This page scrolls down from the start on site to the most recent photos at the bottom. Photos of the finished building will be posted in August on a new page.
Summer 2008: Initial archeological surveys made and access track are undertaken. The ruin itself is still very precarious and delicate in places.
Autumn 2008: Stainless steel frames are fitted into the window and fireplace openings on the cleft gable to tie the two sides of the gable together
Autumn 2008: The broken lintol over the front door is replaced with one from the New Castle at Breachacha on Coll which was built about the same time as the White House .
December 2008: The pointing of the original walls is largely complete and the structure is now stable.
January 2009: The back wall is taken down to accommodate the new section of house which will slot into the ruin. The stone is set aside for later use in the new wing.
February 2009: Coping slates are laid on top of the existing walls to shed water. These will also form window cills for the new structure that will sit within the original walls.
March 2009: New gable coping slabs are laid and the opening for the new link connection has been completed.
April 2009: Consolidation of the ruin is almost complete and capping of the walls has been undertaken. Notice the twist in the wall head.
April 2009: Bad weather hampers progress so the masons have boarded up windows to stop the wind blasting through and allow some work inside the walls. Almost ready for new structures to start on site.
May 2009: New gable coping slabs are laid on the south cleft gable as Tom and company finish off the consolidation works as Spey building arrive on site.
May 4th 2009: Spey Building and Joinery arrive on site for the main contract works. So does lots of gravel from the mainland. Transporting gravel for structural concrete is one of the most expensive and least green aspects of the project. Unfortunately the ground conditions mean we need a significant concrete slab to build off.
May 5th 2009: The ground is scraped out inside the ruin for the new slab.
May 8th 2009: Site huts are tied down in the gales
May 9th 2009: Excavations for the concrete slab progress in gales.
May 9th 2009: Archeology is uncovered including bronze age pottery and main works are diverted away from the new slabs to allow further archeological exploration.
May 20th 2009 : The aftermath of archeological excavations leaves a very big and expensive hole to fill before the new floor slabs can be poured.
May 20th 2009 : IF there was any doubt the reason why the original house started collapsing is clear. Good territory for a golf course.
May 2009: The scaffolding comes down on the consolidation works. This is how the crack will remain. the original fire place lintol has been lifted back into place.
May 2009: More of the consolidated 'crack' showing Tom and Coll teams good work through the winter.
May 21st 2009: The borehole for the water supply is drilled by Landdrill. Lots of water comes out!
June 2009: The reinforcement and shuttering for the concrete raft foundations are set out.
June 2009: The extensive reinforcement is required to deal with the unstable ground conditions which caused the original house to crack.
June 2009: This photo shows a movement joint which will effectively allow the new structures to move seperately from the existing ruin should differential settlement occur on the sand.
June 2009: The finished crack from outside.
June 2009: The site from the air right in the middle of this photo. Coll's new air service allows us to get to and from Coll in a day and are definitely the nicest way to get to Coll if the weather is good!
June 2009: The concrete batching plant arrives along with the first materials for the main superstructure.
June 2009: The slab is poured in three sections, each one independant from the other.
June 2009: The slab in the ruin is tied into the original walls to tie them together and eliminate any chances of later movement in the original walls.
June 2009: The concrete batching plant in operation as the slabs are alomost complete.
July 2009: Ground floor steelwork is erected in the link section. This will support the sedum roof.
July 2009: Tally, the client's dog tries out her spot in front of the future hearth
July 2009: The ground floor timber frame for the 'new' west wing is put up. The window openings will be cut out later.
July 2009: Deceptively simple and perhaps brutal without windows!
July 2009: The panels for the upper floor were pre-formed and lifted into position.
July 2009: The first new gable framing in position.
August 2009: First floor frame continues.
August 2009: The view down onto the central link area and ruin from the new first floor.
20th Aug 2009: The roof starts to go on. A thick stone wall will tie this isolated looking wing into the landscape.
20th Aug 2009: The roof carcassing is also going up on the central link section of the building.
20th Aug: The view from the new roof.
20th Aug: This is the view from a window seat at the top of the west wing stairs. The floor in this area is temporary.
20th Aug: The view down the first floor landing, to the left of the view above.
20th Aug: This space will be a childrens' bedroom.
28th Aug: The main structure of the weat wing largely complete and ready to receive its waterproof builder paper.
28th Aug: The tooth/turret which links the new structures into the old is built in masonry and will be rendered in smooth white plaster. It will enclose larder, WC, store, ensuite and an office at the top.
2nd Sept 2009: The ridge beam for the roof in the original ruin is put in place. A lone steel column supports it in the middle. the beam is a composite of steel and timber
2nd Sept 2009: The original roof structure didn't have a ridge beam and this may have been one of the reasons why the external walls were so violently pushed out and cracked when the original roof collapsed.
2nd September 2009: The roofing membrane is now on the new west wing. A bit of weatherproof shelter is particularly welcome for Spey Joinery after an August of continuous rain!
14th Sept 2009: The main structure inside the ruin is now up.
14th September 2009: The main framing structure is largely in place. This photo shows the 'tooth'/'turret' sticking through the main roof. This will house a small study with windows looking in three directions.
24th Sept 2009: The section where the new structures slot into the existing ruin is very complex, particularly as there is a big movement joint across the whole house here. The whole area has had to be detailed to avoid cracks appearing in random places!
24th Sept 2009: Top of the new stair in the west wing where there will be a window seat.
24th Sept 09: The eyrie window before the small floor under it is installed.
24th Sept 09: The future study. Small and cosy!
24th Sept 09: The aspect of the building that is closest to the form of the original building. This will be the main entrance facade. Originally the front door would have been at first floor level and accessed by timber stair.
24th Sept 2009: The Tele-handler saves many trips up and down ladders. The open walls here will be glazed. Spey are working off this flat roof to build up the blockwork around the study 'tooth'.
21st Oct 2009: The timber frame is wrapped in aluminsed builder paper which reflects heat back into the building and improves thermal performance.
21st Oct 09: Slating on the west wing is nearing completion.
21st Oct 09: The fascia boards will all be stained black.
21st Oct 09: The study 'tooth'/'tower' from below. This will be smooth rendered and painted white.
21st Oct 09: The view from the study 'tooth' looking over the living room roof which will eventually have a sedum blanket/green roof installed on it. The slating on the pitched roof above is complete.
21st Oct 09: Looking over the living room roof towards the study tooth. The room to the left of the tooth will be a bedroom.
21st Oct 09: The top of the roof in the ruin. The holes in the gable were a dovecot and will be glazed.
21st Oct 09: The living area looking towards the new wing. A stair will be installed on the left. The space to the right will be a snug/sitting area.
21st Oct 09: The living area looking towards the ruin. The gap on the left will lead to the kitchen and the front door can be seen on the right.
21st Oct 09: Slating and lead on the west wing - hidden gutters!
1st Nov 09: New slating on the main ruin roof.
4th Nov 09: The underfloor heating pipes are distributed from this manifold.
4th Nov 09: The heating pipes are clipped down to rigid insulation and then a concrete screed is laid over.
4th Nov 09: The screed going down in the future snug.
Nov 09: An illustration of how wet it can be. In this case 26mm of rain in one morning. perfect weather for ducks, but not masons.
Nov 09: work on the big west wall starts. The wall will be faced in the stone taken from the original ruin.
Nov 09: This will be a two storey window with a window seat at the top of the stairs. This is the only big window in the otherwise castle-like west wall. The roof steps up here to allow a clear view out over the fields and shore.
Nov 09: The big west wall will tie the the new wing down into the landscape and shelter it from the worst of the weather.
Nov 11th 09: The big west wall shown here has a structural blockwork spine and will be faced in semi-dry stone facing.
Nov 16th 09: The stonework to the west wall starting. All the blockwork will be concealed.
Nov 16th 09: More west wall stonework.
Dec 09: Work on nthe west wall continues in the teeth of winter wind and rain.
Dec 09: The view from the future living area with a raised hearth in the foreground.
Dec 09: This wall will eventually be extended into longer garden walls.
Dec 09: The three masons continually change the area of wall on which they are working to ensure no visible changes in walling 'style' from one part to another.
Dec 09
Dec 09: Ice grips the site as it is shut down for the Christmas break.
Dec 09: The stone wall reaches its full height at one end. The silver membrane is a high performance aluminised builder paper which maximises the insulation value of the building fabric.
Dec 09: the section of wall between the roof and the stone wall will be boarded in black stained larch.
Jan 10: First windows.
Jan 10: The stone wall is complete except for its coping slabs.
Jan 10: One of the small windows in the new stone wall.
Jan 10: More windows
Feb 10 : Site lunch with builders, clients and architects. White House beef.
Feb 10: The slot window is prepared for glazing.
Feb 10: The frameless glass wall to the living area is installed - first piece.
Feb 10: 24 hours later and Solaglas have completed the installation of the frameless glass wall.
Feb 10: The complete glass wall with the hearth plinth that pushes through it.
Feb 10: The south facing wall of the living area with newly installed sliding panels.
Feb 10: The view from inside the living area. Note the glass fins that stiffen the glazing against the massive potential forces from gales.
Feb 10: The landing/slot window with glazing in place. There will be a window seat in front of this.
Feb 10: The landing/slot window from outside - now with glass.
Feb 10: View from the ruin courtyard.
Feb 20th 2010: The hard stamding for the external paving is laid outside the living room area.
Feb 20th 2010: Slate paving going down in the hallway area, running through to the living spaces.
Feb 21st 2010: The base for a small terrace outside the kitchen which will be timber decked.
Feb 24th 2010: Slate cills in the massive west wall.
Feb 24th 2010: Slate copes on the west wall.
Feb 24th 2010: Stain has been applied to the timber eaves and fascias.
Mar 2010: The last window to the front has been installed - only the front door to go in now.
Mar 2010 : That big wall again - only some black boarding to go in above the wall and this side will be complete externally.
Mar 2010: The site is starting to dry out a bit after the very wet mid winter - largely exempt from the heaviest of the snow and ice that has gripped the mainland. Most importantly the sun is shining occasionally!
Mar 2010: One of the original garden walls, which are being extended.
Mar 10th 2010: from the south west.
Mar 18th 2010: Workshop with a view. The slate paving is down and the oak stair for the west wing in place.
Mar 18th 2010: The steel stair in the original ruin is installed. This is the biggest item to have been manufactured off-site. It has been made by DMH Blacksmiths of Inverness. Temporary stair treads have been put in place.
Mar 18th 2010: Slots for the living room blinds.
Mar 18th 2010: Render scratch coat on the 'tooth'/study tower.
Apr 2010: Larch cladding on the new wing. The larch is Scottish which is knottier than Siberian larch but a more sustainable material. In this case the knots are not an issue as the boards will be stained black.
Apr 2010: The top render coat to the study 'tooth'.
Apr 2010: The corner where the link building meets the main new wing. That 'look-no-hands' and 'inside-outside' feeling.
Apr 2nd 2010: View from the kitchen towards the new wing.
Apr 2nd 2010: new windows in the original ruin.
Apr 2nd 2010: Paving in the courtyard between the new and old buildings runs parallel to the new wing and runs on this angle right into the inner ruin courtyard.
Apr 2nd 2010: the west wing stair well, with snug adjacent.
Apr 2nd 2010: the west wing gallery, ready for plastering.
Apr 2nd 2010: the upper gallery in the ruin. The steelwork will support a window seat which will run into the gable window, overlooking the ruin courtyard.
Apr 2nd 2010: Looking out from the dining area in the link building.
Apr 22nd 2010: The painters have arrived and the weather obliges. Black and white applied.
Apr 23rd 2010: The view from the south west - mainly landscaping left from this angle now.
Apr 23rd 2010: The sedum roof on the link section. The sedums are very similar to those growing on the site already and are drought and wind resistant. Under the sedum mat there is a drainage layer which stops them getting waterlogged, and mimics the sandy or rocky ground these plants would normally grow in.
Apr 23rd 2010: This is one of the most complicated bits of the building where many different structures come together and overlap over the glazed corner. To complicate things further there is a movement joint across this corner which allows the different sections of the building to settle differently from each other on the potentially unstable ground. The bit of building on the left of this photo may settle more than the bit on the right as the two storey section of the building is heavier than the single storey link section.
Apr 22nd 2010: Staining the boards black is one of the last jobs to the west elevation before the scaffolding is taken down.
Apr 22nd 2010: A demonstration of why there is a tall T-shaped window in the big west wall (see above). The mid afternoon sun comes deep into the living room.
Apr 27th 2010: The sedums have had a few days to settle. This is the view from the upper landing in the original building.
Apr 27th 2010: Looking out from the main bedroom in the original building. Scaffolding down at last.
Apr 27th 2010: The scaffolding is (almost) all down.
May 9th 2010: The ground has been re-levelled and the general tidy up should allow the grass to grow back through the spring.
May 9th 2010: The west wall. Finished!
May 9th 2010
May 9th 2010 : the stove has been installed on the hearth plinth in the link section.
May 9th 2010: the front door is now in, and finishes started in the hallway. This space is likely to be one of the last to be completed as Spey back themselves out the door, so to speak.
May 9th 2010: Heat exchange gubbins, which is connected into the external air to water heat exchange unit. This heats the water and the underfloor heating throughout the ground floor, as well as a seperate heating circuit with radiators on the first floor. System provided by 'Ecoliving'.
May 9th 2010: View from the south bedroom towards the 'ruin'. The sedums are starting to flower.
May 9th 2010: The main family bathroom takes shape. The windows overlook the sedum roof on the link section, and give views out to the sea.
May 9th 2010: One of the main bedrooms in the west (new) wing almost complete. The oak flooring is about to go down.
May 9th 2010: Looking down the stair to the new wing into the living area.
May 9th 2010: The first floor bedroom in the 'ruin'. A range of windows peeks out over the original walls, and a door leads out onto a Juliette balcony in the depth of the original window opening.
May 9th 2010: View from the front garden. the front door will remain black. Juliette balcony on the right.
May 20th 2010: Calm day as the fog slips away.
May 19th 2010:
May 19th 2010: An outside shower for post beach/farm hosing down!
May 19th 2010: West wall.
May 9th 2010: The living room receives its first coat of paint.
May 19th 2010: Pivot door to the kitchen in oak. the living spaces are largely open plan but can be separated from the high hall space with pivot doors like this one.
May 19th 2010: The hallway is plastered.
May 19th 2010: The main bathroom is being fitted out further.
May 19th 2010: Glazing is now in the high gable window and the two tiny doocot openings above it. There was internal access to the doocot for egg extract. We don't suppose such a small doocot produced a feast of eggs!
May 20th 2010: View from the beach.
June 16th 2010: The site has been largely cleared up.
June 16th 2010: balustrades and rainwater pipes installed
June 16th 2010: The outside 'beach' shower.
June 16th 2010: The view along the top of the original walls from the Juliette balcony in the ruin.
June 14th 2010: along side the stairs in the new wing.
June 15th 2010: The glass and steel balustrading at the top of new wing stair is installed.
June 15th 2010: Looking down the new wing stair to the living area which is still being used as a wood working area.
June 15th 2010: The 'Snug' area under the west wing stair will be lined with cherry-faced panelling which is being made off site and will be installed in a few week's time.
June 16th 2010: The master bedroom is pretty much complete.
June 16th 2010: The main family bathroom - awaiting mirror above the basin on the left.
June 16th 2010: The wet entrance WC in the new west wing.
June 16th 2010: Looking towards the pivoting door that leads from the living area to the main hall in the ruin.
June 14th 2010: Looking up towards the 'Eyrie' at the top of the main entrance hall.
June 14th 2010: The glazed seal to the raggedy ruin edge of the central ruin gable - approximately 6m high.
June 14th 2010: The glazed seal from below, with the Eyrie on the left.
June 14th 2010: Up at the Eyrie the glazed balusrading is being installed.
June 16th 2010: The seat to the Eyrie is installed (yet to have its oak laminate facing). From this window you can get a view up the approach track and down into the roofless courtyard part of the ruin.
June 16th 2010: The Eyrie seat from below.
June 16th 2010: looking into the main first floor bedroom in the ruin.
June 16th 2010: looking back from the bedroom in the ruin to the landing over the entrance hallway, and windows which overlook the roofless courtyard.
July 2nd 2010: Main stair - glass balustrade.
July 2nd 2010: Gates and gravel.
July 2nd 2010: Occupation begins.
July 2nd 2010: The main stair
July 2nd 2010: The Eyrie over the netrance - almost finished.
July 2nd 2010: The ground floor WC in the 'tooth' off the main hall.
July 2nd 2010: The view from the snug - vegitation returns to the machair.
July 5th 2010: The day the clients move in and the builders move out.
July 5th 2010: Part home, part building site.
July 5th 2010: new lighting in the courtyard
July 5th 2010:
July 5th 2010:
July 5th 2010:
July 5th 2010: moving in
July 5th 2010: Spey final checks before moving out!
