LOCHGILPHEAD-based timber frame pioneer MacLeod Construction is celebrating 50 years in business this year.
Founded by twin brothers Murdo and Kenny MacLeod in 1975 as a small housebuilding firm, the company has evolved over the decades into a major local employer and today carries out a range of residential and commercial projects of all sizes across Argyll and the Isles.
While the business has grown exponentially over the last 50 years, traditional values have been retained. MacLeod is still very much family-owned and run. Co-founder Kenny remains MD, while several second-generation family members have senior roles, including the late Murdo’s daughter, Mairi, who is construction director.
Mairi told Project Scotland that the strong family aspect has been a key component of MacLeod’s success and longevity.
“Family businesses are always tricky things, but we’ve all worked together,” Mairi explained. “I’m now part of the second generation with two of my cousins running the business. Being a family business has definitely helped us. When it’s your own business, it’s something that you’re proud of. But we’re not just a family business, we’re also a community business. We’re very much integrated in the communities that we work in, be it here in Lochgilphead where we’re based or in Oban or Islay where we’re doing a lot of building at the moment. We always prioritise hiring locally.”
As the only timber kit manufacturer in Argyll, the company’s solutions are in high demand. But while offsite manufacturing and modern methods of construction (MMC) are very much in vogue in 2025, back in 1975 when MacLeod was being established, timber frame construction was still a rarity in the west of Scotland.
“We were one of the first companies to start timber frame in Scotland,” Mairi added. “We set up a factory in Lochgilphead and over the years went from strength-to-strength. We have evolved from building one-off houses to the large housing developments we do today.
“My father and uncle saw the opportunity of the market, but also they saw how much the timber frame approach worked really well in the west coast climate.”
Today, MacLeod Construction has a workforce of around 100 people, almost all of whom have been recruited from the local community. The business has delivered a huge number of standout projects over the years. Examples of the company’s work include the MacLeod Centre in Iona, a community hospital in Mull, the first swimming pool in Lochgilphead, and significant housing developments in Oban, Campbeltown, Lochgilphead and Islay for various housing associations and the private market.
Underpinning all these projects has been a company-wide ethos of hard work and dedication. The business has also benefited from a proactive approach to developing the workforce.
“Training and apprenticeships are at the heart of what we do,” Mairi added. “We have always prioritised apprenticeships and currently 10% of our apprentices are female, which is a huge achievement, and I don’t think you’ll find many companies in Scotland that can say that.
“We provide work placements with schools and ongoing development is a huge part of what we do within the business. We’ve got a number of people at the moment going through senior construction management qualifications.”
Mairi acknowledged there is a skills crisis currently engulfing the wider construction sector. MacLeod is doing its bit to help address the situation.
“I’ve been in touch with high schools in the area about doing work experience,” Mairi revealed. “We go to careers fairs, we sponsor a Foundation Apprenticeship in construction at Oban High School, so we are trying to do everything we can to help address that skills shortage because these things are always more acute in rural areas.”
One area in which MacLeod excels in is local knowledge. In a competitive construction market, having a deep understanding of challenges around local infrastructure, ferries, and labour availability is invaluable.
Sustainability is also high on the agenda, despite the distinct challenges faced by rural business in this regard. “We would love to have a fleet of electric vehicles, but they don’t have the range that our teams need to be able to do their jobs,” Mairi explained. “We’re continually looking at ways of becoming more efficient. We recently installed solar panels at our office, and we are an accredited Tesla installer. We’re continually working with architects to make sure that all our builds are as sustainable as possible.
“We’ve been installing air source heat pumps for years and we class ourselves as experts in the air source heating market. We’re constantly looking at our manufacturing approach to look at more sustainable materials, and how we reuse materials, to make sure that we are as sustainable as possible.”
Looking to the future, the focus for MacLeod is continuing to build the portfolio and striving to find new and even more innovative ways of working. If the business can achieve that – and history suggests it will – then the firm can look forward to another 50 years of progress and profitability.
