Building contractor Nick Symonds knows all about the ups and downs of building a dream home from scratch.
After all, he’s done it often enough for clients.
But when he and wife Veronica built their own home in Cromarty, he found the shoe was on the other foot, as he became the “difficult” client.
“Because we were building a house for ourselves, it had to be special, and everyone wanted a say in the way it was designed,” said Nick, 40.
“That meant chopping and changing until everyone was happy.”
They worked closely with architect Lynne Sproull, of Inverness-based firm Maxwell and Company, to design a house that met their needs.
“The first thing we insisted on was having a large hallway as I think there’s nothing worse than coming into a house with a dark, narrow hall,” said Nick, who is originally from Essex.
Instead of the traditional single front door, the main entrance is via double french doors.
“The upper hallway has a galleried landing which overlooks the doors which means you can see who is at the front door without going downstairs which is very handy if you want to avoid anyone,” joked Nick.
The brief included a desire for spaciousness, lots of light, maximum insulation and minimal running costs.
“Even with the bad winters we’ve had, it only costs £1,000 a year to heat the house and have constant hot water, so it’s a very economical home to run,” he said.
Built to a very high standard throughout, it has French oak flooring and staircase, Italian travertine tiles in the hall, underfloor heating in all the downstairs rooms, bathrooms and shower rooms.
Every room in the south-facing house, which took two years to build, makes good use of natural light. Some have windows fitted with argon-filled double glazing on two or three of the walls.
The accommodation comprises the hall which has a double-height ceiling and gives access to all the downstairs rooms including a large cloak/boot room, a well-appointed utility room, study or bedroom, currently used as a music room for the couple’s children, Corey, 20, and Mark, 19; a shower room with double shower, large triple-aspect bedroom with fitted wardrobes, and a dining kitchen.
This bright room has french and patio doors overlooking the established front garden and countryside beyond.
The kitchen has a raft of stylish units which house high-tech built-in gadgets ranging from halogen hob and dishwasher to chest-height microwave and ovens.
With plenty of space for a dining table, large sofas and with a stylish wood-burning stove in the corner, it’s a great place for the family to relax.
Upstairs, the galleried landing is bright and roomy.
Turn right and you find yourself in an impressively large lounge with French oak flooring, fitted bookshelves and cupboards, a wood-burning stove and partly coombed ceilings.
“We like the idea of having the living room upstairs as it’s more private and being that little bit higher you get even better views across the countryside,” said Nick who, along with Veronica, moved to Cromarty in the Black Isle, from Orkney, more than 10 years ago.
Turn left and there’s a master bedroom with large en-suite shower room, a second large double bedroom and a family bathroom with double shower and an impressive teak bath.
“The bath was made by Black Isle-based joiner Roddy Macdonald, of Wooden Baths Ltd,” said Nick.
“It’s a bit of luxury, beautifully hand-crafted and very comfortable to relax in – Veronica loves it.”
Veronica, who works for local contractor and builder Pat Munro, said: “Because of the way it’s made, it keeps the bath water hot for much longer than traditional baths.
“It’s very easy to fall asleep in there.”
No 3 Urquhart Court, which is on the market at offers over £310,000 – that’s £30,000 less than the valuation – also comes with a buy-one-get-one-free offer, a self-contained home at the bottom of the garden.
Attached to the double garage, it has a good-sized kitchen and shower room downstairs, and upstairs a huge open-plan room with five Velux windows and a wood-burning stove, that could be used as a sitting room and bedroom.
Sitting in just over a quarter of an acre of grounds with landscaped areas and flagstone terrace, the house is in the pretty and historic village of Cromarty where, just a little way along the road, Nick is currently building four new terraced houses.
“The village has seen a lot of money spent on infrastructure of late with a new tennis court and multicourt facility, plus there’s excellent shops and a lively art and music scene, plus film and book festivals which attract some big names.”
Crime writer Ian Rankin has a holiday home in the village which is also a magnet for tourists and dolphin spotters.
“We are selling because we want to concentrate on other building projects but hope to one day have a farmhouse surrounded by acres of its own land.”
Contact: CKD Galbraith on 01463 224343.