Some prospective buyers may have felt inclined to run away when they saw how much work Carstairs House in Cellardyke needed.
The plumbing was outdated, the roof was damaged and the electrics were on their way out.
Not to mention the scale of the project (five bedrooms, two bathrooms, two sitting rooms and two kitchens over three floors).
But Zoe Haig, 47, who bought and transformed the house with her husband David, brother Carl Schmid and his fiance Emma Fildes, could see its potential.
“We knew nothing had been done to it for quite a long time, that we could go in and put our stamp on it,” she says.
Cellardyke house glow-up cost £80k
The glow-up took six months and cost £80,000 but it has added more than £150,000 to the property’s value.
It is now a holiday home that can be enjoyed by the two couples and their children several times a year.
Zoe and David live in Roslin with Tallulah, seven, and Poppy, four, while Carl and Emma stay near Kent with Alfred, 10, Isla, eight, and Elena, six.
In between visits, they rent it out to holidaymakers with local rental company Pittenweem Properties.
What attracted them to the property on West Forth Street?
“It is a bit of a Tardis,” Zoe says. “From the outside, you don’t think it is going to be as big as it is.
“But you go inside and it is rambling, so you could have two or three families in the house but you don’t feel on top of each other. There is so much space.”
The stunning sea views from the property, a stone’s throw from the harbour, also helped.
While Zoe and Carl were raised in Perth and then Dundee, they spent countless childhood summers exploring the nearby village of Anstruther, where their grandparents had a caravan.
Family ‘went all in’ on six-month renovation
After buying the house for £320,000 in April 2022, the family “went all in” on the project, travelling up most weekends to get work done.
To start with, they fully upgraded the heating system, the boiler and all the radiators throughout.
David, a heating engineer by trade and a director in a heating company, was able to do this himself.
They then removed the upstairs kitchen and storage cupboards to create a larger living room.
“The upstairs living room is lovely because it has nice sea views but the room had been closed down a lot,” Zoe says.
“So we stripped it all out and opened it up and created a much bigger space.”
They also removed old linoleum and carpet throughout the house, before installing a new bathroom on the first floor.
“We wanted to have a bathroom on every floor because there would be lots of people staying in the house,” Zoe says.
The family saved money by doing a lot of the work themselves, drawing on their experience in the property industry.
Zoe and David have renovated multiple properties together, including an Airbnb and a coffee shop in Edinburgh.
Meanwhile, Carl runs estate agency Fyfe McDade in London and Emma owns a buying agency in the city.
But, when needed, they sought out help from local painters, decorators and joiners.
A company also came in and sanded all of the floors throughout the house – “a massive job”, Zoe says – while electricians were called in to upgrade some of the systems.
When it comes to decor and design, they were influenced by the property’s coastal setting.
“Because it is by the sea and it’s a place people are coming on holiday and want to relax, we had that at the centre of it,” Zoe says.
“So when we chose the colours we chose different colours for all the rooms, they are all kind of calm, blues and greens to fit with that seaside vibe.”
The family also took inspiration from the history of the property, which was built around 1850.
It was once owned by shipbuilder William Carstairs, who was appointed Anstruther Provost in 1932.
Zoe says: “He was pioneering in shipbuilding and an influential figure in the local community.
“He was known as quite a generous man.
“We wanted to keep that history at the heart of it, so there is a rope bannister going up the stairs to tie in with its history with boats.
“It was a place where fisherman lived, too, so it was nice to make a few nods to that.”
Zoe’s previous experience as a furniture dealer in London came in handy, too.
“We have filled it with bits and bobs we’ve collected over the years, which we had in storage,” she says.
“There is a dresser in one of the middle bedrooms which I upcycled myself.
“We got stuff from local businesses as well.
“There is an antique shop called the Pop In in Pittenweem. They have loads.”
What’s next?
Next, the family hope to replace the downstairs kitchen and bathroom.
They also have plans to optimise the garden, creating “a nice entertainment space and BBQ area”.
For now though, they are just enjoying it.
“The first thing we do when we arrive there is we all go get fish and chips and then we sit round the table with our suppers,” Zoe says.
“It is so relaxing – you open the door and you are just away from it all.”
You can book to stay at Carstairs House here.
- Have you renovated your property? Get in touch poppy.watson@dcthomson.co.uk
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