A one-bedroom home built by hand on a remote Scottish island for £167,000 has been named the Grand Designs House of the Year.
Eilidh Izat and Jack Arundell’s stone-clad property on the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides beat competition from lavish, multimillion-pound projects to land the prestigious prize.
The architect couple built the house themselves with rock from the region, called Lewisian gneiss, after quotes from contractors proved beyond their budget.
The house enjoys spectacular views
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The modest one-bedroom home, called Caochan na Creige, sits on the water’s edge and has a grass roof, an open-plan kitchen and living room.
The development was given the annual award by the Royal Institute of British Architects (Riba) during the final episode of four-part series Grand Designs: House Of The Year on Channel 4 on Wednesday night. The award, which was established in 2013, is presented to the best new architect-designed house or extension in the UK.
Caochan na Creige beat Triangle House, a Caribbean-inspired house in suburban Surrey, and London Brut, an ambitious renovation of a 1960s terraced house in Chelsea. It was chosen for its “luxurious connection to the surrounding landscape” along with its compact yet generous-feeling internal space.
The spacious interior
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Izat and Arundell battled nine severe storms and attacks by midges during construction of the 85 sq m home after moving from Edinburgh to the Outer Hebrides.
They were visited by the Grand Designs presenter Kevin McCloud, who told them they had won the prize.
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The couple, who run the architectural firm Izat Arundell, told how it was important to them to build a house that was in keeping with the local landscape.
Izat, 36, said: “The reason the house seems so settled in the landscape is because we have built it from the same stone that comes from the ground. If you were to zoom out and look at the rock formations, the angles of the house replicate that.
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“Having a small house makes you live consciously. In terms of sustainability we wanted to build a house that would last at least 100 years and I think that could be a really good lesson to take away from our modest house. We’ve given it our best shot and we’ve ended up getting House of the Year.”
Arundell, 34, added: “It shows people what is possible. The strength of the design shows people it can be a little rough around the edges but still strong and a great piece of architecture.”
In awarding the prize the Riba judges noted: “To do a project like this in such a remote location on that budget required a partnership that is really admirable. What an amazing achievement against lots of odds.”