Who: Paul Allan (50) and his wife Katrina (52) both directors of Murdoch Allan Bakers, along with their youngest daughter Jenny (14) and their five cocker spaniels George, Harry, Lily, Mabel and Rose.
What: A detached, six-bedroom, period property set in two acres of beautiful gardens.
Where: The picturesque hamlet of Inverugie beside Peterhead.
Here is what Katrina had to say about their beautiful property renovation…
“We originally lived in a townhouse in Peterhead.
Hillburn House was never advertised but we discovered through a mutual contact that the owners were planning to put it on the market.
So we contacted the previous owners and when we first saw the property we were blown away.
We loved the period features, the size of the home, the beautiful garden and ponds and its wonderful location with access to the former Formartine and Buchan railway line through a gate at the bottom of the garden.
It was love at first sight…
The property also has a fascinating history as it was built by the Scrogie family who owned the Buchan Observer in the 1880s.
It’s safe to say we fell in love with the home so we bought it in 2014 and became the property’s fourth owners.
Inside, the property has six bedrooms, two very large public rooms which are ideal for entertaining and family get togethers plus three bathrooms.
No work had been carried out in the property since 1980 so we wanted to modernise the house while remaining in-keeping with the original period style.
‘We envisaged a period style’…
Since we moved in, the whole house has been re-decorated and we undertook a major renovation in 2019 which involved installing underfloor heating on the ground floor.
We also completely renovated the kitchen area, adding insulation and new windows.
In terms of interiors, we envisaged a period style and spent hours looking at examples online.
We created mood boards on Pinterest which was great as we could add any ideas we had along the way.
I also found interiors inspiration on Instagram and in interior shops.
‘Our favourite place is the front public room’
We bought most of our wallpaper from Sterling Home in Aberdeen.
We particularly like the master bedroom wallpaper design and the colours in the very bright public/dining room.
For us, we spent most of the time in the kitchen but our favourite room is the front public room as it’s very bright as there’s a big bay window at front and windows along the side.
The kitchen is a very social space as there’s a big breakfast bar where Jenny would do her homework there and if I was working from home I would probably set up my office there too.
‘Christmas is a special’
It’s such a great house for entertaining especially at Christmas time.
I’ve always loved decorating our home at Christmas.
Throughout the renovation, our greatest challenge was finding tradesmen.
But after a few bumps in the road, everything worked out as planned in the end.
Reflecting on our time at Hillburn House, we’ve loved the peace, privacy and tranquillity of the property both inside and out.
Two acres of beautiful garden grounds…
The garden is full of wildlife including nesting woodpeckers, songbirds, deer and sometimes an uninvited heron.
We’ve got reflective glass in the property so we can actually watch the deer as they come into the garden without them seeing us.
As we have five dogs, we were always out in the garden where there are dog kennels.
At the bottom of the garden there is gate leading directly onto the Formartine and Buchan railway line which has been so handy for dog walks and is perfect if you like cycling.
I think the railway line is something I will miss the most.
We also love the location as our home is in the picturesque hamlet of Inverugie beside Peterhead.
What is your advice for renovator?
My advice to anyone undertaking a renovation is to plan, plan and plan again.
Oh and if you have a budget, expect it to be double the first quote.
Also don’t rush to buy things.
We were patient and it took a long time for us to get what we wanted for the house.
It’s such a special house that I’ve never thought of as ours
We’ve just been the keepers who have looked after it until the next owner comes along.
We’re going to miss the property so much as it’s a solid house with so much character and amazing period features.
But we’re sure that the next owners will love and care for it as much as we have.”
Hillburn House, Inverugie, Peterhead, is on the market for £500,000.
To arrange a viewing contact Lee-Ann at Low & Partners on 01779 400352 or check out the website lowandpartners.co.uk
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