House in TV show is put on sale as owners tackle a new project

Published on Monday 15 February 2010 09:21

IT WAS a labour of love they shared with millions of television viewers – transforming a derelict 19th-century janitor's house into a state-of-the-art home.

But two years after it was finally completed, the owners of the Grand Designs Couperfield School House in Leith have revealed they are selling up.

They are now setting their sights on an even bigger development project across the waters in Fife.

Owner Reuben Welch, 39, said: "I worked on every square inch of this house and there is only on-going maintenance to do now.

"I want to start all over again, even though my wife thinks I am mad."

Couperfield House will go on the market in two weeks with an estimated price tag of around 400,000 and is expected to prove very popular with buyers.

Many of them will have followed the story of the house on Channel 4's Grand Designs. Mr Welch and his wife April Marr, 42, bought it for just 23,000 in 2003, taking five years to turn it into the unique property it is today for a total cost of 183,000.

The building – which had been empty for 20 years – was completely restored. It includes striking features such as a curved mezzanine with a standalone bath, as well as a copper-clad extension, built by Mr Welch himself for his now three-year-old daughter Willow.

He said: "I was sentimental about leaving the house for a couple of days. It will be hard to leave, but this new project will be so exciting. I am sure whoever buys the house will look after it."

The couple have bought a fifth of an acre of land off the Fife Coastal Path, near Kinghorn, with views across the Firth of Forth.

Although there is currently a bungalow on the site, they intend to tear it down to build a low "funky property" with "lots of glass" for themselves and their two daughters, Willow and Lundy, who is nearly one.

Mr Welch, director of Edinburgh's Alien Rock climbing wall, said: "I'm only working part-time at the moment, so I should have hours to spend on this development.

"We're not bored of Couperfield, we just want a new challenge.

"I am also hoping to get a small hovercraft, allowing me to get to the site in under 11 minutes from Leith. That would be great fun."

The house will be sold by Rettie and Co, based on India Street.

Tony Perriam, from the company, said: "This is arguably one of the most exciting family homes to have come up in Leith in recent years.

"The right buyer will realise the quality of the workmanship and sensitivity of the design. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."