GARDINER’s COTTAGE

Project: Gardeners Cottage – Private House Retrofit
Client: Dr John MacLean & Fran Lavendel
Location: Mauricewood House, Penicuik
Value: £60k
Listing: Conservation Area
Date Complete: 2025

MLA were commissioned in 2024 to undertake a Retrofit project to an existing Victorian, Gardener’s Cottage to Mauricewood House, which is better known as the home of Dr Joseph Bell, the Victorian physician credited with inspiring Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes.

The proposal involved stripping out and reinstating all three attic rooms and six Velux windows and three external doors. The carbon footprint was also significantly improved with attic and wall insulation and triple glazed Velux windows and Nordan Low U Value external doors.

The clients were particularly keen on specifying sustainable products. Hemp insulation was chosen as a sustainably insulation product supplied by IndiNature, who are manufacturers of Hemp insulation based in the Scottish Borders using sustainable crops from UK farms. Durable, vapour breathable and healthy to install and good for the planet.

Clients commented “we are delighted with the completed project and the significantly reduced energy consumption in our home.”