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THE BSPC PROPERTY GUIDE / FEATURE PROPERTY
Illustrations of how the house would look when extended using the current approved plans
A DECEPTIVELY SPACIOUS COTTAGE IN GALASHIELS WITH PLANS TO BECOME EVEN BIGGER STILL
This three bedroomed cottage in Galashiels has the one thing many buyers look for in a property – potential. In this case the potential not merely to change the decor and modernise the interior, but to extend the living space. The house currently has full planning consent for more major improvements and an extension that would add a fourth bedroom and upstairs bathroom. Built around 1860, the cottage as it is right now is deceptively spacious, with a vestibule and hall, off which is a frontfacing living room, dining room, good-sized kitchen, third bedroom (equally suitable as a study or other purpose) and large refurbished modern shower room. Upstairs – the staircase incorporating a half-glazed door four steps up that provides access to the back garden – are two very spacious double bedrooms and a boxroom with a skylight window, all with traditional coombed ceilings – bedroom two also has an exposed stone wall feature and ceiling beams. A bonus is the view from upstairs; both bedrooms have three-section dormer windows that reveal panoramic views across the town to the distant hills.
The cottage is partially double-glazed and has gas central heating and natural wood finishes, while the kitchen – separated from the dining room by a sliding door – is equipped with floor and wall units and has space for a washing machine, fridge and freezer. The living room has an attractive recessed cast iron stove on an extended slate hearth. Iain Pheasant spent his childhood in the cottage, which was the family home from 1975 to the present and is being sold following the death of his mother. “Originally part of Ladhope Estate, there has been a house on this site since the 1600s and a nearby house used to be Ladhope village’s primary school,” he says. “It’s a great neighbourhood to live in and houses here very seldom come up for sale simply because people don’t ever leave – or if they do, it’s only to move to another house in the same street. The location is also very convenient, which is another attraction. Glendinning Primary School is only two minutes away and the town centre shops and other amenities are also within easy walking distance.”
Back to the subject of potential, the back garden is large and has great scope for development. At present the garden comprises a wide paved section housing a shed and a brick-built barbecue, both bounded by a retaining wall. Steps at the side lead up to a large sloping area – the single garage at the far end of the garden, which is accessed off Glendinning Terrace, stands on ground owned by Torwoodlee Estate.
9 Ladhope Bank Galashiels
“In addition to the existing planning permission, for which there are architect’s drawings to extend the first floor, the garden is certainly large enough to accommodate an extension at the back with the same footprint as the existing ground floor – effectively doubling it in size to make what could be a very substantial five bedroomed property,” Iain adds. This cottage is an ideal opportunity for first or second time buyers looking for a family -sized property with the potential to be more. Modernised and extended – up, out or both – it could prove to be an excellent long-term investment.
Fixed Price £125,000 Details on page 52