If walls could talk, Cove Farm would tell a heartwarming story of love, laughter and happy memories.
Full of pizzazz and personality, the charming former farmhouse in Cove Road has been home to Zoe Ogilvie, who is a founding director of BIG Partnership and an Aberdeen Football Club board member, her husband Bill, who works part-time for Arbroath Football Club and their daughter Francesca who plays for Aberdeen FC Women.
Over the past 20 years, the football mad family have loved everything about their wonderful home especially the superb sea views, their quirky home bar and their sun-soaked conservatory.
But as their daughter Francesca has flown the nest, the time has come for the couple to downsize.
“What we’ve enjoyed most about living here is the space and the privacy and the fact that it’s been a house filled with family and friends from day one,” says Zoe.
“Being close to the sea but very near town is hugely appealing – people perceive Cove as being outside of town but it only takes 10 minutes to get to Union Square, 15 minutes for me to get to work in the morning and two minutes to get on the AWPR.”
Superb space for all the family
It was the space both inside and outside the property that first attracted Zoe and Bill to the home.
“We were moving from a farmhouse in Wartle with over seven acres of land to be closer to town and we were keen to find a similar style property with lots of space outdoors for our dogs, cars, speedboat and other outdoor gear,” explained Zoe.
“We looked at several steading conversions but they simply didn’t have the space we needed within our budget at the time.
“We’d never considered Cove and indeed probably wouldn’t have if we hadn’t seen this property.
“It needs to be viewed to fully appreciate the space indoors and outdoors.”
Home full of charm and character
Dating back to around 1904, the property has a fascinating history.
“It’s about 120 years old and, although originally a typical north-east two-up, two-down style farmhouse, it’s been sympathetically added to over the years and now incorporates what was a steading or out-buildings as part of the house.
“This makes for some amazing old features such as the traditional farmhouse kitchen stove/ fireplace and the quirky lay-out of the rooms which flow into each other.”
Traditional yet contemporary, Cove Farm is positively brimming with character and opens up with a front porch with amazing sea views.
Fully stocked home bar
The wonderful views continue in the open plan lounge/dining room where there is a wood burning stove set into a striking tiled fireplace.
And with its very own bar/games room complete with a bar counter and optics, the property is the perfect place to host parties.
“The pitch pine bar complete with optics, cooler and an old bell to ring for last orders was a real selling point,” says Zoe.
“We’ve hosted too many parties to mention from our daughter’s third birthday party when we first moved in and our friends’ leaving parties to a Boxing Day party with 100 people and a live band.
“We’ve also hosted many BIG Partnership barbecues and Aberdeen FC Women end of season parties as well as Christmas Days with as many as 16 eating and sleeping comfortably.”
Stylish kitchen has all the right ingredients
Also perfect for hosting parties is the open plan sun lounge/dining room where double French doors lead out to the garden.
For those who love to cook, the stylish kitchen will not disappoint as it has a Rangemaster cooker, two integrated fridges and a dishwasher plus a plethora of storage units.
Completing the ground floor is two double bedrooms, a hallway and vestibule.
Upstairs, there is a master bedroom, guest bedroom both with ensuite bathrooms plus a double bedroom.
Amazing garden area
In addition, there are two interconnecting rooms which are currently used as home offices.
Outside, alfresco dining can be savoured in the large lawn garden where there is a firepit, a decked area with hot tub, a patio/parking area, a double garage and further parking.
Although sad to be leaving their fantastic home, Zoe and Bill are happy in the knowledge that it will make another family happy.
“I think the property would suit a large or growing family with pets who love to entertain and need lots of outdoor space – there’s a large drive that can accommodate five/six cars, with a double garage, a garden shed, a coal cellar which we’ve converted into a dog kennel and run and a large workshop/shed with an upstairs which could be converted into a granny flat,” says Zoe.
“The patio is totally enclosed and private and we’ve put a hot tub in a raised, decking area and the front garden is totally enclosed and safe for both dogs and children.”
For Zoe and Bill, they’ll miss their conservatory, the bar and the sea views the most.
“There are so many lovely, quirky facets to the house but I think the large conservatory and the bar are key features, not to mention the size of all the bedrooms and storage space,” says Zoe.
Cove Farm, Cove Road, Cove Bay, Aberdeen, is on the market for offers over £475,000.
To arrange a viewing contact Alex Hutcheon + Co on 01224 623400 or check out the website aspc.co.uk
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