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GRAND DESIGNS
The Lime Kiln House, Midlothian
When Pru and Richard Irvine came across a plot of land in the middle of the breathtakingly beautiful Midlothian countryside, they dreamt of building a bespoke family home.
However, the plot of land, an old industrial site complete with lime kilns, comes with a condition. They can build on it only if they become custodians of the kilns, and more importantly, that the house they build blends in with the landscape.
It's a huge challenge and Pru and Richard want to build an uncompromisingly modern and, moreover, large box of a house. It could become a blot on the landscape instead of an enhancement. Pru and Richard sensibly plan to start building in the summer, but because it is an industrial site, are forced to do numerous soil tests. The build is delayed until the harsh Scottish winter.
With Richard grafting hard to pay for the build, it's down to Pru, a food writer, to project manage. Naively she doesn't consider this a full time job, but when her trusty builder goes away and she is left to manage alone, she starts to realise just what she's let herself in for. This giant of a house is a giant of a project. Until it's complete, nobody is quite sure whether it will fulfill its brief.
