Am Bothan Bunkhouse pays tribute to history of Western Isles

When Ruari, a boatbuilder, inherited the quarter-acre site in 1990, he wasn’t sure what to do with the house. However, in 1995 he decided to move up from Plymouth to embark on a single-handed extension and renovation of the property.

In addition to raising the roof and adding an entire new first floor – creating a substantial three-bedroom home – he constructed the purpose-built Am Bothan Bunkhouse, which has four dormitories and has become a thriving business. He later built a custom-made workshop as well.

“The house and bunkhouse were two separate phases,” he recalls. “I did the house between 1995 and 1998 and then, in 1998, I started building the bunkhouse. I built the house myself but got builders in for six months to do the bunkhouse as it had to be up and running within 11 months. I opened to the public in May 1999 and completed all the exterior groundwork in 2000.”

He adds: “Originally, there was just a small cottage here, which my great great grand- father built. He ran a shop, which sold absolutely  everything. I trained as a traditional boatbuilder and have a passion for the sea and outdoors. In 1995, I decided to put my skills to use and to move up, restore the property and have a life in the outdoors. I designed the house and bunkhouse myself, with help from my father, and got an architect to do the drawings for planning.”

Today, Ruari shares Brae House with his wife, Jennifer Dempsie, a PR consultant. They met when she came to stay at the bunkhouse with friends. Jennifer left Edinburgh for Leverburgh in 2010, and they married the following year.

Together, they have continued the upgrade of the house, replacing the kitchen for the third time and upgrading the family bathroom. Jennifer has a great passion for the sea and outdoors too, so appreciates the many nautical artefacts Ruari has on display in both the house and bunkhouse.

“When I came here there was a kayak in the dining room and parachute equipment in the bedroom,” laughs Jennifer. “The feminine touch has since been added – outdoor equipment is now in the utility room or in the shed. Last year we replaced the bathroom and added a freestanding bath and Monsoon shower.  Ruari had an old bit of Devon marble in the shed which he had kept for years and he used that to create the sink vanity worktop. It is  beautiful.”

Ruari has been hands-on in every room in the house, which is double glazed and has oil central heating. He laid the Karndean flooring, created the living room fireplace from reclaimed greenheart timber, built the English elm staircase, and made the kitchen. It is a similar story in the bunkhouse where everything from the dining table to the benches, sofa bases and bookcases are his handiwork.

While wood dominates most rooms, he has also used many other exquisite materials, such as granite, Caithness stone and stone flags. “My skills are wood-based but I like using local materials, such as the granite and Caithness stone worktops in the kitchen,” says Ruari.

Jennifer adds: “We recently added the Raeburn. We had some arguments about the colour – Ruari wanted a traditional red but I liked this duck egg blue, which we got. The Caithness stone is really functional but beautiful – you can put hot pans straight on to it.”

The first thing to greet you on entering the house is the hand-made staircase which leads into the living room, breakfasting kitchen and a WC. The kitchen opens into the formal  dining room and utility room. Upstairs there are three bedrooms, an en suite, family bathroom and office.

Throughout the house are treasures that  Ruari has collected or renovated, such as the many model yachts, a restored safe which belonged to the registrar for Harris and is now used as a drinks cabinet, and an enormous set of refurbished furnace bellows which have become a statement table. There is also a healthy dollop of Harris Tweed in soft furnishings.

The bunkhouse too boasts many treasures, and a vibrant palette of lime green, red and blue creates a warm welcome. Old portholes – from two ships that sank off the island of Scalpay – have been incorporated into doors, a traditional salmon fishing boat is suspended from the ceiling in the open-plan communal kitchen, living and dining room, and there is an old St Kilda mail boat and ship’s spinnaker.

“I had to put the salmon fishing boat into the bunkhouse while I was building it and before the roof went on. It makes a good feature. We get all sorts of people staying with us, from families and cyclists to hillwalkers, sailors, people going to St Kilda, or those from the National Trust and Open University. It is a real mix.”

Despite having enjoyed such a long association with the house and area, Ruari and Jennifer are now selling Brae House and Am Bothan Bunkhouse. “The house and bunkhouse are a ready-made home and business and will afford someone a good lifestyle,” says Jennifer.

“Ruari just fancies a change and wants to do another project. He has the building bug. We are so lucky to have lived here – the positives outweigh the negatives. We will definitely be staying within the Hebrides. We have the Sound of Harris and the mountains of Harris as our playground. It really is beautiful.”

Am Bothan Bunkhouse and Brae House, Leverburgh, Isle of Harris, are for sale at a guide price of £450,000 through Bell Ingram (01463 717 799, www.bellingram.co.uk)