Scottish House
Grand Designs magazine Jan 2008 edition features return visit to the Leijser House. The house is being sold by Savills for offers over £575k
Leijser House images from Studio KAP Apr 2006
As featured on Channel 4 TV's Grand Designs Apr 2006
Leijser House in Balfron
The setting for this four-bedroomed house is a south-facing sloping site with long views towards the Campsie Fells and a tree-fringed northern backdrop. Adjacent buildings are Victorian stone houses (partly rendered) or 30 year old brick and render developer’s houses. The site overlooks the cottage identified as the birth place of Alexander Thompson.
The new house aligns itself with the neighbouring building line and overall height. It is arranged on 3 levels (conceived as 2 storeys on a plinth) to minimise cut and fill on the site. A partly covered terrace both signals the new entrance route on the eastern side and provides some privacy from the neighbouring property. External materials are chosen for their quality in relation to this particular setting and to create (as far as is possible) a maintenance-free exterior, which would weather in a controlled and aesthetically pleasing manner. Western-Red Cedar shakes make a conscious effort to sympathise with the leafy setting and are framed by smaller areas of concrete and render on the lower levels. The sloping roof is located behind a parapet wall and is not visible from the road, reducing both the visual bulk of the house and establishing the building as a simple wall elevation on the hill. Openings are carefully proportioned and window frames are in stained hardwood.
Photos of the Leijser house [above] at Balfron were taken by Theo Leijser
Balfron house - image © adrian welch may 2006
Balfron house - image © adrian welch may 2006
Scottish Architecture
Scottish House
Modern Houses
Another Highlands House is in Perth by Mark Walker Architects
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