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Hitting the right note on the Black Isle

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Panoramic views, huge rooms and within easy commuting distance of both Inverness and Dingwall, Milvus has bags of potential for the right buyer, writes Susan Welsh

 

If ever there was a property suitable for offering bed and breakfast to guests, Milvus at Heights of Kilcoy on the Black Isle is it.

Not that it was designed with that in mind. When Jim and Gena Evans drew up plans to build Milvus, which they built in 2002, they simply wanted to create a comfortable but spacious family home that would suit their needs. They’d been living just along the road at a much bigger property, but with their three boys now grown up and flying the nest, they decided to downsize to a smaller property.

When a plot of land came up for sale within a stone’s throw of their house, they bought it, drew up the plans and spent a year building the house themselves with the help of a local bricklayer, joiner and their sons. And while it was a smaller home for them, you couldn’t in all honesty describe Milvus as a small house.

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Jim and Gena Evans

 

Despite looking like a cottage from the road, once through the doors you realise how big it is. With four much bigger-than-average double bedrooms, each with built-in wardrobes and modern en-suite shower rooms, it has bags of potential should the new owner want to offer B&B. But it’s not just the size of the rooms that is impressive here. It’s the fabulous views across rolling open countryside towards Kilcoy Castle, the Beauly Firth and mountains beyond that blow most visitors away.

“The sunrises we get here are just fantastic, while in the evening, there’s huge sunsets to be enjoyed from the back of the house,” said Gena, 64. “With unspoiled views like this, you can see why we were keen to stay here when we were looking for a smaller house.”

Gena and Jim have been married for 45 years and you can tell that this has been a house filled with love and happiness, one where children and grandchildren, friends and relatives have gathered and had fun, without ever feeling like they were crowding each other.

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“I like space, lots of space, so all the rooms are large while there’s plenty of big windows to let in lots of natural light. Really what this is, is a very comfortable house,” said Gena, who is originally from Maryburgh. She met Jim, who is originally from Lurgan, in Country Armagh, at a dance at the Strathpeffer Pavilion. His face will be familiar to many as he played the saxophone with the Sterling Showband and the Hamish Polson Band.

“The Sterling Showband came over from Ireland to Strathpeffer for a weekend, and stayed two years as it became the resident showband at the Pavilion,” said Jim. “I then joined the Hamish Polson Band and over the years must have played at hundreds of Highland weddings and nights out.”

But as well as hitting the right note with Gena, he was a pretty skilled welder and eventually set up his own successful business, James Evans & Sons, which has been responsible for building iconic sites such as the Highland Sports Academy in Dingwall and the stands at Ross County’s ground.

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“We like a property challenge and enjoyed renovating our old house and building this one,” said Jim 67. “We’ve spent the last few years renovating a property in Maryburgh which is next door to our son Craig, so now it’s ready, we are selling Milvus.

“The biggest selling point, apart from the size, is the location, as while it is rural and comes with great views, you can be in Inverness in just over 10 minutes. There’s a local primary school nearby and Muir of Ord and Dingwall are just a short drive away.”

On the market at offers over £360,000, the accommodation in the detached house includes a large sitting room with feature open fire, big windows which take in the great views, sliding patio doors leading to a sun-trap of a slabbed terrace and a further set of internal glass doors which lead to the dining room. This large room has a triple bay window which gives it the feel of a conservatory and again from here the views are unrivalled.

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The dining kitchen has a good range of fitted wall and base units and there’s ample space for a large table and chairs. The utility room, to the side, is bigger than most kitchens in new homes.

At the heart of the house is a large hall which gives access to most of the rooms including two big double bedrooms, each with double built-in wardrobes and en-suite shower room.

A broad staircase leads upstairs where there’s a large galleried hallway with study area, walk-in linen cupboard and two further enormous double bedrooms with built-in wardrobes and suites.

One of these, the master bedroom has walk-in deep wardrobes and a luxury en suite with deep bath, separate shower, WC and wash-hand basin.

Outside, the house is surrounded by low-maintenance grounds which include established lawns, a sun terrace and monoblock patio area, a double detached garage with power and lighting while a gravel area provides off-street parking for at least four vehicles.

Milvus is located on the periphery of Muir of Ord in the Black Isle, a minute or so drive from the Tore roundabout, and so is very convenient for those wishing to commute to Inverness or Dingwall. The local countryside offers many opportunities for recreational activities including golfing, cycling and hillwalking. Shooting, stalking and fishing are all readily available on local estates.

Contact: Strutt and Parker on 01463 719171.