Private cinema rooms, spiral staircases and an indoor swimming pool might be some of the things that come to mind when picturing the ‘ideal home’. However, data collected from Countryside’s Twitter account suggests otherwise.
Forget about the sweeping drives and private gates, as homes with more practicality are the favourite with Countryside’s followers. The ideal home is said to be a four to five-bedroom property, with a homely and cosy interior within five miles of work, and which includes a garage, a big garden and even a man cave*.
Four to five bedrooms
The ideal home, as voted by Countryside Twitter followers, is said to have between four to five bedrooms. This would be the perfect size for a growing family and could even see one of these bedrooms used as a guest room. The five-bedroom Windham and four-bedroom Whitworth homes at Abode in Cambridge are perfect examples of this type of house and make the most of all interior space.
Garden
68% of voters indicated that a big garden (I thought we were removing big?) was more important to children than their own room, a playroom and their own bathroom*! There is nothing better than having private space to enjoy with your family, especially during the summer months when barbecues and ball games are on the agenda. The appropriately-named Gardino home at Beaulieu has a lovely garden, perfect for entertaining.
Garage
The trusty garage is another feature voted as being integral in the ideal home. Garages are the perfect storage space for cars, bicycles and garden furniture, and are very practical and versatile spaces. A home which already benefits from a garage as well as parking is the four-bedroom Sandpiper at St Mary’s Island in Chatham, available with Help to Buy.
Within five miles of work
It’s unsurprising that one of the main priorities when moving home is the location and distance to work. The fast-paced modern lifestyle leaves little time and patience for a long commute, and this is what Countryside took into consideration with the East City Point development in Canning Town, which has extensive travel connections in London. (shouldn’t we also promote a site within 5 miles of a town or city? Like one of the Cambridge sites?)
Homely and cosy interior
You may have thought the ideal home had a shabby chic or sleek and modern interior, however the traditional homely and cosy interior is the preferred design style. Family photographs, candles and cosy blankets are just some of the ways to make your house feel like home. This is what the award-winning Horsted Park development has achieved with the Sandhurst home, where an open plan living area has been designed with the whole family in mind.
Man cave
Does every house not deserve a ‘man cave’ or a games room? This luxury extra was voted as the most preferred feature in the ideal home, over both a cinema room and a dressing room! The Castello property at Novo in Cambridge has opted for a room with slightly more usability, and boasts a well-sized home office on the ground floor.
If any of these six elements sound like your dream home, come and visit one of our developments across London and the rest of the UK.
*Data collected from Countryside Twitter polls between August 2016 – January 2017.