Case Study
Garvocklea, Laurencekirk
From the moment you step into Debbie and Chris’ home, it’s clear that their love of travel has deeply influenced their décor. From their beloved collection of mugs gathered from destinations across the globe, to the vibrant and personal touches scattered throughout their home, it’s a reflection of their fun, bright personalities and adventures.
“Our style isn’t very grown-up; we like things that are fun and bright,” Debbie says, pointing out one of her favourite pieces – a vase with a giraffe on it blowing a bubble. The couple’s travels, both for work and leisure, have also been a major source of inspiration. “I travel a lot for work, and as a family, we’ve travelled far and wide,” Chris explains. This is beautifully showcased in their growing mug collection, which started with a simple purchase in London and has since evolved into a vibrant feature display. “Wherever we go, we always check if they have mugs to add to the collection,” Chris says, smiling as he recounts the excitement of returning home with a new find. “It’s always a buzz when I come back from a work trip and say, ‘Look what I’ve brought!’”
Despite already filling their home with personal touches, the couple are in no rush to complete the decoration. “We want to take our time with the space, not rush it,” Chris shares. Debbie adds, “We love music, movies, travelling, and all that fun will be present in our home.” She even teases that her favourite artist, Harry Styles, will have a special place in their ever-evolving design.
Debbie, Garvocklea resident
Debbie and Chris moved into their forever home at the Garvocklea development in Laurencekirk in April 2024. They share the home with their teenage daughter and their dog Buddy—named after Buddy the Elf due to their love of Christmas. Their eldest daughter, who now lives in Edinburgh for work, also makes good use of the spare room when she visits.
Debbie and Chris are no strangers to the quality of Fotheringham Homes. They previously owned a Fotheringham property in Inverbervie and were devastated to sell it. “We loved that home,” Debbie recalls, but ultimately they found it too remote. “If Inverbervie had a train station, we wouldn’t have sold,” Chris recalls. After a brief move to Aberdeen, they quickly realised city life wasn’t for them – “We knew instantly we didn’t make the right move going to the city, especially when you’re used to the space and amazing spec of Fotheringham Homes,” Debbie admits.
Determined to return to the level of quality they had before, Debbie and Chris didn’t hesitate when they saw Fotheringham Homes was building in Laurencekirk. “We didn’t even care about the location at first,” Debbie comments. “We knew we just wanted a Fotheringham home again, and it turns out, Laurencekirk is perfect for us!”
Though Debbie and Chris weren’t sure what to expect from Laurencekirk, they quickly fell in love with the small town’s charm, local amenities, and community spirit. Chris, who enjoys taking the train into the city to watch the football and picking up a Marks & Spencers dinner on the way home for them to enjoy says, “Having the train station is a game-changer for us. Laurencekirk has got everything we need, and we love the woods nearby—I’ve already spotted red squirrels and so many birds when walking through there.”
While Chris is off cheering The Dons, Debbie loves the peaceful setting of Laurencekirk. “I actually love cleaning the house! I blast Harry Styles while I do – I love it!” she laughs. “We didn’t have a clue what the view was going to be, so when we were finally able to get onto the site to see the progress of the house, we looked out and we couldn’t believe it – it’s amazing.”
While talking about their overall experience with Fotheringham Homes, Debbie remembers back to when they purchased their first home in Inverbervie: “After showing us the showhome, which we absolutely loved, it was stunning, Alan Senior and Michael went above and beyond, offering us an empty house until our new home was built.”
Instead of waiting, Debbie and Chris decided to purchase the available home after suggesting a few customisations. Fotheringham Homes eagerly accommodated their requests, leaving the couple in awe of their service. Debbie notes, “You just can’t make up how brilliant they are, nothing was too much trouble.” Chris remembers one time during bad snow, Alan Senior was out ploughing the street – “And that just totally sums up how they are.”
When asked about their experience buying their forever home in Laurencekirk: “Tracey was our point of contact during the process and although we didn’t need it, we trusted them completely and were happy to just leave them to it. Tracey gave us lots of updates along the way including photos.”
Debbie & Chris, Garvocklea resident
Chris recalls one time when their garage door wasn’t shutting properly. While waiting in the car for Debbie to lock up the house, Chris emailed Tracey regarding the issue. “I about jumped out my skin when someone knocked on the car window. Tracey had called someone already on the site to come over and fix it!” Debbie adds: “Every house has snagging, it’s impossible for it not to, but if there is anything, it's fixed within that day or that week. You’re never left waiting on anything, and that’s just one example of how attentive they are.”
After gushing about their experience, when asked if they would recommend Fotheringham Homes the couple laugh, “Of course we do! 100% recommend, absolutely! They are brilliant.” Chris adds: “It was a fun and easy experience.” The couple praised the team for their accommodating nature which included granting them early access to the house for furniture measurements and allowing white goods to be delivered straight to the garage – “they just can’t make it any easier for you and that’s the truth.”
Looking ahead, the family can’t wait to celebrate their first Christmas in Laurencekirk – “We go massive at Christmas, we love it, so we can’t wait to decorate the house,” they say as they chat about previous home decorations which included lots of lights inside and out as well as massive, inflatable characters. “These houses are built for Christmas, we can’t wait to have everyone over for Christmas dinner. That’s what kept us going while the house was getting built - ‘just think what it will be like at Christmas!’”
Debbie and Chris absolutely love their new home: “We won’t be moving again. We knew the quality of home we were getting so we knew this would be our forever home.” For Chris, the spacious kitchen-living area is his favourite place as he loves cooking, pottering, and looking out to the view, while Debbie’s favourite place is their bedroom, a warm cosy space to unwind, noting “ having an ensuite is just such a luxury.”
Chris sums it up perfectly: “It just feels like home.”
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We won’t be moving again. We knew the quality of home we were getting so we knew this would be our forever home.
It just feels like home!”
Debbie & Chris, Garvocklea resident
