Take the plunge!

You don’t have to go to great lengths to enjoy some luxury at this detached home with its own pool

IT’S funny how popular you become in hot weather when your house happens to have a swimming pool. Over the past month – as Scots have been basking in Mediterranean temperatures – the Reid family have welcomed three different sets of house guests. Tomorrow, their daughter and grandchildren are visiting them from Singapore.

‘It’s a very popular addition to our house,’ said Brian Reid, who has worked all over the world in the construction industry.

‘On one occasion, a friend announced they would like to host their 50th birthday party around our pool. We told her the water was not up to temperature but it didn’t put her off.’

The Reids’ home is a stunning detached residence in Thorntonhall, a millionaires’ hamlet nestled between Glasgow and East Kilbride in Lanarkshire.

The house was initially a rather modest property in the mid-1970s but grew exponentially as a series of owners added extensions.

The Reids returned to Scotland in 1999 after working in Hong Kong and said they decided to ‘spoil themselves a bit’ with a home with a swimming pool.

Mr Reid designed it himself and appointed an architect to get his drawings through the planning process. The result is a most impressive leisure wing, complete with full-size pool, sauna, shower room and hot-tub.

It leads conveniently to a garden patio, where the Reids have been hosting barbecues during the heatwave – the best Scottish summer for decades.

Above the pool area is an elevated conservatory that overlooks the water – perfect for post-exercise relaxation.

The ground floor has a 27ft dining room, with French doors to the garden. There’s a sitting room, modern kitchen with integrated appliances, breakfast room, utility room and formal lounge.

There are five bedrooms in total. The master offers an en suite bathroom, twin dressing rooms and access to a sizeable games room big enough to accommodate... you’ve guessed it – a pool table.