Client: Mr & Mrs Bowers Site: Inver, Tain Year(s): 2018 / 2020 Main Contractor: Full Self Build Mr & Mrs Bowers had always wanted to build their own home. They searched for the perfect idyllic spot for some time before settling on Inver. “It was so peaceful, calm, and quiet, such a beautiful place to …

Retired Philadelphian police captain, Fred Hess and his wife first visited Caithness  back in 1989 and fell in love with the beautiful, picturesque countryside the county has to offer.

After numerous further visits they bought their plot near Dunnet Head in 1993. Their first thoughts were to rehabilitate the derelict cottage on the plot but after speaking to a local architect and then coming to Norscot, they decided self-build was their best option.

Mr Gunn spent his childhood growing up in the town of Lybster. Although he lived away in Aberdeen for some years, Lybster was always his home, and when he acquired a big plot of land he knew right away that he wanted to self-build there. The piece of land was previously owned by his grandparents, who lived in the house next door, which made the location even more nostalgic to him.

Mr Gunn browsed a number of companies before settling on Norscot to supply his timber frame kit. He chose Norscot as they not only offered the best price but also because they manufactured eco-kits which was something he was eager to use for the build.

Mr & Mrs Gunn spent 52 years living in their home at Georgemas before they decided to move back to Mrs Gunn’s hometown of Halkirk. They chose their plot in Halkirk as it is in a quiet area, away from a busy road unlike where they stayed previously. Their new home is also situated within walking distance of their daughter’s house which the couple felt was a requirement now that they were both getting older.

The couple got in touch with Norscot in March 2016 to talk about their self-build requirements. Mr & Mrs Gunn chose the Drumbeg kit which is part of our cottage range. They extended the main bedroom by a metre in order to provide them with additional space so they could add more wardrobes. They also increased the size of the attached garage and adjusted the position of some of the windows.

Mr Oag has lived in the village of Castletown all his life and he and his wife lived in there last home there for over 30 years. When a plot of land came up a 10 minute walk from the village the couple jumped at the chance to buy it. The plot of land was big enough that there was plenty of room for Mr Oag’s classic car collection and was isolated enough that he wouldn’t disturb neighbours as he worked on the cars to the early hours of the morning.

When they initially chose to build, they were looking at more traditional methods of construction but this changed when costs began to mount and their design plans changed. While in our Inverness showroom, looking at windows for their new build, they were made aware of Norscot’s timber frame kits and were won over by the lesser cost of the offering.