MAKAR

"I don't say this lightly: Makar are the single best company we have ever had the delight of encountering. It happens, because of our location being incompatible with local planning policies, that we will likely not be able to achieve our dream of an ecologically-responsible, energy-efficient, asthma-friendly Makar home. But we've still had the most wonderful experience with the team, and we're so grateful for that. We visited their site, and, as I stood in their "show home", immediately felt that all houses should feel like that – I could breathe, it was the perfect temperature, it felt safe, airy, like home. Seeing the construction approach on our workshop tour showed how it should be done, by everyone: no corners cut, no stupid workflows, no maddening sourcing of materials from the other side of the planet, no inefficiencies – humanity where you need it, computers and automation where you don't. And when it came time to "place an order", only to discover that planning was an insurmountable hurdle, the team gave us clarity and sensible, reasoned, experienced advice which means we didn't waste money, hopes and time unnecessarily. Innovative. Kind. Competent. Sensible. Thoughtful. A company to be incredibly proud of, and we are glad to have had the dealings we've had with them, even if we can't benefit from the full experience. Maybe someday. I know we'd be in the very best of hands, if events do conspire in our favour, next time."

"Our class from Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky, USA, toured MAKAR's production facility and model home this May as part of a course, "Scotland Confronts Climate Change." Scott Reid, his staff and family generously welcomed us. Scott gave an intriguing tour of their efficient and well-designed shop. Every decision is thoughtfully made to make their houses as low-carbon, non-toxic, energy efficient, quiet, healthy, and affordable as possible. They are also really handsome buildings with a wide range of design options. Their work is absolutely inspiring. In my photos you see the small wood stove that heats their shop. The bag of wood scraps next to it is 100% of the waste from the construction of an entire house...almost nothing! I admire their work tremendously and hope that house design in the USA can move in the same direction. MAKAR is doing everything right. I am very grateful for Scott's generosity in sharing their work with us and our students. ~ Zoé Strecker"

"We are at the wind and watertight stage (with a very good airtightness test result) of our build, which Makar delivered on time. Working with Makar has been an enjoyable and pain-free process, and the team we have worked with have been not only very skilled but lovely people to have around. We are delighted with their work and impressed with the calm way they navigated the logistics of delivering the kit when island ferries were erratic to say the least. One small leak under a door was remedied quickly and efficiently after they had signed off the build. Many thanks to you all."

"Having recently completed a complex renovation/extension in the Outer Hebrides, we decided to relocate to the Scottish Borders. Our renovation made us appreciate the limitations of retrofitting green technologies to an old house and having looked at existing properties on the market for 3-4 years, we found nothing suitable and discounted buying, instead opting to build, with the desire to take what we had learned about building a sustainable/green home further. In 2023 we began researching architects/builders that would reflect our ethos and provide us with a sustainable, well designed and high quality home - we were looking perhaps idealistically to find a home that would be future-proof, have as small a carbon footprint as is realistically possible and be of high quality at a reasonable cost (high quality is never cheap!). Makar's design aesthetic, build process and green credentials spoke to us immediately. We also found the idea of incorporating covered outdoor space in the design very appealing. We visited the Makar factory and an example A3 home in early 2023, and found the design and Makar approach to be exactly what we were looking for. We worked with the Makar team, initially Scott, then Neil (support with navigating planning). The Makar team proved to be knowledgeable, solution-focused and enabling and our house was built in their factory 9 months after we purchased our land. The process we could expect was set out and clear and most costs for what we would expect to pay were set out in advance. There were a few curveballs along the way (planning, lender and groundworks challenges) which Makar helped us navigate where they could. Our new home arrived on site bang on schedule and it was clear from the outset that the Makar site team under Finlay's leadership were exceptionally well-organised, skilled and diligent in their purpose of constructing our new home on site as efficiently as possible and to a very high standard. The construction of the main components of the house over just a few days was a marvel to behold - not just for us - our neighbours and village residents were very impressed with the team's quiet diligence and our home quickly and quietly appearing in the centre of the village. We appreciated Makar's attention to detail throughout the rapid build. We are aware that while we can be pretty uncompromising about quality, our expectations were fully met by Finlay who was responsive to our observations and questions and was proactive in addressing our queries. It was also clear that Finlay and the team seek to ensure their design and build process is not static, and continues to evolve and improve. This is not a company resting on its laurels. After an outstanding interim airtight test result, our home was handed over to us on schedule and we are delighted with the design, craftsmanship and functionality it will offer us as our forever home. As of 20 June 2025, we will project manage and carry out much of the fit out. Our aim will be to continue Makar's legacy of quality and craftsmanship, applying this to the interior. We very much look forward to continuing the project - with one aim being to retain the airtightness standard or better it for the final test! Tracey Begg and Eric Jackson"

"After 3 years looking for the perfect home in Scotland, and not sure if we wanted to buy a home or build, we came across many styles, formats and companies that offer self built homes. My wife is from Chile and we wanted something inspired by her beautiful Patagonia, which she misses very much. We could not find a home to suit our style of life in a budget we could afford, so we chose to purchase a small but perfectly sited plot of land in Golspie and with help from our architectural technologist son we designed a home, but we now had to find a company that could convert our design into reality. We learnt  about MAKAR online and went to visit some of their builds. Their beautiful timber work style and construction methods blew us away. We met with Neil Sutherland and his team in February 2023. We were shown the factory and how the panels come  together, using incredible technology, eco friendly and native Scottish Timber. The journey has been incredible but not without small issues that were sorted out patiently by the MAKAR team, our architect ( Daniel Sharma) and us. Makar worked closely with our local building company in Golspie, Mike Bonner Builders and Sanders McCormack ALC Groundworks to develop the land and construct the foundations ready for our timber panel home. Finally, the day came to see our drawings & dreams come to life and timber frame construction began on 29th July 2024. It was the most amazing and emotional time for us. Finley Sutherland and his amazing team put the exterior of our house together in front of our eyes in a week and a bit. Considering the crane work ,lorries coming and going and over 100 panels to move ( and a drone), the atmosphere was relaxed, with a level of coordination we have never seen in a building site. We couldn't be more happy with the results. Our home's interior was completed and our property made wind & watertight with our roof covering, windows & doors by the end of the next month. The wood is beautiful, the lines of the house are perfect, and all the details that MAKAR stamped into our home are unique. The site was always clean and tidy, and everyone was happy and very professional. Now, our Makar house stands proud looking at Ben Bhraggie and the beautiful landscape that surrounds our home. Thank you Makar and their amazing team for making our dream come true and bringing a little bit of Patagonia design into Scotland."