Review of 2024 - 10 of the best!

Now is the traditional time to reflect and look back on the year and also to celebrate the achievements and successes. Getting actually/ eventually onto site is always the biggest achievement. Here's our projects we had/ still have onsite in 2024.

1 - Edinburgh East Project 2315

A simple project of taking the kitchen which was in the small annex and moving in tonto the main house, and opening up the rear wall to optimise the south facing aspect! We'll do an update on this project shortly.

2 - Kelso Project 2107

Phase two of the conversion of an old church hall, into two contemporary family homes. You can check it out in the Jan/Feb 25 issue of Homes and Interiors Scotland on sale now!

3 - Newcastle Project 2316

This project is nearing completion and will be an absolutely outstanding home. Both the client and the project manager have been a delight to work with, and both have a great eye for detail and for a high level of specification and of build quality.

4 - Edinburgh East Project 1617

This was designed for a really good friend who I studied architecture with at Glasgow. He's spent the last 5 years building it from the ground up as a self build project (with a break to row across the Atlantic). Due to it's tricky corner location, it's a fabulous 'upside down' house with the living spaces on the upper level to capltalise on the pitched roof form. It's got a lovely courtyard and terrace at the rear to let light down to the lower levels. Listed Building Consent plus within a Conservation Area It's definitely one of the quirkiest houses in the Edinburgh. Will it be finished this year? 50/50!

5 - Inveresk Project 2216

Initially a simple project to being more natural light into the house and to improve the thermal efficiency. The project went wind and watertight on 20 December, and for the first time you could feel the difference in the space and the light. The client remarked 'I never thought I'd ever live in a home like this'.

6 - Edinburgh East Project 2104

This house has organically extended over time in a piecemeal fashion, with no regard to the previous extension, hence it needed to be 'edited' to really optimise the exisitng space and then a spamml extension added to really make it work much harder. The client commented :

'We're so happy with it - it feels massive and will totally change the way we live in the house.'

7 - Edinburgh East Project 2204

A lovely wee bedroom and ensuite extension with a home office space. A nice corner window opening up into the garden and a high level clerestory window. The project is almost complete, and we also gained the completion certificate for the previous extension by another architectural practice. Sorted!

8 - Edinburgh North (Leith) Project 1907

This has been a real labour of love, and possibly one of my favourite projects to work on due to the sheer creativity and drive by the clients. Initially an extension to a beautiful Victorian terrace , the client who collected vintage/ mid century designs wished these to be incorporated into the design. The project is still underway as more objects and fittings are bought and seamlessly integrated. Definitely one for the magazines!

9 - Edinburgh Central Project 2302

An 'upside down' house from 1984, which actually didn't work very well and had really poor energy efficiency. We flipped the layout on it's head to make it fully wheelchair accessible and insulated it fully. The client has a real contemporary taste with interior design and colours, and we love the mint green sliding doors from Express Bi-Folds!

10 - Edinburgh East Project 2015

A completed project at last! Previously the family of four were squeezed into the galley kitchen for school homework, meals and WFH. So we created an angled extension providing a separate kitchen, dining and family spaces, as well as a sunny window seat plus direct access to the south facing garden.