Our
Story
Get to Know Us
We are a family of 4; Jen, Adrian, Abigail and Isla and we moved to Cormonachan Croft in May 2021. This fulfilled a life-long dream to own some land, become more self-sufficient, and an even bigger dream to build a house.
Cormonachan Croft
The land at Cormonachan Croft had nothing but tracks in terms of infrastructure when we moved there 2021. All the trees were cut down illegally about 30 years ago and have been prevented from regrowing due to grazing by cattle and the impact of deer. Our main goal for the land as the new custodians is to return it to its natural state, which is a broadleaf woodland. The difference we have seen, despite doing very little in the way of management over the last four years, has been astounding. We already have some very large oaks that are well established, along with many trees that are now creating a shaded forest floor, allowing species to thrive and the bracken to die back.
The House Build
Our house took 2.5 years to plan and build, and much of the interior was done by ourselves with help from local. We lived in a very small caravan for those 2.5 years—it was totally worth it, but none of us would do it again! We are 100% off-grid; all our water comes from the hill behind the croft and is captured from one of the streams that runs across the land, then filtered through a system within our barn. Our energy is 100% electric, and we have solar panels and battery storage, along with a backup diesel generator that will kick in if the batteries drop too low. Our heating is provided by a wood-burning stove, and our house is highly insulated with glass across the back, which (surprisingly for Scotland) actually generates a lot of solar gain and heats the house on a bright day.
