Muirton Farmhouse is a family home filled with lots of lovely memories. Cheryl Livingstone speaks to owner Anna-Marie Eardley about her time there.
The ever-changing view of Bennachie, cosy winter evenings in front of the fire and warm nights and long evenings in the summer sun with fresh air cascading through the house are just some of the things Anna-Marie Eardley will miss most about Muirton Farmhouse when she leaves.
The five-bedroom country house has been home to Anna-Marie and her five children for the past decade. At the time, the family were living just outside the small village of Rothiemay, near Huntly, when they decided to move closer to the city.
The 50-year-old, who is mum to Christine, 25, Justine, 24, Freya, 23, Rory, 17, and Marissa, 9, said: “As we all commute and go to school in Aberdeen, we thought that it would be best for everyone to move a little bit closer.
“The criteria was a traditional house with the scope to extend, with modern features and glazed gable ends while retaining the original features.”
They found all that and more in Muirton Farmhouse at Durno, Inverurie. They had spotted it online and Anna-Marie said she remembered the pictures of the stunning views of Bennachie and how nothing else on the market compared to the fabulous lounge with dual-aspect windows.
At the time that they bought it, it was a four-bedroom detached house with no garage and just a garden shed. The kitchen and family bathroom were both in need of modernisation. The owners at the time had built the rear extension already and had clearly spent a lot of money on improvements, which also included the expansion of the garden.
Anna-Marie knew exactly what she wanted to do with the home and, looking at the photographs of this stunning home, she clearly has a really good eye for design.
As well as extending the house once again, she also added in a new porch and staircase, double garage, games room with barbecue decking outside, toilet, two bedrooms with en suite and a dressing room for one of them.
Both sides of the house now have lovely glazed gable ends, which allows lots of natural light to flood in. The kitchen has also been extended, taking away the dated bathroom and creating an en suite in the guest room downstairs. Outside has been given an equal amount of TLC with the driveway being improved and landscaping taking place in all surrounding areas of the house.
It’s clear that a lot of love has gone into transforming this house into the perfect family home. For me, the standout rooms have to be the kitchen and lounge – two areas that are spacious yet cosy, beautifully decorated and great rooms in which to spend time with your loved ones. These two find themselves on Anna-Marie’s favourite rooms list, too.
She said: “The kitchen is a great entertaining space. We all like to be involved with the cooking and help out as much as we can and the kitchen/diner is big enough to allow us all to be included. It is also a great way for me to cook the dinner and Marissa to do any homework, so that help is near if needed. I also like the lounge as it is a large, but still a very cosy room. We are a large family who enjoy the company of other families and friends and this room allows us to do this with ease. It makes everyone feel immediately at home with the large sofa which we can move around to accommodate many.”
She says her bedroom is another room she likes to spend time in. With the glass gable end and the balcony, it is easy to understand why, especially in the summer time. While lying on her bed, she can look across to the nature and fields for miles and it is immediately relaxing and so peaceful.
As for features of note, well there are quite honestly too many to mention. But for Anna-Marie, one worthy of particular mention is the fireplace in the lounge area which warms up the room and house instantly.
“There is nothing more comforting that having a fire burning when it is cold outside,” she added.
She also loves the exposed stone wall in the snug and the island in the middle of the kitchen – something she has always wanted.
For the family, the location has turned out to be better than they could ever have imagined. As well as being within commuting distance to the Granite City, it offers tranquillity and peacefulness.
To be able to look out of the window whatever part of the house you are in and see the views that you can is amazing, Anna-Marie explained. It is also very handy for the local shopping in Inverurie, Insch, Huntly and Oldmeldrum. It is in the middle of all these areas, which are very quick and easy to get to.
As Anna-Marie gets set to start a new chapter in her life – including travelling to all corners of the globe and visiting daughters Christine in London and Justine in New Zealand – she has decided to put her home on the market. It could now be yours for offers over £550,000.
She said that once she has settled again, she wants to find a project that she will love as much as Muirton Farmhouse.
Contact: Strutt & Parker on 01330 826800.
