OPEN OUTLOOK
When Yvonne and Matthew Anderson left Fife for the West Coast, they embraced the change and found a new home as well as a whole new way of life
A move west opens up opportunities for a forever home and a new business
When Yvonne Anderson asked her husband Matthew, ‘What would you really like to do?’ she wasn’t anticipating the response she got. ‘After I’d spent 16 years living in Fife while developing a group of independent nurseries in Edinburgh, I really felt that Matthew had been the long-suffering husband: making sure the children were taken care of, always putting a hot meal on the table, and holding the homestead together,’ she says. ‘So when I sold the business, I said: “It’s your turn now – what would you like to do next?”
‘He ended up being very clear about what he wanted and that was to live on the West Coast. It was the last thing I was expecting – but I was ready for an adventure. I’d freed myself from my business responsibilities for the time being and I thought, well, why not?’
As a surveyor, Matthew knew his way around the property market and he quickly found a number of potential homes for the couple to view. When Melfort House came up for sale in 2004, they knew they’d found the right one – but it very nearly didn’t happen. ‘We actually lost out on the house at first,’ says Yvonne. ‘When we realised how disappointed we felt, we knew it had been the right one for us. Fortunately, the prospective buyer withdrew their offer and it came back to us.
‘Although the house was only built in 1964, its location had been
‘It was the last thing I was expecting – but I was ready for an adventure’
the site of substantial residences for centuries,’ says Matthew. ‘As the house stands now, the rooms on the front elevation are really what we bought. We ended up taking off the back of the house and reconstructing it, and the development grew arms and legs. What started off as a discussion about extending the kitchen turned into us adding an extra 400 square metres.
‘When we proposed the alterations to the local planners, they replied: “We don’t mind what you do with that house, we’ve never liked it.” Apparently the house is a bit of an anachronism in the architectural world. We didn’t know whether to be annoyed or relieved about that.’
Initially, the couple looked at the house simply as somewhere to live rather than as a potential business, but as they pondered the remodelling possibilities, it became clear that the property would lend itself perfectly to a bed-and-breakfast business, which would ultimately give them the perfect excuse to
live in such a beautiful place. ‘So, when the architect said, “If you ever wanted a third floor on your house, now would be the time,” we bit the bullet and went ahead, despite mounting costs,’ says Yvonne.
‘And, we are so glad that we did,’ she adds. ‘With t he business now thriving, we need seasonal help and the easiest way to secure this is by providing accommodation. The attic apartments provide the ideal solution.’
The refurbishment took 18 months and initially the family stayed at their home in Fife.
‘Then, we decided it would “encourage” the builders if we announced we were moving in,’ laughs Yvonne. ‘Lock, stock and barrel, we all poured into one room. There were still holes in the floors and wires hanging out of the walls. We had two cats, a dog, two daughters aged two and seven, and the two of us. In the end we put our cats in a local cattery for fear they might get sealed in under the floorboards. But it did energise the builders to finish.’
While Melfort House had originally been
commissioned as a holiday home, it had latterly become a permanent residence. ‘However, the level of interior finishing was dull – not poor quality, just dull,’ recalls Matthew. Yvonne has an eye for interior design and she added decorative features throughout the house that give the feel of a bygone age.
‘We altered the whole flow of the house as well,’ he adds. ‘Previously, with the staircase at one end, it was lopsided and difficult to navigate, so we installed a second staircase and now the movement is very definitely circular on both floors. Our intention to take in paying guests was factored into the design. Now the house functions easily as a single residence, but the new layout allows you to close the green baize door on each floor and split the house into two distinct living spaces.’
This design allows the Andersons to have a family life that doesn’t intrude on paying guests, but it still took them a while to open their doors. ‘In July 2006, the renovations were complete and we were teetering on the brink of accepting our first guests,’ Matthew remembers. ‘It had been a long haul and we were a bit anxious that we weren’t fully ready. Then, in August, neighbours who already ran a B&B phoned up to tell us we had people coming that very night. ‘We’ve just booked them in!’ they said. That gave us a kick-start.’
‘It was a watershed moment,’ agrees Yvonne, ‘but we’ve never looked
‘It’s great fun and many of our regular guests have become friends’
back. It’s great fun and many of our regular guests have become friends.’
The initial basic B&B offering has since expanded. Matthew has pursued his passion for cooking and now offers dinner as well as breakfast to guests, and has recently begun to offer dining to non-residents too when space allows. Yvonne, meanwhile, grows all the herbs, vegetables and salads for his dishes, and guests enjoy the homegrown field-to-fork ethos. Her polytunnel exploits (and catastrophes) have led her to writing a humorous column in a local newspaper.
As Matthew is a talented musician and singer, who is a member of the Piperactive
‘The new layout allows you to close the door on each floor and split the house into two distinct living spaces’
band, another recent venture is house concerts, which bring a selection of musicians and artists, many of whom are regulars at Celtic Connections, to play in the intimate setting of the drawing room.
While uprooting to the West Coast wasn’t what Yvonne had in mind when she asked that question 12 years ago, it has proved to be a great move for the family. ‘It has been an extraordinary landscape in which to bring up Phoebe and Georgie, who are now 19 and 13,’ she says. ‘It’s also a privilege to be part of a warm and social community with such a strong sense of place. It’s still a big adventure.’
‘Yvonne has added decorative features throughout that give the feel of a bygone age’