The saying might be that the third time’s a charm, but for Emma and Ian Robertson, it was the second time that sealed the deal for them buying their new home.
After getting married 16 years ago, the couple were looking for a nice home in the country with a bit of land when a farmer told them about a property at Garmond, near Turriff.
“We just couldn’t see what we could do with it – and we didn’t have any building experience either,” said Emma.
Instead, they bought a lovely croft house that they renovated.
Over the following years, they built two new houses from scratch.
But in 2010, they decided to return to the property they had viewed as newlyweds, with their eyes very much opened by their experiences.
“This time around, I actually saw the planning application for conversion,” said Emma. “We lived quite near, so we thought we’d look at it again.
“I couldn’t remember it at all. There was a lot of sheds and bits covered up but we decided we wanted it so we found out who the owners were and bought it before it went on the market.
“Now we could see the potential of what it could be. We started looking at the windows and doors and could imagine the layout in our heads.”
Emma, 39, said she and husband Ian never set out to be property developers, but it had become a bit of a passion.
And while they have two new builds under their belt, it is the renovation Emma enjoys most.
Originally on the site was a two-bedroom croft house, a large steading and a series of outbuildings.
Now, Glenpark Steading is a stunning and extremely spacious four-bedroom converted steading.
What was originally the croft house has become the family and games room annexe – still with the original staircase.
The dining room, meanwhile, is in an area where there once were animal stalls.
The cosy lounge, complete with wood-burning stove, was once a bothy in the steading, and a conservatory links the two “parts” of this great home together.
A modern Sheraton Cotswold oak kitchen, dog room, master bedroom with en-suite shower and three further bedrooms complete the accommodation.
It’s obvious that a lot of work has been put into this home and Emma admits that it wasn’t plain sailing.
There were challenges such as having to complete a bat survey and sourcing extra slate tiles.
“It was a huge amount of work,” said Emma. “We had to buy an old jeep to move everything out. That became our renovate-mobile.
“It was a full-time job for me but I did really enjoy it. I think I enjoyed the process overall, seeing it all come together and ending up with a great house.
“I think I prefer the renovation process more. There’s more variety with the things you get to do.
“With the new build, everything comes in and gets put up without any problems. You are left with the painting and the tidying up really.
“But with a renovation, you get to try your hand at a variety of jobs.
“Plus I like the mix of old and new. On the outside, we have tried to keep it as original as possible, but it is has a more modern edge inside.”
And it was a project the whole family could get involved in – including sons Joe, 13, Drew, 11, and Brodie, 10.
“The kids loved it,” she said. “They just got stuck in. It was good for them to see that you have to work to get what you want – that it doesn’t just happen by itself. It was a good learning curve for them too.”
After just over eight months, the family was able to move into Glenpark on Christmas Eve 2011.
Emma said: “We decided to put in a big effort to get it ready for Christmas. At one point, we had eight joiners working in the house.
“When we moved in, I think the lounge and the bedrooms had carpets but the flooring wasn’t done in the other rooms.
“It was great though. The kids put up the Christmas tree and we had a great day. It was a relief to finally move in.”
The family and games room is a particular favourite with the Robertsons.
And they love the space in the steading.
Emma added: “It has the potential to be split into two or three buildings if someone was looking for a business opportunity, or to use it for holiday letting purposes.
“The family room area could be sectioned off to create a granny flat.”
The location has also worked well for the Robertsons, with free bus pick-up from the end of the road to Turriff Academy and Monquhitter Primary in Cuminestown, and Garmond just two miles away.
Turriff, the nearest town, has a good range of shops and amenities including swimming pool, library, community centre and golf course.
For those looking to commute to Aberdeen but come home to a country retreat, Glenpark is in the perfect location. It is 19 miles to Ellon and 30 miles to Dyce.
Emma and Ian have found another project – building a new home on a plot just a few miles away – and have decided to put Glenpark on the market for offers over £400,000.
“This has definitely been our biggest project but I’m glad we did it,” said Emma.
“The next project is a five-bedroom detached home. I would like to think this next one will be our forever home but I would like to continue developing properties as well.”
Contact: Stewart and Watson on 01888 563777.