Modern take on the traditional townhouse

Edinburgh is famed for its spectacular urban townhouses. The Georgian and Victorian three, four and five-storey homes make the best use of space in an overcrowded city and command high prices.

But developers are offering their own take on the design, with added features that period homes cannot provide; energy efficiency, open-plan space and well lit rooms on every floor.

And while traditional townhouses can be too large in their entirety for modern family life – many of them are split into two or three separate conversions – newly built ones can be sized to fit buyer’s needs.

The layouts in a 21st century townhouse are more family friendly too, usually placing dining kitchen on the ground floor next to either an integral garage or a TV room, a main lounge on the first floor and the master bedroom on a floor separate from further bedrooms and a bathroom.

It is an arrangement that suits many types of buyers, from families with young children or teenagers, to couples who want space for guest rooms or offices.

Buying a brand new townhouse also means gaining access to developers’ incentives which can make a move much easier than