Towards mid-June two houses (or opportunities) turned up in quick succession which both offered the possibility of a project with a stunning outcome if done well.
Continuing the run of properties in Dumfries and Galloway, Upper Rusko Steading, just north of Castle Douglas, is in a beautiful spot, on the river Fleet. The Fleet Valley is designated as a special scenic area and comprises rolling farmland, and forest. It is fantastic walking and cycling country and not too far from civilisation. Offers wanted over £125,000.
Upper Rusko Steading is a traditional stone and slate steading arranged round a central courtyard. At one time it would have been used for the storage of produce and stabling for livestock, and there are hundreds of such buildings across Scotland, which are slowly being released to market as they are no longer in use. They offer superb development potential and because of their nature are situated on farmland and often have great views of the open countryside around them. They are, however, often in need of significant repair and renovation and, as we mentioned in a previous post, having been originally build as farm buildings, the base building materials may not be all that great!
The benefits of this one were multiple - Dumfries and Galloway Planning Authority had issued a Pre-Application Enquiry Advisory Report in 2021, so they were open to a full planning application being submitted, allowing the buyer to decide the design themselves with the certainty that sympathetic plans will be accepted. Many plots we have viewed already have full planning permission granted, meaning that you would be building somebody else's dream, rather than your own.
Liz : I got very excited about this project because I can see potential. Perhaps I can't always see how to get there, but I have faith that it can be done if you have enough determination and perseverance (and money!). The roof has started to fall in, but the walls look straight and true and there are large apertures for big picture windows to drink in that wonderful view. And the square footprint would enable a beautiful courtyard garden in the centre.
The total plot is 1.3 acres, which is about perfect for me. The price seemed very fair for the size of the plot, and the building is enormous, so it would make a very large dwelling with inbuilt garages and perhaps a separate little wing at one end as a holiday let. Or, many of these buildings of this size are split into two, three or even four dwellings, thus allowing resale for profit once they are complete. We will talk more about steading conversions in a later post, as they come with their own rules.
Everything about this one was perfect - access is taken directly off a minor public road, the vendor (who owns all of the adjacent farmland) would allow for the drilling for water by way of a borehole, access to a septic tank tail drain and the drainage pipe leading therefrom and the laying in of electricity from the adjacent powerline. Meaning all services were nearby, accessible and possible without breaking the bank - so we wouldn't have to worry about being off grid. This is by far the best example of a steading that we have still seen, to date (end of August).
John: I admire my wife's optimism which can sometimes verge on a 'sense of reality failure', but on this one, I did really like the area. It was rural but not remote and I thought people would want to come to this location should we develop the property into rentable accommodation. Literally just down the road is a beautiful nature reserve (Cairnsmore of Fleet) and cycling along flat, quiet roads or disused railways lines (they tend to be flat also ;) ) in the area looked amazing - I could imagine some great days out and maybe get involved in helping to make a new route across some untouched countryside.
It had been on the market for about 8 weeks when we found it on a Saturday evening, and so John said I could ring up Monday morning and make enquiries. I must admit I was surprised at his positivity, based on the work required on this one. I thought maybe he had had time to think over the benefits and decided it was achievable. So I did call the estate agent. And they told me that an offer had just been accepted. Scuppered and disappointed yet again.
The other was Mid-Dalziel Farmhouse, which we will tell you about in our next post...
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