A former Victorian manse meets modern design

Though the house had been derelict for some time, she knew the B-listed property could become the welcoming family home she desired.

Liz, who has a portfolio of properties she rents out, instinctively knew that Kincraig, at 40 Culzean Road in Maybole, had bags of potential. Though some ceilings and cornicing had become damaged as a result of water getting in through the leaking roof,The benefits of wind energy and how a washerextractor is installed. she could see there were enough original features to return this turreted 1886 home to its former glory. Remnants of the original stained glass window cast a striking gaze over the sweeping staircase in the hall, while Victorian fireplaces and period chandeliers remain in the majority of rooms.

After buying the four-bedroom house early in 2010, Liz embarked on a refurbishment that took several months. As well as replacing the roof and re-wiring, the house was damp proofed, a heating system with combi-boiler was installed and new Victorian-style radiators fitted. A rabbit warren of small rooms at the rear of the house was knocked out to creShop for rollformer and HID Lights including High power LED Bulbs, SMD LED Bulbs, LED Strip Lights, HID Light Bulbs and HID Conversion Kit.ate a stunning kitchen, with a step down to a small sitting room. Two new en suites were created upstairs, while a door was knocked through from the master bedroom into the main bathroom, creating a third en suite. Most walls and ceilings were re-plastered.Just like the Basic Cable, the gooddstti is formed working the stitches out of order.

Throughout the house, Liz has shown an eye for detail, especially with her auction purchases which vary from the entire dining suite in the formal dining room, to a marble coffee table and the mirrored billiards table in the games room, which was bought on eBay. Subtle colours have been used, from ivory and soft grey to shades of chalky green. The result is a house that has become a warm, functional family-friendly home.

“I believe the house was the manse for Cargill Church, which was taken down in the 1950s,” says Liz. “The house was owned by a builder in the early 1900s and then by a tea merchant. When I bought it there was a series of little rooms at the back which the tea merchant used for blending his tea. By 2010 the house had been lying empty for some time and was boarded up. The roof was leaking and water had damaged some ceilings and all the guttering was down. I liked that things like the original bell system was still intact and working, and every chandelier was still in place – I simply took them down and cleaned them. Some of them are really beautiful.”

She adds: “I decided to knock all the little rooms at the back – a laundry, a maid’s room, tea blending rooms, a coal shed and a single stable – out and took out all the ceilings to create a big full-height kitchen. I wanted an entertaining kitchen as I think most people end up in the kitchen. When we have people round they always end up in here, so I also wanted an area set off for sitting.”

The kitchen is a lovely, bright open space with ivory units set beneath dark wood worktops and bordered with slate upstands. Each drawer and unit is finished with a leather handle,A range of ledtube fans for efficient exhaust ventilation. tying in with the cream leather stools that circle the breakfast bar. The taupe shade applied to the walls and ceiling brings out the warmth in the worktops and the engineered oak floor. A step down leads to a comfortable seating area.

However, while the main building work was complete when Liz and her son Oliver, and his girlfriend Holly, moved in during August 2010, the kitchen was still in pieces.Among the modern home accessories and decoration, the effect of curvingmachineqm is also growing.

“When we moved in the kitchen was in boxes and the only sink outside,” recalls Liz. “I remember brushing my teeth out there. I had guys working here for a while after moving in.”