CONTEMPORARY SELF-BUILD
Steve and Emma Boyd’s contemporary self-build marries sleek Scandinavian design with the rural landscape of Aberdeenshire
RESIDENTS Steve and Emma Boyd
LOCATION Banchory, Aberdeenshire
SIZE198m 2excluding garage
BUILD ROUTE Main contractor
PROJECT TIME Two years, 5 months
BUILD COST £365,000
WORDS Caroline Ednie
PHOTOGRAPHY David Barbour
When Steve and Emma Boyd were looking to embark on their first self-build, they had in mind a family home with “a Scandinavian feel — something a bit out of the ordinary without being too radical”. Three years later, their new-build home in rural Aberdeenshire, designed and built in collaboration with local architects Eoghain Fiddes and Finlay Conner of Fiddes Architects, stands as a testament to their original ‘out of the ordinary’ concept.
Although this is the first new-build project that Steve and Emma have taken on, they had renovated their previous Victorian house nearby, which introduced them to local architect Eoghain Fiddes, who they were keen to work with again on their new build. The architect also helped the couple in terms of finding the ideal plot, making them aware of an available site within the rural village of Torphins in Banchory, Aberdeenshire.
The area, which is surrounded by open fields to the north and the old Deeside railway line to the south, features a variety of rural and residential architectural styles ranging from traditional to ultra-contemporary. In planning terms this helped the couple to pursue their desire to create a unique, bespoke family home.
“In terms of our initial brief, we liked the idea of having a black building,” says Emma. “Internally we wanted it to be spacious and open plan but also bearing in mind we have a young family, we didn’t want the spaces to be too noisy with the kids. The budget also drove the design,” says Emma.
MODERN TWIST ON THE LOCAL VERNACULAR
Fiddes Architects worked on a design that carefully considered how the building form should look and sit on the site. “The finished design, while evoking a striking contemporary feel, has elements that relate to older agricultural buildings such as local barns and farmhouses still existing within the local area,” says Eoghain. The linear form, arranged over one and three-quarter storeys, reflects this.
The black house effect that the Boyds favoured has been achieved with a black fibre cement ti
