The archaeologists believe this is the earliest building in the fermtoun, perhaps the earlier house of the farmer who built the bastle house around AD 1600, and it may have been the principal house. This combined house and byre, the most spacious building on the site, was abandoned by the mid-17th century.
Important evidence for the roof structure, in the form of cruck slots set into the walls, can be seen. The crucks or roof beams were of more substantial timber than in other buildings on the site. The walls are exceptionally thick, and it is believed that they were completed with turf blocks laid onto the stone footings. The shapes of the floors indicate where drains, fireplaces and doors were located. Two thirds of the floor area was given over to the animals while one third was occupied by the people. The other house byres have the same arrangement.
Buildings 14 and 15 are unexcavated.
