225 Clifton Road, Aberdeen
Who: Richard Conachan, who works in the oil and gas industry, his wife Laura, who works in the public sector and their daughters Demi and Lexi.
What: A period terraced granite home which was extended in 2018.
Where: Clifton Road, Aberdeen.
As told to Rosemary Lowne
“Our first flat was on Victoria Road with high ceilings, large spacious rooms and period features like cornicing.
We loved the traditional yet spacious feel of it and we wanted a house which felt similar.
We viewed three houses for sale on Clifton Road in the same day and knew this was the one.
The previous owners had put their heart and soul into stripping back all the wood and clearly took care of the house, having raised their family there.
It was only after our offer had been accepted did we find out that Laura knew the sellers as they’d volunteered together.
When we viewed the house we loved the traditional features as they’re gorgeous.
From the street we could see the original stained glass around the door and inside the original inner door had even more.
We loved all the stripped back wood, cornices and when we got to the garden, it was so quiet.
There are trees at the back of the house so the birdsong can be loud but it’s such a tranquil space, you would never know you’re in town.
So we bought the house in 2014 and extended the back of the house in 2018.
The work involved the main living area, shower room and utility room and it also included demolishing the old asbestos garage and building a new, stone garage in its place.
On the ground floor the house has a modern kitchen/living/dining room, as well as a utility room, playroom/bedroom and a shower room.
Upstairs there are three bedrooms, a large converted attic which is currently used as a home office plus a family bathroom.
In terms of the renovation, we focused on the galley kitchen as it was freezing cold in the winter.
We wanted an open plan living/dining kitchen where we could look out over the garden without having to worry about frostbite.
The extension, which took 12 weeks, was better than we’d hoped as it’s got all the modern benefits of underfloor heating and open plan family living at the back of the house while retaining all the traditional elements at the front.
In summer, opening the bi-fold doors blurs the feel of inside and out and eating on the patio feels like an extension of the dining room.
In terms of interiors, we like the house to feel consistent so that’s why there are bold wall colours in several rooms and why we used the same tiles in both the bathrooms and the kitchen.
We’re not big fans of white walls but our bedroom is so bright and airy that white felt right.
For us the greatest challenge was probably putting all the pictures up in the hall.
We had to buy a special ladder to get all the way to the top and it was pretty hairy at times.
One thing we’re glad we did is put artificial grass in the garden.
Easigrass had some luxury ranges which looked and felt more like real grass than any others we’d seen.
The garden is never too wet or muddy for the kids to play in so we’re outside so much more than before.
This will always be our first home with the girls as a family so we’ll have nothing but fond memories of the four of us here.
My advice for anyone undertaking a similar project would be to blend modern living with traditional features as it can change the way you live and use your house for the better.”
225 Clifton Road, Aberdeen, is on the market for offers over £315,000.
To arrange a viewing contact Aberdein Considine on 01224 589589 or check out the website aspc.co.uk
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