Although the Rogersons spent much of their life in Helensburgh, their home in Aberdeenshire has served them well for nearly 20 years.
While two of their three children were studying in Aberdeen, husband and wife John and Karen, who are in their 70s, took a liking to the desirable area during their visits.
“We thought that when we retired we would look for a place here,” said John.
“It’s very sunny with a nice high sky, whereas in Helensburgh it was a low sky.
“We are also able to go outside without muffling against the midges,” he joked.
Their three-bedroom home, Mill of Durno in Pitcaple, Inverurie, comes in the form of a traditional farmhouse with splendid views of Bennachie.
Now on the market for offers over £489,000, the cosy and welcoming abode offers the luxury of rural living, while being just four miles away from essential amenities.
“It’s within five minutes from Inverurie and all the shops are there,” said John.
“It’s just a hand’s turn from everything you need.”
Inverurie has leisure activities, great places to eat and a train station with a service to Aberdeen.
There are good primary and secondary schools nearby, making the house ideal for a growing family.
John and Karen put a lot of work into the house when they first moved in, marking their own stamp on the house’s style.
“We had to bring it up to the 20th century, as it was then,” said John.
“We had new windows put in and we upgraded the kitchen.
“We changed the wallpaper and some of the walls were re-plastered and insulation was installed to bring it up to scratch.
“The interior decoration is to our style, it’s simple.
“The garden was also completely remodelled.”
Taking a look inside, a porch area leads to the hallway, which then breaks off into the lounge and dining room.
The lounge has a lovely view of the garden and a beautiful feature fireplace. The neutral shades of the room will suit everyone and there’s plenty of space for soft furnishings and free-standing furniture.
Walking from the dining room, which is set-up as a family room just now, viewers will find themselves in another hallway which leads to the kitchen and utility room.
The kitchen is spacious and has stylish storage cabinets and integrated appliances including a hob, cooker hood, fridge, freezer, double oven and pull-out larder – all will be included in the sale.
Upstairs, the master bedroom and two double bedrooms give everyone in the house personal space to relax in. One of the bedrooms has fitted wardrobes while another has an alcove which makes for the perfect sleeping corner.
John and Karen, however, like to spend their time in the sun porch.
“It faces south and we have lovely views over Bennachie,” said John.
“You can see the traffic on the road, but it’s far enough away not to intrude.”
The couple aren’t sure where they are moving to yet, but they would like to downsize a little.
“We might move within the area, it depends if we find something we like,” said John.
“We’re open to going anywhere. Somewhere warm would be good, but we’re too old for that,” he laughed.
The pair say that they will miss the privacy of the home and its spaciousness.
“This house had room to enjoy our hobbies in and we built a shed to store the caravan.
“We used the steading as a games room and storage.
“At one point we thought the steading might be a development opportunity but the longer we stayed the more we preferred it they it was.
“We liked the peace and quiet.
“We were very fortunate to find this – it’s an idyllic spot, a house on its own with a bit of character.”
Contact Ledingham Chalmers on 01224 632500.
