Undercover Operation: A Roof Restoration Update
Since erecting the temporary roof cover last winter, the team has been making the most of the blessedly dry – and increasingly warm – conditions as they’ve worked on restoring the proper roof. In particular, we need to shout out Bacon & Crerar, our master joiners and roofing experts based right here in Comrie, as they continue to do astonishing work across the property.
And without further ado, here are a few updates from the first half of the year.
Out with the old, in with the new
One of the most important tasks in restoring the roof was to carefully remove all of the existing slates. From there each tile was painstakingly sorted by size and grade, by hand, as we sought to retain as much of the original material as possible.
Drumearn House uses Aberuchill slate, which was historically quarried on the Aberuchill Estate, just outside Comrie. This particular slate was known for its quality and durability, and was widely used across the village for estate buildings, cottages, and significant structures – including the Comrie Parish Church.
This lovely link with the church directly ties Drumearn to the architectural story of Comrie. Keeping as much of the original slate as possible shows respect for our local heritage, reinforces the house’s connection to Comrie, and once again highlights just how much we value both traditional craftsmanship and materials.
Since the Aberuchill Estate quarry is now closed, the challenge has been sourcing slate that’s as close to the original as possible. The finished roof will be a blend of original slates dating from 1856 to 1870 and these newly cut replacements.
To sort and cut all the new slates, we enlisted the help of George and Jack from Comrie-based business George Ferguson Roofing, and they’ve done a superb job.
Recreating our historic timber roof
As with every aspect of this project, our goal with the roof is restoration that’s sympathetic to the original design. So, when it was time to give the timber supports on our roof a proper makeover, we called in the experts.
Our lead contractor, Bacon & Crerar, enlisted the expertise of Alan Throw from @bespokestairs_ltd, a local Crieff business that specialises in the replication of historical carpentry.
Alan worked on both repairing and manufacturing ornate timber fascia boards, gallow brackets, and timber finials – all while preserving the craftsmanship of the original materials. The existing fascia boards are made from at least 400-year-old pitch pine. As pitch pine is now much harder to source, all repairs are being carried out using durable Douglas fir, chosen to closely match the original timberwork.
Some intricate work required the use of traditional Japanese scarf joints, a technique designed to provide maximum structural strength, paired with modern epoxy for longevity. We’re happy to say that Alan has delivered brilliantly across the board.
Old chimneys go up in smoke
In total, five chimneys are being replaced across the roof. When removing timber along one chimney, we noticed it had begun leaning inwards towards the building. As a result, we had to carefully dismantle the entire structure, stone by stone, all the way down to windowsill level.
The team from Dunkeld Builders is now in the process of rebuilding it, including installing new liners to safely carry smoke out of the house, all the while ensuring repairs are in keeping with Drumearn House's original character.
Here on site, every week brings fresh and fascinating challenges. Sign up to our newsletter, below, to catch every riveting read.
