Dalilea Croft

The brief for extending the property was to build on the footprint of an original corrugated metal clad storage shed, breaking through from the original double bedroom to create a new bedroom, bathroom and living accommodation with a predominantly glazed, south-west facing gable and deck looking out over the Loch.

The client was also clear that their main intention in extending the property was to improve the quality and functionality of the existing holiday house rather than to simply increase the number of bedrooms. An early decision was therefore made to break through the
existing west gable, losing a double bedroom and gaining a coat and boot room with boiler cupboard and drying facilities.The extension design was constrained and influenced by the presence of a storage shed to the north-west, the decision to retain and re-roof a stone wood store to the north, the height of the existing single storey cottage and the opportunity to enjoy the views of Loch Shiel to the west, and of the garden and of Ben Resipol to the south.

The extension was conceived of as a contemporary “shed”, which attempts to respect the simplicity and symmetry of the original white harled cottage by stepping down from the ridge and set in slightly from the original gable. Historically, corrugated metal cladding has been widely used in Scottish rural and agricultural buildings and the use of dark grey aluminium cladding on both the extension walls and roof are intended to be a clear reference to this tradition. The colour and material choice also help to down play its impact on the original and clearly differentiate between old and new.