Harris hideaway

Nominated for: Best sustainable project of the year

Business name: A Corner of Eden

Location of project: Isle of Harris 

Project overview: Our aim was to create a grand-designs holiday home with great eco-credentials, that looked stunning whilst caring for the environment. Located on the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides and 500 miles away from where we live, this wasn’t going to be an easy build. Final design and interior details of the build were created and managed by ourselves without an architect. Micro managing every decision ensured we were getting the best outcome and creating our dream home. We choose to use small, independent trades from the island to keep the local economy moving, utilising their expert knowledge of how best to build in the Outer Hebrides. We worked remotely with them as much as possible rather than travelling to the island all the time, using phone and video calls to understand progress and make decisions. For any building products that needed to come via ferry from the mainland, delivery times had to be carefully considered in terms of managing building timescales.  

Harris Hideaway is an ‘underground’ house with floor to ceiling windows allowing all front facing rooms to enjoy amazing views of the sea. High spec windows from Nordan were chosen to weather the Outer Hebridean storms and improve solar gain. Using marine grade products on the outside was essential to ensure longevity against the salty environment. We added a large ‘storm porch’ entrance to shelter the front door from the weather and simultaneously creating the look of a local traditional ‘broch’. When designing the aspect of the house we ensured it didn’t intrude on the nearby villagers through careful positioning and reduced light pollution in their direction. The building was faced with recycled stone excavated from the groundworks, this helped the property blend seamlessly into the landscape. 

We used local tradesmen who specialise in working with the uneven shaped boulders. Adding a turf roof ensured the building could barely be detected from the road above, only the roof lights and sun tubes visible which were installed to maximise natural light and reduce the need for electric lighting during daylight hours. Renewable energy was key in this build using an air source heat pump with underfloor heating throughout to keep this hideaway toasty warm. PV panels add an energy efficient power supply to the pump. Water is from the local land, treated via a nearby plant and waste water dealt with via a septic tank and soakaway. Local products such as the famous Harris Tweed have been incorporated into the design, the colours matching the landscape perfectly, along with the use of images painted by local artists. All interior finishes were chosen with care, supporting smaller independent makers where we could. 

The building will be complete towards this end of this year and has already attracted a strong following on social media @Harris_Hideaway as we have detailed our building journey along the way. We cannot wait to escape to our Harris Hideaway and enjoy the peaceful surroundings and we’re excited to share this will all the guests who have booked to stay.

Why Harris hideaway deserves to win

Our Harris Hideaway showcases creativity in terms of building a sustainable holiday home for the future, whilst offering beautiful function and form in its layout and design. Using an energy efficient air source heating & hot water system and natural turf roof to insulate the property reduces its impact on the environment. Careful consideration has been given to ensure this house blends into its remote location rather than blot the untouched landscape. Using local and artisan producers for internal finishes to support small scale businesses. Harris Hideaway is a luxury home that will be here for ever and makes the most of the stunning environment that it sits in.

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