When the phone rings at Mark and Justine Bell’s house in the rural hamlet of Whitebridge, there’s no saying who could be on the line.
Over the years it may have been Amy Winehouse, Billie Piper, members of U2 or Atomic Kitten.
For the couple, who met as teenagers at college in Edinburgh 20 years ago, both had successful careers in the music industry.
Mark, 42, ran his own social media company and oversaw the marketing of bands such as U2 and No Doubt, while Liverpool-born Justine, 40, was general manager of a major record label and helped launch the careers of bands such as Blue and Atomic Kitten.
They spent 15 years in London but the arrival of two children within 15 months, Brodie, now 11 and Daisy, nine, made them take a fresh look at their high-flying jobs.
“It was difficult juggling childcare and full-time work so we decided to put my career on hold and move somewhere with a slower pace of life,” said Justine.
“We’d dreamed of building our own place and were on the lookout for land when my old boss mentioned he was selling this piece of land.
“We knew exactly where it was as 10 years ago, we’d holidayed here and visited my boss’s mother who lived in Rowan Cottage next door.”
Within 12 weeks of that conversation they’d sold their Edwardian house in Richmond, and struck a deal which saw them move into Rowan Cottage and renovate it, while they oversaw the building of Cul Na Beinne (beyond the mountain).
It’s an impressive eco-friendly south-facing five-bedroom house set in more than four acres of private woodlands and on the market at offers over £445,000.
Local architect Neil Sutherland took their suggestions on board and created the stunning post and beam structure larch-clad house.
From breaking ground to moving in took just nine months.
“It was a challenging time and not easy, and in total we spent around £350,000 building the house, but the results were amazing and we absolutely love the house,” said Mark who is originally from Edinburgh.
The result is an impressive and unique contemporary home ideal for family living.
The house has several split-level areas.
From the entrance hall steps lead down to the double-height open-plan lounge, kitchen and dining area, while steps at the other side lead to a wing with three double bedrooms.
“It sounds like a cliche but the kitchen is the heart of this house and it’s where the family, which now includes four and a half-year-old twin girls, Daisy and Mackenzie, tend to gather,” said Justine.
With a wood-burning stove which is not necessary but lovely to have on says Justine, it’s cosy and homely but contemporary and stylish too thanks to a glass wall with a large sliding glass door which leads directly onto the patio area.
Every room has an interesting feature.
There’s a low-ceiling family lounge which they use as a TV room which they refer to as “the snug” and two of the bedrooms have built-in head-height double-beds accessed by a sturdy ladder which creates lots of floor space.
All three downstairs bedrooms have glass doors offering direct access to a patio or decked area.
A solid oak staircase leads up to a mezzanine level which has a large lounge offering fabulous views across the countryside.
There’s also a guest bedroom with luxury en suite and access to a stylish balcony (which can also be reached from the upper lounge) and a grand master bedroom with private balcony, walk-in wardrobe, and en suite with an enormous shower.
All the bedrooms have built-in wardrobes but further storage space can be found in the utility room and large basement which also doubles up as a home gym.
“What I like about Neil’s design is that he’s made full use of every inch of space so there’s things like built-in bookcases but he’s also added interest with lots of nooks and crannies and windows at different levels,” said Justine.
“The house is flooded with natural light which means we get solar warmth, but as it has excellent insulation, underfloor heating and an air source heat supply, it is very inexpensive to heat.”
The house comes with four acres of land and includes a polytunnel, raised vegetable beds and a large wooden shed and log store.
The hamlet of Whitebridge, around a 40-minute drive from Inverness, has a hotel and restaurant with primary schooling and further amenities in the village of Foyers, five miles away.
“We were welcomed really quickly into the community and it’s a lovely place to raise a family, so we definitely made the right decision to move here, ” said Justine who now runs an e-publishing firm from their home with Mark.
While they love the house, they are keen to repeat the building experience but say they won’t be leaving the area as it’s perfect for family life.
Contact: Stutt and Parker on 01463 719171.