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Glasgow Live
Entertainment
Alexander Smail & Sophie Buchan

'Damp and crumbling' Scottish bothy on tiny island with no power transformed for just £500

Located on the small Inner Hebrides island of Ulva, a rundown bothy has been converted into a cosy living space in a transformation costing just £500.

With a total of 10 residents on the island, the tiny home, which features on the latest episode of BBC Scotland's Designing the Hebrides, had no power or running hot water. On top of this, it was damp and rotting.

With a two-hour walk from the nearest road, locals enlisted interior designer Banjo Beale and a team of tradespeople to help give the property a much-needed makeover.

READ MORE: Man scared to open hidden basement door as dogs won't go near it

The second episode of the six-part series features, which aired on Monday evening (April 17), sees Banjo head to the crumbling bothy that locals want to rent out to visitors with the community keen to attract more people to the isolated and beautiful area, reports the Daily Record.

Owned by the community, the bothy sits on the water's edge and is a four mile hike from the ferry slip way. And with no electricity and only cold running water, it was a challenge for Banjo and the team.

Describing the property made up of a living room and a bedroom as a "fixer upper", Banjo has only a £500 budget and two and a half days to carry out work. Additionally, due to the remote location of the bothy, materials can only be transported via a "quad-bike and trailer".

Another challenge faced by Banjo and the team is the arrival of a sudden storm, which results in more work for the team thanks to a roof leak.

They had just £500 to work with. (BBC Scotland/Designing the Hebrides)

Not only that, they locked themselves out after taking the handle off the door to paint it and, without thinking, let it close behind them.

And as we all know, Scotland - particularly the highlands and islands - aren't exactly known for its sunshine meaning all of the furniture must be kept indoors making for cramped working conditions.

To save on money, and to make the final product feel more authentic, Banjo makes use of a number of pieces of "treasures" donated by the community. One of these pieces is a cupboard, which he uses to hide the kitchen sink and crockery, while he also makes use of a dining table and chairs for the living space, and rope to conceal a hot water cylinder.

The team transformed the bothy. (BBC Scotland/Designing the Hebrides)

With no power in the bothy, a candelabra is added using old boat pulleys to provide a "warm light", while the beds are converted to box beds—covered by curtains make from blankets to retain warmth and add a cosy atmosphere. Meanwhile, the bothy's battered walls are covered in white limewash paint to brighten them up.

The final result sees the bothy retain its rustic feel, while being transformed into a stylish and comfortable living space. Pieces of upcycled furniture add to the authenticity, while the wooden panels that cover the lower half of the walls are painted in neutral colours to reflect the natural landscape.

Upon seeing the finished interior, local resident and community trust director Colin Morrison commented: "Genuinely, I wasn't sure what to expect and I think it just feels really homely, somewhere that it would be great to go and stay in. And they only had a few days to do it, it's amazing."

You can watch Designing the Hebrides on BBC iPlayer.

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