Couple turn Tomatin home into dream house after amazing makeover

Press and Journal

25-05-2025

Who: Maureen McDonald-Cooke, a project and development manager, her husband Tim, who works at Raigmore Hospital plus their two dogs Isla and Indie.
What: A fabulous five-bedroom, contemporary home.
Where: Tomatin on the edge of the Cairngorms National Park.
'We previously lived in a Victorian house, on the edge of a market town in Norfolk.
So moving to a modern contemporary property was a big change for us, but we are so pleased we did.
We were moving for work reasons but it turned out to be a fantastic lifestyle change.
To find our home, we used the property website Rightmove.
For us, we didn't really have any specific locations in mind at the time, other than it had to be a reasonable distance to Raigmore Hospital.
We found Tomatin and loved the location as it's such a beautiful and tranquil village which is close to Inverness so it was ideal.
So we viewed Drovers House on a winter's day.
The weather wasn't great but what stood out for us was the magnificent views of the Monadhliath Mountains.
It looked like a mini-Switzerland.
And seeing the stately stag and white hare peering across the field was an unexpected bonus that day.
After a few visits we set the wheels in motion in 2017 and moved in on Valentine's Day in 2018 which turned out to be a beautiful bright snowy day.
With it being a relatively new house, all the fundamentals were in place.
But the property lacked some finishing touches, so it gave us the opportunity to put our stamp on it.
Drover's House is a bright modern spacious contemporary four/five bedroom house.
Downstairs, there is a spacious open plan living area with a large bedroom with a dressing room and ensuite.
Upstairs, there is a glassed gallery which is a great place to read a book or as a space to work from home.
Also on this floor is a spacious bathroom and three bedrooms including a master suite with a dressing room and ensuite.
In addition, there is an attached studio apartment which is currently run as a successful holiday let with its own entrance, outside patio, kitchenette and shower room.
Throughout the years, we've renovated and redecorated the property.
Some of the work includes upgrading the kitchen and bathrooms.
In 2021, we undertook a full landscaping project in the garden.
Some of the focal points include a fountain, illuminated sleeper raised beds and a feature raised Cairn filled with heathers and lavender.
We also installed a 'man cave' workshop with power.
In 2022, we also added a garden room to bring the outside in and enjoy the ever-reaching views we are so lucky to enjoy.
And finally in 2023, to do our bit for climate change, we installed 25 solar panels, with a Tesla Powerwall battery storage system.
As a result, we are self-powered for most of the year which has provided us with huge savings on bills.
As a microgenerator we also get money back so it's a win-win situation.
I have to mention AES Solar in Forres, our renewables installer, who were brilliant and very helpful.
In terms of interiors, this was quite a difficult task as we already had a lot of traditional furniture which didn't quite fit in.
However, mixing old with new became quite fun.
So we have ended up with an eclectic mix of styles and some second-hand pieces.
But, as my husband will vouch, nothing stays in one place for very long.
For paint, we love Farrow & Ball and we opted for a soft neutral palette with some strong accent colours dotted about for interest.
And when it came to furniture and accessories, invariably, I always find something when I go into my favourite shop Gillies in Inverness.
For us, the biggest renovation challenge was the landscaping.
Neither of us are gardeners and we have very little knowledge or vision of what we wanted.
But thanks to some extra help from friends, we ended up with a nice finish.
Overall, I absolutely love the openness of our home both inside and outside.
In winter, I love sitting under the vaulted ceiling in the lounge with the roaring wood burner on and looking out to the snow cap mountains – it's bliss.
Equally in summer, I love looking at the glorious mix of trees while listening to the birds in the garden room – it's so peaceful.
We've also loved the location as we're on route seven of the national cycle route.
Also, we're nestled between the hills of Aviemore and Inverness which are both only 20 minutes away.
We're also surrounded by lovely woodland walks and the Findhorn River which offers an abundance of wildlife on our doorstep.
For us, the icing on the cake of our house is the low energy costs.
My top tip for anyone else undertaking a renovation project would be to set a realistic budget as invariably your wish list gets bigger, as costs do.
We also spaced our projects out so we felt that we were progressing without it becoming all consuming.'
Drover House, Tomatin, Inverness, is on the market for offers over £495,000.
To arrange a viewing contact Hamish Homes on 01463 250000 or check out the website hamish-homes.co.uk
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