readers’ homes

Past & Present

Neil and Sandra Caul have built a multi-generational home in the Angus countryside; a striking, futureproof farmhouse that’s rooted in the area’s agricultural past

WORDS CAROLINE EDNIE

The house is one-and-a-half storeys, reflecting traditional agricultural and utilitarian buildings. Positioned alongside the main dwelling is the annexe, which is home to Neil’s mother, Mary

PHOTOS DAVID BARBOUR

In 2017, when Neil and Sandra Caul decided to build a multi-generational home for themselves, their two sons Lewis and Gregor, and Neil’s mother Mary, they were fortunate enough to have opportunities on their doorstep without having to go on the hunt for a suitable plot. The family had a smallhold farm in Angus of around 50 acres that they bought in 2010, living in the traditional farmhouse and running two holiday self-catering lets.

Their decision to build a new home on the land, precipitated by a desire to sell their letting business and move on, meant that potential plots were aplenty. However, they only had one in mind.

A brownfield site, three fields away (around two miles) from their farmhouse, had a series of derelict farm buildings on it, previously used as weighing and storage sheds. A planning application lodged by former owners for a house on the plot had been refused and the planning authority advised that they did not see a scenario that would change their mind on their previous decision. “But the plot was beautiful with panoramic views, so we were keen to focus on this as the location for our new home,” says Neil. “We then met architect Ann Nisbet at a trade show. We liked a house in rural Ayrshire that she had designed and taken through planning successfully. She was excited by our plot and right away had an understanding and vision that matched ours.”

Design vision

In terms of Neil and Sandra’s brief, they were essentially looking for a new house with a mix of family and private spaces for the three generations. It would be comfortable, low maintenance, incorporate an ecological ethos and be economical to run. “We also wanted a building that would blend into the hillside backdrop,” says Neil, a livestock specialist and consultant, who alongside his wife Sandra, an agricultural research technician, now runs the smallholding as a working livestock pedigree unit. “I like a challenge!” says Ann of Glasgow-based Ann Nisbet Studio.