Video: Bandeen Steading, Craigievar, Alford
Steading transformed
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Even though it was just a shell, they could see it had lots of character, potential ... and amazing views.
Andrew, 31, said: “I’ve always wanted to build my own house.
“My dad is a builder so I wanted to try my hand at it myself. We planned to do a lot of the work ourselves.
“We had been looking for a site for a while before Fiona spotted this one.”
Fiona, 27, a graphic designer with the National Health Service said: “It had a nice atmosphere and feel about it. We both loved it.”
Plans had been drawn up by the previous owners.
“But we made quite a few changes in terms of layout and it was our intention to keep as many of the original features as possible.” said Andrew.
Fiona added: “We even built a little model of the steading and moved around the walls to try out different layouts.”
Before they could even start on the rebuilding, hundreds of tonnes of rubble had to be cleared.
Using a JCB digger Andrew spent about a month clearing debris from inside of the building. Then concrete floors were laid, roof trusses put on and slated using the original Welsh slates which fortunately had been stacked on one side.
The original granite walls were repaired, internal walls and partitions put up, plumbing and electrics installed.
Andrew said: “It was at this stage we began to realise just how big the place was and that it was going to take longer to finish than we had thought.
“Just doing something like putting on skirting boards which we originally thought would take a weekend actually took a week and a half.
“We also had a problem finding trades people as the property market was going through the roof at that time.
“It was obvious that if we were going to finish the project I needed to work on it full time,” recalled Andrew.
So two years ago Andrew packed in his job with Scottish Water to concentrate on the house.
“It was a real challenge but we got there in the end and it has turned out better than we could have hoped.”
A little bit about the history of the steading was uncovered when they had a surprise visit from a Canadian called Ian Bandeen, whose family had lived in the farmhouse before emigrating in 1851.
Fiona and Andrew have successfully fulfilled their dream to build a beautiful home.
They have captured the traditional character of the old building and introduced modern design to the interior.
The bright and sunny lounge is stunning and features two huge arched windows which were once entrances into the barn.
The beautiful reclaimed Victorian maple floor came from an old village hall near Whiterashes.
An unusual feature and talking point is the original cheese press which has been kept.
“Little bits and pieces like that help to make the property more individual,” said Andrew.
A solid oak staircase leads up to the kitchen/dining/family room which is Fiona’s favourite place.
The kitchen is fitted out with a range of stylish units made of solid oak and topped with black polished granite.
The dining/family room has lovely views across the garden from two triple width patio doors.
Also on this floor is a cloakroom, utility room and the bedroom wing which houses five large bedrooms, one with en-suite shower room and the family bathroom.
On the first floor is a study area and the spacious master bedroom with en-suite shower room.
The steading’s landscaped grounds stretch to about an acre with lawn, shrub and flower borders and mature trees.
Across the courtyard from the house is a bothy suitable for use as a gym, workshop or office.
Andrew and Fiona haven’t had much time to enjoy their fabulous home but they are looking forward to another exciting event.
Andrew said: “Our circumstances have changed.
“We’re expecting our first baby in February and Fiona really wants to be closer to her parents who live in Bathgate.”
