The rung this well-proportioned semi-detached villa occupies on the property ladder is one that a number of purchasers will want to be on: first time buyers looking to get well off the ground from the get-go; those needing, or knowing that they’re going to need, family-sized accommodation, so ready to move on up; or the more mature (we don’t want to say older) owner downsizing a bit, but still wanting to have sufficient space to accommodate an overnight stay for (young or grown-up) family members (when that is permitted, of course).
A welcoming hall lets you go into the lounge, kitchen or upstairs (as the mood – or necessity – dictates). The lounge is south-facing and its natural brightness emphasises the generous dimensions. The kitchen has excellent storage and worktop space and there is plenty of room in which to work culinary magic. The dining room is as generous as the lounge and lies off that room. Eating and pre- or post-prandial relaxing are kept separate by folding doors in between, however.
And there’s no need to worry about transporting dinner from cooker to kitchen without unfortunate spills on the carpets: a good old-fashioned serving hatch not only provides some retro chic, but is as handy now as it was in the past.
Upstairs, there are two very comfortable double bedrooms, both with fitted wardrobes, a good-sized single and a fresh, bright bathroom.
Outside, there are easily maintained gardens to front and rear. The garage will accommodate a car, but is perhaps more likely to serve as a man-cave, particularly where the driveway can take up to five cars.
Double glazing and gas central heating keep the house cosy and the bills manageable. The windows are set in attractive wooden frames and sills. The heating can be controlled remotely by a Honeywell Home app. The current owners have not only had cavity wall insulation installed but have also upgraded the insulation in the roofspace. There is also a smart meter.
The property has been very well maintained and is in attractive decorative order throughout. There are carpets in the main apartments, floor tiles in the kitchen and vinyl flooring in the bathroom.
The property is handily located for all local amenities. A Co-op convenience store is within walking distance one way and an Aldi the other. A short drive in the car will take you to a Tesco Extra or the Asda Supercentre at The Jewel. For non-food shopping, the Kinnaird Park retail park, with its range of major retail outlets, restaurants and Odeon Cinema, is also close by.
Edinburgh itself is easily reached by car, but the property is less than a minutes’ walk from a stop for the No 30 bus, with its regular service to and from the city centre. Other buses into town (and running beyond, as well as down into East Lothian, can be caught in Fisherrow High Street). Both Musselburgh and Newcraighall railway stations are also less than five minutes in the car. meaning that you can be in the city centre in little more than five more. The City Bypass is also close by, giving access to the peripheral business parks, as well as the central belt motorway network.
Musselburgh has a wide range of leisure facilities, including the Brunton Theatre, a sports centre and swimming pool and racecourse, while for watersports enthusiasts, Fisherrow Harbour is pretty much down the road. Golfers are well catered for in the area, with courses at Monktonhall and at the racecourse (one of the world’s oldest), as well as in East Lothian. The town has a number of pubs and restaurants (both sit in and take away).
There are two primary schools within walking distance and it’s easy to get to the local secondary school, Musselburgh Grammar. The Queen Margaret University Campus is also close by.
More details of the accommodation are as follows:-
Patterned glazed inserts to the front door and two patterned glass side panels mean that this reception area is naturally bright during the day. There is plenty of space to greet guests, who can be shown through to the lounge. Ahead and slightly to the left is the kitchen, while to the right the staircase leads to the upper floor. There is a cupboard under the stairs, housing the RCD consumer unit, as well as being handy for hoovers. The burglar alarm control panel is beside the cupboard door. Fitted shelves just inside the front door are perfect for the car keys or the post. The landing is reached by way of the carpeted staircase that runs up from the hall and with its own twin formation window (at the top of the stairs), as well as borrowed light from the bedrooms, in particular those facing the front of the property. There is an airing cupboard with no less than four fitted shelves and a hatch gives access to the attic (see below).
4.01 m X 3.81 m / 13’2″ X 12’6″
This is a very comfortable formal sitting area, easily taking a three-piece suite. A gas fire with glowing pebble effect and a marble hearth serves as an attractive focal point. The triple formation window has two opening panes on either side of a central section and makes the room particularly bright and sunny for a large part of the day. Folding double doors open to the dining area.
3.33 m X 3.05 m / 10’11” X 10’0″
Family meals won’t feel crowded here. There is plenty of space for a full-sized dining table and six will eat in comfort round it. A sliding glass door not just opens to the back garden, but offers a view of it – and the trees beyond that form a very attractive backdrop. Open plan may be very modish, but the old ways still have their place – and their advantages – and the serving hatch proves that point exactly. Full and empty plates can be passed quickly to and from the kitchen with the minimum of fuss (and risk of reaching for the carpet cleaner).
3.33 m X 2.69 m / 10’11” X 8’10”
The business side of the hatch is another well-proportioned (and well-appointed) room, with more than enough space for the resident chef to work in. There are attractive high and low level units along the wall to the dining room, providing excellent storage space and good worktop areas. All the kitchen appliances (four-burner gas hob, grill and oven; Beko washing machine; Beko fridge freezer; and Kenwood dishwasher) are included in the price. The wall-mounted utensil hooks are also included and their location, adjacent to the hob, means that pots and pans are always within immediate and easy reach. The hob is set below a chrome backplate and an extractor hood that combines function with style. What won’t go in the dishwasher can be cleaned in the stainless steel sink and will drip dry on the drainer. The single window over the sink, the frosted glass upper panel of the door to the back garden and the second window (with opening top hopper) all provide excellent natural light, but for winter breakfasts and later in the day, there is a ceiling-mounted fluorescent light fitting and the wall units are underlit.
4.37 m X 3.17 m / 14’4″ X 10’5″
The front-facing location means that, during the day, this main sleeping apartment is naturally bright and cosy, the brightness coming courtesy of the triple formation window. Superb storage is provided by the triple fitted wardrobe that has “his and hers” hanging space and an abundance of shelves behind the mirror-fronted central section. For later in the day, there are three recessed ceiling spots and, when bedtime comes, there are two wall-mounted reading lights.
3.73 m X 2.87 m / 12’3″ X 9’5″
Another generous double room, with the space and storage credentials to be the “master” as you, the buyer, see fit. The storage comes in the form of a fitted wardrobe with a floor to ceiling mirror fronted door and adjacent cupboard. The wardrobe has clothes hanging space below a fitted shelf and provides excellent storage. The cupboard has two fitted shelves and again provides excellent storage. Another triple formation window looks down and over the back garden and to the established trees on the other side of the garden fence.
2.97 m X 2.51 m / 9’9″ X 8’3″
Here, the front-facing location will hopefully mean that the homeworker reaps the benefits of plenty of natural light and be as productive as he or she would have been if in the office, if not more so. The potential as workspace is obvious (and the current owners have seized it), but the original purpose (considered long before the era of Teams or Zoom) of nursery or younger child’s room remains relevant. There is plenty of space for a cot or single bed and the deep shelved cupboard provides excellent storage.
The high level (opaque) window, six recessed ceiling spotlights, white suite and laminated panels to three of the three walls give a bright fresh feel, whatever the time of day (or night). The suite comprises a bath, pedestal wash-hand basin with mixer tap and close-couple WC. A mixer shower over the bath offers a choice of water source – swap between the large fixed overhead shower head or smaller handset as the mood takes you – while a curved screen helps keep the water where it’s supposed to be. A shelf at the foot of the bath and wall-mounted glass shelves provide useful open storage and there is also a mirror-fronted wall-mounted cabinet. The ladder heated towel rail and wall heater mean that getting out of the bath or shower won’t be too discomforting temperature-wise and a second rail will, hopefully, reduce the chances of towel-based territorial disputes.
The garage was built when cars (and many of us) were slimmer, but still capable of undercover vehicle storage for those who wish or require that, although most buyers will see the potential for external storage or workshop space. In that latter respect, the sellers are happy to leave the work bench and shelving. The freezer and tumble dryer are also included in the price. As previously mentioned, the driveway can take four, if not five, cars. Ease of maintenance is certainly the theme in the gardens, but there are plenty of attractive features. The gravel chips to the front are broken up by a shaped centre island of bushes and shrubs, enclosed with a variety of stones and rocks, and an ornamental tree that blossoms very prettily in the spring. There is also a narrow border beside the pavement. The back garden is quiet and secluded. There is a central lawn, reached by four slabs set in a shrubbed border, and with gravel chippings on the other three sides. Wooden fences on two sides complement the trees growing in the communal ground that lies beyond the back boundary. Those fences, the back wall of the house and the side wall of the garage fully enclose the area and make it very private and secluded. There are a number of large ceramic plant pots and these will be staying, as will the Belfast sink, converted to a horticultural feature, and the water butt. Water can also be obtained from the outside tap, located on the side gable of the house.
A permanent ladder gives access to this very useful internal storage space that has power and light and is partially floored. It also houses the (at the time of writing) two-year-old Worcester boiler.