Home sweet home

First residents start to arrive at Gracemount

Bedtime battles should soon become a thing of the past for the Carmichael family.

The family of four are making history as some of the first tenants to move into the new Council homes at Gracemount – the first to be built by the Council in a generation.

Lynsey Carmichael, partner John and daughter Taylor (14) and son Max (9) recently moved from a two-bedroomed home in Moredun to the brand new three-bedroomed house on Garvald Street.

The energy efficient house also features a kitchen/dining room, two bathrooms and a living room.

“Our old house had a bedroom and what was really more of a boxroom, so we were a bit cramped,” Lynsey said. “Taylor and Max had to share a room, which led to some real battles over their different bedtimes!

“They are very excited that finally they are getting their own rooms.”

The Carmichaels applied for their new home through the Edindex system.

Lynsey is now looking forward to becoming part of a new community.

“I can’t wait to meet my new neighbours,” she said. “There is also something special about being the first people to move into such a brand new, clean and bright home.”

Local housing and regeneration manager Paul Swan said: “It’s fantastic for our staff to be involved with handing over the keys to these brand new modern houses.

“More important however is seeing how we are meeting the needs of families desperately in need of suitable accommodation and being lucky enough to be part of the first 21st Century Homes site in the city.”

The Gracemount development is the first phase of the Council’s 21st-Century Homes initiative.

This involves the demolition of 1,200 old-style Council homes in five areas of the city. They are being replaced with up to 1,400 new energy efficient buildings available for sale, rent or shared ownership.

The 99 Gracemount units are being built by Cruden Homes with completion due this summer.