And, so, we have finally secured it - the perfect house for us for the next stage of our life. Nestled into the hillside above the beautiful Glendaruel is our beautiful new home-to-be, and we can't wait to be there 24/7.
With the huge and dramatic hill behind the house, creating a calm oasis, and not another house in sight, the entire landscape feels like ours. The view from the front of the house along there valley is ever-changing in the different seasons and weathers, and we could sit and watch it endlessly.
The location is on the Cowal Peninsula on Argyll's 'Secret Coast.' For whatever reason, it is less trampled than other areas of the west coast - but we feel it's pretty accessible. We've already been researching the things to do locally and just keep finding more, and more, from award winning restaurants serving the best seafood, a myriad of beaches, panoramas at each turn of the road to some fantastic short hop island adventures to be had. We can't wait to get stuck into experiencing the area around our new home. One thing we have done before is attending the awesome annual Cowal Gathering - the local highland games get together just half an hour drive south of our new house.
The house is even bigger than we were aiming for, with three bedrooms and two reception rooms, a double garage and plenty of storage. The rooms are all generously sized, with high ceilings and lots of light from the large windows - these were three things that we actually agreed on being towards the top of our wish list ... just after 'spectacular view'!
We also love the fact that it is a bungalow, with all the living space at ground level, meaning moving round the house is easy and flows nicely, and might just help as we get older and creakier!
Outside, the garden wraps 360 degrees round the house, with a driveway, patio area, mature shrubs, a wildflower area and a pond with newts in. The boundary planting is low most of the way around so that the views are not obscured, but embrace the house and enhance it. It is green as far as the eye can see, but so many different shades of green, from lime to olive. We first saw the house on a beautiful sunny day, just like in the brochure photos here, warm and still - it was idyllic.
The living-dining room is the best space in the house. We loved the split level floor, the brutalist fireplace, the wall of light from the window and triple-track and sliding door, and the hatch through to the kitchen. The kitchen is a great size, with the sink looking out over the view, plenty of work top space and a gorgeous AGA. The kitchen cupboards were great quality when originally installed and the doors are nice, but they need a lot of love, and may not be rescuable. Having never cooked on an AGA I am looking forward to learning how to use it for slow cooked casseroles, bread and cakes, for that cosy homely feel.
The bedrooms are all a great size, and because there are huge walk in cupboards in each one there is plenty of storage without taking up lots of room with wardrobes, and everything is tucked neatly away. All the windows have lovely timber frames set into the plaster, but the windows themselves are looking a little tired. They are timber windows though, so the question is how much effort do we put into rescuing them. They are solid, and they suit the house, so perhaps a clean down and lick of paint of varnish will do the trick.
The bathroom is also large by modern standards, with a very refreshing shower and even more storage. It is currently a little unfinished as the flooring needs to be completed. But this is also something that we were hoping for - a house with character and potential; a house we can put love into and make our own - a little project with a fabulous starting point that we can build on, together.
We have so many ideas, and the next phase of this blog will be about the house renovation - hopefully turning it into a minimalist Japanese inspired home, the adventure of exploring the local area and what it's like learning to live in a new area, a remote area, but an area with so much to see and do.
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