Rogue trader can’t stop Adam and Natalie’s amazing Drumlithie cottage makeover

Adam and Natalie Davidson were scammed by a plumber but they didn't let that stop them from completing their beautiful cottage transformation.

By Rosemary Lowne

August 1 2024, 11:45 am

Adam and Natalie Davidson, pictured with their daughter Florence, have totally transformed their cosy cottage in Drumlithie.

Who: Adam Davidson, 31, a car mechanic, his wife Natalie, 30, a paediatric nurse and their two-year-old daughter Florence plus their adorable cockapoo Lily.

What: An extended detached cottage with three bedrooms, one of which is used as a dining room, plus a living room, kitchen/diner, office, bathroom and a south facing fully enclosed garden with decking which is perfect for barbecues.

Where: Drumlithie, a small village located approximately six miles south of Stonehaven and 18 miles from Aberdeen.

Adam and Natalie Davidson with their daughter Florence. Image: Adam Davidson

Here’s what they had to say about their home renovation journey….

“We bought Rose Cottage as our first home in the summer of 2017 after previously living in a flat in the centre of Aberdeen.

After trolling online and viewing a number of city centre properties, we decided to extend our search on ASPC and came across Rose Cottage online.

We went to view it and despite it needing quite a lot of work, we instantly fell in love with the property and were excited to take on a project.

How adorable is this cottage. Image: Raeburn Christie Clark and Wallace

Cosy cottage in Drumlithie

At our initial viewing we instantly fell in love with the open fire within the living room.

It was lit at the time of viewing and you could feel its warmth as we entered the front door.

We were also surprised at how light and spacious it was given its age and style.

We also decided to take a walk around the village and could really see ourselves falling into country life.

This was also a key factor in our decision to buy.

The stylish kitchen/diner has a window seat overlooking the gardens plus a breakfast bar and an array of integrated appliances including an induction hob, oven/grill, extractor canopy, fridge/freezer and dishwasher.Image: Raeburn Christie Clark and Wallace

You wouldn’t believe the amount of work they’ve put in…

On move in day we quickly realised that we needed to get to work to modernise the cottage.

The decor was dated, several windows had failed, it was heated by 1970s storage heaters and the bathroom was very basic.

We got to work and installed a brand new bathroom, replaced the upstairs windows to PVC double glazing and got rid of those prehistoric storage heaters.

We also painted the external walls white to align the cottage with a more traditional look.

The open fire in the living room instantly warmed the couple to the home. Image: Raeburn Christie Clark and Wallace

The satisfaction of replacing 1970s heaters…

Since moving in we have also installed new solid oak flooring downstairs, a cute stable door and upgraded the decking area.

Our most rewarding task was replacing the storage heaters.

Our new energy efficient, Wi-Fi controlled heaters have brought Rose Cottage into the 21st century and even made our energy bills cheaper.

In terms of the decor, we wanted the interior to really reflect a typical cosy cottage.

With a dining room like this, you’ll never want to eat out again. Image: Raeburn Christie Clark and Wallace

What paint did you use?

With regards to the paint used in the property, our go to has always been Farrow and Ball.

We painted our doors and banisters with their ‘down pipe’ colour to really give a contrast with the white walls and skirting boards and create a deeply dramatic entrance to our home.

We also loved working with Valspar paint.

With their extensive colour choice we managed to find colours to complement our home.

How beautiful is the panelling in this bedroom? Image: Raeburn Christie Clark and Wallace

Ripped off by rogue plumber

Our furniture has been sourced from numerous places including John Lewis, Cox & Cox and our personal favourite, Annie Mo’s on Union Street.

Our biggest challenge was our bathroom renovation for sure.

We found a plumber online who agreed to complete the work and for a price we thought was reasonable.

I’d say given this was our first renovation project, we were pretty naïve and agreed to pay the tradesman upfront – a rookie mistake.

He arrived on day one and began the renovation.

The bathroom was their biggest challenge. Image: Raeburn Christie Clark and Wallace

Everything seemed to be going smoothly until he just never returned.

After numerous failed attempts to contact him we resigned ourselves to the fact we were never seeing him again.

With our bathroom a building site and out of pocket we had to pick ourselves up and start again.

Luckily we found an amazing local handyman who came to our rescue and completed the work.

‘Don’t pay tradesmen upfront’

Our advice for anyone undertaking a similar project would be, although cliché ‘don’t sweat the small the small stuff’.

We got ourselves worked up a number of times but everything did work out.

And also, don’t pay your tradesmen upfront.

The cottage has been a work in progress since day one and only now have we got it to a standard which we are truly happy with but it’s time for a new project.”