Country mansion is nation’s idea of a dream home
Rushda:
August 27th, 2007
Many of us indulge in pipe dreams about what kind of house we would live in if we had lots of money. Well a new finding may come as a surprise as a survey has shown that most Britons would love to live in a detached country home, built from scratch. That means, historic dwellings such as castles, barns and vicarages are out, and large custom-made homes with open-plan sitting rooms are in.
The buying of new homes rather than old ones is a relatively recent fashion, first started by wealthy home owners who had special requirements such as indoor pools. Now, everyone wants to be able to decide exactly how their home should look, putting modern conveniences over historical character. As Rupert Connell, of the property-buying consultancy Buying Solution says:
“There are clients who are willing to trade character for efficiency. They also do not want to compromise their requirements for such things as indoor swimming pools. Some are looking for existing houses that can be pulled down and replaced with a home built to their specifications.”
One such example of a dream home which sold recently for an incredible £12m is The House in the Wood, at Hindhead in Surrey. This stone mansion dates back to 2001 and comes complete with underfloor heating and a super integrated music system.