First time buyers Mark Love and Leon Macmillan had been renting for five years in Quartermile before they set out to find a home in their favourite area of Edinburgh, Bruntsfield.
After hearing about the transformation of the former Boroughmuir High School from a colleague, the couple found their dream home in a south-facing apartment with a main door access from the landscaped courtyard.
Mark, a product development director, said: “I’m originally from Glasgow and Leon grew up in Leith, and in 2015 we agreed we’d rent for a little while and wait for something to come on the market that we both liked.
“Nothing had really come up that we loved but as soon as we saw Boroughmuir, there was no doubt in our minds that we’d go for it. We spend a lot of time in Bruntsfield at the weekends, but we never really passed the old Boroughmuir High School so we didn’t know it was being converted into apartments.
“We had originally wanted a one-bedroom apartment but through discussion and seeing the homes in the flesh, we realised this is going to be our home for some time so we decided to go for a two-bedroom apartment.
“We had this affinity with Bruntsfield and had always said we didn’t want a fixer-upper, we’d prefer newbuilds or newly renovated homes so this ticked a huge box for us. It’s this amazing grand building in the heart of Bruntsfield – a pristine new home with a historic building around it, it’s really the best of both worlds.”
Mark and Leon chose a ground floor apartment with four large windows looking out from the front of the building, with a second bedroom that many residents have converted into home offices, overlooking the resident’s courtyard. The couple has praised our team for their consistent communication while buying a home during a pandemic.
Mark added: “They say buying a home is one of the most stressful things you can do but to be honest it was amazingly stress-free. We can’t fault Cala at all, they were great from the outset.
“I think that’s probably what made it a lot easier, the constant communication from the Sales Consultants, they kept in touch about deadlines and guided us through the process. There was never a need to chase them, we were kept fully informed throughout.”
Nestled in the heart of Bruntsfield, Boroughmuir is a collection of one, two and three bedroom apartments. Most of the homes have elevated ceiling heights, with some up to seven metres, innovative mezzanine levels and carefully retained original features.
Boroughmuir is regarded as one of the Scottish capital’s most prized school buildings, constructed pre-WWI between 1911 and 1914. The Grade B-listed building is the innovative creation of renowned architect John Alexander Carfrae and was notably one of the first in Edinburgh to utilise a steel frame for architecture.
The development’s location in Bruntsfield means it is surrounded by plenty of bars, restaurants, and independent shops, and only a short distance from Haymarket and the greenery of The Meadows.
Each of the apartments comes with lift access, allocated parking with access to electric vehicle charging points, access to a private residents’ courtyard and a ten year NHBC warranty.
Visit our Boroughmuir page for more information.
