Projects

We’re delighted to show you our latest project at Craigleith Hill Cresent in the sought after area of Craigleith in Edinburgh. The property its-self is a two-bedroom bungalow located on a quiet leafy street. The property offers all the ease and convenience of single-story living and provides exciting development opportunities for the next owners to extend upwards with the addition of dormers.

The previous owners occupied the property for a long time (around 50 years). So as you can imagine, there was a lot of work to be done to the property. The first job was to strip out the property – carpets, textured wallpaper, bathroom and the kitchen, giving us a blank canvas to visualise our plans.

We purchased the property as a two-bedroom bungalow but spotted the potential to convert it to a three-bedroom. The property benefitted from an extension to the rear of the property, which the previous owner had used as a dining room. We decided to remove the wall separating the dining room and the kitchen to create a lovely bright open plan kitchen living area.

Altering the kitchen/living space allowed us to convert the old living room into the new third bedroom. We thought having this property set up as a three-bedroom would appeal to many buyers in this area’s price range. The room would also be perfect for other uses depending on the buyer – a dining room, home office or even a second living room.

The old bathroom was stripped out and modernised, but no structural changes were needed. We picked a modern yet timeless look for the bathroom with a tiled floor and underfloor heating, full-height wall tiles, and an LED mirror. We always have the end-user (the potential buyer) in mind when renovating a property. Therefore we installed a bath with a shower over it to ensure suitability for the many families looking for homes in this area.

Having opened up the kitchen into the previous dining room to create an open plan kitchen living space allowed us to turn the living room into a big third bedroom. And what a difference with the walls skimmed, painted with a lovely Farrow and Ball colour and fresh carpets to bring this room back to life.

Part of taking on a project of this style means there is usually a garden that needs some TLC. We decided to remove all the foliage and leave a nice clean blank canvas for the new owners. The garden was levelled, and fresh turf was laid, ready for the new owners to make their own.

As you can see here, we widened the windows from the living room with large sliding doors to tie the outside with the inside. In addition, we installed a new decking area outside the rear of the property for outdoor living, which we think works well.

The final part of our renovation included freshening up the front of the house. We painted the front door one of our favourite Farrow & Ball colours, French Gray, and tied the flower beds in the front garden. To modernise the look of the front of the house, we removed the previous slabbed/gravelled driveway and laid new stones on the driveway. Although this part of the renovation didn’t take too much time, we certainly feel it made a big difference to the first impressions!

We’re delighted to show you our latest project at Daisy Terrace in the conservation area of Shandon in Edinburgh. The property its-self is a one-bedroom ground floor colony flat located in the Flower Colonies at Shandon, and it’s bursting with character. For anyone who doesn’t know about Colony properties, these rows of beautiful lower and upper apartments were built in the late 1800s for skilled workers. The Colonies were known to be bustling areas with a real sense of community, and this is still the case to this day.

The previous owners occupied the property for a long time (around 50 years). So the first job was to strip out the property – carpets, textured wallpaper, bathrooms and the kitchen. This gave us a blank canvas to start working with.

We purchased the property as a one-bedroom colony flat but spotted the potential to convert it to a two-bedroom flat. The property benefitted from a large walk-in box room which was accessed from the hallway. We converted this box room into the kitchen and were delighted with the finished result (not to mention the kitchen’s functionality).

The previous kitchen was stripped out to leave a good-sized double bedroom. We thought having this property set up as a two-bedroom flat would appeal to many buyers looking in this price range in the area. The room would also be perfect for other uses depending on the buyer – a guest bedroom, a dining room or even a home office.

The old WC was stripped out and modernised with a tiled floor, half-height wall tiles and an LED mirror.

The master bedroom is a really good size in this property and benefits from all-day sunlight with its south-west facing windows. And what a difference with the walls skimmed, painted with a lovely Farrow and Ball colour and the original floorboards sanding and brought back to life.

Part of taking on a project with as much character as this property had, was to enhance the original features. Therefore, rather than removing any original features, we thought it was best to restore them where possible.

When we pulled up the carpets in the property, we found the original fireplace hearth in the living room. While a small number of the tiles in the heart were slightly cracked, we thought it still looked great and decided to keep this original feature but with a modern twist. First, we lined the chimney and installed a wood-burning stove, which is always a huge attraction when selling a property.

We were very fortunate with the condition of the original floorboards in the property, so we sanded and lacquered the original flooring for it to be enjoyed for years to come. We think it looks
fantastic!

The cornice throughout the property and ceiling rose in the living room were also in excellent condition, so our decorator worked his magic freshening these up.

Because we were able to put the kitchen into the big box-room off the hallway, this allowed us to remove the old kitchen and add a second bedroom and add significant value to the property.

The bathrooms needed some attention but thankfully, no structural changes. We picked a modern yet timeless look for the bathrooms and maximised light in these rooms by fitting LED mirrors and replacing the old patterned glass in the doors with modern frosted glass. In addition, by replacing the glass in the door frames, we could increase natural light in both rooms while keeping the original doors in the property. Once the property went on the open market, we were amazed at how many viewers complemented the bathrooms.

Our property at Lanark Road is located in the historic conservation village of Juniper Green, just on the outskirts of Edinburgh. The property is an old farmhouse style property, with the ground floor converted into a commercial property and the two upper floors as a maisonette. The property we purchased covers the first and second floor and is a large three-bedroom, three public room maisonette. 

While at first glance the property appeared relatively well maintained internally, unfortunately the previous owner had neglected many of the larger repairs required to the property. Firstly the property’s roof had been leaking for many years, causing damp and ultimately multiple areas of dry rot. The first job was to overhaul the roof to ensure the property was water tight. Following this we used a reputable rot specialist company to treat the dry rot throughout the property. 

Once these essential repairs were completed, it was time to start on the inside of the property.

We involved our architect following the initial external works to see how we could maximise the usability of the space within the property. The property only had one bathroom located in the vestibule area, therefore we converted a dressing room off the master bedroom to a main bathroom. All bathrooms required replacement, as did the dated heating system. The electrics had been updated in places but to ensure the property met our standards for sale (and as a backup plan, for rent), we fully rewired the property. 

Once the bigger jobs of the property were completed, we were on to the more cosmetic renovations we all love to see the before and after pictures of! We replaced the kitchen with a modern shaker kitchen, and fully redecorated throughout in neutral tones. We also pulled out the slightly retro fireplace and replaced it with something more in line with current trends.

We’re firm believers in staging properties for sale. Staging a property can turn it from a relatively blank canvas into something eye catching. We fancied trying something different for this project: virtual staging. You may, or may not, be able to tell but the property was staged virtually! We think the computer generated images of the furnishings in the property made an incredible difference to the feel of the property, and really opened our eyes to what the property could look like with the right finishing touches. The property was put on the open market but luckily didn’t stay for sale for long… we accepted a fantastic offer after one week on the market!

Our Coillesdene Drive project was a derelict bungalow located in the popular area of Joppa, in east Edinburgh. With views over the Firth of Forth and a stone’s throw from the beach, this property was a rough diamond. The property had been empty for five or more years, and it was evident that even when it was occupied, the owner had neglected many maintenance issues in their property. We could see the potential to turn this property into a show home, with endless possibilities for extensions and internally reconfigurations.

Many works were required to bring this property back to liveable condition, but a high level of exterior works was required before we could make a start on the interiors. Firstly the removal of the crumbling garage and boundary wall was essential for safety purposes, followed by weeks of excavation of the back garden. A boundary wall had collapsed into the back garden, leaving mounds of rubble, concrete and a huge amount of overgrown vegetation to be removed. 20 skips or so later, we managed to see the full size of the back garden and get a list of exterior works required together. Some windows were replaced due to a previous break-in, and the roof and gutters required overhauling.

Previous neighbours kindly gave us background information into the property, highlighting drainage or plumbing issues. Due to the nature of the issues, we replaced all plumbing inside the property. After using the facilities for a few weeks, we realised the drainage outside also required investigating. Replacement pipes for all drainage were installed, which required deep excavations at the front of the property.

We got to work on a plan for the inside of the property. The property had two bedrooms and three public rooms. Therefore we discussed the usage of these rooms with our architect and made plans to convert the bungalow to a three-bedroom two public room home. We opened up the living room with the kitchen, providing a large and bright west-facing open-plan living space.

The existing lounge was changed into the master bedroom with built-in storage. The property required rewiring, which took place at the same time as the heating (and plumbing) overhaul. As the property had been empty for many years, the property felt damp and had many areas of mould. We investigated these potentially worrying damp areas and sorted any ongoing issues, which included historic burst pipes due to the cold. We installed a new kitchen, new bathroom and fully redecorated the bungalow (inside and out). 

The landscaping of the garden made an incredible difference to the feel of the property, turning it from a rather dated property into a modern space. The before and after pictures really show the huge transformation of this property, enjoy! 

Bonnington Grove is a beautiful quiet street located next to Victoria Path, in North Edinburgh. The property has some wonderful original features, including high ceilings and intricate cornice. The property was a large one bedroom property, containing a lounge with a box room off it and a large dining kitchen. We felt the property could be rearranged to form a good-sized two-bedroom property. With a south-facing living room and small garden to the front, the property had a lot of potential for a range of buyers.

The property had been neglected for many years, with the previous owner not carrying out any maintenance work for some time. When we purchased the property it had been partially rewired and had a very dated (and dangerous-looking) heating system. A full rewire and heating system upgrade was first on the list of renovation works. 

The box room off the lounge was not quite large enough to have a new kitchen fitted. Therefore we required architects and engineers input to move one of the walls (load-bearing) in the box room to create more space, by taking some space out of the previous large dining kitchen. This created a small but practical kitchen off the living room.

By creating a new kitchen, we had two bedrooms to decorate. We relocated the boiler in the property from the existing kitchen into the new walk-in wardrobe in the newly formed bedroom. The property required a new bathroom, new kitchen and full redecoration throughout. We were very pleased with the end result, and hope you enjoy the before and after pictures.

Western Terrace was a large three bedroom terraced house. The property had some incredible original features, and this was one of the major factors that swayed us during our search for a property to renovate. Bringing this unloved property back to its former glory was our main objective our the renovation works.

This property required some major works. The property had some of the worst dry rot seen by the rot specialists, which spanned the four terraced houses on the property. Unfortunately, the previous owner of this property had let the roof fall into disrepair over many years, and as a result, allowed water to ingress and cause extensive rot work. Treating the rot and replacing the roof was first on the list of must-do jobs. Many of the original sash and cash windows were cracked, and sills rotten. These were also replaced urgently once works got underway. Unsurprisingly, the property had extremely dated electrics and heating system, so both of these were replaced before moving on to the more cosmetic side of the renovation.

Once the essential works were completed to make this property wind and watertight, we got to work making internal alterations to maximise the space. We opened up the dining room and kitchen to give a wonderful large open plan living space. Off of this room, we turned a dark unused pantry into a light and airy laundry room. A large hall cupboard was converted into a downstairs W/C, always a great addition for when you have guests round. Upstairs remained a similar floor plan, however, we used a large pantry cupboard in the hallway upstairs to convert a Ramsay ladder into the loft into a property staircase. Part of the loft was sectioned off and made into a home office. 

From here, we redecorated the full property including plastering every wall. A new kitchen and new bathroom were installed to add the finishing touches to the property.