Who: Les Underdown, 58, a partner in Create With Impact, a graphic design and advertising business, and his wife Ness, 56, a retired NHS healthcare practitioner. They share their home with their two ginger cats, Bertie and Barney.
What: A beautifully renovated, five-bedroom, detached farmhouse.
Where: Fortrie, near Turriff.
Here is what Les has to say about their renovation journey…
“We were originally living in a tiny, chocolate box cottage in rural Kent.
But we wanted a complete change of lifestyle and scenery, away from the madness of south-east England.
We had pretty much stuck a pin in the map having decided we wanted to come to Scotland.
Aberdeenshire appealed to us as it’s close to the mountains, the coast and the city.
We found The Farmhouse on online listings.
‘The Farmhouse really stood out’
Over the course of one weekend, we looked at 10 houses but The Farmhouse really stood out for its location.
Built new in 2008 to replace the existing dilapidated house, the property enjoys an elevated position with tremendous views.
We were also attracted to the space it offered and Ness loved the kitchen/diner which has become the heart of the home.
We also loved the use of oak in the windows, doors and skirtings throughout.
So in July 2021 we moved in and spent two years improving the decoration internally and externally, replacing the kitchen work surfaces and oven and changing the garden and paddock to be more useable.
‘Each room has a unique style’
We also wanted to improve the heating system so upstairs we replaced the electric heaters with radiators and we also added a garage/workshop.
In total, the property has five bedrooms, three of which are en suite, plus a kitchen, living room, second reception, an office and a craft/studio room.
Outside, there are gardens and a paddock extending to about three acres.
Over the past three years, we’ve redecorated throughout to give each room a unique style.
Ness loves quirky interiors…
All credit goes to Ness as she gets a vision in her mind of what she wants, sometimes based around a single item like an ornament, or perhaps a particular colour.
She loves quirky and individual styles that you won’t see elsewhere.
Our furniture has come from many different sources as Ness will often get an idea of what she wants and then set about finding it.
We have some lovely Sherlock chairs from Next and a leather Chesterfield from an independent specialist shop in London.
Meanwhile, outside the garden was quite overgrown and badly arranged so we have worked hard to make it more useable.
The garden is a breath of fresh air…
Now we have a number of seating areas positioned to take advantage of the sun and views throughout the day, as well as a fire pit.
When we moved in a neighbour had sheep and horses in the paddock, but we’ve created a large lawn area which is ideal for ball games.
We also created a path around the outside where you can enjoy peaceful walks partly alongside a burn, as well as an old quarry area where we often have bonfires.
We also created a vegetable garden with raised beds and a greenhouse where Ness has been very successful growing flowers and vegetables.
For us, the greatest challenge during our renovation was the living room.
It’s so big and we didn’t know how we could make it a cosy space.
‘We love the location and the setting’
Again thanks to Ness’s imagination we now have two distinct seating areas.
One is centred around the wood burner with a wood-clad wall and bespoke coffee table as a centrepiece which creates an almost Alpine chalet feel.
The other area has the Chesterfield positioned to take in the amazing views through the double French doors.
This is also the perfect place for a huge Christmas tree.
Overall, we love what we’ve done with The Farmhouse and get lots of compliments from visitors.
We love the location and the setting.
The views are just amazing all year round.
Les shares top tips for fellow renovators…
The layout of the house is perfect for when we have guests and spacious enough to accommodate everyone.
We also have great neighbours who we will really miss when we move.
My advice for anyone else undergoing a renovation project is to live in the property before making any changes.
We always live in a house for a good few months before making any changes.
This ensures that we understand how we use the rooms and the gardens before rushing into anything.
Ness always says that the style of a room grows over time and you can add things along the way.
Don’t rush into buying things that are ‘in vogue’ as this might not stand the test of time – make it about your personality.”
The Farmhouse, Fortrie, Turriff, is on the market for £440,000.
To arrange a viewing contact Low and Partners on 07595 459852 or 01779 400352 or check out the website lowandpartners.co.uk
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