With its handsome, traditional exterior and its striking contemporary interior, the Maine House looks like it belongs in a glossy magazine.
That’s because it does, having already featured in 25 Beautiful Homes.
The ultra stylish interior, with its designer fittings and finishings is a far cry from its sorry appearance just a few years ago.
When Neil Harman and his husband Will bought the house, in the Fife village of Saline, in 2013 as a repossession it was in a ramshackle state.
“Even just sorting out the garden was a huge job,” Neil explains. “We had a tree surgeon in for two months. The upside is we’ve now got enough firewood to last for years…
“We got a Green Deal grant of £25,000 for internal cavity wall insulation. We stripped the walls right back and they’re now thicker than they used to be.
“We’ve re-wired and re-plumbed, as well as adding in category VI cabling and a smart central heating system. Basically, it’s a new house in an old skin.”
Then there’s the extension, a glorious, light filled open plan room with full width folding doors that open to the back garden and Velux windows in the roof. A large contemporary wood burner provides a focal point and there’s a luxury kitchen.
The front facing lounge has an open fire and there’s a family room that also faces the front. A downstairs guest bedroom has an adjacent shower room and there’s a sun room that has permission to be converted into another extension.
Upstairs is a master bedroom with dressing room and en suite, two more double bedrooms and a family bathroom.
The south facing garden stretches to three quarters of an acre and is a sheltered, private suntrap.
Neil (39) and Will (35) lived in the house while renovation works took place. “We used a temporary kitchen for 14 months,” Neil says. “It was pretty hard going.”
The Maine House was once a doctor’s surgery and when Neil bought it there were nods to its former life such as the waiting room pull cords.
“The doctor who used to work here still lives in the village,” Neil continues. “He’s in his 90s now – we had him round to show him what we’ve done with the place.”
Neil and Will’s choice of name for the house is a clever play on words. “We’re on Main street and both Will and our son Hugo were born in the American state of Maine,” Neil explains.
Touchingly, Neil and Will made a portmanteau of their surnames when they married, merging Harper and Wadman to create Harman because “we wanted Hugo to have the same surname as both of us.” The couple lived at in Saline with Hugo but have now moved to their other home in Bridge of Allan and rent out the Maine House as a luxury holiday let.
“We are hoping to break the ceiling price in Saline,” Neil explains. “But it’s a very special, one-off home that’s had no expense spared on it.”
jmckeown@thecourier.co.uk
The Maine House, Saline is on sale with Henderson Roche for o/o £575,000.