Houzz Tour: A Timber-clad, Modern Prefab Home in Scotland
Made 600 miles away and brought to Aberdeen by lorry, this clever, energy-efficient home is warm, spacious and filled with light
The story behind this Scottish home isn’t your typical construction tale of bricks and mortar. The property was predominantly built off-site, in a factory on the south coast of England, before being transported the length of the country to Aberdeen. The home was designed by Stuart Duncan using 3D modelling software. Thanks to the detailed model, he was able to send files to suppliers and manufacturers, who fabricated the different elements and sent them to the factory Stuart had rented on the south coast. There, the entire home was assembled, before being broken down into six modules for transportation.
‘I liked the concept of building indoors,’ explains Stuart of his rather unorthodox methods. ‘I had planned to outsource the construction of the house, but the company went out of business, so I decided to rent a warehouse and do it myself,’ he says. ‘It was sort of a pop-up factory.’ Everything was finely calculated, even down to the route the lorries would take. There was a particular ninety degree corner in the road of a nearby village that was factored into the size the modules could be. ‘We knew we could only build modules as big as we could get to site,’ he says.
Now the single-storey, highly energy-efficient house has settled into its new home, the mellow timber cladding blending nicely with the wooded environment and the spacious white interior making the most of the northern light.
Houzz at a Glance
Location Aberdeen
Size 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
Designer and builder Stuart Duncan of build different
Completed January 2015
That’s interesting The house was largely constructed off-site and transported to Scotland in modules, which then fitted together like a puzzle. It’s built according to Passivhaus principles and is highly energy efficient.
‘I liked the concept of building indoors,’ explains Stuart of his rather unorthodox methods. ‘I had planned to outsource the construction of the house, but the company went out of business, so I decided to rent a warehouse and do it myself,’ he says. ‘It was sort of a pop-up factory.’ Everything was finely calculated, even down to the route the lorries would take. There was a particular ninety degree corner in the road of a nearby village that was factored into the size the modules could be. ‘We knew we could only build modules as big as we could get to site,’ he says.
Now the single-storey, highly energy-efficient house has settled into its new home, the mellow timber cladding blending nicely with the wooded environment and the spacious white interior making the most of the northern light.
Houzz at a Glance
Location Aberdeen
Size 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
Designer and builder Stuart Duncan of build different
Completed January 2015
That’s interesting The house was largely constructed off-site and transported to Scotland in modules, which then fitted together like a puzzle. It’s built according to Passivhaus principles and is highly energy efficient.
The walls are made from structurally insulated panels and clad in ThermoWood timber, which is specially heat treated and fire resistant. The render is Limestone White K-Rend render. The idea was to make the home very low maintenance day to day.
Stuart deliberately kept the interior crisp and contemporary, opting for a white scheme with some accent pieces of furniture. He fitted the pendant lights with colour-changing bulbs that can be controlled using an app, so the colour can easily be changed.
Rug, John Lewis. Maskros pendant lights, Ikea. Colour-changing Hue bulbs, Philips. For living wall planters, try Woolly Pocket.
Discover what smart homes look like in 2015
Stuart deliberately kept the interior crisp and contemporary, opting for a white scheme with some accent pieces of furniture. He fitted the pendant lights with colour-changing bulbs that can be controlled using an app, so the colour can easily be changed.
Rug, John Lewis. Maskros pendant lights, Ikea. Colour-changing Hue bulbs, Philips. For living wall planters, try Woolly Pocket.
Discover what smart homes look like in 2015
The primary source of heat in the winter is this biomass pellet stove. It burns wood pellets – a renewable energy alternative to gas, oil and electricity. The burner is connected to a wet radiator circuit that runs throughout the whole house, perfect for supplementing the weak winter sun. The stove can be programmed much like a gas burner – it lights itself and just needs to be kept topped up with pellets.
Stove, Specflue. Pavilion chairs, Bluesuntree. Kaleidoscope rug, John Lewis.
Stove, Specflue. Pavilion chairs, Bluesuntree. Kaleidoscope rug, John Lewis.
Stuart designed the property with the intention of allowing the person who buys it to put their mark on it, describing it as ‘partially furnished’.
The flooring is from a company called Concreate and consists of concrete tongue and groove planks. It’s hard-wearing and contemporary looking.
The flooring is from a company called Concreate and consists of concrete tongue and groove planks. It’s hard-wearing and contemporary looking.
In keeping with the minimalist style of the home, Stuart went for a crisp white kitchen. The doors are MDF and the worktop is recycled glass, made by a company called GlassEco that collects old bottles and recycles them to make bespoke worktops. The glass is crushed up and mixed with resin, and comes in various colours. Stuart opted for dark graphite to contrast with the white cabinets and enhance the sleek, contemporary look.
Kitchen, Ultima. Appliances, Neff. Worktop, GlassEco.
Kitchen, Ultima. Appliances, Neff. Worktop, GlassEco.
Around the corner, in its own little alcove, is the dining area. Stuart kept the layout open-plan and flexible. ‘The key thing is that all the main living areas face south,’ he says, to capture those wonderful moments of Scottish sunshine.
Innocenti dining table, Bluesuntree. Brasa pendant light, Ikea.
Innocenti dining table, Bluesuntree. Brasa pendant light, Ikea.
Internal glass doors lead onto a corridor with three bedrooms, a utility room, a study and a shower room. There are numerous skylights throughout the property to keep it bright and airy.
Stuart was careful to ensure the property was made accessible to all. So it’s all on one floor, there are no steps and the doors were made to facilitate wheelchair access.
See how to make your home accessible to all
Stuart was careful to ensure the property was made accessible to all. So it’s all on one floor, there are no steps and the doors were made to facilitate wheelchair access.
See how to make your home accessible to all
A separate doorway off the main living room leads to the master bedroom with en suite bathroom. Again, the interior decoration was kept minimal. ‘I went for long horizontal slot windows in a few different places throughout the home,’ says Stuart. ‘I just quite liked the look.’
The master bedroom has plenty of storage space thanks to two large, built-in wardrobes, and there are sliding doors on the opposite wall that open out onto a south-facing patio.
Luna bed, Bluesuntree. Bed linen, John Lewis.
The master bedroom has plenty of storage space thanks to two large, built-in wardrobes, and there are sliding doors on the opposite wall that open out onto a south-facing patio.
Luna bed, Bluesuntree. Bed linen, John Lewis.
The master bathroom features a basin and bath, with an adjoining alcove housing a toilet and shower. The tiles were sourced locally.
Bath; basin; toilet; cabinets, all Duravit.
Bath; basin; toilet; cabinets, all Duravit.
After the six modules were fabricated in the south of England and transported to the site by lorry, they were lifted into place by crane. Then external finishes were added and things like groundwork and landscaping completed.
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What do you think of this energy-efficient, prefabricated home? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
What do you think of this energy-efficient, prefabricated home? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
Mechanical ventilation is also used. This is a hidden duct system that recycles the air by pulling in cold fresh air and running it through a heat exchanger that transfers the heat from outgoing warm air.
5.5kW of solar panels are connected directly to the water heater, which can be used to heat the home. ‘All solar generated electricity is used by the house’ explains Stuart; ‘the fridge and all other appliances have the first priority. If that demand is satisfied and there is still excess, then the second priority is the immersion heater. Once that is satisfied, the third is the towel radiators. Lastly, any excess finally goes back in to the grid. If the house is empty all day then nearly all the energy gets diverted.’