lied ▁greatly ▁on ▁a ▁range ▁of ▁French , ▁Italian ▁and ▁English ▁pattern ▁books , ▁including ▁Gib bs ' ▁Book ▁of ▁Architecture , ▁from ▁which ▁he ▁borrow ed ▁freely ▁with ▁little ▁regard ▁for ▁consist ency ▁of ▁style . ▁In ▁addition , ▁he ▁took ▁insp iration ▁from ▁earlier ▁Scottish ▁r ena issance ▁architecture , ▁and ▁from ▁his ▁prede cess ors ▁Bruce ▁and ▁Smith . ▁During ▁his ▁nearly ▁ 3 0 - year ▁career ▁as ▁an ▁architect , ▁Adam ▁designed , ▁extended ▁or ▁rem od elled ▁over ▁ 4 0 ▁country ▁houses , ▁and ▁under to ok ▁numerous ▁public ▁contract s . ▁He ▁also ▁laid ▁out ▁landscape ▁garden ▁schemes , ▁for ▁instance ▁at ▁New list on ▁and ▁T ay mouth ▁Castle . ▁ ▁Country ▁houses ▁His ▁first ▁commission ▁seems ▁to ▁have ▁been ▁for ▁extensions ▁to ▁Hop et oun ▁House , ▁near ▁Edinburgh , ▁for ▁Charles ▁Hope , ▁ 1 st ▁Earl ▁of ▁Hop et oun . ▁Hop et oun ▁had ▁been ▁built ▁only ▁ 2 0 ▁years ▁before ▁by ▁Sir ▁William ▁Bruce , ▁and ▁Adam ▁was ▁retained ▁to ▁re build ▁the ▁south - east ▁wing . ▁These ▁works , ▁completed ▁in ▁ 1 7 2 5 , ▁aim ed ▁to ▁give ▁the ▁east ▁front ▁a ▁bold ▁new ▁fac ade , ▁ste pping ▁forward ▁at ▁the ▁ends ▁with ▁cur ved ▁sections . ▁According ▁to ▁John ▁F lem ing , ▁" nothing ▁so ▁am bit ious ▁or ▁imag in ative ▁had ▁ever ▁before ▁been ▁attempted ▁in ▁Scotland ". ▁Over ▁the ▁following ▁years , ▁Adam ▁would ▁return ▁to ▁Hop