Beautiful Ballater bungalow on the market for £420,000

By Rosemary Lowne

February 14 2023, 5:00 pm

This wonderful family home has been transformed to offer the very best in modern living. Photo supplied by Laurie & Co.

For the past 12 years, Jeanette and Bill Yuile have poured their heart and soul into transforming their beautiful bungalow into an exceptional family home.

Enjoying a tranquil location, just a stone’s throw away from the thriving Royal Deeside village of Ballater in the Cairngorms National Park, the couple instantly fell in love with 8 Craigendarroch Circle when they set eyes on it in 2011.

For the first five years, Bill and Jeanette used the property as a holiday home but they loved it so much that in 2016, they sold their larger family home in Durris and moved to Ballater on a permanent basis.

The lounge is the perfect place to relax and unwind.

“Ballater is such a beautiful spot, and the village is thriving so what is not to like,” says Jeanette, who is originally from Norway before moving to Scotland 32 years ago to work in the oil and gas industry.

“We love the river and hill walks around here and the nature surrounding us on all sides.

“From the house, we have a wonderful view of both Craigendarroch Hill and the hills towards Glen Muick.

“We love the sun, and the easily maintained private garden is a real suntrap from mid-morning until night.

“This estate is so quiet and peaceful, and you can hear the birds and the wind in the trees – no noise pollution here.”

The kitchen has all the right ingredients.

Dream home

But after 12 blissfully happy years, Jeanette and Bill, who is originally from Glasgow before also moving to Aberdeen to work in the oil and gas industry, have reluctantly put their wonderful home on the market as they prepare to move to the central belt to be closer to family.

“We have created a beautiful, warm, and practical home for ourselves here and we will miss it very much,” says Jeanette.

“We have loved our many years here!

“Most of all we will miss the peace and tranquility of living in this wonderful Cairngorms National Park.

“We are sure the new owners, whoever they are, will be very happy here.”

Jeanette and Bill Yuile have put their heart and soul into their amazing home in Ballater.

Three extensions

Built in 1987 on forest ground, Jeanette and Bill have completely refurbished the two bedroom home, adding three extensions to the property.

“Our house is totally transformed compared to the house we bought in 2011,” says Jeanette.

“We had excellent architects, collaborating with us to create what you see today, and it was important to us to make sure the new blended with the existing house and surroundings and being of high quality.

“From outside, it is difficult to see what is new and what is original – we had great local builders.”

The home office/bedroom is ideal for those who are working from home.

Modern yet cosy

Putting their own stamp on the home, the couple quickly got to work, firstly extending the lounge area and adding cathedral style windows.

“We love our large lounge/dining room, which is perfect for entertaining groups of people whilst still having a cosy feel when it is only the two of us,” says Jeanette.

“The original open fireplace, which occupied a whole wall, has been replaced with a modern Morso wood burning stove and it can effectively heat the whole house.”

Keen cooks, the couple then turned their attention to the kitchen, extending it to provide plenty of space for rustling up meals while entertaining guests.

“The kitchen extension to the front of the property is a mod/con kitchen from Denmore Kitchens and Bathrooms in Aberdeen,” says Jeanette.

“They have excellent designers who helped us create our fabulous, yet practical and spacious kitchen.”

A good night’s sleep is guaranteed in the sumptuous bedroom.

Log cabin

Not afraid of hard work, the couple then added a third extension, creating a home office/bedroom, large shower room and a new main bathroom plus changed the skirtings, coving and door trims and fitted new solid oak doors and high quality parquet flooring.

Outside, the couple, who are both retired, have also built a large log cabin for storage.

With so much extra space it allowed the couple to host many memorable parties.

“We have had a few parties here over the years, with family, friends, neighbours, and work colleagues,” says Jeanette.

“I worked in Shell for many years before I retired, and often used the house to host team building events too.

“One of our neighbours is an excellent musician and he brought his trumpet in to one of our New Year’s parties and we had a fabulous time.”

Lovely neighbours

Over the years, the couple have made lifelong friends with their neighbours.

“When one of our close neighbours turned 90 years old, we invited all the neighbourhood to celebrate her, and she still talks about that party,” says Jeanette.

“It’s a nice neighbourhood and the people here look out for one another.”

With so much to offer, the couple feel their home would suit everyone from families and retired couple to single people.

“Our house is modern, comfortable, and practical,” says Jeanette.

“The architect designed features are blending well with the surroundings.

Craigendarroch Circle enjoys a picturesque location.

“Nothing needs doing here and every room is built new or renovated to a very high standard.

“Many will find it daunting to buy a house that they then need to spend a lot of money doing up.

“Here, the new owners can add their own touches, accent colours etc, making it their own with ease and suiting their own lifestyle without having to spend much money.”