For the charming hillside croft house at Gartymore not only has stunning sea views, but also a unique feature which is sure to grab the attention of potential visitors to the area.

Its claim to fame lies in the fact it is the only listed thatched croft house in Sutherland, and one of only a very few thatched properties left in Scotland.

Kate says: "There are other thatched houses in Scotland, particularly out in the Western Isles, but most are museums, although I have heard of one that is residential.

"We had to reinstate the thatched roof because the house is a B-listed building. The new thatch is the part of the renovation that I have been most pleased with. It just looks gorgeous and has little stones hanging off it to help keep it in place. It is chocolate box pretty, really."

Gorgeous and chocolate box pretty are not how the croft house could have been described when Adrian (Ade) and Kate first saw it four years ago. Then it was virtually derelict. The original thatch had caved in and fallen down into the house, leaving it open to the elements.

It has taken a lot of hard work, imagination and vision to transform the old croft house, part of which is thought to date as far back as the late 18th century, into the stylish, modern holiday home it is now.

Along the way they have learned a lot about its history.

Ade and Kate, who have two children Connor (12) and Caitriona (2) and another on the way, were living in Maidstone, Kent, when they decided to move north after falling in love with Scotland while on holiday.

They were outbid for properties in Skye and north-west Sutherland, but in 2004 successfully purchased a house at Gartymore in which they presently live.

The thatched croft house was a ruin in the grounds of the property – described in the selling particulars as a "derelict black house". It had been B-listed by Historic Scotland in the 1970s because of its thatched roof, but it fell into disrepair in the latter part of last century.

When they took up residence the main house did not even have electricity. Initially Ade, a self-employed joiner, concentrated on renovating and extending it before turning his attention to the croft house in August last year.

Kate, a former secondary school teacher who now works as a childminder, recalled: "When we viewed the place in February 2003 it was horrendous. All the thatch had collapsed and landed on top of the furniture that had been left inside. The cladding on the walls had caved in and the roof joists had come down. It just wasn't safe."

The couple managed the entire renovation project themselves, with some help from friends and neighbours, on a strict budget of £60,000 and in the space of only 10 months.

"Other than the landscaping and digging work and the commissioning of the heating and electrical systems, Ade and I did all the work ourselves," says Kate.

"Ade made replacement windows and doors, built an extra bedroom and connected the house to water, electricity and sewage systems. In fact, he built the house back quite literally from four walls and a dirt floor – a process which took him 10 months from start to finish."

The newly renovated thatched house: 'It's so lovely that I want to move in,' says Kate.

They have linked up the original croft house, which had a small extension built on to it around 1900, to a barn which sits at right angles to the house and then added a new extension, to form a spacious and airy home.

The old house is now an open plan kitchen and living room with wood burning stove, while the barn has been turned into the main bedroom. The old extension has been turned into the bathroom and the new extension is bedroom with bunk beds.

Kate said: "There were restrictions on what we could do because it was a listed building. For example, it had to be lime rendered and we had to install single-glazed sliding sash windows."

Because it was listed, the couple were also told they would have to reinstate the thatched roof.

After months of trying to find help and advice on how to go about this, they finally got in touch with retired master thatcher Leo Wood from Northampton, who spent four days teaching the couple how to make a thatched roof.

Kate said: "The original roof was thatched with turf and marram grass but what we have done is lay a breathable roof membrane and then put straw on top. It looks the same, but the new roof is waterproof so we could put electrics into it.

"We also changed the structure of the roof. Before, it rested on top of the walls, but the building standards people weren't too happy about that so we built a studded wall on a concrete foundation inside the house and that supports the new roof."

Curious to know more about the house's history, Ade and Kate discovered Timespan had carried out a project on the community in Gartymore. The thatched house was lived in until the early 1980s by brothers Alick and Jock Cuthbert who had the tenancy of surrounding hill ground.

The Cuthberts' great-grandmother, Betty Fraser – known as "Nannie 100" – also lived in the house. She had been cleared from the Strath when she was in her early teens. She lived until she was 107.

Ade and Kate are so delighted with the results of all their efforts that they even admitted to mixed feelings when their first paying guests took occupancy this summer.

Kate said: "It has been really quite difficult to look at it as not my own home but a commercial operation. It's so lovely that I want to move in!"

For further information call 01431 821160 or log onto www.thethatchedcroft.co.uk

carolinem@northern-times.co.uk

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