The Story of Fairydean ........
Your hosts at Fairydean Mill are David and Mandi; they first spotted Fairydean Mill,
a derelict and long abandoned building, some eight years ago.
The property was for sale with four days left before closure and
in a moment of what they came to know was 'madness' they put in
an offer.
Fate took a hand and much to their surprise they found
themselves owners of a crumbling listed old mill building with
permission to build a studio/workshop from where they could
continue to make Wedding Cakes and build a family home.
Unfortunately things did not go smoothly.
Many months (indeed years) of angst followed, including being
abandoned by two building firms together with just about ever
other possible set
back. |
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They were just about running out of hope.....
when thanks to being third time lucky they finally found a
highly reputable builder in 2011.
There were a lot of sharp intakes of breath and slow
shaking of the head when Keith Orr, of Renwick and Weir, first looked round
the sorry, half-finished and badly botched job; but he rose to
the challenge.
After many months of remedial work Keith's team of professional joiners,
plasterers and builders transformed absolute chaos into order.
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Best Laid Plans ....
Of course behind every great builder there has to be an Architect of
considerable repute.
Keith recommended Andrew Davidson and we could not have found
anyone more helpful or efficient.
Drew's a great name for an Architect, and he is a great
Architect. Plans were drawn up in record time and
with every little detail corrected and perfected we were finally
able to satisfy our local Planning Authority.
It also didn't cost us a proverbial 'arm and a leg'.
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Water works ....
Keith also recommended Ronnie Walters who finally puzzled out the
mysterious labyrinth of pipe-work left by two previous plumbers, not to mention
the almost magical concept of bore holes and complicated filtration systems, for which he
probably deserves a medal.
Ronnie skilfully laid our under floor heating and despite the
fact we found it it a bit of a mystery to start with he finally
taught us how to manage our temperature controls.
It's good to know we can always call him if we have a problem
and he'll be along at the drop of a spanner. |
Lick of Paint ....
We were also fortunate to find DAVID MITCHELL, a Peebles based
decorating company established in 1790.
Ian Thorburn and team did a terrific job of painting the house,
so much so that they were occasionally rewarded with freshly
baked cupcakes.
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Finishing touches ......
Many people helped make Fairydean Mill come true and, of course,
it is still a work in progress.
Family member Kirsty Smith made a terrific job of repairing the
antique Dining Room Chairs and as a talented interior designer
offered many helpful suggestions on choosing blinds and room
decor.
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and Outside .....
There are some outstanding trees in the area and to prune the
venerable yews and suggest a replanting plan to replace
dangerous and unstable conifers we were lucky enough to find
Bill and Elayne Hogarth of Oakwood Tree Care.
Bill's climbing, pruning and felling skills were awesome and, on
occasions, terrifying........
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Behind every 'fella' .........
Bill's wife Elayne sourced a selection of mature birch, weeping
birch, yews and acers to start off the regeneration programme and
planting started in 2012. |
A work in progress....
Of course it may never be finished - there are further dreams
and plans for the garden but time has now changed; there are too many woods to
explore, deer and badgers to spot and changing seasons to
savour.
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and finally ... Pippin
During your visit you might 'spot' a flurry of black and white
disappearing into the distance. This will be 'Pip'
on one of her many daily forays into the woods.
Mandi has waited twenty long years to replace her last beloved
Dalmatian, but it was worth the wait.
Pippin likes to keep a low profile and is very respectful of B&B
visitors but she is also extremely sociable and would love to
meet you, if you happen to be a fellow Dalmatian lover. |