There’s something immensely reassuring about seeing a house that looks like an old house but is, in fact, a new house. I like modern homes, somewhat scandalously considering where I work. I like glass, and modernism, and clean lines, and underfloor heating. I like those kitchens that don’t really look like kitchens where everything is hidden away. I also, however, like new houses that look like old houses.
Take Godwins House, surrounded by paddocks and woodland within Waterditch, a small rural hamlet in Dorset. For sale with Fine and Country for £3 million, it is, as you might have deduced, a charming red brick family home under a thatched roof situated in some pleasant gardens and grounds. It is also brand new!
Yes, this is a new-build house, which, considering what pops into my head when I read or hear the word ‘New Build’ is very exciting. It goes to show that they don’t all have to be featureless brick boxes on the edge of towns. Yes it’s £3 million, but also, it is proof that the sympathetic new-build is possible. Rejoice.
Thankfully, for your £3 million you get not one, but two properties — the aforementioned Godwins House in all its brick-built EPC-rated-A glory, and an attached converted barn. Together, they provide six bedrooms on three acres land. If all that isn’t enough, there are also garaging and stables and planning permission for a large master bedroom and a larger utility room. There is also no chain. Nothing but the hits at this place.
The interiors have been finished to a sublime standard, continuing the theme of the entire property, mixing modern comforts with traditional styles. A particular highlight is the triple aspect kitchen/dining/family room, in which folding doors open the full length of two sides to seamlessly blend the interior and exterior.
And what an exterior it is. As mentioned, the gardens and grounds are 3 acres in total, and are mostly laid to lawn with hard and soft landscaping, surrounded by paddocks and countryside. The rear garden also slopes down to a small stream. A patio area with pergola provides the perfect space for al fresco dining, with an outdoor fire and chimney, as well as a soundsystem.
And that EPC rating of A is not to be sniffed at either. The property benefits from its own sewage treatment plant, air source heat pump, a solar-power system, battery storage and an EV car charger. All the new, in a blanket of the old.
To take a video tour, click here
Credit: Strutt and Parker
Best country houses for sale this week
An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for
Credit: Knight Frank
For sale for the first time in 50 years, an unlisted Sussex farmhouse surrounded by a 'thriving 117-acre nature reserve'
https://www.knightfrank.com/properties/residential/for-sale/wards-lane-wadhurst-east-sussex-tn5/CHO180010
Credit: Savills
18th century elegance and some 6,500sq ft of space with views over the citadel of Rye
The Victorian elegance of Mountsfield House stands in stark contrast to the town's history of smuggling and piracy.
22 superb homes for sale from £260k to £15 million, as seen in Country Life
From huge estates to delightful cottages, there really is something for anyone thinking of moving to the country.
-
The century-old enamelling technique used to create Van Cleef's lucky ladybird brooch — which has something in common with Country LifeThe technique used in the jeweller's Geneva workshop has been put to good use in its latest creation.
-
‘The best sleep in the sky’: What it’s like to fly in United’s Polaris cabin, approved by American icon Martha StewartUnited’s Business Class cabin goes by the name Polaris and Martha Stewart is a fan. So, how does it fare?
-
18 magnificent homes for sale from £550k to £20 million, as seen in Country LifeFrom a charming thatched cottage to a 300-acre estate with its own vineyard, here's our pick of places to come to the market via Country Life of late.
-
If heaven is on earth, it might be in this home with a converted chapel that is now a swimming pool5 Wood Barton Town House is part of an exclusive 80-acre development in Devon that also comes with fishing rights on the River Avon and four bedrooms.
-
The sounds of spring and stained glass in an Arts-and-Crafts masterpiece in DorsetWith 35 acres, more than 10 bedrooms, a swimming pool and tennis court, Winterfield has it all.
-
An eight-bedroom wonder in East Sussex where the outdoors are an adventureThe interiors of Old Middleton are pretty good too.
-
A lakeside farmhouse on the market in the beautiful heart of PembrokeshireA lake, streams, 15 acres and five bedrooms. Rogershook might have it all.
-
An idyllic countryside home that's light, spacious and comes with a Grade II-listed follyHagg House is a gorgeous family home that just happens to have a miniature castle in the gardens. Annabel Dixon explains more.
-
A historic villa for sale on the Via Nomentana worthy of Rome's rich historyThree floors, lots of balconies, and a private garden in one of Rome's loveliest neighbourhoods.
-
Eight bedrooms of unlisted Edwardian elegance with sweeping views of SomersetAshton House sits near the market town of Chard and comes with a wealth of amenities both inside and out.
