Balruddery Farmhouse is an exceptional property sitting in 2.2 acres of countryside between Dundee and Perth.
Surrounded by rich farmland owned by the James Hutton Institute, it’s in a secluded location and enjoys plenty of privacy.
It’s reached by quiet rural roads near the village of Fowlis. A track delves off a country lane and cuts through a farmyard before reaching the large parking area outside Balruddery Farmhouse.
The B-listed two storey house dates from around 1820 and has five bedrooms. For the past 11 years it’s been home to Paul and Vicki Harrison, who live there with their daughters and their dog.
A large timber front door leads into an entrance vestibule then a bright and spacious hallway. To one side is the formal lounge, which has a large south facing window and a wood burning stove.
“The original open fire is still behind there but it was draughty and all the heat goes out of the chimney,” Vicky explains. “The wood burner puts out much more warmth.”
Across the hallway is the living room. It has twin aspect windows, facing east and south. Another large wood burner sits in a recess and keeps the family cosy during the winter months.
Filled with light
The dining room has a window to the rear and a pair of French doors that open onto a west facing patio. This gets the sun all afternoon and evening, making it the perfect place for a barbecue or a glass of wine.
Off the dining room is a small former laundry room that has been converted into an office. It’s an ideal space for the increasing number of people who work from home.
The kitchen faces east where it gets the morning sunlight. It has space for a table and chairs. There is a ground floor shower room, a utility room and a rear storeroom.
Another storeroom is tucked away behind the living room and could potentially make a second home office.
On the warm late-May afternoon when I visit the sun is streaming into the house making it a bright and welcoming place.
The staircase winds up past a large mid-landing window to the upper landing where doors lead to all five bedrooms.
Measuring 18’8” by 15’9” the principal bedroom is bigger than many living rooms. It’s well lit by two large windows, one facing south and the other looking west to capture the evening sunshine.
The second bedroom also looks south and has an additional easterly window that enjoys the first light of day.
Both of these bedrooms have a superb, far-reaching outlook across fields and woodlands to the glittering belt of the River Tay and the Fife hills beyond.
Fantastic views
Indeed, almost every room in Balruddery Farmhouse has excellent views. The east facing rooms look over to Dundee, with its twin peaks of the Law and Balgay Hill. West facing windows gaze across farmland and woods. Even the north facing rooms have an outlook over a farmyard and fields.
Three more bedrooms are at the rear of the house, two with twin aspect windows and one with a single north-facing window.
An oil heating system provides warmth and hot water for the house, although when the two big wood burning stoves are going there’s little need to use the central heating system.
The gardens are another of Balruddery Farmhouse’s highlights. Stretching to 2.2 acres, they wrap around the house and step gently down onto two lower terraces.
Mostly they are laid to lawn, although there’s a patch of daffodils, rhododendron and other plants that throw some colour into the garden in the spring, summer and autumn.
“One of the nice things about living here surrounded by countryside is you really notice the changing of the seasons,” Vicki explains.
“You get the colours in spring and autumn and we usually get a bit of snow in the winter.”
Despite the size of the garden Vicki insists it doesn’t take a great deal of looking after. “Mostly it’s just lawn so the grass just needs cutting once in a while. I don’t mind gardening but I’m not a great lover of it either so we’ve just kept the garden simple.
“There’s no end of potential though. If you were a retired person with plenty of time and you loved gardening you could do almost anything with it.”
Outbuildings
There is a large carport that can take several vehicles and also has storage space for garden equipment and outdoor gear.
Balruddery Farmhouse also has a large outbuilding. Measuring almost 50 feet in length and nearly 25 feet wide it’s a very sizable space that could be put to a variety of uses.
The farm buildings near Balruddery Farmhouse and the fields surrounding it are owned by the Invergowrie-based James Hutton Institute, one of the world’s leading agricultural research organisations.
With countryside all around there is no shortage of walking options for the family’s dog. A farm track continues past the house and connects with another quiet country lane. Balruddery Den is nearby and has woodland and a stream.
Having spent more than a decade at Balruddery Farmhouse and with their daughters now grown up, Paul and Vicki have decided it’s time to put their home on the market.
“We don’t need a house with five bedrooms any more so we’ll probably look to buy somewhere smaller,” Vicki says.
“We’ve had a lot of fantastic years here. It was a great place to raise our children. The girls used to love having their pals round for parties when they were younger.
“The nice thing is the house and garden are so big that there was never any limit on numbers. We’re also so far away from any other houses they could make as much noise as they liked and nobody really minded.
“We’ve got a lot of good memories here but it feels like time to move on.”
Balruddery Farmhouse by Fowlis, Angus is on sale with Verdala for offers over £695,000.
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