Architect Colin Smith and his wife Iona admit that the chosen location for their stunning, selfbuilt home presented a mountain of a challenge. Situated at the top of a hill, the site was long, dark and boggy, in a thickly wooded area where you could hardly see the plot for the trees.

Somewhat ironically, the dimly-lit site is perched above the village of Dull, near Aberfeldy, reached by a rough, winding track that isn’t accessible to lorries. Time and again the Smiths were advised that it would be impossible to build a house on such a narrow strip of land.

Yet, they do say where there is a will, there is a way, and the young couple were determined to defy all gloomy predictions. After all, as they couldn’t otherwise afford property prices in the affluent area, this bargain piece of ground was their only hope of attaining a family home for themselves and daughters Cara and Anya.

In order to stretch their shoestring budget, Colin had to design and build the property himself, while Iona was responsible for the contract management. The architect, who was only just setting up his own practice, had to work night and day to finance the project. Iona, who has Swiss roots, explains that the wooden, Alpine chalet-style homes belonging to her relatives acted as an inspiration to Colin. He had the brainwave of elevating the house on stilts high among the branches of the surrounding woodland.

The aptly-named Treetops makes the most of the southerly aspect and the stunning views towards Ben Lawers, seen more clearly during winter when the branches are bare. The house may have taken a year rather than the five months that they had originally planned to complete, yet the end result is anything but dull and well worth all the hard graft. The uniquely-styled Treetops has since won the Dundee Institute of Architects’ ‘best private house’ award. Locally sourced larch cladding helps to camouflage the walls, while the curvaceous corrugated aluminium roof mirrors the wintry sky and nearby mountains. ‘I enjoyed using different timbers as they blend more and more with the natural environment when they weather with age,’ Colin explains.

Due to the restrictions of the site, the house is also cleverly built, with the living apartments facing outwards and the service areas to the back on the north side. Large picture windows make the most of the sunlight and magnificent mountain views, while the utility rooms, cupboards and bathrooms face inwards to the hillside. The imaginative exterior is more than matched by the wow factor indoors. A double-height main living area gives an immediate sense of light and space, offering breathtaking panoramas. The stunning Glen Lyon scenery can also be enjoyed from the lofty mezzanine office space and guest room in the attic floor, accessed from the lounge by a hidden stairway.

A wood-burning Hase stove with a shiny, metal chimney gives a warming, welcoming glow on frosty days. ‘We love the stove as it helps to heat the whole house and we never need to buy logs as there are so many strewn around outside,’ Iona says. Colin adds that there is an eco-friendly wood pellet burner that fires the central heating and hot water, while the rooms retain heat as the wall and roof insulation far exceeds the required regulations. Even the picture windows and patio doors are triple glazed, constructed by friend and local furniture maker Angus Ross.

The bright kitchen is the heart of the family home with modern Ikea units and accessories from Homer, a local interior shop. Angus was again called upon to construct a breakfast bar positioned neatly around the curved wall leading out towards the corridor. . The bedrooms are in the east wing, where they enjoy the first rays of dawn, while sunsets glow red over the balcony and lounge. The girls’ room, presently divided by bunk beds, has been ingeniously designed to be split into two when they grow older. The master bedroom has a low-level picture window to make the most of the outlook while lying in bed. A neat, walk-in en suite is cleverly concealed behind the back wall without the need for a door, while another small window provides the shower with a view. ‘We love living here, although we haven’t yet had the chance to find and buy the furnishings we want to make it really homey,’ Iona says. ‘The house blends perfectly with the landscape’ Colin adds, ‘and as you probably couldn’t put this house anywhere else, it’s almost as if the site designed it.’

Field Facts Colin A Smith Architect (CASA), Dull, Nr Aberfeldy, Perthshire, Tel: 01887 820815, Email: colin@ casarchitect.co.uk