Articles by Property News

George Burnand of Strutt & Parker in Winchester explores the enduring appeal of a well-designed kitchen. He says:

“Inspired by being recently taught how to make the perfect burger by the Lainston House Cookery School courtesy of Hobsons Choice, the kitchen shop down by King Alfred’s statue, I thought I would write about why the kitchen is so important.

Layout:  They say you should never be a couple of steps away from any element, be it the cooker, work surface, fridge or sink. This makes for quite a small kitchen, but it certainly works. So if you have this space in a large open plan room, how do you make that work?

Island unit or peninsula: the Brexit of the kitchen world!  My mother has always been in favour of the peninsula as it creates a barrier and prevents guest from coming her side of the kitchen; others love the space of the island. The peninsula at the White Cottage in Oakley has a good example of the peninsula and has recently been reduced to £1,295,000. Littledown in Ropley has the best of both worlds, a good spacious island with a peninsula for guests to sit at.

Is our love affair with the Aga starting to wane? Aga has been very clever in developing the electric version of this iconic oven, which is very impressive, but those with the conventional version will be hard persuaded that the warmth it gives off quite sets the scene in the same way, especially as the nights close in.

Space for a dining table is becoming more and more popular with a number of buyers proclaiming the dining room would only be used for high days and holidays.  Longfield in Itchen Abbas has open connecting kitchen and dining room.

“I just wanted to be……

Warmth of an open fire with rural views

Watercress Cottage enjoys a rural location at Hurstbourne Priors and will appeal to those looking for a spacious family home with lots of character. Created from a terrace of four Victorian farm cottages, this lovely home has open fireplaces, wood burning stoves, exposed floorboards and wonderful light flooding in through numerous windows.

The main entrance opens into a fine dining hall with a secondary front door providing potential to keep things tidy with a space to kick off shoes and wipe muddy paws. There are two further good size reception rooms; a superb family room with French doors to the garden, and a comfortable sitting room. At the other end of the house is a large study off an inner hallway, together with a ground floor bedroom and shower room. There is also a utility room and a cloakroom.

The neutral tones of the interior decorations are enhanced by the honey glow of the wooden floors and the cream painted units in the kitchen are highlighted by lovely granite work surfaces.

Upstairs the four principal bedrooms are all double rooms, with pairs of windows looking out over fields, and two bathrooms.

The interior layout is extremely flexible with potential to provide a self contained annexe if required; and with two staircases rising to the first floor and a fifth bedroom linking the two landing areas, this provides further versatility.

The house is approached over a gravel driveway providing parking for several cars and leading to the attached garage. At the rear of the house is a terrace with a wonderful south westerly aspect providing a perfect space for entertaining through the summer months. Steps rise to the main area of garden which enjoys picturesque rural views and has a variety……

Constructed in the early 1900s to a classic design, this semi-detached house at Beaucroft Road in Waltham Chase has been extended to provide accommodation which better fulfils modern expectations. Located in the heart of this village, there are a few local amenities with easy access to Bishop’s Waltham about two miles to the north, and also Wickham to the south.

The house is well presented throughout with updated fully tiled bathrooms in neutral tones. The layout works well and provides comfortable relaxing spaces for the family together with a choice of dining areas including the conservatory at the rear which has French doors to the garden. The kitchen links with this room and one of the reception rooms which has space for formal dining as well as a sofa, leaving the second reception room at the front of the house as a separate sitting room. There is also a utility room and the main bathroom on the ground floor.

Upstairs are two double bedrooms, one with its own shower room, and a third single bedroom.

The garden at the rear is a good size and has been cleverly landscaped to provide defined seating areas and space for a barbecue leading onto a well stocked area around the lawn and shrub borders. A decked area at the rear provides alternative relaxing space to enjoy the garden. A gated pathway at the side links to the front of the house.

Ben Runciman at Byrne Runciman in Wickham says: “This attractive semi-detached Edwardian cottage is a real tardis, having been extended enormously by successive owners.”

The house is offered for sale with no forward chain, a price guide of £299,000 is quoted and a viewing appointment can be made by contacting Byrne Runciman on 01329 834579…

Centrally positioned within an acre of gardens

The beautiful gardens of about an acre set this fabulous family house back from Stoke Charity Road at King’s Worthy providing wonderful seclusion and an attractive backdrop. With accommodation of almost three and a half thousand square feet, this is a spacious home and those who enjoy being outdoors through the warmer months will be drawn to the swimming pool and covered entertaining area with adjoining sauna.

This location, although secluded, is not remote and lies about four miles from Winchester with a range of local shops nearby at King’s Worthy itself.

This impressive family home has a welcoming entrance hall leading off to the kitchen which is very much the hub of family life. The kitchen is well fitted and is open plan to an extensive dining/family area with French doors to the garden and with doors either side of a chimney breast opening into the fine, square sitting room with wood burning stove and French doors to the garden. There is also a study and a family room, with a rear lobby well placed for access from the swimming pool and with doors to a shower room and utility room. A further side lobby with external doors allows access from the front of the house through to the rear garden and also connects the house with the former double garage which is now arranged as a superb games room.

Stairs from the entrance hall rise to the naturally lit first floor landing which branches off to four superb bedrooms including the impressive master suite complete with dressing area and bathroom. There is also a family bathroom. A further staircase rises to the upper floor where a large bedroom has been created with storage and its own lovely bathroom.

The……

Sell now and move by Christmas

Local estate agency Connells in Winchester is urging homeowners to start marketing their homes now if they want to be moved by Christmas. According to the branch, September is an ideal time to sell your home and by taking advantage of the company’s ‘Six Week Challenge’, customers can successfully sell their property in record time and for the best price.

“September is an ideal time to sell your home,” says Oliver Fowler, Branch Manager at Connells Winchester.  “It’s traditionally one of the busiest times of the year for us with the summer holidays over, and buyers returning to the market keen to purchase before the end of the year.

“Our ‘Six Week Challenge’ – where we use all our expertise and knowledge of the local housing market to help sellers secure a buyer in less than six weeks – has been hugely successful for our customers over the summer months,” continues Oliver.  “With even more properties required to meet current buyer demand, we would urge those interested in moving to make the most of a buoyant housing market and put us to the challenge!”

If you are thinking of selling your home, keen to move by Christmas and would like to be considered for Connells’ ‘Six Week Challenge’,  contact the local branch on 01962 864444 or email: Winchester@connells.co.uk…

Enjoying a private six and a half acre woodland setting close to Romsey, Ryedown Lodge is a sumptuous home created in modern times but in the style of an Elizabethan manor house.

Electrically operated gates open to a long driveway sweeping round to a block paved area in front of the house and the triple garage, one part of which is currently set up as a gym and with a self contained apartment above. Formal gardens and expansive terracing behind the house take advantage of the southerly aspect with a path leading to a children’s play area, beyond which is a stream and a beautiful lake with a footbridge to an island.

The layout is perfect for family lifestyles and entertaining with a family room leading off the hand crafted kitchen, with a stunning formal dining room on one side and a garden room on the other, all with French doors to the garden. There is also a formal drawing room and a study on the ground floor.

Upstairs are five bedrooms accompanied by four bathrooms including a superb master suite which also has a dressing room and French doors to a balcony.

In addition to the spacious accommodation and lovely woodland setting there is also a fabulous indoor swimming pool complex with a heated pool, sauna, changing room and plant room. Double doors open onto a raised decked balcony and an adjoining sun terrace.

Available for immediate occupation on an unfurnished basis, at a monthly rent of £5,500, Savills will be happy to provide further details. Call the Winchester office on 01962 834022…