The third episode of Scotland’s Home of the Year broadcasts on Monday and features a former manse in Auchterarder.
The hit BBC One Scotland show sees judges Michael Angus, Anna Campbell Jones and Banjo Beale explore beautiful homes the length and breadth of the country.
The first episode focused on the East Coast and featured two homes in Fife.
In the third episode the intrepid trio are in the central belt where they visit houses in Bridge of Allan, Dunblane and Auchterarder.
The Old Manse is a handsome period house in Auchterarder that has been stunningly upgraded by Kelly and Michel Hillard. Remarkably, given how beautiful it is, this is their first renovation project.
“It’s actually the first home we’ve owned together in our marriage,” Kelly explains. “We always rented and saved so we could buy the home we really wanted.
“Michel wanted something modern that didn’t require any work but it had always been my dream to do a renovation project.”
Renovations to Old Manse in Auchterarder
The previous owners had lived at the Old Manse for upwards of 20 years and the house was in need of upgrading and repairs.
“Part of the roof needed overhauled and we had to replace the sewage pipes as well,” Kelly says. “There was a bit of upheaval but I loved every minute of it – even when we had water pouring out of pipes and had to cook in the garden because we had no kitchen.”
The ground floor features an open plan kitchen/dining room, a formal living room and a snug, all of which have wood burning stoves. Upstairs are five bedrooms, two of which are en suite, with one used as a study.
Open plan living
The couple knocked through a wall to create the open plan kitchen/diner.
It has double Belfast sinks, a large dining area and two windows out to the garden, one of which houses a window seat.
The snug has a large screen television, wood burner and a gin bar. It’s the perfect place to kick back and relax.
Kelly, 42, and Michel, 50, live in the Old Manse with their three children. Kelly continues: “We used a local architect who specialises in working with listed buildings.
“We wanted to do everything very sympathetically and respectfully. When we were knocking through walls we made sure to retain the cornicing and other original features.
“The biggest thing we did was move the kitchen to the front of the house. The garden is what really drew us to the house and we wanted our new kitchen to make outdoor living easier.”
Scotland’s Home of the Year judges rate Auchterarder home
The judges loved the Old Manse. Michael Angus said of it: “This is a wonderful, fine building with a real Italianesque quality to it. It’s very elegant.
“A building of this age would have had rituals and ways of living that no longer apply. What’s lovely about what the owners have done here is they’ve retained that respect to the way the building would have been used but they’ve modernised it in a way that is comfortable and suitable for them.”
Banjo Beale put it more simply: “If I could change one thing it would be replacing the owners with myself.”
Social media led the couple to appear on Scotland’s Home of the Year.
“I set up an Instagram page for the renovation,” Kelly explains. “SHOTY’s researchers approached me the year before but at that time the house was a building site. I asked if it would be possible to be in the next season of the show instead. To my surprise a year later they were back in touch and here we are.
“We’ll be watching the episode at my parents’ house, quite possibly with a glass of Champagne.”
- Episode 3 of Scotland’s Home of the Year is on BBC One Scotland on Monday at 8.30pm.
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