Forget commuting stealing your precious time, these forever homes help you create a better work / life balance, especially after a long hard look at your schedule this summer..
These four flexible properties with workshops and studios are all about living and working on your terms and striking the perfect balance.
1.) The Stables Courtyard – Hertfordshire – this unique family home with huge development potential is nestled in the historic Theobalds Park Estate, hidden away in an English hamlet. The Stables Courtyard is situated on an acre of land and is a captivating blend of history and modern comfort.
It offers a distinctive blend of history, comfort and future possibilities, making it perfect for a small family seeking a home that grows with them. It not only offers a rich history and comfortable living but also presents substantial development opportunities. With pre-planning and surveys already in place for a large two-story extension to the current house, and the development of the exterior barns into their own dwelling, the potential is limitless. Ideal for a separate residence and a creative studio.
The property features two current utilised bedrooms, a large principle suite with an ensuite bathroom. An ideally suited guest / child’s bedroom, plus an additional room currently set up as a small gym or flexible third bedroom. An additional room on the first floor serves as a versatile office or extra bedroom, adds to the adaptability of the home, easily reimagined as a fourth bedroom with minimal effort.
2.) Grade 11 Listed Flour Mill – This converted Georgian flour mill, a Grade II listed building and local landmark, sits alongside its historic mill pond, in a quiet Kent hamlet surrounded by open fields. Over time, Tonge Mill has been imaginatively remodelled to create a three-storey home, with a large attached workshop, an artist’s studio and a separate, highly rentable cottage.
First impressions of Tonge Mill are dominated by the scale and ‘wow’ factor of 6,200 square feet of space with a 60-foot historic chimney (no longer in use.
The Mill is both solid and pleasingly symmetrical, with a time-tested brick-built façade with original shuttered sash windows. The roof, a mix of original slate tiles and modern panels, has been recently restored and refurbished where required.
Beyond the immediate impact of its size and scale, Tonge Mill offers abundant practical options.
The heart of the building is a substantial family house. Beyond, it extends into a workshop, artist’s studio and separate cottage, all with separate entrances.
With these four distinct units, the Mill offers a portfolio of significant and flexible spaces, as well suited for creative business use and investment, as they are for stylish living.
The heart of Tonge Mill is a three-storey family house. Its imaginative conversion preserves an industrial look and feel throughout with wooden floors and exposed brickwork or white painted walls giving a simple and adaptable backcloth. With recently renovated bathrooms and kitchen, the Mill combines heritage style with modern comfort.
Between the main house and the car park is the large workshop building, which offers two floors of flexible space, with an electrical system suitable for industrial or commercial use.
On the other side of the main house is the Studio, which offers significant potential for creative development.
Not currently in use, its triple-height ceiling, mezzanine platform and full height arched window overlooking the pond, give it a particular artistic charm. Subject to consent, it could be used as an open-plan loft-style home for a family member, guests, or rental investment.
Lastly is the cottage at the end of the building on the right from the road is a stylishly-restored two-bedroom cottage.
The cottage currently yields an annual income of £16,680 (£1390 PCM). It could easily be incorporated into the main house if more living and bedroom space were needed.
3.) Historic Farmhouse – Fleet Farmhouse (Fleet House as listed on Listed Buildings Register) is a great example of a late Victorian farmhouse, grade II listed to protect its heritage. The rear of the property dates from the 1820s, originally a barn but utilised as a private dwelling for the last century.
The house is noteworthy for its gable-ended, slated roof with brick stacks, original multi-pane windows, and 19th century central porch with a thick-set panelled door. It sits on a 1/2-acre plot, with sloping manicured gardens winding alongside a driveway that cuts all the way to the rear access via a wooden gate. There is a purpose-built double garage (built by the current owner) perfectly placed between a vegetable plot and wood store.
History oozes out of the principal house, with sitting rooms to the front perfect for cosy winter evenings, feature fireplaces, sash window boxes and cornicing throughout. Upstairs, four double bedrooms have two feature fireplaces with beautiful views over the front and back gardens. Two bathrooms, one en-suite & the other a jack-and-jill, comprise a bathtub with overhead shower and a separate walk-in shower. A large storage hallway cupboard is just off the landing.
The rear of the property has had an extension built by the present owner, in-keeping with the listed building status. It expands the rear of the property to encompass a grand living room and entertaining space, with two sets of doors leading out to a beautiful lawn.
The outbuildings, one to the front and the rear of the land, are at present, complete garages for storage of cars & equipment. Both could be converted to residential accommodation (subject to usual planning permissions), suitable for holiday letting or separate housing for the family.
4.) Dapple House – Dapple House is well named. The house is surrounded by natural historic woodlands and is bathed in dappled light. The original architect owner David Parsons designed this home for his own family in 2015, and made use of the surrounding woodlands to ensure a dynamic connection with the local environment.
The entire 1312 sq. foot interior, design of Dapple House has been thoughtfully conceived to make maximum use of natural light through skylights and floor to ceiling glass panels, which creates a calming engagement between the exterior and the interior.
A private garden wraps around the house and tiers up to the forested boundary, making this inviting space private and easily manageable.
A winding path leads past well-chosen trees and planting, which are purposefully in keeping with the surrounding nature reserve. Within the garden is a self-contained studio with an additional toilet. This is a perfect creative space, workroom, annexe for children or for occasional guests.
