How did you start your property development career?

I trained as a civil engineer, and I grew up on Swanston Farm in Edinburgh, so it was a combination of an interest in efficiency, buildings and structures, and the practical upbringing of being on a potato farm.

I did go out of the industry for a while – including a stint in California during my 20s – but came back to it when my brother and I ran Swanston Farm once my dad retired.

We renovated all of the farm buildings and built the brasserie.

Do you still farm?

My wife Jane and I moved to a 45-acre farm just south of Roslin, in a small place called Firth.

We bought it from a woman who had sheep there so we are now trying to diversify it by improving the soil profile and setting up an organic farm to sell produce locally.

Jane, a chef at Penicuik Storehouse, is a shepherd there and my daughter, who graduated from Glasgow University in Zoology two years ago, hopes to follow in her footsteps.

What was the first property you developed?

The house beside 20 School Green. We moved to Lasswade in 2002 and bought the barn next door to the site. We renovated the barn into Sunnybrae Gardens and lived there for about 15 years.

Why did you want to develop the site?

It was always a lovely spot and I kept bees there. It was a beautiful south-facing paddock on a 20 per cent slope. We knew it was prime for some kind of an eco home at some point.

This was our first new build. As it is in a green belt area, it took five or six years to go through the planning process after being turned down twice. Eventually, the councillors voted that this is the kind of housing we should be promoting and not rejecting in terms of its sustainability and low use of carbon fuels.

How long did the build take?

We broke ground in 2020 during lockdown and it was three years from start to finish. We were restricted in what we could do due to lockdown and when I started phoning up suppliers once restrictions had eased, I was horrified by the quotes I was receiving, not just prices but in terms of delays.

Who was the architect?

Alastair Nicol. We really clicked because I had an idea of what I wanted to do and my passion was definitely efficiency. Alistair is perfect in using what is common practice in sustainability and introduced me to government programmes.

We set ourselves the goal of achieving the Silver Active level of building sustainability which requires not using carbon, recycling water, levels of insulation and heat loss.

Did you use any other trades?

A key contractor was Gondwana Green Heat run by David Adams and his father in Craiglockhart. David was instrumental in tying all of the systems together which is critical to the way a house like this is heated.

Because the house is on a hill, we had to use materials that would last underground so we used concrete, ESP (expanded polystyrene) and a system by BecoWallform based in Lincolnshire.

They delivered dry blocks which you build like lego then pour in concrete with added reinforcement bars. It sells itself as a self builder's dream product but it still requires a degree of skill. You have to make sure it is all well propped up before you pour the concrete, something we learned by trial and error.

How did you design the outside space?

The original plan from the previous owner was to put two houses in there because it is quite a big plot, about 0.89 of an acre, and as a result has quite a big garden.

The softer landscaping was designed for the look of the house and ease of maintenance but the hard landscaping goes around the house and creates quite a nice social area right outside of the living room.

I brought in a company called Mark Miller Landscapers. Mark is very quick at picking up on a brief and understanding what is needed. He understood that the contemporary shapes of the building aren't particularly typical as there are flat roofs and square corners, so he designed a scheme that mirrored those shapes and angles.

How is the overall design sympathetic to its surroundings? Being a south-facing plot, one of the design principals was to build it into the hillside so the heat gained from the south-facing aspect is retained in the ground. We used that ground as a thermal mass which emits heat back out during the evening when needed.

That worked really well and made the house less visible, especially having three flat living roofs on various levels.

If you are looking at the back of the house, you are looking down on the roofs with lots of colours from the 12 types of seeds, mosses and succulents.

What advice would you give to anyone looking to develop properties? I would say reduce your risk, start small, learn the ropes and make mistakes where they don't hurt you too badly.

20 School Green, Lasswade

Accommodation The eco-home’s ground-floor open-plan kitchen and dining room leads to a snug and gives access to a double garage. There is a utility room and what could be either be a home office or fourth bedroom also on this level. The new-build’s lower-ground floor contains two bedrooms, a bathroom, a principal bedroom suite, as well as a greenhouse. The top floor of the property features a bright living room with a viewing terrace.

Energy Being an eco-house, the property benefits from four different energy efficient heating sources, which include passive solar, solar thermal panels installed on the roof, a pellet stove to heat water and air, and an air-source heat pump, which isonly employed for use only when required. In addition, German-made Solarlux Cero II windows throughout minimise heat loss.

Price Offers over £1,250,000

Agent Gilson Gray, 0131-516 5366

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