Aside from the build method and
materials used, the efficiency and close
working relationship of the team – who
were all based locally and had worked
together before – contributed to the
project’s efficiency. Scotframe and
Cairnrowan have worked together many
times in the past and have designed their
own bespoke kit, which helped ensure
the build was quick and smooth.
Cairnrowan also project managed the
entire build, which took a weight off the
Jaffreys’ shoulders – they were kept
updated on progress throughout with
regular meetings. Cairnrowan took care
of everything from preparing the
groundwork and erecting the timber kit
to organising the electrics and smart
home technology. They also managed
the internal decoration and landscaping,
which helped make the project as
seamless and stress-free for the family
as possible.
“The game changer for us was that we
had so much trust in the whole team,”
says Iain. “It’s said that building your own
house is one of the most stressful things
you can do, but this honestly was
relatively stress free and actually quite
enjoyable!” He adds: “We’d come and
visit the site once or twice a week to see
how things were going, but otherwise
they just got on with it.”
DESIGN
The family saw this as their “forever
home”, so wanted an open plan space
downstairs that their small children could
enjoy running about in, and that they
would get the benefit of for years to
come. “That’s why we decided to have
the smart technology installed,” Iain says.
The house is pre-wired for nine zones of
audio and six zones of HD/4K video, as
well as 12 zones of heating and 16 zones
of lighting.
The 305 m^2 detached house has two
reception rooms, four bedrooms, four
bathrooms, and a cinema/bar room.
Ample glazing takes advantage of
spectacular views to the nearby hills of
Dunnydeer and Bennachie. The 2.7
metre high ceilings and six metre double
height areas give a feeling of space
throughout.
The open plan ground floor area has
floor-to-ceiling windows which open out
onto an expansive decking area. One of
the home’s most striking features is the
galleried entrance hall, home to a
contemporary, well-figured oak tread and
glass balustrade staircase. The timber
frame is covered with a mixture of timber
cladding and white render, plus a glazed
gable. The roof is finished with slate and,
to contrast against the white render, dark
grey Nordan window frames were used.
In order to meet their desires of being
as eco-friendly as possible, the family
installed solar panels, a Daikin air source
heat pump, and underfloor heating.
“From a green point of view, the house
ticks all the boxes. Although it’s a much
bigger house than we had before, we are
paying significantly less for fuel bills,
even though our previous house was also
timber frame and well-insulated,” says
Iain. “We chose the air source heat pump
because it is clean and low maintenance,
and along with the solar panels, it has
been working well for us.”
As well as these features, the closed
panel system and accuracy of the build
has also contributed to the home’s
efficiency, says Iain. It has been given an
‘A’ rating for energy, an as-built EPC of
97 per cent and an airtightness result of
0.38 air changes per hour, taking it to
Passivhaus levels in terms of energy
efficiency.The likely energy usage is 28
kWh/m^2 /year, achieving Gold Aspect
level 2 for energy use for space heating
from the Scottish Building Regulations –
the highest possible level. The calculated
emissions are 5 kg CO 2 /m²/year – over
4.6 times less CO 2 per year than the
average Scottish household. “The quality
of the house is amazing,” says Iain.
“Although we’ve been in for less than a
year, it feels like we’ve been here for
longer – that’s how we know we have
made the right decision.”“We were blown
away by how
quickly we were
able to get into
our new home”
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