Three of a kind: converted carriage houses

Converted coach or carriage houses have many advantages. Built when large estates needed to house their horse-drawn vehicles, they often possess the same style and quality as the main house, but with spacious interiors to suit modern, open-plan living and plenty of quirky features remain.

The Old Coach House, Blairgowrie is a charming Victorian five-bedroomed property with private gardens in a desirable area. The lounge and dining room are in a spectacular double-height space, still divided by the original wooden stalls and overlooked by a mezzanine library. Offers over £495,000. Contact Savills on 01738 477525.

Converting one from scratch can be an arduous business, but fortunately there are plenty completed conversions on the market.

The Old Coach House, Woodlands Road, Blairgowrie was originally built to serve Northlands House, and as such enjoys a high degree of privacy in a large garden accessed through gates which are now electrically operated.

It was converted in the 1990s into a spacious and stylish family home.

Windmill Coach House, Edinburgh is a unique three-bedroomed home in secluded gardens leading to the Water of Leith, with private parking. It is a beautifully finished property with an open-plan living room and kitchen, three bedrooms and two bathrooms upstairs. Offers over £795,000. Contact Strutt & Parker on 0131 718 4480.

Many of the original features from the brick-built Victorian building have been preserved to give the Old Coach House unique character, such as the wooden stalls which have been retained as room dividers.

There are also a number of original outbuildings which offer further potential.

In Edinburgh, Windmill Coach House is a fine and rare example of a city conversion of such outbuildings. The three-bedroomed property is in secluded grounds in the heart of Murrayfield.

It has recently been refurbished to include a new kitchen and bathrooms but takes advantage of the shape of the original building with an open-plan kitchen, living and dining area occupying most of the ground floor.

The Old Coach House, Creetown, Wigtownshire is a very pretty conversion of stables, coach house and a hay loft. It is deceptively spacious and very keenly priced. The house was largely rebuilt in the last decade so inside is a new property which retains the character of the old stone walls. Offers over £150,000. Contact Galloway & Ayrshire Property on 01671 402104.

Two large French doors lead out into the garden creating a very large and light entertaining space.

Upstairs are three well-proportioned double bedrooms all with views towards Donaldson’s College and beyond towards the Pentlands.

For a more modest proposition, the Old Coach House, Creetown, Wigtownshire, is a beautiful conversion of a former hayloft, coach house and stables, which has been tastefully modernised but retains its charm with wonderful stone walls. The accommodation is over three floors and includes a dining kitchen and sitting room, a large attic bedroom, two bedrooms and two bath or shower rooms in the basement.

Outside are a garage, garden sheds and mature, easily-kept gardens.

The property was rebuilt in 2006 when the interior rooms were created so it has the best of both worlds, being a characterful home which is practically new on the inside.