Striking it lucky

Jun 8 2008 Raymond Hainey

Spl Star Jamie Scores A Hat-Trick Of Houses With Same Builder New Homes

A berdeen midfield star Jamie Smith has notched up a hat-trick with a house builder.

The player and his family recently moved up from their Gladedale Thurso-style house to a larger home from the same company and have even bought one of the firm's flats as an investment.

The father-of-three said: "We really liked the Thurso but needed an even bigger house because of the children. It was an easy choice to go for another Gladedale home."

Jamie and wife Laura plumped for a four-bed Strathmore II home - and the size of the kitchen was a major selling point.

He said: "We spend most of our time in the kitchen and liked the open-plan diner feel of the house.

"There's loads of room and it's an excellent kitchen, which is really the hub of the house for us because we spend a lot of time cooking from scratch."

The quietness of the street and their huge garden means the kids can play outside without worries.

Jamie, 28, said: "The fact our house has a shared drive and is in a quiet street means the only cars belong to the people who live here.

"It's a safe area for the children to play."

Jamie and Laura, who have two daughters aged eight and two and a four-year-old son, bought their first new home at Gladedale's Leddach Grange site in Elrick, near Aberdeen, when he signed for the Dons from Dutch side Den Haag.

Jamie said: "We drove around the city looking at different developments and we thought Elrick and Westhill were nice areas.

"We really liked it straight away and thought it would be a nice place to live.

"We did research and spoke to a few of my teammates who lived here already and recommended it."

The community feel of Elrick and Westhill, which boast schools, shops and leisure facilities and are close to the surrounding countryside, was also a plus for the young family.

Jamie said: "Our eldest daughter goes to school locally and our son is at nursery so good schools were an important consideration for us."

He has been so impressed by his homes that he had no hesitation in buying an investment flat from Gladedale, to be built around a village green at Leddach Grange.

He said: "We were really impressed by how spacious and well-finished they will be when they're completed later this year."

The start of a new phase of houses is planned for next month but the firm have seven two-bed flats, ranging from £170,000 to £205,000, up for grabs on the site.

For more information, phone 01224 749584 or log on to www.gladedale.com