What it is: A very attractive Georgian steadings that has planning permission for conversion into homes. The building is to be divided into five, with the four units for sale priced at £95,000, £115,000, and two at £120,000. All are offered at a fixed price. Designed in 1832 by William Stirling of Dunblane — the architect of many churches and grand villas — this building has far more architectural ambition than most farm buildings, with recessed bays, cut stone window surrounds and stone mullions. The owner has commissioned a local architect, James Denholm, to provide him with a family home and four further units to be sold.
The problems: You will have to enter someone else’s dream and into a scheme that they devised primarily to meet their own needs. Given the building is Category B-listed, it will be difficult to change the design very much without a fresh planning application. By the nature of this scheme the homes will form part of a little community, rather than affording the privacy and solitude of a stand-alone property.
The advantages: Crieff is an attractive town with a vibrant community, surrounded by beautiful scenery and, crucially, is reasonably accessible for Edinburgh and Glasgow. The supply of steadings in such areas has dwindled in recent years and there were always precious few of this quality. In terms of creating your own dream and scoring a spectacular increase in capital value, this might not be your best bet. However, for a nervous self-builder, or someone who wants to specify as much of the internal fit as possible, this has much to commend it. The cost of turning each plot into a home could easily be as much as the units themselves, but unless it goes catastrophically wrong they will still be worth more than they cost to create.
CKD Galbraith, 01738 451 111