As any estate agent will attest, putting a value on a period village house involves an algorithm of various differentials, including the location, position, views, layout of the house, number of bedrooms, condition, size of land and state of the garden. For the purposes of this exercise, however, COUNTRY LIFE has decided to strip out all the variables bar one: architectural style.
Welcome to our fictitious village green, around which just happens to stand a series of houses in a medley of the most popular styles from the past 700 years. Stretch your imagination further, and picture that these fine houses are detached and of a similar size and make-up, which would suit an aspiring country-house buyer with a young family. We’ve asked our panel of experts to assume that they all have five or six bedrooms and stand in two acres of garden and that the village-although nameless- is in Hampshire, conveniently located for a commute into London from Basingstoke.
As with all good marketplaces, the value of a property will, in the end, be determined by the number of people who are lining up to buy it and the availability of similar houses in the vicinity. Back in this imaginary world, however, our panel reveal how the different styles affect price tags, using well over 100 years of cumulative experience in selling country houses.
The best-selling styles and estimated values
1 Queen Anne/Georgian £2.7 million
2 Palladian £2.6 million
3 Elizabethan £2.45 million
4 Medieval £2.2 million
5 Cottage ornée/Gothick £2.14 million
6 Victorian Gothic £2.06 million
7 Arts-and-Crafts £2.05 million
8 1980s/1990s Classical revival
£2.05 million
9 Art Deco £1.97 million
10 Modernist £1.91 million
11 Eco-friendly £1.71 million
12 Mock Tudor £1.55 million
The panel
Crispin Holborow director of the country department at Savills: 20 years in the business
Dawn Carritt director of Jackson-Stops & Staff: 30 years in the business
Richard Page director of John D. Wood & Co: 25 years in the business
Mark Jamieson partner, Strutt & Parker: 25 years in the business
Ed Cunningham partner, country-house department at Knight Frank: 24 years in the business
John Young director of the country department at Chesterton Humberts: 30 years in the business
First
Queen Anne/Georgian
1680-1740
£2.7 million
Pros
‘The country-house buyer’s number-one choice’ Crispin Holborow, Savills
‘The classic eye-candy houses: they always receive a thumbs-up’ Dawn Carritt, Jackson Stops & Staff
‘Rooms, lit by perfectly symmetrical windows, are like individual galleries, bold splashes of Modern art hang above the antique fireplace’ Mark Jamieson, Strutt & Parker
‘Everyone asks for them, even if they
don’t end up buying them’ Dawn Carritt, Jackson Stops & Staff
‘Guaranteed re-sale’ Ed Cunningham, Knight Frank
Cons
Fittingly, no one had anything bad to say about our winning style
Second
Palladian
1730-1820
£2.6 million
Pros
‘Big architectural statement houses’ Richard Page, John D. Wood
‘First impressions are good- these houses set hearts racing’ Ed Cunningham, Knight Frank
‘The older generation’s brown furniture fits in easily’ John Young, Chesterton Humberts
Cons
‘Suit a big ego, but can be just too big for a family house of today, so many are open to the public or have been divided up’ Richard Page, John D. Wood
‘They need large grounds to show them off-otherwise, they can look odd’ Dawn Carritt, Jackson Stops & Staff
‘True Palladian means small staircases and kitchens in the basement’ Crispin Holborow, Savills
‘Be very aware of the mock Palladians, which are oversized for their plots’ Ed Cunningham, Knight Frank
Third
Elizabethan
about 1500-1640
£2.45million
Pros
‘There’s nothing to beat a big Elizabethan hall as a statement to show everyone that you’ve really made it- a wonderful showpiece house’ Richard Page, John D. Wood
‘Slightly easier room proportions than medieval houses’ Dawn Carritt, Jackson Stops & Staff
‘The very best fetch high prices’ Crispin Holborow, Savills
‘A job lot of suits of armour, swords, shields and heraldry will help furnish’ Richard Page, John D. Wood
Cons
‘Large rooms are expensive to heat and maintain’ Richard Page, John D. Wood
‘They can come with high-maintenance gardens’ Dawn Carritt, Jackson Stops & Staff
Fourth
Medieval
timber-framed
about 1300-1550
£2.2 million
Pros
‘Instantly appealing, romantic, historic and usually photograph well- quintessential England’ Richard Page, John D. Wood
‘They have a great following’ Dawn Carritt, Jackson Stops & Staff
‘Favoured by creative people, as they provide such a clear throwback to a different time’ Crispin Holborow, Savills
Cons
‘Difficult to furnish-old oak furniture is really best’ Richard Page, John D. Wood
‘Upside-down layout as reception rooms can be on first floor’ Dawn Carritt, Jackson Stops & Staff
‘Minimal appeal to overseas buyers as the floors and walls aren’t straight’ Richard Page, John D Wood
‘Can have low ceilings, which narrows their market place appeal’ Richard Page, John D. Wood
‘Plenty of spiders and beware of woodworm’ Richard Page, John D. Wood
Fifth
Cottage ornée/Gothick
1800-1840
£2.14 million
Pros
‘Victorian re-creations of the earlier Gothic style, so benefit from more advanced building techniques and have more comfortable accommodation’ Richard Page, John D. Wood
‘Very romantic’ Crispin Holborow, Savills
Cons
‘Expensive to maintain due to the individual nature of the construction (flint, slate, carved bargeboards)’ Richard Page, John D. Wood
‘Can be too small-a bit like an overgrown folly’ Dawn Carritt, Jackson Stops
& Staff
‘Has to be the very best of its type to fetch a good price’ Crispin Holborow, Savills
Sixth
Victorian Gothic
1830-1880s
£2.06 million
Pros
‘More mainstream than Gothick and works better as a family house’ Richard Page, John D. Wood
‘Less likely to be listed-an immediate attraction to many, particularly the young and in a hurry’ John Young, Chesterton Humberts
‘Good, solid family houses with lots of domestic offices, which work well with today’s lifestyle as boot rooms, dog rooms, children’s playrooms’ Dawn Carritt, Jackson Stops & Staff
Cons
‘No one wanted to know Victoriana for a long time-could it fall out of fashion again?’ Dawn Carritt, Jackson Stops & Staff
Seventh
Arts and Crafts
1880-1920s
£2.05 million
Pros
‘If architecture was to be personified, this style is the brooding poet- they are no-nonsense and disapproving at the tiniest hint of frippery’ Mark Jamieson, Strutt & Parker
‘Original, inventive and playful, these are works of art in their own right’ Richard Page, John D. Wood
‘For Lutyens purists, nothing beats this style’ Ed Cunningham, Knight Frank
‘Had a major impact on English domestic architecture, ultimately leading to the ever popular “mock Tudor”‘ (see following page) Richard Page, John D. Wood
Cons
‘They were built before the First World War to be run with a full domestic staff, so the kitchen layouts aren’t always practical by today’s standards and they usually come with a very labour-intensive garden’ Richard Page, John D. Wood
‘Currently fashionable, but haven’t always been so’ Crispin Holborow, Savills
‘You’ve got a wider market audience if you put your money in a Georgian house’ Ed Cunningham, Knight Frank
Eighth
Classical revival
1980s- £2.05 million
Pros
‘If you hanker after a Queen Anne house, but want every modern luxury, then these are for you’ Richard Page, John D. Wood
‘Hard to fault as will offer en-suite bathrooms, utility rooms, plenty of storage, lots of light and all mod cons’ Richard Page, John D. Wood
‘Blend the best of both worlds’ Dawn Carritt, Jackson Stops & Staff
‘You might even get a Christmas card from The Prince of Wales’ Richard Page, John D, Wood
‘In the past five years, there has been a real swing towards building new Classical country houses’ Ed Cunningham, Knight Frank
Cons
‘Not original’ Richard Page, John D. Wood
‘Easy to make mistakes on brickwork and other details, which brings the price down’ Crispin Holborow, Savills
Ninth
Art Deco
1930s
£1.97 million
Pros
‘Of special interest for lovers of Agatha Christie’ Richard Page, John D. Wood
‘Best for the seaside’ Crispin Holborow, Savills
‘Twenty years ago, they didn’t hold their value, but now coming back into fashion’ Ed Cunningham, Knight Frank
Cons
‘Beware of Crittall windows, which can be hateful to close’ Ed Cunningham, Knight Frank
‘Ikea furniture won’t fit in here’ Ed Cunningham, Knight Frank
Tenth
Modernist
1930s-1950s
£1.91 million
Pros
‘Striking, with clean lines and an absence of decorative features-great for showing off art and modern furniture’ Richard Page, John D. Wood
‘A good bet for hiring out as film/advertising location shoots’ Richard Page, John D. Wood
‘A functional building, filled with daylight, which is both easy and fun to live in. External and internal spaces link seamlessly, giving an ideal environment for modern 21st-century family living’ Mike Townsend, Savills
‘No need to go down the Grand Designs route!’ Mike Townsend, Savills
‘Starting to have a following’ Dawn Carritt, Jackson Stops & Staff
Cons
‘Any effect is ruined by clutter and flat roofs are always a nightmare’ Richard Page, John D. Wood
‘Buyers often prefer to build their own if they’re looking for a modern house’ Crispin Holborow, Savills
‘Needs seclusion-unhappy on a village green with everyone looking in through the big windows’ Dawn Carritt
‘Won’t work unless positioned on a cliff edge, overlooking a lake or deep in a forest’ Ed Cunningham, Knight Frank
Eleventh
Eco friendly house
2000-
£1.71 million
Pros
‘Heat exchangers, rainwater-collection systems and other recent innovations will become more affordable as their popularity grows’ Richard Page, John D. Wood
‘EPCs (energy performance certificates) have absolutely no effect on value, but energy efficiency in the more practical sense adds value’ Crispin Holborow, Savills
Cons
‘I’d give these a thumbs-down. What’s eco-friendly today won’t necessarily be tomorrow. The cutting edge of technology doesn’t always last the test of time and these can go out of date quite soon’Dawn Carritt, Jackson Stops & Staff
‘Architects make them “quirky” to demonstrate their Green credentials, which immediately limits the appeal’ Richard Page, John D. Wood
‘Modern construction and insulation make the interiors hermitically sealed if all doors and windows are closed, which can’t be healthy for the occupant or the building’ Richard Page, John D. Wood
‘Situation is crucial to maximise resale’ Ed Cunningham, Knight Frank
Twelfth
Mock Tudor
1930s-1950s
£1.55 million
Pros
‘Ever popular-well thought out, usually well built and not listed, so easy to adapt to modern-day living byknocking through walls and extending’ Richard Page, John D. Wood
Cons
‘Corny, unoriginal, shouts suburbia’ Richard Page, John D. Wood
‘Feel of mass production and lack special cachet’ Dawn Carritt, Jackson Stops & Staff
‘Anything that isn’t the real thing is marked down, mock Tudor particularly’ Crispin Holborow, Savills
