Building your own home is a fact of life in Shetland. This northerly archipelago of more than a hundred islands is closer to the Arctic Circle than it is to London ? and part of a growing trend for self-built homes.
A poll commissioned by the National Custom & Self Build Association (NaCSBA) shows that within the next 12 months, about seven million people in Britain will research building their own property. That won?t come as a surprise to Shetlanders.
They?ve been building timber-clad houses for as long as most of them can remember ? the majority enjoying superlative sea views. Lerwick-based architect Alan McKay puts it down to cost.
Fellow Shetland architect Iain Malcolmson built his own five-bedroom house overlooking the Voe of Skellister, a scenic bay, and the North Sea.
Like other parts of the UK, sourcing cheap finance for self-build projects and finding a plot of land can pose challenges. But, fortunately, the cost of land on the islands is cheaper than the mainland.
?We couldn?t have afforded a plot in Perthshire, where we were living before,? says Mr Malcolmson. ?Our half-acre site cost ?15,000, but would have been about ?150,000 there.?
Building plots are marketed by local solicitors, who also act as estate agents, and are advertised in local newspapers or shop windows. Much of the landscape is classed as crofting land for farming.
Once planning permission is granted, it?s the responsibility of the buyer to apply for the plot to be decrofted. This process can take up to six months. Costs for a quarter-acre site in a rural setting range from ?20,000 to ?40,000 while a smaller site in Lerwick, would sell for ?50,000 to ?70,000.
?That?s very cheap,? says Ted Stevens, of the National Custom and Self Build Association. ?In southern England, it would cost at least ?100,000; you could double that if it had a decent view. In an urban area, it might be ?250,000 or more.?
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