Scotland’s system of apartment ownership puts upkeep in the hands of homeowners working together, and historic buildings raise the bar even higher. From traditional stone masonry to conservation craftsmanship, the work depends on tradespeople who know heritage materials and methods, and on planning that starts well before any repair begins.
One high-profile example is The Playfair at Donaldson’s in Edinburgh, an A-listed landmark near the city’s World Heritage Site. Designed by William Playfair in the 1840s in a Jacobean palace style, the former Donaldson’s School for the Deaf has been transformed into 110 luxury apartments. The property spans 12,400 square meters and is known for its towers and quadrangles on the city skyline.
Homeowners brought in FirstPort in 2021 to manage the building, recognizing that an icon like this needs coordinated care instead of piecemeal repairs. That means a steady lineup of specialists, including roofers with leadwork experience, engineers, artists, gardeners, and cleaning teams, all operating with the same goal of protecting the building’s fabric.
For renovation firm Forman Developments, material matching and sequencing drive the schedule. Company leaders described the need to work sympathetically with existing materials and to line up the right products in advance. They also rely on local workshops to reproduce damaged details. When a molding gets hit, the team pulls a sample, and a workshop recreates the profile like for like.
Occupied work adds another layer. On-site crews manage waste without leaving a skip in place, using a trailer for daily removal to reduce fire and trip hazards. Regular inspections also stay in the mix. Roofing contractor Bain & Irvine has maintained the slate roof for four years, checking each slated panel and replacing broken or missing slates, especially after storms.
Read the full, original article from Project Scotland here.