Findhorn beach huts designer 1 Architects admits first batch used poorer quality materials

The designer of expensive beach huts at a seaside village has admitted that some of the oldest are decaying.

Ian McCook of 1 Architects in Kinloss has responded to an observation from Findhorn visitor, Micky Sunshine, who was shocked by the state of some of the cabins on the north shore built nearly a decade ago and on sale then for £25,000.

Mr Sunshine said: “I was sad to see that the Findhorn beach huts are decaying so rapidly. At a current price of £30,000 for a small wooden shed on the beach, one would expect robust construction. The dilapidation makes the beach look shoddy.”

Offers over £32,500 are currently being invited for 11 beach huts being built a few hundred metres from the village boatyard.

Nineteen are already owned, providing shelter and a view of the Moray coastline. They are built on stilts with walls that are five layers thick with “marine-quality” paint on the outside.

Mr McCook explained: “The very first batch were built about eight years ago. After a few years, we discovered faults developing in a small number of the huts, mainly in specific areas of the front façade.

“Small areas of damage to the wood began to appear, and inspections revealed that this was being caused by a combination of poor-quality timber and construction detailing within the panels, not appropriate for this part of the world.

“That first batch was constructed down south and delivered to in pre-sealed panels, so inspection of the inside of the panels was not possible.”

The developers pay for repairs as faults emerge and the construction process has since been modified.

“We ensured that all further huts were constructed by Moray-based construction companies,” said Mr McCook. “This means regular inspections could take place prior to erection. We also modified the construction to provide additional protection.”

Beach huts stood in Findhorn during the first half of the 20th century until they fell out of favour and were removed. In 2015, following a narrow vote at Moray Council, planning permission was granted to build up to 30 huts on the beach at Findhorn, There were 175 letters of objection, including one from the Findhorn and Kinloss Community Council.

A legal challenge was turned down by the Court of Sessions in January 2016.

Faults have not developed in any of the huts built in the second phase, remaining confined to some of the initial batch.

Mr McCook claimed the hut pictured by Mr Sunshine is “an exceptional case, where the damage is more extensive”.

He reasoned: “Its more exposed position at the end of the row may have some impact, but it is more likely that the materials used were poor quality.

“As with the other affected huts, the developer is in conversation with the owner about the costs of these repairs.

“We want to stress that these problems have not developed in the later phases of huts, and we are confident that they will not.