Modular marvel

Terry and Shirley Rose’s impressive new home in the Scottish Highlands started life in a factory in East Sussex

WORDS KIRSTY DOOLAN PHOTOS DOUGLAS GIBB

THE ROSE FILE

NAMES Terry & Shirley Rose

OCCUPATIONS Managers of a B&B and self-catering accommodation

LOCATION Ross-shire

TYPE OF BUILD Self build

STYLE Contemporary

CONSTRUCTION METHOD Modular construction using structural insulated panels (SIPs)

PLOT SIZE 0.66 acres

LAND COST £60,000

BOUGHT June 2013

HOUSE SIZE 147m²

PROJECT COST £253,854

PROJECT COST PER M2 £1,727

TOTAL COST £313,854

BUILDING WORK COMMENCED December 2013

BUILDING WORK TOOK 19 weeks

CURRENT VALUE £400,000

When Terry and Shirley Rose originally dreamt of creating their own holiday home in a rural location, they were living in a busy Hertfordshire town and working long hours in their hectic jobs as a chartered surveyor and art teacher. Having an idyllic spot that they could escape to seemed like a beautiful but rather distant fantasy. However, when Terry’s father sadly passed away and left the couple a sum of money, they were granted the opportunity to transform their vision into reality. “We wanted to do something really special with my father’s money,” explains Terry. “So we decided to buy a plot of land.”

The couple began scouring the south east of England for a secluded patch of land to build on, but the high prices in this area meant it was impossible to find what they wanted within their budget. So they instead turned their attention to one of the most visually-spectacular regions of the UK – the Scottish Highlands. “We had friends living in Ullapool and we’d always loved going up to visit them,” says Terry. “Although the region is remote, it’s only one hour from Inverness airport so we knew it would be easy to fly there. The plots were a decent size, and some of the world’s best scenery is right outside the front door!”

Assessing the site

The couple’s self build journey began with the search for a suitable plot. “We initially focused our efforts on another site we’d spotted along the road we eventually ended up buying on,” says Terry. “But it was steeply sloping, which made it too difficult to create what we wanted.” However, a little further down the lane Terry spotted something interesting. “I discovered a broken estate agent’s sign on some land and found that it was still available,” he says. “It was immediately clear that the location would be perfect, so we agreed to the purchase, subject to obtaining satisfactory planning approval.”