Perfect Package

A developer-owned plot on the Scottish Borders provided the ideal self build opportunity for Simon and Alison Watkins, who had free rein to design a bespoke home they adore

WORDS JANE CRITTENDEN PHOTOS DAVID BARBOUR

When Simon Watkins took a new job at a hospital in Jedburgh, Scotland, it proved to be the catalyst for He and his wife Alison’s decision to self build. For the first 18 months Simon lived in Jedburgh alone, commuting back to the family home in Norfolk whenever he could. Alison needed to stay put until the couple’s youngest son finished his A Levels. “It was stressful living apart, but we knew we liked this area as we’d been on a hill-walking holiday here in 2006,” says Simon. “We love the outdoors and I wanted to join the mountain rescue team. I rented a flat and then later a house when Alison joined me here in January 2010.”

When Alison moved to Jedburgh permanently, the couple began searching for a suitable property or piece of land that they could purchase. Before long they realised that the likelihood of finding an existing dwelling that ticked all the boxes was fairly slim. “We were either uninspired by the architecture, or liked a house but knew it would be cold and expensive to heat,” says Alison. “We then made a firm decision to narrow down our hunt by focusing on plots alone.”

Golden opportunity

Again, the Watkinses struggled to find anything that was suitable, and discovered that many of the most promising pieces of land had already been snapped up by developers. However, in the end, this was exactly how Simon and Alison struck gold.

The house is clad in local stone and natural slate to give it a more traditional feel

In April that year, a local contact told the couple that Gilbert Developments was selling five renovated steading cottages along with four building plots on a 20-acre site. Unusually, the contractor – David Palmer – was selling the individual portions of land as part of a complete design and build package using recommended architect, Gordon Melrose. The Watkins were smitten right from the word go, falling in love with the picturesque valley and uninterrupted views. The site was also close enough to the main road for Simon to be able to reach the hospital, even when it snowed.