Zahara de La Sierra, Andalucia, Spain

This house is unique in that it is one of the very few original left standing. Whereas the majority of the village houses have been demolished and rebuilt , this house is made from traditional and durable materials, such as stone walls nearly 1 metre thick, wooden beams from the Pinsapar forests, cane from the local rivers, all the floors have handmade tiles and the balcony has the original metalwork. It has been restored over 14 years by the dedicated and creative owner , keeping all the quality and spirit of traditional Andalucia. For these reasons, this house is maintenance free, does not suffer from humidity as the other houses do, being cooler in the hot summers and warmers in the winters. Because of its location, the castle is visible from the front along with the morning sunshine whilst the valley and Nature Reserve are from the rear.

Entering there is a lobby area , with original beam and cane ceiling, and lovely colorful hydraulic floor tiles off this is the spacious bathroom has 2 showers and a bathtub. All the taps and shower units are heavy duty chrome and made in England. It also has a purpose made corner for making yourself beautiful with spot lighting, seating, furniture and mirrors.

On the first floor there is a rustic traditional style kitchen , all hand built , it features a balcony overlooking the street , original beams and cane ceiling and those wonderful tiles again, there is a handy breakfast bar too , on from the kitchen is a room that is currently used as a bedroom but could be a dinning room or a home office.

ON the second floor are 2 loft bedrooms each have individual sink units and one has a shower. One bedroom has a 1.5m roof window, which gives access to the upper roof terrace has spectacular views, currently accessed by a ladder a wooden staircase would complete the picture and give easy access to the terrace. The other bedroom up here has two large stain glass oak windows 1.5m high, another special feature in this house that is is positively brimming with them

Located on the floor below the entrance room there is a spacious lounge room which extends onto a medium-sized terrace. The latter is big enough for a table and chairs , This rear side receives afternoon sunshine from mid-morning until sunset - the sunlight flooding into the living room. There is a wood burner and all the chimney tubing is fitted; it has also been designed with the option of either fitting a front loading sealed fireplace, or an open brick fireplace. The foundations of Arabic bricks are already laid and the tubing is complete. The latter rises throughout the house, warming the bedrooms. This whole space once again is finished with moorsish style niches and tiling .

The water is heated instantly by gas which is supplied in bottles , The kitchen has a gas hob, a new electric oven and the surface is marble. There is also a utility sink by the main front doors. These front doors open as twins and are solid wood. A smaller side door also allows access to the property and is made from oak and opens in two halves as a stable door. The house is tall and each floor has approximately 10 stairs to climb. There are many interior changes that could be pursued at low cost such as splitting the house in two and/or adding a spiral staircase.

If this was a label description on a bottle of wine, the wording for this house might be: 'rich and colourful having conserved the essence of Andalucia. Incorporating modern needs, it is spacious for an enjoyable lifestyle. It is centrally situated and surrounded by the promise and beauty of a national park and village community. The layout allows for privacy, the natural materials include the use of much wood, ceramic and stone. It's atmosphere is one of welcoming and warmth.