This project is to build a small efficient modern retirement home in a small town in North-East Scotland.
Whilst looking for a new house, I spotted this building site for sale. Oh dear!
The plot seemed relatively cheap, and was on the edge of the town overlooking the golf course and with fine views to the South to the hills.
<PIC of view>
So my offer was accepted subject to planning permission. I then worked with an architect to design a house of 96m2 with 2 bedrooms, with a 'Studio/Office' over a double garage to add value to the site.
After talking with the local community council and several of the local Councillors with whom I was acquainted, the plans were approved by the Council in July 2014.
<PIC of plans>
Part of the plan was to extend the car park adjacent, and I agreed to give the Council the land for this, in exchange for another strip of land which enhanced the position of the house, albeit that it was not very productive in any other sense.
The site is in large part a former railway embankment, raised up about 3.5m above street level. It was liberally covered with trees, 9 of which had Tree Preservation Orders. I negotiated with the Council officer and agreed to remove two of the TPO trees on my part of the site, and also 2 of the 4 trees adjacent to the car park, and to give the others a haircut; and to thin out the remaining trees, all of which were self seeded. The trees were not particularly special, being Lime and Sycamore in the main, with a few Scots Pine and Birch which I tried to retain. Tree work was carried out in March 2015, and it transformed my site.
Then my architect prepared details for Building Warrant, which was submitted in late 2015 and accepted with only minor changes a month later. Meantime the project went out to tender over the xmas period, and three tenders were eventually submitted. The project was way over budget! So conversations were had with the preferred contractor to simplify the design, weed out the silly costs, and bring it back into focus. Agreement was reached with the contractor in April 2016, and revised plans were drawn up by a new architect.
