In 1927, the following works were carried out to Crathes Castle following the death of Sir Thomas Burnett.
Smoking Room- ventilator installed under South window; flooring removed; fireplace in East Wall closed up by lath and plaster; doorway heightened; marble mantelpiece put in place and oak one with holly leaves moved to Pink room.
School Room and Maids Room – thrown into one room for a Smoking Room; fireplace closed up; doorway utilised for cupboards; mantelpiece brought from Great Hall anteroom.
Turret Stair to Garden – wooden staircase removed; turret floored across and opening made into Drawing Room.
Lower Corridor – window made into doorway;
Upper Corridor – room partitioned off.
Landing at door of safe – linen cupboard made and fireplace done away with.
18th century House – large larch beam put in under landing between old Drawing Room and Yellow Room as it was found to need support.
Pink Room – window knocked out;
Pink Dressing Room – hob fireplace closed up; wash basin added
Blue Room WC – bath added.
Old Drawing Room – floorboards renewed.
Tower White Room – fitted as a bathroom.
A service lift run up the original Kitchen chimney.
Court of Guard Room – bookcases removed.
In 2015, when we removed a small and unimportant farm building at Ley Farm before we built our retirement home, Ley House and planned to reroof the main (modern) steading of which the roof had collapsed under snow, we were required to carry out an Archaeological Record; a Bat Survey; a Contaminated Land Survey, and obtain Engineer’s certification, Planning Approval, Building warrant in addition to employing an Architect and Quantity Surveyor.
In 1927, for one of the most important listed buildings in Scotland, for the works above, no architect was employed with the factor, J. C .F. Dunbar acting in that capacity.