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An abandoned fisherman’s cottage on a remote Scottish island that had no running water, electricity, or windows—and sheep living in it. That was all ex-soldier and businessman Robert Tai could afford after a long and difficult divorce left him close to broke. He had become enchanted by the historic stone buildings that stand empty all across the windswept, rainy Isle of Lewis back when he was visiting yearly with his then-wife in the 2000s, so it seemed a natural place to seek refuge after their marriage broke down.

Tai was intent on purchasing and renovating a dilapidated property he’d initially spotted in 2004. In 2021, he managed to track down and negotiate a sale with the owners, who had been planning to demolish the four-bedroom building and replace it with a new structure. So began the next chapter of his life.



“I really wanted to set myself up again, and this was the only way I could get back on my feet,” says Tai. | Through the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership (SEHP)—a collaboration between the Scottish Government and U.K.

housing and homelessness charity Shelter—Tai was able to qualify for a tax reimbursement on the materials he purchased to restore the cottage to a livable state. He claimed back 12,000 pounds (about $15,900) of the 75,000 pounds he’d spent completely overhauling the property. Tai had never done professional building work before, but he reinstated electricity and water, replaced the beams, ripped out carpets encrusted with sheep dropp.

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