10 Macalpine Place sits within a small pocket of detached homes built on the site of the old Macalpine Primary School, in Dundee's St Mary's area. St Andrew's Primary is next door and the Kingsway just beyond, so the school run and the commute both start close to home.

Turn into the driveway and the friction most mornings start with is already gone, off-street parking and a charging point built in, one less thing to think about before the day begins. From there the garden opens up behind the house, as good to look at as it is to spend time in. The lawn steps down past a retaining wall to a paved terrace under its own covered gazebo, somewhere to sit out regardless of what the sky is doing. A summerhouse that has power installed provides another spot to relax or make your own, while a greenhouse at the far end is ready for anyone who wants to grow their own. It is the kind of space that pulls you outside as soon as the weather allows, and keeps you there.

Indoors, the house is presented in fresh, up to date order throughout. The living room spans the front, while the kitchen and dining room run along the back, with a modern kitchen that's as practical as it is good to look at, opening straight onto the garden through sliding doors, so everyday meals and summer evenings both spill outside without a second thought. Upstairs, the principal bedroom has its own en-suite and built-in wardrobes, room enough to start the day without queuing for the bathroom, with two further bedrooms sharing the family bathroom between them. Underneath all of it sits gas central heating and solar panels that keep the bills in check, a real advantage with energy prices where they currently sit.

10 Macalpine Place offers the ease of a new build and a garden that holds its own, to look at and to live in.