Scottish Longhouses

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Scottish Longhouses

If you are looking for a Collingwood, ON area home that is affordable and efficient, but incredibly unique inside and out, consider Scottish Longhouses designs.

The history of the Scottish Longhouse

Built in Northern Europe and the Highlands of Scotland for hundreds of years, Scottish Longhouses are a simple style of home that may be described as a farming dwelling with a purpose of shear practicality.  Usually a long single-storey timber structure, using stone with mud joints, earth floors and traditionally a thatched roof of grass, these homes gave families shelter and warmth in the coldest environments.

These structures were often nestled in a low-lying area to give natural shelter from the wind, and originally there were no windows as they allowed heat to escape. The main living area had a fire pit with a chimney in the centre of the room to allow the family to gather, as well as a space to cook.  During the hard winter months, the family’s cattle were brought into the living quarters to sleep alongside the family to provide more heat within the space and also keep the animals healthy, since they were the main food and milk source.

As years passed, the Scottish Longhouses saw the introduction of small windows, which then determined the orientation of the building.  The rear of the dwelling with no windows faced the prevailing winds, whereas the front had the entrance door and windows, allowing sunlight and warmth during the day.  Although the windows were small, shutters were hung to close out unwanted breezes and to give added weather protection if needed.

The “Modern” Longhouse  

At Scot-Build Developments Inc., we offer the “Modern Longhouse” with the same architectural form and shear practicality, but with a contemporary modern flair.  Long gone are the days of small windows.  One of our trademarks for this design is large expanses of glass to invite the outside in, along with an open floor plan for the modern family to gather together. With a modern, minimalist straight line design, we concentrate on the efficiency of the home along with the design of the interior to give the client the open Northern European feel, as many are seeking in today’s modern lifestyle.

Why a Longhouse?

You may be wondering why Scottish Longhouses should be a consideration for your new Collingwood, ON home. These homes provide modern Northern European styling, open plan concept living, flexible interior designs of space to accommodate your needs, ease of maintenance to the exterior, outstanding quality of build, affordable full turnkey designs, and high efficiency.

If you are looking for a home that is affordable and efficient, but incredibly unique, consider a Scottish Longhouse. At Scot-Build, you can choose / modify one of our designed homes, or we can walk you through the process of designing your own Scottish Longhouse.   We know you will love the end result. We serve Collingwood, Thornbury, Creemore, Kimberly, Wasaga Beach, the Georgian Triangle, Mulmur, and the Beaver Valley. If you’d like more information or to schedule a consultation, give us a call. We look forward to working with you!