When Becky and Calum Milne found Westbank, a traditional four-bedroom semi-detached house in the peaceful village of Auchnagatt, they thought it was their forever home.
“I’m a country girl at heart and after living in the city wanted to find a house in the country which could give us more space for our money and a better quality of life,” said Becky, a teacher.
“We found our perfect home six years ago in Auchnagatt.
“Built around 1887, it had originally been a Clydesdale Bank, a building designed to impress clients, which is why it has lots of attractive period features such as high ceilings, deep skirtings, ornate cornicing and lovely big, impressive rooms.
“During the 1960s it was converted to a house.
“It’s a house full of character and unique features and definitely had the wow factor when we first viewed it – the staircase with a 12ft window is something you can’t miss as you enter the property!
“Since moving in I’ve put my stamp on in it in terms of decor, but we’ve also upgraded it too, putting in a new bathroom for example, and doing up the big garden.”
On the market at offers over £199,999, this is an excellent value-for-money family home that will tick a lot of boxes in terms of what house hunters are looking for these days.
The accommodation includes a vestibule; spacious front-facing lounge with dual-aspect windows; and a central fireplace housing a wood-burning stove.
“With its high ceiling, cornicing and stove, this is a fantastic place to cosy up to in the winter evenings and looks beautiful at Christmas with the tree in the front bay window,” said Becky, who is married to Calum and has two children, Isla, 12, and Alistair, eight.
There’s a dining kitchen with lots of units, a range cooker and a variety of free-standing appliances, an adjacent utility room and a downstairs bedroom.
“We used the bedroom first as a play room then a music room complete with drum kit and keyboard, but because it’s at the back of the house, you don’t hear anything, so it would also work well as a home office.”
Upstairs, there’s a master bedroom, two further good-sized bedrooms and a modern shower room.
“The house was an absolute lifeline during lockdown, as just a few weeks before it began we had BT broadband fibre installed which was ideal for home schooling,” said Becky.
“With so much space on offer we never felt under each other’s feet and the annual school sports days were still able to take place out in the garden!”
The garden, large enough to accommodate a bouncy castle, also has a greenhouse, while an apple and pear tree give shelter and provide a nice setting for toasting marshmallows over the fire pit.
“The front of the house has a beautiful cherry tree which gets gorgeous white blossom which gives the house an even more unique and elegant feel in spring,” said Becky.
Right opposite the house, the Formartine and Buchan Way passes. It’s ideal for walking, running and cycling. It is idyllic, which begs the question, why sell?
“It took New Zealand to turn our heads,” said Becky.
“We decided to emigrate and everything was set up for us to leave; we’d given up our jobs, etc, but then, because of the pandemic, the borders were closed and all plans were stopped.
“We’re waiting for the borders to re-open so we can emigrate but having invested our hearts in this property we are sad to leave it behind and hope someone is able to love it as much as we have.”
Contact: Ledingham Chalmers, 01224 632500.
