Dishwasher - S51L53X0GB
Oven/Micro - C17MR02N0B
Oven - B47CR32N0B
Warming Drawer - N17HH11N0B
Extractor - I99L59N0GB

 

[Eddie2k]

No there is no backup... Something I might need to look into. When the installer comes round to show me how to work it I'll be asking him about the wind situation.

Ah, you've answered my next question - was going to ask who the kitchen was from as like the rest of the property, it is absolutely stunning. You have a very good eye.

And yes, Neff, Siemens and Bosch are pretty much interchangeable in terms of spec. I like Neff products as they tend to focus more on the cooking rather than Bosch who are price and Siemens who are design/looks.

The builder said it was one the best and quickest kitchens he's ever put in..It took him longer to do the Utility (howdens) than the entire kitchen.

 

[Eddie2k]

I now have a problem with the living room and looking for advice.

Because of all the windows and they are south-east facing the sun light is far too bright to sit in the living room comfortably.
I can shut the bottom blinds that helps a bit but it defeats the purpose of having the view..

Could anyone suggest if there is specialist paint (grey paint preferably) to try stop the light reflecting off all the white walls - or any other suggestions thanks

 

[Eddie2k]

Could you not look at adding something like this (only using this as an example):

https://www.blinds-2go.co.uk/roller...oKoMODLWbG96ihdrkHa92wFqi0UxY7U8aAi7mEALw_wcB

May be able to get the produced with a remote and have them controlled by a motor.

At least you don't need to mess with tints on the actual window.

I've looked into something similar to this but the problem is the windows at the top are almost triangle shaped and not your conventional rectangle so I'm limited to the type of blinds I can use.

A light smoke window tint would actually reduce the sun glare but still give you very good visibility or specialist antiglare film

http://www.prism-protection.co.uk/commercial-film-solutions/glare

I think this might be to way to go, I'd rather do this than paint loads of walls - Thanks!

 

[Eddie2k]

Thank you! (Not sure how to enable trust or if I need certain amount of posts)

I've got some samples of window tint coming so I'll see how I get on with them as id like to keep the view during the day.

I've been informed by a neighbour that the windows that were put into my house which are Uldal did not come with any tinting/solar protection as standard whereas other windows that were put in -Nordan, QA windows did