THE BSPC PROPERTY GUIDE / FEATURE PROPERTY
Baronial influences and traditional features figure prominently in a modern five bedroomed house in Minto Although Underhill was only built in 2009, many of its features are rooted in tradition, including external sandstone quoins and stone detailing and a baronial-style tower that houses a winding stone staircase and frees up space for the double-height hall and galleried landing to make more of an impact. Best of all, this one-off architect designed house has an enviable setting on the edge of Minto, a pretty village in the lee of Minto Hill where notable landmarks include an 18-hole parkland golf course and a 16th century pele tower on top of Minto Crags called Fatlips Castle, a name said to stem from the habit of greeting guests with kisses, considered to be shockingly inappropriate at the time. Underhill is the brainchild of David and Elaine Reed, who retired to the Borders from South Wales five years ago with the intention of buying a house. “We rented initially and while we were looking for a house we found this plot and discovered Minto, which is a lovey village,” David explains. “Having built houses in the past the prospect didn’t faze us, although by the time we got planning permission and worked on the design with an architect the project ended up taking two years to complete.” The house design demonstrates a careful blend of old look charm and character and high tech features, which merge seamlessly and most evidently in the beautiful variegated slate flooring installed throughout the ground level on top of a nine-inch concrete slab incorporating energy-efficient under-floor heating. “The under-floor heating is impressive,” David adds. “Together with very high levels of insulation, the house stays warm in winter with no cold spots and surprisingly low fuel bills. And it works in reverse to keep the house cool in summer.”
This is a sizeable house but then, as David points out, there’s no point in buying a large plot and erecting a small house. A canopied entrance opens into the impressive hall, off which is a living room with French doors and windows on three sides connecting visually and physically to the garden, a study that could equally be a fifth bedroom, shower room, utility and large dining kitchen. Upstairs, the tower staircase being a feature in its own right, are four bedrooms, one with en suite bathroom, plus a family bathroom with bath and separate corner shower. The upstairs flooring is solid oak throughout – the rooms here do have radiators but these are seldom necessary owing to the efficiency of the under-floor heating on the ground level. Designed to be low maintenance inside as well as out, the house has many notable features – the living room has a recessed multi-fuel stove, while the dining kitchen has windows overlooking the garden to Minto Hill and the village. Fitted on two perimeter walls with cream Shaker -style units, wood-effect worktops and multi-colour tiled splashbacks, it includes display shelving, range-style cooker with extractor hood above, and integrated dishwasher – leaving abundant space for a free-standing fridge freezer, dresser, and dining furniture.
Underhill, Hassendean Road, Minto Offers Over £395,000 Details on page 7 • Internal photographs provided by Kevin Greenfield Photography. www.kevingreenfield.com
Fitted in the same style, the utility is plumbed for laundry appliances and includes a traditional clothes pulley. A rear hall leads from the kitchen to the utility and spacious shower room. The main bedroom, like the living room below, benefits from having windows on three sides and a curved wall feature. Large enough to incorporate a seating area, from which to watch hill ponies and other livestock on the hills, it also has a beautiful en suite bathroom that incorporates a traditional roll-top bath and has space for a dressing table. Bedrooms two and three are spacious double-sized rooms, while the fourth upstairs bedroom is a single size, which would be ideal as a nursery or child’s room. Underhill has an integral garage and beautiful garden grounds planted with specimen trees and shrubs for year -round interest. Patios on either side incorporate seating areas to take advantage of the views and there is a garden shed, wood store and external lighting. Underhill is an exceptional property in an idyllic location that is rural without being remote. It’s a home that would ideally suit a family with children – what child wouldn’t love to grow up in a house like this?
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