Clare Booth’s joiner grandfather left Scotland for Australia in the 1960s because he couldn’t stand working outside in the snow.
But in a twist of fate, the Australian woman fell in love with her own Scottish joiner in Sydney.
Now the pair are back in Aberdeenshire, where they run Coldwells Build, an award-winning construction company based in Alford.
And it has just become the first Scottish firm to offer a pre-fabricated range of super-energy efficient Passivhaus homes, ahead of Scotland’s new building regulations.
Clare works part-time as a director on BBC’s popular Beechgrove Garden show.
Her passion for sustainability in the construction industry was sparked after attending the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow in 2019.
Clare set up Coldwells Build with husband Ross, in 2016 on their return to Scotland.
“Australia was nice, but when you are working in a loft in Sydney and its 36 degrees outside, you wish you were back home in the pouring rain,” admits Ross.
“The grass is always greener.”
First pre-fab Passivhaus in Scotland
Ross grew up in Tullynessle, 20 minutes down the road from Alford, and says the new launch is a career dream.
“I left school at 16 and got an apprenticeship and started out building homes in Aberdeenshire,” he says.
“The first half of my apprenticeship was renovations and extensions and the next part was newbuild homes.
“Then I went to work in Australia, and after that I spent some time in Canada working on industrial projects.
“I always wanted to be a joiner. It doesn’t run in the family – my neighbours had a new garage built when I was 14, and after I saw that I always wanted to do it.”
The move to launch their own range, in partnership with John Gilbert Architects, marks a shift not just for them but for the industry as a whole.
“We wanted to create our own line of homes that would have the design elements and the practical elements together,” adds Clare.
“We are the first to do a pre-designed, pre-fabricated Passivhaus in Scotland.”
Building homes that work for planet
Clare said it was the focus around carbon emissions in the built environment at COP26 that got her thinking about a more energy efficient approach.
“Construction is one of the worse industries for it. I was starting to look at ways that we could build better,” she adds.
“At the same time, Ross was looking at how he could add systems to his work to make our processes more efficient.
“I said let’s see if we can try and find a good model for building homes that works for us and works for the planet.
“During our research everyone kept talking about Passivhaus and we thought this is a good route to go down because it’s the global gold standard.
“It’s a good way to future proof ourselves and get ahead of the curve.”
Clare says her 95-year-old grandmother finds it funny she has made her way back to Scotland to pick up in construction.
“It’s kinda gone full circle, but I love it,” she adds. “I love Scotland.
“Now we’ve got two young children and we are thinking about their futures.
“Government has this 2045 net zero target and the Passivhaus standard is a great way of helping achieve that.
“It’s an important thing for us, we want to leave the world in a better place.”
Conversation