A WALK ACROSS THE ROOFTOPS

Bird's-eye views across the Tay are just reward for the tenacity and creativity of the owner-architects of this spectacular new home

- Photography Keith Hunter & Ged Young Words Caroline Ednie

Perched on the south bank of the River Tay in the village of Wormit, Ged and Jo Young’s new home has one of the best views in Fife. “It was always about the views,” smiles Ged. “We knew, the very first time we visited the site one sunny winter's day, that they were special. They change constantly – by the hour, the day and the season.”

Those vistas of the estuary, Invergowrie Bay and the Sidlaw hills are perhaps even more precious following a project that has taken the best part of 15 years to realise. “We can finally watch the lights of the trains trundling over the Tay Bridge and see for miles across the vastness of the estuary to the hills beyond,” says Jo. “It’s a real bird's-eye view we have up here.”

That 15-year project began in 2009 with the couple first coming across the plot, which was then occupied by a concrete-panel bungalow. “We lived just around the corner in a house that we had outgrown, but we loved the neighbourhood,” recalls Jo. “The dream from the beginning had always been to build our own house and, when this site came up for sale, we knew instantly that this was the place.”

The couple, directors of Dundee architecture practice AIM Design, were able to purchase the site privately. Their intention was to replace the bungalow with a contemporary, open-plan and energy-efficient “forever house” for themselves and their two children, as well as providing a home studio to work in when they eventually downsize their office requirements (AIM currently has an office in Dundee).