Why a Utah couple is renovating a castle in Scotland

COVE, Scotland – A Utah couple is renovating and restoring a castle in Scotland.

David and Chelom Leavitt are documenting this massive project on social media, which has attracted more than 1.4 million followers.

Now, after years of work, the finish line is in sight.

KSL recently traveled to Scotland to get a look at the renovation and talk to the Leavitts about their experience.

Historic castle

In a village called Cove, along a body of water known as Loch Long, sits Knockderry Castle.

The nearly 175-year-old structure stands out as a prominent feature of the Scottish peninsula.

Murdo MacLeod lives just beneath the castle.

"It sits on this outcrop of rock," he said, looking up at the towering turrets, "and the views from the rooms up there would be absolutely stunning, looking down the loch on a windy night."

The castle has quite a history. Built in the 1850s, it has been renovated many times. Knockderry Castle has been visited by some rich and famous people, including philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.

In 2023, the castle was sold to a couple from – of all places – Utah. Chelom and David Leavitt are now overseeing the castle's complete renovation and restoration.

"We're trying to find the balance," said David Leavitt, "between restoring what was and making it ours."

Who are the Leavitts?

The Leavitts live in Orem. David is a former county attorney in Utah and Juab counties. Chelom is a family life professor at Brigham Young University.

"I have been looking at castles for decades, and just for fun," she said. "When this came up, we both thought this is the right thing to at least look into."

The timing worked out. David Leavitt was just out of office after losing his bid for reelection. Both he and Chelom said they were looking for something new and different.

They ended up buying the castle for a reported $1.4 million after the prior owner was evicted.

"Something kind of spoke to both of us," Chelom Leavitt said. "This is a really peaceful place."

It was a dream come true – but also, sort of a nightmare.

"If we had any idea what we were getting ourselves into, there's not a way in the world that we would have done it," David Leavitt said. "Not a chance."

Major problems

The project quickly revealed problems, particularly with the wood inside the castle. Much of it had rotted.

"The fact that this castle is still standing is pretty amazing," Chelom Leavitt said. "Another 10 years and it would have been falling."

That made the renovation much more complicated as workers needed to shore up the structure inside and out. David Leavitt thinks of it like an Oreo cookie.

"We have completely restored both sides of the cookie," he said, "and we've completely replaced the cream filling with 21st-century technology."

That includes brand-new plumbing, heating, and electrical. In the kitchen, a countertop charges cellphones. There's also a very smart oven with many computerized features – and a faucet that instantly offers boiling, freezing or sparkling water.

When the renovation began more than three years ago, the Leavitts started a blog to chronicle their progress. But when they moved over to Instagram, things exploded. Knockderry Castle now has followers from around the world. The Leavitts post regular videos about the project, sharing their journey with strangers.

"Now we get stopped in stores and in airports" by fans who follow the castle renovation online, David Leavitt said. "That's a really nice thing to be stopped for."

Castle features

There's a lot to see in the castle. Wood carvings are everywhere, along with roughly two dozen fireplaces. There are also little reminders of Utah, like a beehive on a stained-glass window.

Some rooms even have their own theme, such as the Japanese room or the Viking room.

There are also several rooms that would be difficult to find without knowing where to look. One of them is hidden behind a bookshelf. Another is secluded behind a bathroom mirror.

"Some are hidden, which means we'll show those to people," Chelom Leavitt said. "But some are secret, and they won't be shown."

There's something else that's secret – how much this castle renovation costs.

"We get that question all the time," David Leavitt said.

The couple would only say they've spent more on the project than what they initially paid for the castle – and more than what they planned on.

The Leavitts acknowledge they're in a unique position to be able to pay to restore a castle. They recognize many would love to do this – and they want to give something back to those who follow them.

"We feel this need to share it," David Leavitt said, "because we're no different or better than anybody else that doesn't have the ability to do that. We just … had the circumstances that would allow us to do that."

The castle will be used as a family home, the Leavitts said, but they also plan to open it up to the public by hosting conferences, seminars or other events there. They hope the interior will all be finished by the end of this year.

This project hasn't been easy. But the Leavitts say it's kind of a metaphor for life.

"The person you want to be is on the other side of what you don't want to face, and this is really what it was for us in this castle," said Chelom Leavitt. "Things that are worth doing in life, if you knew what you were getting into, you wouldn't do them. But things that are worthwhile, they're hard."

'A good thing'

Back below the castle, Murdo MacLeod looked up at the work in progress and called it a "good thing."

He'll be watching as Knockderry Castle enters the next chapter in its long history.

"At least it'll be sound when it's done," MacLeod said, "and it'll be here for, I think, quite a long time."

He added, "I'm glad somebody's come along and done it."

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