Avonvogie Farmhouse
Avonvogie Farmhouse, Ballygrant, Islay
Dunlossit and Islay Community Trust
This large farmhouse on the Dunlossit Estate had been occupied by one of the retired farm tenants on the estate. The dairy farm itself had long since ceased operation and the house and outbuildings had fallen into a bad state of repair. The house was too big for comfortable use of the now elderly couple who lived there. The estate found them some better accommodation and we were tasked with preparing the total renovation of the properties. The estate involved a partnership with a local couple who were interested in taking on the whole farm to set up a short stay accommodation and teaching facility for whisky enterprise. We developed the main house by taking out almost the entire insides, rescuing the damp and dosed walls, retaining just the key structural elements. Turning what was a family home into shared and flexible accommodation was a challenge that we met. Decisions on how far to take certain repairs and investigating deep into the fabric of the structure was a very interesting task. We had to balance various budgets against desired outcomes. The project has now been completed and we are starting work on the outbuildings to repair and convert them to new and innovative commercial uses.
