Tag: renovation

Developer Vivere reveals Extra Care Home Development Plans

EXTRA CARE DEVELOPER VIVERE UNVEILS PLANS TO BUILD c200 NEW HOMES IN EDINBURGH OVER NEXT 5 – 7 YEARS TO HELP MEET HOUSING DEMAND

Extra care developer-operator Vivere plans to build a portfolio of extra care communities in and around Edinburgh over the next 5-7 years, providing circa 200 new extra care homes with high-quality on-site amenities and care services. 

Starting the portfolio, Vivere has just acquired from St George’s School the 2.2 acre Lansdowne House site on Coltbridge Terrace in Edinburgh, and plans to transform this into the brand’s first community of high quality new extra care homes in the city. 

Vivere plan to invest some £25 million in the refurbishment and restoration of the listed buildings on the site and the construction of the new community.  

Subject to planning consent, the Lansdowne House scheme will provide a combination of refurbished heritage and newly built homes, alongside spectacular communal lounges and amenities created within the historic main Victorian villa on the site, originally built in 1875 as Coltbridge Hall and was previously owned by a number of notable Edinburgh residents over the years. 

It will be the first in a series of extra care projects that Vivere are planning for central Edinburgh. 

As part of their expansion plans Vivere are currently looking to acquire other sites in Edinburgh, the Lothians and Fife. The business is looking to purchase sites that can provide between 50 to 80 homes, for either new build, converted properties, or a combination. The sites for review being in established residential addresses, ideally with proximity to local public transport and amenities.

Vivere was formed by a joint venture between Probitas, a specialist in extra care and senior living homes, and Stephenson Group, a leading contractor and mixed-use investor-developer founded in 1962 with offices in Scotland, England and Wales.

Vivere is led by Co-Founding Director Scott Curran, who was born in Edinburgh and is a qualified architect from the School of Art in Edinburgh. Scott has worked in Edinburgh for CDA, PJMP, Balfour Beatty, MACE, and Applecross.

Alongside Scott is Co-Founding Director Beatrix Lehnert, with both directors having over 30 years of expertise in residential, commercial, BtR and PBSA projects, with the past 13 years focused on the assisted living sector.

Vivere business partner and Co-founding Director Martin Stephenson is the Chairman of Stephenson Group which is a market leader in construction and property development with an annual turnover in excess of £100 million (Source: 2024/25 accounts).

To deliver the new communities in Edinburgh Vivere is working with award winning Scottish based architectural practices, planning consultants and landscape consultants.

For the Lansdowne House site in Edinburgh Vivere has appointed award winning Scottish architectural practice CDA Edinburgh, landscape architects Rankinfraser, and Edinburgh based planning and heritage consultants Montagu Evans to help prepare proposals for the new community. 

With its award winning professional team, the brand will focus on creating and delivering a portfolio of high-quality extra care living communities designed for where residents can enjoy their life and age in place, supported by appropriate on-site amenities and care services for a healthier life and wellbeing. 

This fully aligns with the Scottish Government’s ambition to both raise life expectancy in Scotland and the number of years that people can spend in good health, supported by both suitable properties to live in and the services to assist their needs.

Scott Curran, Co-Founding Director of Vivere says: “It is our aim to create a portfolio of high-quality extra care living communities in Scotland, commencing in Edinburgh. These will be high quality homes, alongside on-site amenities and tailored care services to suit resident’s needs.

“Our aim is for our residents to live longer, not grow old. The provision of extra care communities will help to relieve local pressures on NHS services, as well as providing homes to the hugely undersupplied housing sector in Scotland.”  

Martin Stephenson, Chairman of Stephenson Group and Co-founding director of Vivere said: “Scotland, like the rest of the UK, has an overwhelming demand to provide housing with care and services to a large and fast-growing older demographic, but with the key difference for Scotland currently being the huge lack of supply of these tailored homes and services within the housing sector.

“With its development plans Vivere aims to provide a quality product to the market and help to meet the demands in the sector.” 

Vivere Co-Founding Director Beatrix Lehnert added: “The forming of Vivere represents significant new long-term investment and job creation in the Edinburgh economy. 

“Alongside delivering best-in-class extra care schemes, our approach is to partner with Scottish businesses, suppliers and operators who are local leaders in their field to provide the care services and amenities for our new communities.

“This way Vivere will help to create new jobs and investment in Edinburgh alongside the construction jobs generated by the building of our new projects.”

For further information on Vivere visit: www.vivere-scotland.com

Earth in Common needs your help!

Do you have a few hours to spare each weekday from tomorrow – Monday 17th January?

Earth in Common (formerly Leith Crops in Pots) are in need of some help shifting bits & bobs/decluttering/organising ahead of our big renovation.

Tea & coffee will be provided!

Wrap up warm & come chat with our team from 10am.

Five ways to convert existing space at home to add up to 20% value in lockdown

Making the most out of existing space could drastically add to the value of a property, with additional bedrooms increasing the value by as much as 20% according to experts, or £51,200 considering the average house price in England (£256,000).

The research by self-storage company, Space Station, found several ways in which homeowners can increase the value of their homes without paying for an extension, and instead simply making the most of existing space in a property.

Creating an open plan living area, installing an additional bathroom, or adding another bedroom can all be accomplished for a lot less than the cost of an extension, and in many cases, this does not require planning permission.

Here are five ways you can maximise existing space to increase property value:

1.      Convert a room into a bedroom (20% increase in value, £51K of average house price)

Converting the purpose of a room can add extra value to a property and costs very little to do effectively.

Having an office or a games room may seem desirable, but when it comes to adding value, the number of bedrooms is the figure buyers pay the most attention to, so converting a room into a bedroom will see the greatest increase in value.

As a compromise, consider making a room dual purpose, allowing it to serve as both a guest bedroom and a home office.

Holly Herbert, from We Buy Any House, said: “Not every homeowner is in a position to renovate their property, so thankfully there are other things that they can do on a budget instead.

“A great option is to use an existing room as another bedroom, especially if you have office space. Adding a bedroom to a property can increase the value by up to 20% and can be done easily enough with some redecorating and reorganising.”

2.      Convert your loft space (20% increase in value, £51K of average house price)

Alternatively, a more expensive solution is to invest in a loft conversion. This is especially useful if you do not have spare rooms which you’re able to convert, or if you want to increase the number of bedrooms whilst keeping your office space.

As lofts are generally used for storage, some homeowners may be left with a temporary shortage of space for these items. This can easily be solved however by temporarily renting storage whilst you undertake the work. Long term, you can find inventive and creative ways to create storage as part of the loft conversion, by installing storage units in the dead space.

Holly said: “For homeowners who are keen to add an extra room but don’t have an office space or dining area to sacrifice, a loft conversion can be the perfect solution.

“You will need to make sure that if you’re intending to advertise your loft conversion as another bedroom that it’s up to regulations, as it will need to be a certain size and have a door, as well as being safe.”

3.      Create an open-plan living area (15% increase in value, £38K of average house price)

Open plan living areas are incredibly desirable for house-hunters, and they are a great way to make your living area and kitchen feel modern and bigger than they would as separate rooms.

Knocking down the interior walls could be a DIY job, but it’s important that you establish whether the wall is load bearing. If it is then you will need to ask for expert help to find a solution, as knocking down a load bearing wall could have disastrous consequences.

Holly said: “Creating an open-plan living area can increase your value by up to as much as 15% when done well and will almost always encourage potential viewers to make an offer on the property.”

4.      Install additional toilets or bathrooms (5% increase in value, £13K of average house price)

A spare storage room or under-stairs cupboard could be converted into an additional toilet, and you can even add an extra bathroom to a property if you have the room.

This is especially worthwhile for homes with a limited number of existing bathrooms, but you should beware of losing a bedroom. A good option would be to create a small en-suite if you have a large bedroom.

Adding extra bathroom facilities could increase the property value by as much as 5%2 and is especially worthwhile in older houses that may have fewer existing bathrooms.

5.      Create storage solutions out of spare space (up to 5% increase in value, £13K of average house price)

Making the most out of nooks and crannies in your home can really make features stand out, as well as adding value.

Converting under-stairs cupboards or alcoves into storage areas helps to make your living areas more practical, as well as adding value by making your home look more unique and functional.

Holly says: “The value added by storage is difficult to pin down and varies hugely depending on the storage in question. Large scale projects like a wine cellar or basement renovation can add a significant amount to the value, whereas low key storage solutions will increase it by a lower amount.

“However, storage is very appealing to buyers, so even if it does not significantly increase the overall value, it will help to make a property more desirable.”

Vlatka Lake, Marketing Manager at Space Station, said: “Adding value to your property is something that can be easily done by any homeowner, and whatever the size of their budget.

“We hope that these tips can inspire people to make the most of their spare space, helping them to maximise their property value when they come to sell.”

For more information on how you can increase the value of your property, visit: https://www.space-station.co.uk/blog/ten-ways-to-increase-the-value-of-your-property