Craig Sibbald, 44, has been in the trade since his teenage years, primarily working in and around the Glasgow area.
However, in 2021 he purchased a plot of land – a former water treatment plant – in Dreghorn as he looked to branch out.
After hitting some stumbling blocks along the way, construction work on the site – which has saw an investment of more than £1.6 million – commenced in autumn last year.
Annick Grove, a small development comprising eight bungalows created by Craig’s company Axius Group, is now nearing completion with this expected in the new year.
One resident has already moved in – with others homes on the market – to the site which sits adjacent to Annick Water and Craig says he is delighted with brining his vision of two-bed semi-detached, and three bed detached, properties to life.
He commented: “Bringing the vision to life is one of the things that really drives me. To take a vacant site, an empty lot, and turn it into something that people want to stay in.
“It’s a massive honour to be able to do this and see the happiness on people’s faces when you hand them the keys. They are so appreciative, they just can’t believe that someone is building bungalows.
“It’s been fantastic support from all the neighbours because this was a derelict site which attracted a lot of youths.
“It was just an eyesore, a dumping ground. It was all fenced off and was just trees and bushes. Once we opened it up, they didn’t even realise this land was here, it just sort of appeared.”
Craig says that creating something which addresses housing need has also been a large driver for his project.
He continued: “The specification of the houses is what is special. They are built with older people in mind or people who maybe have impaired movement.
“For example, all showers are walk-in, we have comfort height toilets pans and all bathrooms are lined with plywood so you can put grab rails and shower seats, which we supply, in.
“It’s all level access throughout all the properties as well, they are all wheelchair accessible. It’s totally unique, no one else in the Ayrshire area is building bungalows like it.
“The other unique point is that everything is included, they are all carpeted, floored, the gardens are turfed. I can give people extras but everything you would really want in a house is included.”
Though this is his first development within Ayrshire, the Axius Group director has laid out further plans to expand the model elsewhere in the county.
He added: “That’s the aim of the company, I have another couple of sites in Glengarnock and Darvel, aimed at the retired market.
“That’s where I see the growth, other companies are building these modern estates – there is no originality.
“I understand why they are doing it, that’s their business model, but for myself – we want to try and be a bit more niche than that.
“We want to supply a product that nobody else is doing, in an area where there is a demand for it.”
Craig also says that the tradespeople in Ayrshire, who have been responsible for a majority of the work onsite, have also encouraged him to continue working locally.
He said: “A significant proportion of the investment made into Dreghorn has been channelled through approximately fifteen local companies, many of whom have played an essential role in the successful delivery of the project.
“Max Shedden at MS Home Design, Steve Roberts from Essjay Electrical, Neil Barr Decorators and Robyn Watt at EuroAgg Scotland deserve recognition for their consistently high standard of service reflecting the strength of local talent.
“The amount of people that I have had on site, their workmanship is second to known, I can’t shout about Ayrshire trades enough.
“I would also highlight the support received from North Ayrshire Council’s planning department from the beginning of the process.
“Their open, pragmatic approach demonstrates a strong commitment to encouraging investment in the area – an attitude that, if adopted more widely, could help stimulate much-needed housing development across other council regions.”
