Interiors: Orchard Cottage, Stow

When Alan and Janice Scott first stepped inside this cottage in the Borders over five years ago, they were confronted by the aroma of damp. But rather than turn on their heels they seized on the potential of the late 17th-century building, which originally comprised two adjoining homes.

The couple's jobs prompted this move from Edinburgh, and the village of Stow offered a semi-rural lifestyle within a half-hour drive of the capital.

"It ticked all our boxes," says Alan.

Although they had never tackled a big renovation, they went in to this one with their eyes open, aware that the cottage's 1980s-style dcor was the least of their worries. To achieve the sense of solidity this home enjoys today they recognised the importance of getting the basics right.

"Spending money on 'unseen' jobs like electrics and plumbing can be de-motivating, but is ultimately worthwhile," says Alan.

The couple got used to living with tradesmen as they tackled work in stages. While the roof of the extension to the rear (added around the 1950s) was in excellent condition, the pitched roof required major repairs, carried out by Galashiels-based Finlaysons.

Water had been leaking into the gables: to one end it had seeped between large copestones and this section was lined with lead at some expense. To the opposite end the roof was stripped back to allow a quarter-inch lip to be inserted between the tiles and the gable wall. Cracked render was chipped off and reinstated, finished with a weatherproof paint. One saving grace was that windows had already been replaced with traditional (double-glazed) astragal designs.

A huge solid fuel burner in the living room that had powered the heating had to go. Having been disconnected from the pipes, heat from the burner could no longer escape.

"The room was like a sauna," says Alan.

Removal of this hot box freed up space, and an open fire was re-established in the room. The heating now runs on oil.

Carpets and laminate flooring were ripped up, and walls taken back to basics from beneath an abundance of woodchip. The latter proved impossible to remove so all the plaster came off too.

"We left the walls this way for six months, allowing the building to breathe before we re-plastered," says Alan, explaining that air vents had been covered up, suffocating the interior and exacerbating damp. In addition, draughts emanated from unsealed skirting boards, a situation the couple resolved as well as vastly improving insulation (newly introduced to the upper level).

Alan and Janice nurtured hopes of stumbling upon hidden treasures, and weren't disappointed. They assumed the narrow staircase was original, but when Alan removed a Formica cupboard at the bottom he revealed a gap, behind which the dividing wall between the two original cottages could be seen.

He proceeded to remove a stud partition that flanked the staircase, widening the latter and exposing original stonework. Selkirk-based stonemason Keith Riddell used traditional lime mortar to re-point the stone wall.

The couple re-visited the dcor of each room in turn. The main entrance is located privately to the rear, via the extended section. Inside, the kitchen, which looks to the tranquil south-facing back garden, boasts exposed timber beams with authentic-looking bevelled edges, made by Melrose-based joiner, T McLeish & Sons.

"These beams blend this newer part of the house with the adjacent living room, where we exposed original beams from beneath a woodchip ceiling," says Alan.

As well as a conventional oven, the kitchen features a reconditioned vintage Rayburn in duck egg blue, sourced locally, which at its lowest setting generates enough warmth to heat this area.

Rather than buy a new kitchen the couple asked their joiner to rearrange existing units, which were in good shape; some have been customised with, for example a pocket for storing the microwave. A walnut veneer worktop was replaced with solid timber, and new tongue and groove wall panelling complements the country cottage style.

"The panelling is easily repainted if we fancy a change," says Alan, explaining that Janice chose the Farrow & Ball paint shades used throughout the cottage.

The Belfast sink was snapped up on eBay and a slim Arts & Crafts writing desk, which belonged to Janice's grandmother, comfortably shares floor space with a traditional kitchen table.

While most of the attic space is devoted to storage (with potential for conversion to three further rooms) the couple created a double bedroom in this upper level, taking advantage of elevated views to the Border hills.

Their joiner built cupboards into the sloping eaves and a new dormer window was added, while a quirky little recessed window reveals the depth of the building's walls.

Back downstairs the bathroom is unrecognisable. Once dark blue with a tiny corner bath, it's now bedecked in hand-made Italian tiles. A P-shaped bath set within the end wall allowed space for an over-bath shower.

Of the three ground-floor double bedrooms one has an en suite and another a bank of built-in wardrobes. The couple use a little single bedroom as a peaceful study, facing the garden and kitted out with full-height bookcases and a desk. Even the front-facing bedrooms, opposite the road, are quiet as there's very little traffic.

The enclosed garden has been transformed from a bland, overgrown space into an idyllic outdoor sanctuary, with a good-sized lawn and mature shrubs and trees.

An old shed uncovered beneath unkempt growth has been replaced. And the sheltered, sunken space adjacent to the house has been laid with paving, host to a couple of seating areas. "We spend a lot of time there," says Alan.

Much as they love this home, the couple are now looking for a place that can also accommodate a horse. They can leave knowing that their hard work has equipped this 17th-century cottage with the stamina to see it through the next few hundred years.

Orchard Cottage, Earlston Road, Stow is for sale at a fixed price of 270,000 (with 5,600 towards Stamp Duty). For more information contact CKD Galbraith, tel: [phone], www.ckdgalbraith.co.uk