The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Labour of love
When you put a lot into a house, you get a lot back, writes Laura Redpath
Number eight Crown Avenue, Inverness was a house that had been neglected for a long time. It was next door to where Amanda Johnston worked as a nurse so when it went on the market, she knew it would be a lot of work for the new owners. But she bought it anyway.
Looking back on the old house she said: “It had fallen to disrepair and the garden was looking quite sad.
“It was clear it would be complete renovation but it seemed like a good opportunity to buy a house in a really nice location.”
Amanda bought the four-bedroom house nearly four years ago and has lived there with her children, Melissa, 19, and Sean, 14.
It took a couple of years for the property to come together and the family didn’t move in until a year after it was bought to allow for renovation work to start.
“For the first year we didn’t live in the house as the floorboards had been completely ripped up and it needed rewired and replumbed.
“I had quite a clear vision of how I wanted the house to look.
“I wanted to restore the floorboards and retain as many as the original feature as we could.”
The house is peppered with cornicing, moulded skirting boards and cosy wood burners and fireplaces.
The lounge is styled with a dark-blue feature wall and dark wooden floorboards. A large bay window lets in plenty of light and there’s built-in storage to hold homely and decorative items. There’s ample
room for soft furnishings to relax on after a hard day at the office.
At the heart of the home is the spacious dining kitchen, whichis fitted with cabinets and worktops and all the essential appliances including a fridge, dual-fuel Range Master cooker and multi-fuel stove, which are to be included in the £365,000 asking price.
There’s plenty of space for a formal dining room and a handy centre island with granite worktop. There’s also a utility room which is plumbed for a washing machine and vented for a tumble dryer.
The kitchen also benefits from period features like a fireplace and stunning ceiling rose.
“I probably spent about 18 hours restoring that ceiling rose,” said Amanda.
“There were just layers and layers of paint on it.
“But the kitchen’s my favourite room. It’s a really nice large kitchen and it’s bright.
“There’s white cafe shutters and it’s just a nice room that you’d want to spend a lot of time in.”
A wooden banister and balustrade leads from the hallway to the upper mezzanine floor which houses the family bathroom, comprising a three-piece suite in white.
On the upper floor there are four good-sized bedrooms with feature fireplaces and a large walk-in wardrobe, which has the potential to be an office.
The property sits within a good- sized garden, mainly laid to lawn with a selection of mature shrubs and bushes, wood store and garden shed.
A drive-way to the front of the property provided ample parking and leads to the single garage.
Exploring the local area, the house is just a twominute walk from the city centre.
Amanda finds it really convenient and is planning on moving to another house in the area.
“There’s cafes and restaurant on the doorstep and it’s so handy for going into town.
“I’ve put so much into the house so I’ll definitely miss it.”
Contact Macleod & MacCallum on 01463 235559.