The brief for the 23 residences at John O'Groats was to take the unit Natural Retreats had developed for their site in the Yorkshire Dales, retain the good, lose the bad, and build it for £100,000. On top of this it had to survive one of the harshest coastlines in the UK, be sustainable in all ways and deliver buildings easy to operate and attractive to guests. We kept elements which added value and lost those which did not We packaged the works to allow design and procurement to run in parallel. Working with local manufacturers and suppliers (Norscot, Ashely Ann, Russwood) we used their knowledge to drive value from the technical detail and materials choices. Where the market wouldn’t give value, such as the sedum roof, we invented our own, guided by a Liverpudlian wildflower charity. We procured local trades and learnt how to be construction managers. The units are simple to make and maintain and disappear into the landscape now the larch has weathered down. The living roofs reduce the impact from the main southern approach. The internals are spacious where they have to be (living/dining) and efficient where they don’t (bedrooms). The glass screens, which showcase the whole reason for travelling to John O Groats, are amongst the largest in Caithness.