Monday, February 1, 2010

Shetland house rant.

I have touched on this before, but want to rant a little more about houses on Shetland. There are lots of beautiful houses that absolutely fit in to the scenery and general environment. Some are new construction, and some are renovations or extensions to existing properties.



















There are a huge number of abandoned crofts that are in superb locations ane would be ripe for renovation, even as holiday cottages or rentals. The complex laws and the seeming unwillingness to effect changes seem to hamper development and overall local prosperity. The Shetland Islands Council who control building permits and standards seem to allow boring pebbledash houses (that would be hugely improved with a coat of paint) but have all sorts of reasons why the more aesthetically pleasing alternatives never seem to get a chance.
There are also incredibly ugly pieces of s... that mar an otherwise beautiful, if stark landscape. It does not even look any better sideways! It seems I still have not solved that issue!

The Scandinavian development in Scalloway seems to be the only one that shows a glimmer of hope.


OK I am done now.

Imagine what I will be like when I get to India!!

1 comment:

  1. I met a guy (he carved our otter) and he did a reno on one of those croft houses. The first thing he did was to fill it with firewood and set it on fire (I like fires so I remember the story). He said it needed a complete new roof and the fire ensures that all the bugs, mildew and mold are dealt with.

    bp

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