Joules Court, Shenley Lodge, Milton Keynes

ECO FEATURES

The detached, five-bedroom house was built in the late 1980s and has been enhanced by the couple in their time at the property. “We upgraded the kitchen and one of the bathrooms,” he says. “We also had a new terrace laid and have carried out general decorating and maintenance work as required.” His wife continues: “Other additions to the house have included installing an electric vehicle charger and solar panels. We are part of the feed-in tariff scheme, which gives us payments when we supply any excess power to the grid: this will continue for a few more years.”

FLEXIBLE LIVING

Set back from the no-through road by a large driveway, the house, which has a detached, double garage, offers five bedrooms. It is entered via a lobby and then entrance hall and offers flexible accommodation suited both to family living and working from home or leisure pursuits. To the right of the hall is a ground-floor cloakroom and study. “This is a great place to close the door on the rest of the house and get down to work. It has been fitted out as a purpose-built home office.” The large drawing room, which has a bay window to the front and French double doors to the rear, is to the other side of the hall. “This is a lovely room all year round,” she observes. “In the summer, we can open the doors on to the garden and in the winter we can light the wood-burning stove, which makes it cosy and inviting.”

ENTERTAINING SPACE

The kitchen breakfast room opens into a useful utility room, as well as the long family room, where there are more doors on to the garden. Natural light streams into this space via the skylight windows. “This is where we spend much of our time as a family,” she admits. “It is also fantastic for entertaining.” Also downstairs is a dining room, which again has French double doors on to the garden. “This house has a very nice flow,” agrees her husband. “The layout, space and easy access to the garden have made it perfect for family gatherings and celebrations. We often have big Christmases here, as well as other special occasions, with up to 30 people at times. In the summer months, there have been large barbecues, with the children’s school friends and their parents.”

BRIGHT IDEAS

The bedrooms and bathrooms are all on the first floor of the house. The master bedroom has a dressing area and ensuite bathroom. A guest room has an ensuite shower room and the remaining three bedrooms share the very generous family bathroom. “We do have planning permission for the creation of a self-contained, one-bedroom annexe, should new owners wish to look into that,” she explains. “This would involve a two-storey extension to the side and above the garage. The idea is that there would be a bedroom, bathroom and small kitchen, although we did also consider using it as a cinema room if we even went ahead with it.”

IDEAL HOME

Enjoying being within 10 or 15 minutes of major shopping and leisure areas, as well as roads, motorways and transport connections, the family has savoured the convenience of their Shenley Lodge setting. “We will definitely miss this when we leave,” they admit. “Everything we need is really within a radius of a mile or so.” Finding a similar property will be hard, they stress. “Everything about this place has been ideal for us, from the size and location of the house to the garden. We have really enjoyed being here and know we will miss it when we move.”

Disclaimer

Chewton Rose Estate Agents is the seller's agent for this property. Your conveyancer is legally responsible for ensuring any purchase agreement fully protects your position. We make detailed enquiries of the seller to ensure the information provided is as accurate as possible. Please inform us if you become aware of any information being inaccurate.