A renovation and timber frame extension to a home in Sutherland helped it to reach the finals of the BBC’s Scotland’s Home of the Year 2020.
Rainbow’s End in Skelbo, Loch Fleet, represented the Northern Highlands as it went head to head with 27 other properties across Scotland, ultimately placing sixth.
The judges, who considered functionality, distinctiveness and clever design, praised it as a light, bright and enthralling home with one commenting: “It felt like a place I wanted to spend my time in, and I can’t think of a single thing I’d change. I’d love to be in this home.”
The project was a collaboration between Pasquill, a leading manufacturer of roof trusses and engineered timber solutions, Richard M Mackenzie Ltd Building Contractors and Blueprint Architecture.
The original two storey family home was extended to incorporate a new outdoor living space, car port, garage, gym and cinema room. Pasquill developed and provided a total of 43 bespoke trusses for the back wing of the house to create the extension.
The extension roof was a complex design, with the upper floor formed using attic trusses and the two wings meeting at different angles due to site constraints. With the gym being situated on the first floor the loadings used were much higher than in a standard domestic attic and meant that the timbers and plates needed to be engineered to a higher specification.
RMM Ltd were tasked with modernising and extending a two-storey family home at Rainbows End. The house was extended to incorporate a new outdoor living space, car port, garage, gym and cinema.
Many of the original walls and elements of the upstairs remained however the new design featured a standout sunroom and an outside dining area that was connected by a large expanse of glass, bringing the outside in and making the most of those spectacular views.
Gary Chisholm, Senior Designer at Pasquill, said: “We’re very lucky to be regularly involved with many incredible projects across Scotland. Rainbow’s End involved much bespoke engineering and precision and the results show that. We’re really pleased that the home is being recognised as a wonderful place to live, and hope it gives others some inspiration of how timber elements can transform a home.”
Alan MacKenzie, Managing Director of Richard M Mackenzie Ltd Building Contractors, said: “We were delighted to have had the opportunity to work on such a fantastic project and are extremely proud of our team for the high level of quality craftmanship given to this build. We pride ourselves on providing our clients with an excellent service and top-quality work and Rainbows End is a great example of this.”
Site Agent, Andrew Deeth, added: “The work on these new extensions were a challenge, specifically the cutting and fitting of large Douglas fir timbers that our team cut and erected on site. Although this project presented us with unique challenges it also gave us great satisfaction when complete. My favourite part of the design was the secret door that led off from one of the upstairs bedrooms and to a fabulous open plan room that showcased the design and over-all quality in the craftmanship.”
Scotland’s Home of the Year is available to watch on BBC iPlayer. For more information on engineered timber solutions, please visit www.pasquill.co.uk
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