The hostel was built between August 1991 and January 1992 and opened for business on February 14^th 1992.  It was purpose built and designed by us in consultation with an architect and our builder, Colin Lawson of Grantown on Spey.  It is of timber framed construction with concrete floors, harled block walls, concrete roof tiles and internal plasterboard partitions. Many of the design ideas came from our own personal use, over many years, of other hostels, bunkhouses and mountain huts, at home and abroad. For more background information refer to the article, We Did It Our Way on the hostel website.

The hostel is, more or less, a three bedroom bungalow. It has a small entrance hall, a drying room, two toilets, two showers, one shower/toilet combined, one small bedroom, two larger bedrooms and an open plan kitchen/lounge with a woodburning stove. Patio doors open from the communal area onto the garden. The parking area has capacity for four cars (but we have squeezed in ten). The bedrooms all contain bunk beds and t he hostel has a sleeps10 (4+4+2) although as one bed in the larger rooms is a double we can accomodate families of five in their own room. These sleeping arrangements are also popular with couples booking a private room

Rooms

All sizes are in metres; cw =cranked wall; all showers & toilets have an extractor fan

Entrance hall	2.0 x 0.9
Drying room	3.0 x 1.5	cw, sink, water heater, shelving, drying rails, storage heater, tiled floor falls to a central drain
Toilet 1	1.2 x 1.5	toilet, sink, water heater, fan heater, tiled floor, extractor fan, cw; recess contains cistern
Toilet 2	1.2 x 1.5	toilet, sink, water heater, fan heater, tiled floor,extractor fan, cw; recess contains cistern
Looks much like toilet 1
Shower 1	0.7 x 2.8	cw, shower, seat, fan heater, tiled floor, extractor fan
Shower 2	0.7 x 2.8	cw, shower, seat, fan heater, tiled floor, extractor fan,
Looks much like shower 1
Shower / toilet	1.4 x 1.4	water heater, toilet, shower, fan heater, tiled floor, extractor fan, cw; recess contains wash basin
shower behind door
Small bedroom - Imrich	2.0 x 2.5	bunk beds (individual lights), convector heater
Bedroom 1 - Craig Dubh	3.2 x3.0	cw; contains pigeon hole storage, individual bunk beds & lights, convector heater
Bedroom 2 - Banchor	3.2 x 3.0	cw; contains pigeon hole storage, individual bunk beds & lights, convector heater
Kitchen	4.5 x 3.25	kitchen units, cooker (double oven, Four ring hob), 4 ring hob, double sink, Creda waterheater, storage shelves, two fridges, extractor fan, tiled floor, shelved full height cupboard (0.75 x 0.75).
Lounge	4.5 x 3.25	Marsco 'Squirrel' wood burning stove, long 'church pew' style seat, shelving, storage heater, patio doors to garden
Corridor	6.5 x 0.75	storage heater, access to loft
Loft	Partially floored and used for storage

Rates

The rateable value was re-assessed in spring 2005 and is now £1700 (it was £2500). In 2005/06, the rates bill, complicated by Small Business Relief and a Transitional Surcharge, came to £566.08

Electricity

The hostel has its own separate single phase electricity supply. The 2005/06 electricity bill was approximately £936.

Water & Sewerage

The hostel has its own mains water supply and sewerage pipe connected to the village systems.  In 2002, we were granted exemption from water & sewerage charges between April 1^st 2002 and March 31^st 2006 under the Water & Sewerage Charges Exemption Scheme. This scheme has now been extended to 2010. Providing the building continues to be run as 'self-catering' accommodation there should be no further water or waste water charges on the hostel before that date. We last paid these charges in 2001/02 when the bill was £282.48.      

Hot water

There is no hot water tank.  Instead, every sink, (except in the kitchen and drying room which take a few minutes to heat), has an 'on demand' heater. The showers are also 'instant'.

Heating

There are 3 storage heaters; lounge - 3kw, corridor - 3kw and drying room - 2kw. There are electric convection heaters in each bedroom and electric fan heaters in the toilets & showers (we usually switch these fan heaters off between April and October).  There is also a wood burning stove in the lounge. We include electricity and wood as part of the overnight fee. We spend between £60 & £80 a year on hostel firewood.

National House Building Council (NHBC)

The hostel was built to the standards required by the NHBC.  The Buildmark reference was BO 064516. The ten year cover commenced on 01/09/92.

Minute of Waiver

Prior to building we were required (by law) to obtain a Minute of Waiver by Allan William MacPherson Fletcher of Balavil Estate (Our Feudal Superior!). The Minute of Waiver was in favour of Peter Main and Kathryn Main of Craigellachie House, Newtonmore and was granted on 02/01/1990.

Planning Permission

Planning permission was granted for a self-catering unit on 12/02/90. Reference n^o BS8967

Fire Regulations

The hostel was constructed to include all the recommendations made by The Highlands and Islands Fire Brigade in 1990 and is fitted with an electrically operated fire alarm system with automatic smoke and heat detection. There is no requirement for a fire certificate.

Disability

The hostel is only suitable for the ambulant disabled; the doors and corridors are too narrow for wheelchairs.

Inventory

An inventory of the hostel contents will be provided to potential buyers. The purchase of the hostel will include the contents of the inventory and a separate price will be negotiated for these items.

The Property Misdescriptions Act 1991
The above particulars, although believed to be correct, are not guaranteed, and any measurements stated therein are approximate only. Purchasers should note that the Selling Agents have NOT tested any of the electrical items or mechanical equipment (eg oven, central heating system etc) included in the sale. Any photographs used are purely illustrative and may demonstrate only the surrounds. They are NOT therefore to be taken as indicative of the extent of the property, or that the photographs are taken from within the boundaries of the property, or what is included in the sale.

Peter & Kathryn Main, Craigellachie House, Main St, Newtonmore, Inverness-shire PH20 1DA

01540 673360

pete@highlandhostel.co.uk