Flying high

If you travelled the world on a daily basis you might not want to come home, but as Donna Ross discovers, Scotland will always be a firm favourite with one north-east resident

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NIGEL Boyce has enjoyed his time at Cauldhame, a spacious family home on the outskirts of Alford, so much that he plans to build a smaller property in the same area.

“I have been living alone at Cauldhame for two-and-a-half years and the house has five/six bedrooms, which is far too big for one person – I’m rattling around on my own in here and my work means I don’t get to fully appreciate it.”

A pilot with British Airways, Nigel is based in London for the majority of the week and travels back to the north-east to enjoy his spare time.

“I absolutely love it here. I’m lucky my job with BA allows me to work in London while living here – Scotland is such a beautiful place and the people are so friendly. They actually take time to say hello.”

Nigel is going to keep half-an-acre of ground when he sells Cauldhame and plans to build a two-bedroom house there.

“That way, I can build a house with all the goodies in it that I want, but at a suitable size for me,” he said.

And if the end result is to the same standard as Cauldhame, it will certainly be impressive. Nigel set to work on transforming the country cottage back in 2001.

“The house was a wreck when I collected the keys,” he recalled.

“The owners hadn’t lived there for months and had turned off the central heating – as you can imagine, the frost had set in and caused the roof to cave in and the place was flooded. It was a complete mess.”

He employed a team of Polish workers to help transform the property – they worked 14-hour days rebuilding walls and plastering.

Nigel’s flair for interior design shone through when it came to plans for the interior of the property.

“I really got the bug for house design when I built a property down south years ago. Things like the Ideal Home Exhibition and magazines are a great place to get ideas from.

“During my time renovating the property, I really started to get a feel for what my tastes are and soon realised I like more modern things and the use of glass.”

This shines through in the end design. The open-plan kitchen, dining and sitting area is generously proportioned and ideal for entertaining, with quartz worktops, creative lighting and a central island breakfast bar.

“I got three designs to choose from for the kitchen, but I incorporated features from each of them into the final design,” Nigel explained.

“The breakfast bar area is brilliant and if I am cooking and there are guests round, it is a perfect place for them to sit and chat to you while you are working.”

He added that, in the original plans for the house, the kitchen and living area were separate.

“I decided to open the whole thing up – it really does make it a sociable area.”

Lighting is an important feature for Nigel and this is evident in almost every room at Cauldhame, from the mood lighting in the kitchen to the LED blue floor lights in the hall – a hit with viewers at the house.

“I think, in the UK, we are appalling about thinking about lighting and it is something I’ve paid a lot of attention to in the house.

“The hallway was really dark, so I laid bamboo flooring and installed LED blue lights – I call them my runway lights,” he laughed.

Accommodation is completed by four double bedrooms, one with en-suite, a study, utility room, family bathroom and master bedroom with en-suite shower-room.

“The shower-room is one of my favourite areas,” Nigel said.

“The shower is awesome – I am 6ft 2in and like space, and this certainly gives you plenty.”

When he designed the large walk-in shower, he installed a remote-control switch to turn on the shower from outside to prevent clothes getting wet, and LED lights highlight the water temperature.

Outside Cauldhame is as impressive as indoors. A chalet provides even more accommodation – and this is where a gym and a cinema can both be found.

“The chalet was also a wreck when I bought the property. I wanted to give it some purpose.

“I imported the projector in the cinema from Toronto – it’s four-and-a-half metres wide and the sound system blows your socks off. This is one of the main things I’ll miss here.”

The property is also perfect for equine enthusiasts. A steading with three loose boxes, a paddock and a former sand school can all be found in land stretching to more than four acres.

“There is a lot of wildlife out here and you can see a lot of different species of birds in the garden. You sometimes see deer in the fields, too.”

It’s easy to see why Nigel has decided to build nearby.

“There are things I still wanted to do at Cauldhame, and I can do them at my new project. I will definitely miss the house.”

Cauldhame, Cushnie, Alford, is on the market at offers over £465,000. For further information, call selling agent Strutt & Parker on 01330 826800.