1880s Farm house renovation – Muirside Farm

Once the main home of an extensive working farm, this 1880s farmhouse in Brodie, Scotland, was in dire need of renovation.

 

The challenge was to maintain the traditional exterior Scottish architecture and key interior features while improving the energy efficiency and updating the accommodation to meet contemporary needs.

The layout pre-renovation was awkward with a bedroom accessed through a bathroom and a staircase with dangerous angles. The finishes were worn and the house was generally dated and dark. There was no bathroom on the same floor as the 4 bedrooms.

 

During the renovation the wiring and plumbing was replaced, the house was extensively insulated and the layout redesigned. The house was fully double-glazed with high-quality wooden windows, solar panels were installed in an adjacent field and wood burning stoves were placed in the sitting and dining rooms. One bedroom was repurposed to provide two bathrooms (one en suite) at the same level as the other bedrooms and a suite was created with a bedroom, bathroom and small seating area to the rear of the house. Downstairs the dining room wall was removed to create an open plan kitchen/dining room spanning the width of the house.

 

The original wooden floors, staircase and doors were restored, as were the cast iron fireplaces discovered behind the bedroom walls. The dining room ceiling was taken back to the original plaster and varnished. Beams to the rear of the house were exposed and renovated.  Standard pendant light fittings were replaced with antique lights, rewired to modern standards.

 

The ultimate result is an incredibly warm, efficient house that meets the needs of modern living while maintaining the original character of the building.