Who: Paul Sinclair, head of global build operations with Technip FMC and his civil partner Hugh Gunn, school of business operations manager at University of Dundee plus their four-year-old German Shepherd Loki.
What: A terraced Victorian house with three bedrooms, lounge, family/TV room, dining room, kitchen, sunroom and bathroom. There’s also a detached double garage with integral large office/den.
Where: 25 Belvidere Street, in the vibrant Rosemount area of Aberdeen. Victoria Park is at the end of the street with local speciality shops just steps away.
Here’s what they had to say about their home renovation journey….
“We had been living in another terraced Victorian house in Broughty Ferry but we chose to move to Aberdeen as Hugh could work on a hybrid basis and we wanted to be closer to family.
We viewed many properties in Aberdeen albeit under a bit of pressure as our previous home sold within a week and the American buyer who hadn’t even viewed it, wanted in within five weeks.
We chose Belvidere Street because of the potential it showed and we even managed to look beyond the bright orange bathroom with gold taps.
The wine bar close by also appealed…
We loved the location as the street is a dead end and it’s so quiet – you wouldn’t know you were just minutes away from the amazing speciality shops on Rosemount Place.
Paul would probably say the wine bar just a few minutes’ walk away sealed the deal but the park at the end of the street sold it to Loki.
We also fell for the original features, we’d never seen so many curved internal walls in a house before so it really was unique to us.
Not a challenge for the faint hearted…
We moved into the property in April 2022 and have just completed an extensive two year refurbishment programme.
The previous owner was totally honest with us and admitted she had done nothing to the home in the 10 years she lived here so it really was a blank canvas for us to make our own.
Being honest, when we moved in, we did ask ourselves what on earth we had done but we soon managed to visualise how amazing the spaces could look.
Fortunately the electrics and central heating system had been maintained with a newly installed boiler so we could just concentrate on the cosmetic aspects.
It was worth investing in new windows
In terms of the renovation, every room has been stripped of several layers of wallpaper, right back to the plaster before being fully redecorated.
We also put in new double glazed sash and case windows throughout.
Being in a conservation area, we really wanted to make the front of the property look as original as possible so we chose timber windows over PVC.
We think the extra expense really makes the difference.
Our style is unique and is not everyone’s cup of tea
With new windows in the kitchen, we chose to replace the PVC cladding on the extension and chose a modern look to contrast with the original granite.
Installing a new kitchen and bathroom at the same time may have been a mistake but, you live and learn.
New carpets and flooring have also been fitted throughout with a consistent scheme so one room flows naturally to the other.
Our style is unique and is not everyone’s cup of tea.
Accentuating the period features was important
We have a lot of stuff which we have gathered over the years so we wanted to showcase all of our favourite items and eclectic finds without making the rooms feel cluttered.
The front of the house is darker than the back so we wanted to embrace that and chose the dark colour for the living room to really create a room that felt sumptuous and relaxing.
It’s an amazing room to sit in during a snow storm with the wood burner blazing and a glass or two of wine – it feels so cosy.
For us, it was important to highlight the original features.
How to get posh paints for less…
The cornicing in the living room is stunning and the colours we have chosen really draw your eye upwards to admire it.
Some things happened by accident as we chose to remove the arch between the kitchen and dining room which resulted in the wall falling down to reveal the granite.
We got it repointed and cleaned and it’s now a really striking feature as you walk from one room to the other.
In terms of paint, we love the colours by COAT Paints and Farrow and Ball but we sneakily get them colour matched at a leading DIY store.
We do have eclectic taste and have picked up bits and pieces of furniture at auctions and antique houses over the years.
Everything is generally imperfect but that adds to the character and shows is has been pre-loved.
We love every room in the house as we’ve really made it our own.
Our advice for anyone else undertaking a similar project would be to be patient and take your time, and stay strong, you will get there.”
25 Belvidere Street, Aberdeen, is on the market for offers over £495,000.
To arrange a viewing contact Alex Hutcheon and Co on 01224 623400 or check out the website aspc.co.uk
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