Balnald Farm, Fortingall, Aberfeldy, Perthshire Offers over £1,775,000

Description
Balnald Farm is a mini-residential estate including a principal house which will naturally split into 2 semi-detached houses, 2 cottages, a former sawmill with planning permission to be converted into 2 houses, planning permission for a contemporary new-build house on the existing tennis court, and stone stables which have planning permission to extend and convert into a contemporary home. The traditional buildings were designed in the 1880’s by James MacLaren who was the principal architect for the conservation village of Fortingall in which Balnald Farm is situated.

Lot 1: Balnald House and paddock (about 1.06 acres)
Balnald House was converted from the original farm buildings in 1990 and was totally upgraded by the current owners in 2003. Balnald is an exceptionally spacious, B-listed family home dating from circa 1886 with excellent natural light and wonderful views south towards the River Lyon. It currently connects through to Balnald Farmhouse to create a larger family home.

The main reception rooms comprise a large breakfasting kitchen with integrated appliances, a 4-oven Aga, bespoke handmade kitchen units in American walnut and stone worktops. The house retains its original character with exposed wooden beams and picture windows in the former cart shed arches. The exposed beams are retained in the former milking parlour which is now a comfortable, well proportioned dining room. The drawing room is steeped in character with an exposed stone fireplace incorporating a wood burning stove and stone pillars that divide the room to ensure that the room is comfortable for everyday living as well as formal occasions. The drawing room is a lovely, bright room having picture windows on two aspects. The bedrooms lie above the kitchen wing and comprise three double bedrooms including an en-suite master bedroom.

Garden
To the front is a south-facing sheltered courtyard accessed from the drawing room and reception hall. It is perfect for relaxing in the sun and for al fresco dining.

Paddock
To the front of the property is a grass paddock extending to approximately 0.65 acres.

Lot 2: Balnald Farmhouse (about 0.55 acres)
The original farmhouse connects to Balnald House and currently provides additional accommodation to the principal home. It would create a spacious home or useful holiday let. There is a charming sitting room/snug with a gas fire; a study with double aspect views across the grounds and a library / boot room which could be converted into a kitchen. There are 3 bedrooms in the farmhouse which are split over two staircases.

Garden
To the front of the farmhouse is a south facing terrace for relaxing in the sun and for al fresco dining, and there is a generous area of lawn to the west of the house.
It is anticipated that if sold separately to Lot 1, the driveway would lead behind the house and down to the property.

Lot 3: McGregor’s Cottage (about 0.69 acres)
Dating from approximately 1800, this traditional C(s)-listed, stone and slate cottage lies to the southwest of Balnald Farmhouse and has wonderful southerly views. The accommodation, laid out over two floors, comprises sitting room, dining room, study, kitchen, bathroom and 3 bedrooms.

To the side of the house there is a traditional bothy used for storage while to the rear is a tractor shed. The outbuildings could be incorporated into the main cottage to increase the size of the property, subject to gaining the necessary consents.
To the south of the cottage is an enclosed, well-tended garden beyond which is a grass paddock bordered by the Allt Odhar burn and the entrance drive.

McGregors Cottage is occupied by a secure tenant with a registered rent. The occupancy covers the cottage and bothy but not the tractor shed to the rear. Further details are available from the selling agents.

Lot 4: Grandpa’s Cottage (about 0.15 acres)
This stone and slate cottage lies to the north-west of the main house and dates from 1836. The property was fully renovated/re-built in 2001 to create a comfortable self-catering holiday cottage which has proved highly popular with visitors. The south-facing accommodation comprises a porch, hall, sitting room, kitchen, boot room and WC on the ground floor with a landing, two double bedrooms and a bathroom on the first floor. It has been successfully let at a weekly rate of £400 (low season) to £550 per week (peak season). In recent years, the property has been rented out for about 30 weeks per annum. There is a parking area to the east and to the rear is a raised terrace on a rocky outcrop surrounded by lawns.

Lot 5: Former Sawmill and Jute Mill (about 0.34 acres)
These C(s)-listed, two storey, stone buildings comprise the former sawmill, jute mill and store rooms for the estate and lie to the west of Grandpa’s Cottage adjacent to the Allt Odhar burn. The buildings are in good condition and are currently used as garaging, store rooms, a gym on the ground floor and on the first floor a large games/party room with a bar. Planning permission has been granted to sympathetically convert these buildings into 2 semi-detached dwelling houses. The houses have been designed by CASA architects to create a contemporary, 3-bedroom house in the former sawmill with open-plan living on the ground and first floor whilst the adjoining 2-bedroom house in the jute room and stores, has a more traditional design with the reception rooms on the ground floor.

Further details of the Planning Permission are available from the selling agents.

Lot 6: House site at Tennis court (0.51 acres)
Planning permission has been granted for a 4-bedroom, detached house on the site of the tennis court. The contemporary house has been designed by CASA architects, to be built from quality materials utilising a mixture of render and traditional timber cladding with a curved zinc roof to reflect the original MacLaren thatched roof profiles. Internally the reception rooms are open plan with sliding glass doors for maximum natural light. There are 4 bedrooms including an en-suite master bedroom with a private staircase, and 3 further bedrooms in the other wing.

Lot 7: The Stables (about 1.22 acres)
This existing stone outbuilding comprises 3 stalls, a tack room, cart shed and a hay loft. The grounds are enclosed by a stone wall and have superb south facing views across its paddock.

The new house, which has been designed by CASA architects, creates a contemporary 4-bedroom house. The new extension has been designed with larch cladding, ashlar coursed Caithness stone, timber windows and doors and Zinc standing seam roof. This will be joined to the existing stone building via a curved ashlar coursed Caithness stone corridor. Internally there are 4 bedrooms including a good sized master bedroom suite in the extension, with 3 further bedrooms in the original stone building. The reception rooms lie in the new extension with doors leading to the garden from both the sitting room and dining room. There will a double car port adjacent to the house and The Stables will have its own private access from the main road.

General Remarks

Local Authority
Perth & Kinross Council, Council Buildings,
2 High Street, Perth PH1 5PH. Tel: 01738 475 000.

Services
The habitable properties are connected to mains electricity, a private water supply (mains water is available) and private drainage into septic tanks.

Balnald House, Farmhouse and Grandpa’s Cottage have propane gas central heating. If sold separately, the services will be split by the seller.

McGregor’s Cottage has electric panel central heating.

The former Sawmill/Jute Mill has mains electricity via the main house. The games room and gym have electric panel heating.

The house sites on the Tennis Court and The Stables have not been serviced but mains water and electricity are available.

Note: The services and systems have not been checked by the selling agents.

Council Tax
The original Balnald House is currently placed in Band H for Council Tax purposes. If sold separately, the Council Tax will need to be reassessed for the House and Farmhouse.

McGregor’s Cottage has been placed in Band D for Council Tax purposes.

Grandpa’s Cottage has a rateable value of £1,400 as a self catering unit. The amount payable for 2011/12 is nil due to the small business rates relief scheme.

Planning Permission
A Planning Application is being prepared by the current owners to divide Balnald House from the Farmhouse.

Former Sawmill: Permission was granted by Perth & Kinross Council (application no 10/02131/FLL) on 6 April 2011 for the alteration and conversion of ancillary accommodation to form two dwelling houses.

Tennis Court site: Permission was granted by Perth & Kinross Council (application no 09/02222/FLL) on 30 June 2010 for the erection of a new dwelling house on the site of existing tennis court.

The Stables site: Planning permission was granted (application no:09/02221/FLL) on 9 June 2010 by Perth & Kinross Council for alterations and an extension to the existing stable building to form a new dwelling house. This property will have right of access and servitude rights over a private access road to the east of the village hall.

Access
The private access road will be sold with Lot 1 (Balnald House) with Lots 2 -6 having rights of access. Maintenance will be shared on a proportional basis.

The adjacent Glen Lyon Estate has a right of way for agricultural purposes only (subject to contributing to maintenance) over the Balnald access road to the hill land to the north.

Fixtures and fittings
The fitted carpets, blinds and light fittings are included in the sale of the House, Farmhouse and Grandpa’s Cottage.

The contents of the Lots 1, 2 and 4 may be available by separate negotiation.


Situation
Balnald Farm lies at the west end of the historic village of Fortingall in the heart of Perthshire. This popular village is renowned for its ancient Yew Tree which is thought to be over 5000 years old, picturesque church and first class hotel. The picturesque village of Kenmore lies to the southeast on the shores of Loch Tay and has a primary school, village shops, post office and several historical buildings such as Kenmore Hotel, Taymouth Castle and Kenmore Church.

For most daily requirements, the Victorian town of Aberfeldy offering banking and comprehensive medical services including a cottage hospital, along with a selection of individual shops, delicatessens, bakeries, art galleries and antique shops. For schooling, Breadalbane Academy in Aberfeldy provides secondary education, and there is a school bus running from Fortingall to the school. There is a Festival Theatre and railway station at Pitlochry and a more comprehensive range of high street shops, services and communication links in Perth.

There are a number of popular country hotels and restaurants in the area in addition to the Fortingall Hotel including The Courtyard Restaurant (Kenmore) for bistro dining, the Ailean Chraggan (Weem), House of Menzies (Weem) and Logierait Inn (Logierait), which makes dining out both excellent and diverse.

Outdoor enthusiasts are drawn to the area as the River Lyon is bounded by impressive mountains both north and south. The property enjoys direct access to the hills to the north and the River Lyon to the south. Balnald sits at the opening to the stunning Glen Lyon which is known amongst hill walkers as the starting point for the Glen Lyon Horseshoe, a high level walk taking in four Munros. Meggernie Outdoor Centre at Bridge of Balgie provides a range of outdoor activities.

First class brown trout and salmon fishing is available on the Rivers Lyon, Tay, Dochart and Tummel. For country sport enthusiasts, there is a variety of stalking and shooting readily available on local estates. There are water sports on Lochs Tay, Earn, Rannoch and Tummel and for golfers there are local courses at Aberfeldy, Kenmore, Pitlochry and Crieff.