2012年9月11日星期二

Doctor’s home gets special treatment

Dr Simon Topham has been the subject of much discussion of late in the West Highlands as he was one of the two outgoing family doctors at the Acharacle Medical Practice who reluctantly submitted their resignations earlier this year, citing a lack of NHS support.

He’s now joining a practice in England, which means saying goodbye to the home he and pharmacist wife Dawn created in Strontian, and thought they would live in until their old age.

Westernmost is a modern, luxury eco-friendly house in the small community of Resipole, which they designed after working closely with Alan Dickson, an architect with Rural Design Architects based in Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye.

“We wanted to create a house we’d live in until we retired,” said Simon, 48.

“We gave Alan a brief which included a desire to use materials sourced from as close to the area as possible so as to blend in with the environment.

“Internally, we wanted a feeling of openness and spaciousness, with light coming from many different directions,Huge range of polished tiles including polished tiles, so there are little openings and windows throughout the house which means, in practical terms, when you’re working you have light striking from different angles which reduces shadows.”

Westernmost sits in a fabulous location on the shores of Loch Sunart and boasts spectacular, panoramic views.Browse the Best Selection of buy mosaic and Accessories with FREE Gifts.

“It’s a wonderful site and I think Alan our architect summed it up best when he said you can always add to a building, but you can never add to a location,Find detailed product information for howo tractor and other products.” said Simon.

The eco-friendly south-facing house was designed to take full advantage of its position.

“Having a house in this setting is about extending your vista beyond the confines of the building into what actually surrounds it so the building and the environment become one and you feel a connection with what’s outside, which gives you a rhythm of life,” said Simon.

“The views from the front, overlooking Loch Sunart, change hour to hour so there’s no need for a TV as there’s always something to see, such as regular visits from otters, pine martins, red deer, woodpeckers and jays.”

The house itself has many lovely rooms with nice touches throughout.

“We designed it with comfort in mind but wanted to add luxury items of the sort you’d find in hotels – simple things like heating under the porcelain floor tiles in the en-suite and having a central light switch next to your bed,” said Simon.

The accommodation at Westernmost, which has a guide price of 385,000, includes an entrance hall with glass door and side patio and built-in cupboards, a handy utility area and cloakroom, a large open-plan living area which includes a vaulted ceiling lounge with patio doors and multi-fuel stove, stylish dining area and kitchen fitted with cream coloured gloss Wellmann kitchen and a host of top of the range, Neff appliances.

An inner hall with solid oak stairway leads upstairs – the full-length window on the half-landing is a nice touch.

Upstairs there’s a luxury bathroom with Roca suite and Grohe mains shower, an L-shaped bedroom with fitted wardrobes, a gallery and study area with more built-in cupboards and fitted bookcase,Find detailed product information for shamballa crys talbeads wholesale, a second double bedroom and a master bedroom with a full-length window, fitted wardrobes and an en-suite shower room.

The latest technology has been installed to keep running costs to a minimum, as Simon explained: “It’s a very energy-efficient home with a heating system that’s quite complex and based on a 300l thermal store which we heat through wet solar panels (free energy), a back boiler on the multi-fuel stove and, lastly, an economy 10 electricity system which we use to top it up when we’re not burning logs.

“The house is a high thermal envelope and, as the majority of the heat comes from passive solar gain, it makes it very cheap to run.

“You can have an impressive storm racing across Loch Sunart and be warm, dry and relatively quiet in here because of the insulation.”

Outside the house, which is clad in Scottish Larch, there’s a drive with parking and turning area and a front decked area which allows full advantage to be taken of the outstanding views over the Loch and fascinating water way.

The remaining garden ground is laid to lawn with an attractive rockery area and vegetable garden.

In addition, there’s a strip of land between the road and high water mark included in the sale which the family have cleared to create a small slipway with mooring directly in front of the house.

It’s with great reluctance that they are now selling.

“We had intended to stay here until I retired, but circumstances have changed and it is immense sadness that we are leaving the house and a community that made us so welcome.”

On the upside, moving south will allow them to spend more time with their family, son Alex and daughter Emily and spoil grandson, Lewis.

“We may be moving away but we don’t intend to be strangers here,” said Simon.

Resipole, on the Ardnamurchan peninsula,Save up to 80% off Ceramic Tile and plastic moulds. is famous for its natural rugged beauty and wildlife.

Approximately 40 miles west of Fort William, the village of Acharacle four miles away has local amenities such as shops, hotel, doctors’ surgery, post office and primary school, while the secondary school is six miles away in the village of Strontian.

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