A SUTHERLAND timber supplier has joined up with a Lanarkshire building company in to provide Scottish homes with eco-friendly home offices.
The Highland-based sawmill operator and biomass supplier, GMB Energy is teaming up Hendry Joinery and Builders to supply and install garden rooms and home offices across Scotland.
The move seeks to take advantage of a continuing strong demand for outdoor space for working at home which was sparked by lockdown.
According to ONS figures up to 40% of people are still working at least a part of the week from home.
The new partnership is set to be launched at the Caithness Show in Thurso East between July 19-20 of this year.
Under the terms of the deal, wood will be supplied from GMG’s eco-friendly plant in the Strath of Halladale in Sutherland, which is powered by solar array energy.
Hendry Builders will cut the timber to size to create before using the material to install the individually crafted units.
Malcolm Morrison, director of GMG Energy, said: “I was inspired to investigate the possibility of a partnership when Kirk Hendry -the owner of Hendry Builders- and his team built a remarkably useful and aesthetically pleasing home office in my own garden.
“The craftsmanship and the quality of work was quite outstanding and the custom-built structure has added value and flexibility to the property.
“There is a huge market for this kind of structure, with sector predicting a rise in sales of up to 10% this year.
“Suppliers are also increasingly focusing on sustainability, using eco-friendly materials and incorporating energy-efficient features, which is a perfect fit with the way we operate.”
Kirk Hendry said: “We have undertaken a wide variety of work this year, including building two houses, a garden house and a dental surgery, but we see a great scope for growth in the demand for outdoor work and living space.
“The alliance with GMG Energy chimes with customer demand for environmentally aligned products, since Malcolm has invested heavily in renewables and also specialises in ethically sourced timber from its own sustainable resources.”
GMG Energy, which reported a turnover of more than £2m, has invested £100,000 on solar power generation as well as £250,000 on equipment.
The company processes 2,000 tonnes of timber annually, but says it is committed to replacing every log of timber that it uses by planting 10,000 new trees a year.
