Video: 3 Broadstraik Close, Elrick, Westhill
Girls sad to leave family-friendly home
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LITTLE Emma Hammell told her mum she would like a giant with a huge spade to dig up their house and take it to Edinburgh for them.
Emma, 6, her sister Bethany, 8, and mum and dad, Kevin and Laura are all sad to be leaving the house that has been their home for the past four years.
Kevin, 38, who works for Bank of Scotland gets moved around the country on a regular basis.
He said: “Over the years we’ve done a tour of the country.
“We were in Falkirk for a while, Inverness for three years then three years in Wokingham. It’s just the luck of the draw.”
Kevin was already working in Aberdeen for a few months before his family joined him.
During that time Laura managed a trip to the North-east for a look around and homed in on the area around Westhill.
Laura, 35, said: “It’s a nice area with everything we were looking for - leisure facilities, schools and shops.
“There’s open countryside close by and it’s a relatively easy commute into work. It has a nice feel,” added Kevin.
The couple viewed a showhome in Elrick and fell in love with it but there was a nine-month waiting list which was far too long to wait.
So when a similar house came up for sale in Elrick, Kevin went along to view it and didn’t waste any time putting in an offer.
He said: “I saw it on a Tuesday, put in an offer on the Wednesday and it was accepted on the Thursday.”
The first time Laura saw her new home was the day she moved in and she fell in love with it.
“I couldn’t get up because the schools hadn’t finished but I did see the schedule,” said Laura.
Kevin said: “The last house we had needed work done to it, so having had that experience this time round we were looking for something in a newer condition.
“All we had to do was put down some new flooring in the hall, cloakroom and en-suite and add our own colour schemes and style.”
Outside the garden is more or less as it was when they moved in.
“It’s very family-friendly and totally enclosed, a nice open space for the kids to run about in.
“I’ve left it like that as it’s very easy to maintain – a bit of a cop out for me,” laughed Kevin.
Number 3 Broadstraik Close is a very spacious property offering flexible living accommodation for a growing family.
The hall is big and spacious and at this time of the year houses a large Christmas tree at the full-height window next to the front door.
The lounge is such a bright and spacious room that Kevin and Laura are able to use one part of it as a dining room.
What was the formal dining room is now their family room and it’s one of Kevin’s favourite rooms.
He said: “When I get home from work I like to spend time in there with the kids.”
The inspiration for the red feature wall in the kitchen came from a picture in a glossy homes magazine.
“We love watching house programmes, looking at magazines and visiting showhomes.
We get lots of ideas from them,“ said Laura.
The kitchen is fitted with a modern range of base and wall units and provides loads of storage space, which is just as well, as Laura is not one for clutter.
There is a spacious dining area with patio doors into the garden.
“In the summer I leave the doors open and the kids and Bracken, our King Charles Cavalier spaniel run in and out,” she said.
On the ground floor there is also a cloakroom toilet and utility room.
On the first floor the bright and airy master bedroom has twin built-in wardrobes and an unusually large en-suite bathroom with twin basins, WC, bath and shower enclosure.
Bedroom two is a spacious guest room while the girls have bedrooms two and three which have been decorated in their favourite colours.
The family bathroom is fitted with a white three-piece suite and shower.
Outside at the front of the property is a huge driveway and a double garage.
Laura and her family are sad to be moving away from the Elrick area.
She said: “This is a really nice part of the world to bring up kids.
“It’s the longest time we have been in any house and we thought we would be here for a while, but we have to go where Kevin’s job takes us.”
