Peeling back wallpaper to find handwritten notes from his late grandparents was a heartwarming moment for Mark Strachan, his fiancé Mark Cunningham and the 22,000 people who have been following every step of their fascinating house renovation journey online.
Far from a standard house renovation, this has been a true labour of love as their “forever” home in New Deer once belonged to Mark Strachan’s late grandparents Nellie and Wullie.
With such strong emotional ties to the house, it’s no surprise that the couple’s efforts to breathe new life into the beautiful granite cottage has captured people’s hearts as they post their progress via the social media platform Instagram.
Over 22,000 followers online
Four years on and the couple’s inspiring Instagram page Home with the Marks – which features their adorable Dachshund called Chip – has went viral with over 22,000 followers and counting.
“To be honest, the only reason I started off a little Instagram page was to stop annoying our friends and family with all our house renovation chat,” laughs Mark Cunningham.
“Instagram was a way of documenting what we were doing as we wanted to be able to look back at the different stages we went through while renovating.
“It feels like it’s grown into something a little bit different now and it blows my mind to think that we have over 22,000 following our page on Instagram.”
Labour of love
Located in New Deer, a small Aberdeenshire village about half an hour’s drive away from the city centre, the traditional detached granite built cottage has been in Mark Strachan’s family for generations.
But after Mark’s grandparents sadly passed away, their house was put on the open market and it was only by chance that the couple put an offer in.
“Mark’s granny passed away in 2016 and that was when the house was put up for sale,” said Mark Cunningham.
“It was on the open market and it had quite a few viewings.
“At the time we were looking for our first home together but it wasn’t until one of our colleagues suggested we put an offer in that we realised it was the perfect project for us.”
Hidden messages
Ecstatic that their offer was accepted on the property, the couple have spent the past four years putting their heart and soul into creating a home that Mark’s grandparents would be proud of.
“When we started tearing back the walls and the plasterboard, we came discovered that Mark’s grandad had written his name and the date that he’d installed things including the Velux roof windows in the bathroom,” said Mark Cunningham.
“We’ve taken photos of all the notes as it’s nice to look back on.
“And as we’ve started to put the house back together we’ve done the same, scribbling our name into cement or written on bits of wood so it’s in the bones of the house so that in years to come another generation of the family can discover the same.”
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Stripping the home back to its bare bones, the couple have breathed new life into every inch of the home.
“The property had quite a lot of damp in it and there was an extension at the back that was completely rotten so it needed to be taken down completely so it was two years until we were able to move in,” added Mark.
Contemporary design
With a background in architecture, Mark, who works in the oil and gas industry and his fiancé Mark Strachan, who is the creative director at Laings – the kitchen and bathroom specialists, -weren’t afraid to be bold when it came to putting their own stamp on their home.
“Our design is very contemporary, we’ve not been afraid to be quite bold with some of the decisions we’ve made particularly with one of the bathrooms we’ve just done it’s really dark and we’ve got a black basin and a black toilet,” said Mark Cunningham.
“Blood, sweat and tears”
At the heart of the project was Mark Strachan’s dad Brian who is a joiner.
“Mark’s dad Brian is a joiner so he did the majority of the work for us so for him it was a labour of love,” said Mark Cunningham.
“We also weren’t afraid to get our hands dirty as I think it’s more rewarding to know all the blood, sweat and tears that have gone into it.”
Scottish Government
Four years on and their property renovation has not only inspired their online followers but has also turned heads in the Scottish Government and the TV industry.
“Through Instagram we got the chance to work with the Scottish Government on their promoting their Zero Waste campaign and also had TV producers from Scotland’s Home of the Year programme visiting.”
Together with their ongoing property project, this year promises to be an exciting one for the couple who are set to tie the knot at The Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh.
“We’re getting married in November on the 11.11.22 because we’re both called Mark and we like matching things,” said Mark.
For more information go to their Instagram page @homewiththemarks