The view is, quite simply, breathtaking.
Gaze left and I can see Broughty Ferry, Tentsmuir and the mouth of the Tay. Look the other way and I see upriver to Balmerino and beyond. Below me are the rooftops of Dundee, the city centre only a 15-minute walk away.
The site on Adelaide Place was bought by property developer Steve Mulgrew around two years ago.
“We think it had once been a smallholding,” the former commercial heating engineer explained. “All that was left was a derelict cottage.”
He commissioned Dundee architect Jon Frullani, who he had previously worked with on a site in St Andrews.
Jon said: “The plot was for sale with consent for two houses and we successfully made the case to the council that it could easily take three homes, which made our client happy.
The steeply sloping site made the build much more difficult. “The topography did make it a challenging site,” Jon continued. “Quite simply, 30 or 40 years ago it wouldn’t have been economically possible to build houses on a site like this. Steel spans, modern structural engineering and other new techniques have made it possible.”
Construction has taken close to a year, with one of the three houses now finished and the other two close to completion (the pictures shown have upgraded interiors).
Each house faces onto Adelaide Place, backing onto the Law Woods, but the south-side of the house is where the action is.
Double height living rooms have full width glazed doors leading out onto a huge terrace that is the main outdoor point to enjoy the spectacular views from. Raised kitchens also benefit from the river vista outside.
Upstairs, the master bedrooms have en suites and balconies with – if anything – even better views. The first villa has folded two bedrooms into one enormous master, with two additional bedrooms, while the other houses have four bedrooms.
They’re all super insulated and have air source heat pumps, making them economical and environmentally friendly to run. In addition to the main terrace there are side terraces that provide additional outdoor space and a drying area.
At £485,000 the houses set a new price ceiling for the Law area of Dundee and are pitched at a level designed to tempt people away from homes in the city’s West End and the nicer parts of Broughty Ferry.
One of the three properties has already been snapped up, however, indicating that there is an appetite for high end homes in the area, and Jon is confident the other two will sell.
“We’ve had a lot of interest so far. They’re not your off-the-shelf homes, they’re done to a much higher standard than you usually see. Looking at the brochure doesn’t do them justice. You need to have a look around them and see the views for yourself to really appreciate what they’re about.”
The villas at 48 Adelaide Place are on sale with Blackadders priced from £485,000.