Rebuild our friend’s fire destroyed dwelling hut

On Tuesday 15th November, a horrendous fire broke out at our friend Owen’s self-built dwelling hut at Carbeth Hutter’s Community (see weblink below). It burned into the night reducing his dream and years of hard work to ashes in a matter of hours. The Fire Service battled to control the inferno, which nearly spread to a neighbouring hut. Owen has spent much of his time living in his hut recently, so it was extremely fortunate that it was unoccupied at the time and that no one was injured.

However, the destruction was comprehensive! Owen’s wood burning stove is the only surviving reminder of his beautiful, homely hut. The fire is subject to an ongoing police investigation, its cause yet to be determined.

Owen is a kind and generous person, always willing to give his time to others. He loves the outdoors and running. This passion had inspired him to build his hut.

After acquiring the plot in 2017, he had planning permission approved by Stirling Council in 2019. It has taken him years to clear the plot, landscape and build his hut into a comfortable home, almost entirely by his own hands. He spent thousands of hours collecting reclaimed building materials and constructing and decorating the interior, until, as of only last year, it became ready to live in.

Shocked by the total devastation of his hut and the heartbreak caused by it, a group of Owen's friends have banded together and set out a plan to help him rebuild his hut as quickly as possible. We held a work-day on Sunday the 20th, joined by some of the hutters from the Carbeth community, when we started to clear the site. Despite some rain, incredible progress was made!

Owen is fortunate to have friends with skills and tools that want to help him overcome this great loss. Some friends that are Joiners have started drafting plans to rebuild the hut using CAD drawings for the original. We have also been pledged use of a dry workshop to construct the new hut as a kit, to enable us to work through the rapidly approaching winter.

However, the cost of the materials used in the construction of his hut, including timber, has risen dramatically in recent times. The goal is to raise money for the timber frame, roof, floor, windows and insulation, which will amount to £12000. This doesn’t cover internal furnishings, tools and equipment, including an electricity generator, or the personal effects lost in the fire, but would allow fulfilment of the major step in redressing the impacts of this horrible event.

We will be updating regularly with videos and pictures of our efforts. And Owen is offering a Rickshaw van tour of Scotland in 2023 as a gesture of appreciation for any substantial donations/gifts and a Rickshaw tour of Glasgow or Edinburgh or Rickshaw lift service for anyone who could use this, and of course, visits to the hut when rebuild is completed!

Any donations not used in the aspects of this rebuild stated above, once we have completed this project, will be provided to the Carbeth Hutters Community Company to be retained for future donation to any other hutter crises within or outwith Carbeth.

https://www.carbethhutters.co.uk