Garden Bothy

Retaining walls and concrete slab are in

15.06.25 | 2 min

R.Purkis

Excavation and ground levelling for the Garden Bothy began a week ago with much excitement and gusto. Builders were on site laying slabs for two smaller worksheds, and though we hadn't fully confirmed the Bothys' design or size, my Dad's 'let's just start' attitude means that this project is underway.

As is always the case, the amount of excivated soil was remarkable and though the new bothy's footprint is more or less the same size as a raised wooden deck that was there originaly, it currently seems a lot bigger and more imposing. Of course, this is normal when you initially create such a large wound on a landscape; however, once the construction is complete and the walls backfilled, the building will settle into its environment, and the environment will grow up and around it. With patience, I have no doubt the bothy will look as if it has always belonged.

The retaining walls are incrementally stepped inwards with a thick base of 700mm, and coats of liquid damp proof membrane have been applied to the outside. A drain was placed at the bottom of the trench, and the space was backfilled with pea gravel. A concrete slab was then poured inside the walls at a depth of 150mm. For now, this is where construction has stopped. We have an internal area of 3m x 5m and will proceed by finalising plans and sourcing the material for the timber work to come.

The Garden Bothy is one of those projects that has continually evolved and will do so throughout the building process. It was an idea initially pitched by my stepmother for our family home and garden, a plan that we discussed but hadn't started until now. Though on a gradual timeline, this project is finally underway, new land has been acquired, and new possibilities are opening up on the site, but the bothy's function has remained steadfast. My family spends a lot of time in the garden, and when the weather is good in Scotland, we make the most of it, often hardly returning up the hill to the house. The bothy will be a base in the garden, away from the main building, nestled into a bank in the orchard with the sound of the river and the buzz of bees as its backdrop. It will be a place to share meals, eat and cook outdoors, sit by a fire and enjoy summer evenings. It will also accommodate guests, serve as a teenage hangout/sleepover spot, and function as a writing and reading den.