Cedar House is the first in a series of houses in the Scottish landscape built to fulfil a clear brief on a tight budget. They bare formal and material similarities to barns and agricultural sheds, with simple extrusions sometimes with an open and closed side, at times asymmetrical in cross section and sometimes the walls have vertical slatted planks. Through their honesty, economy of effort, and lack of pretension these shelters display a natural beauty and harmony with their context.

These connections were subconscious when the building was designed but are now clear to see. The triangular site lies on the side of a gradual slope running south to the river Almond hidden in the valley below. The house is placed along the northeast side of the triangular plot and the landscaping forms a plateau laid to lawn. The straight edge of this plateau forms a register to measure the undulating landscape beyond.

The house is subdivided with bedrooms and garage on the north side, whilst the south side is open plan with a continuous ribbon of sliding doors providing a lens to the landscape. A mirror in the centre of the space gives the illusion that a core of bathrooms and kitchen disappear and the room extends the complete twenty one metres. The walls are lined with maple ply and stained ‘copper wash’. The surfaces combine with the wooden blinds to provide spiritual warmth and a retreat on cold hostile nights.