COMING home to Milltown House is like escaping to another world for the Price family.
Perched on top of a hill at Drumwhindle, near Ellon, the four-bedroom farmhouse is set among seven acres of land and backed by its own woodland.
And it’s here among the tranquility of the countryside and the twittering of birds, that the family enjoy the happy home.
“It was the setting that first caught our attention,” said Janis, 55. “It’s got lovely country views and the house is at the end of a long driveway.
“The house dates back to the 1880s and has a lovely feel to it. It’s a happy, family home.
“And although it’s less than five miles from Ellon, you feel like you’re far away in the countryside.”
Janis and Graham, 45, have enjoyed their five years in Milltown House, which they share with daughter Sophie, 11.
As Graham is a builder with his own company, the family worked on their previous two homes in the area, decamping to a nearby caravan for the duration of the work. But when it came to this project, that wasn’t necessary.
“When we bought this house it came with an old steading which we wanted to convert,” said Janis, who has two grown-up daughters in the North-east and has just become a granny for the first time.
“At that time the steading was separate from the main house so we could stay there and eventually it was joined on.
“That converted steading became our lounge and it was my idea to have the big windows and high ceilings, to really show off the views and bring the feel of the garden indoors.
“We’ve had lovely family Christmases in that room, especially last year when we had lots of snow and the views from the windows were lovely.”
As well as the jaw-dropping lounge, the property also benefits from an additional family room, with French doors leading out to the patio.
The kitchen is a traditional country-style room and very spacious.
And the bedrooms are all big and bright.
One of the house’s major selling points is its grounds which extend to more than seven acres, including a one-acre garden with lawns and patio area.
Janis said: “We’ve tried to keep the garden as low-maintenance as possible.
“But if you were interested in gardening, this would really be a dream property.
“And of course it’s also suitable for a family with horses, as the extra land can be used for grazing.”
Although originally they had planned to make this home their place to settle down, the Price family have decided they’ve got one more adventure to pursue.
“We’ve decided to emigrate to Adelaide, Australia and that will be our last project,” said Janis.
“We hope our home there will have a swimming pool.”