Gullane House Build

The story, in photos, of our house build in Gullane, starting in 2019 with the purchase of the plot and continuing to handover in 2022 and beyond. It's split into sections, roughly mirroring phases of the build.

We bought a plot of land in Gullane and decided to build a "Murphy". The plot had been part of the garden of the large house next door and came with hard-won permission to build a conventional house of their architect's design. Richard was having none of that though, so he drew us a Murphy and two years later building was finally able to begin. While the lengthy planning, costing and building warrant processes took place we watched the plot transition through the seasons a number of times.

The small, single-storey house takes on the form of a "long house" with all the rooms in a line, off a central corridor. Langskail is Norse for "long house" and is also the name of the house in which Kim was brought up so was a fitting name for us to use. Read Richard's blurb here: richardmurphyarchitects.com/House-at-Gullane.

The East Lothian planners appreciated the quality of the design, stating in their summing up, "its contemporary architectural design would enrich the diverse architectural character of Broadgait and the wider area".

14th June 2023. 206 views.

Plot

It was approximately two years from buying the plot until we handed it over to the builders to get started.

1st July 2021, 24 photos. 221 views.

Groundworks

The first job was to level the plot which involved digging in a little at the back where the ground gently rose. The earth moved was piled high for later use as infill and for eventually spreading over the garden for topsoil. Foundations were laid and a large hole in the garden was made for the rainwater soakaway. Drains were put in and a couple of courses of blockwork laid to contain the concrete slab floor.

15th August 2021, 26 photos. 238 views.

Superstructure

The steel frame was installed and the concrete slab poured. Then the timber rear section and its roof and the external and internal walls were constructed. Finally the main roof deck was fitted to the top of the steel.

15th September 2021, 81 photos. 229 views.

First Fix

The internal layout is fully formed with further insulation and plasterboard installed. The underfloor heating pipes are set and the first glass - the clerestory windows - arrive, giving the building an early sparkle. First fix electrics are laid out and the windows are constructed offsite by the joiners in Tranent.

15th May 2022, 44 photos. 219 views.

Second Fix

Kitchen, bathrooms, cladding, glazing, plastering and electrics brings it all together.

15th June 2022, 87 photos. 208 views.

Moving In

We have finally moved into our "Murphy" house in Gullane. The house is not finished yet, but needs must, some of it is habitable and the rest will be completed in due course. It's been an epic 3 and a half year project so far and we're delighted to finally reach this significant milestone - and not be temporarily homeless!

22nd September 2022, 45 photos. 194 views.

Gate

We decided it would be nice to have a little more privacy in the house during the dark winter evenings, particularly because until the buiders complete their internal joinery we can't put up curtains. The original cast iron gate still maintains good strength but looks tired and the latch no longer lines up or works. We therefore decided to build a bespoke, temporary solution, making use of the existing structure to bear the load.

6th November 2022, 10 photos. 217 views.

Retaining Wall

Although our plot is fairly flat, there is a gentle slope upwards at the back meaning the builder had to dig in and move a fair bit of earth to create a good level for the house. This resulted in some steep drops of unsupported sandy soil quite close to the building. A retaining was therefore needed to prevent that soil collapsing down over time. To save some money, and to get the job done while the builders were offsite, we decided to build it ourselves. It's a shade intimidating building something like this, knowing your architect and builder will be casting their critical eyes over it at some point soon though.

6th November 2022, 16 photos. 209 views.

Landscaping

After a very long wait, it's time for the landscaping to begin. We're delighted to have local firm C-H Joinery Building & Landscaping on board to do this work. They're pretty excited to get involved with the house too - it will become their showpiece project.

11th April 2023, 38 photos. 214 views.

Scottish Field Photoshoot

Scottish Field magazine visited in June 2023 to interview us and photograph the house. The article was published in their November 2023 issue. (Photos by Crispin Rodwell, Scottish Field Magazine.)

6th October 2023, 41 photos. 203 views.

Selfbuilder and Homemaker Magazine

19th March 2024, 6 photos. 187 views.

Garden

The garden was started in Spring 2023 following the hard landscaping and the rolling out of the turf.

22nd April 2024, 8 photos. 228 views.

Exterior Shots

The landscape, the light and the seasons will continually change but with the house more or less complete now, it's time to get the camera out and record it settling into its environment.

31st July 2024, 18 photos. 216 views.

Interior Shots

23rd August 2024, 14 photos. 209 views.