Work nears completion on Aberdeenshire castle

This is our second castle project in Aberdeenshire in recent months. The client's situation was similar to that of the first one - a family with young children taking over from the previous generation. One of the obvious deficiencies in this building was the lack of satisfactory kitchen. Having moved up from a vaulted chamber into a tiny former butler's pantry, the kitchen was no good at all for a growing family. But where else could it go? The answer presented itself in a rabbit warren of old store rooms in a Victorian addition to the house. Knock them together into one large room and form a light breakfast room by opening up long bricked up arches in what had become a boiler room, and here was the perfect living kitchen. The idea appealed greatly to the client but the local planners were not so sure. With the backing of historic research by Professor Charles McKean of Dundee University we were able to show that this part of the building was not of great significance and listed building consent was granted. Other aspects of the project include sorting out dampness by introducing land drainage and improving the plumbing and heating.