Stunning 4 bedroom country home with 4.52 acre paddock

Brougham is a superb four-bedroom, three-bathroom link-detached family home, situated in the peaceful countryside of Rabley Heath in Hertfordshire, within easy reach of the villages of Welwyn and Codicote.  Beautifully built by Wheatley Homes with great attention to detail, this spacious property combines character with modern living. This home has been efficiently designed with eco living in mind and has everything in place to keep your running costs refreshingly low.  Inside, you’ll find generous living space, while outside there's plenty to enjoy too — a garage, a cycle store and a large garden. And for those with livestock interests or a love of open space, there’s a separate 4.52 acre paddock with its own private access.  This is a fantastic opportunity to enjoy rural living without compromising on comfort, connectivity, or sustainability. 

Step Inside      

With its classic barn-style frontage, this home instantly catches the eye. The large statement entrance with its stylish front door framed by glazed panels create a bright and welcoming first impression.  Stepping inside to the spacious, light-filled hallway, you find a built-in coat cupboard and additional storage tucked under the stairs. The engineered wood flooring makes it a practical space as well as adding character and style, and a well-placed guest cloakroom adds convenience without interrupting the flow.

The main living spaces are all accessed from the hallway and you’ll find doors leading to a generous family room and dining room, while double doors open into a large, airy lounge. There’s a great sense of flow throughout — the lounge connects directly to the dining room via another set of double doors, and the dining area also links to the hallway and the open-plan kitchen beyond.  Fuelled by an Air Source Heat Pump, there is underfloor heating throughout this home and the 150mm wall cavity insulation mean that all heat generated is retained for as long as possible in this energy saving space. Roof mounted solar panels with a 5.8kW hybrid inverter and battery provide the electricity required to run the house as well as the vital air source heat pump.

At the front of the house, the family room is a versatile and well-sized space. Whether used as a second sitting room, playroom, or a home office, (taking advantage of the ultrafast fibre optic broadband data connection) it has sumptuous neutral carpeting and is filled with natural light thanks to a double window that frames the courtyard entrance.  Moving across the hall to the larger reception room, again you find high quality carpeted floors, and dual aspect views with a large window at the front and bi folding doors opening out onto a patio.  This room leads through double doors to the open plan dining area and kitchen.  Here you really appreciate the continuation of the garden views through the high quality Velfac glazing which is a constant throughout the property.  Velfac are renowned for manufacturing energy efficient windows and doors, all to the highest specifications, working to achieve an energy smart home.   The dining and kitchen area benefit from practical tiled flooring, a more traditional feel in this space, along with the wood burning stove in the characterful brick chimney breast. This sociable space is ideal for family gatherings, and the flow from kitchen to outdoors created by the bi-folding doors into the garden works perfectly in the summer months, and in the colder months the wood burner adds atmosphere and draws you into this heart of the home.  As you would expect, this kitchen has everything you need for a busy family; an electric range oven, side by side American style fridge freezer (plumbed for ice and water), a large wine cooler, an integrated dishwasher and the central island with seating makes this the perfect spot to catch up on your day while preparing a meal, or kids to enjoy breakfast before school.   The generous utility space leads off the kitchen where you will find more storage cupboards, the washing machine and tumble dryer and access to the garden via the back door.  There is also an internal door reaching the garage. 

Upstairs, there are four generously sized double bedrooms, each enjoying the lovely countryside views that come with this peaceful rural setting.  At the heart of the first floor is the main bedroom suite — a bright, spacious room with fitted wardrobes along one wall and a double window looking out over the paddock. The en suite bathroom is complete with a freestanding bath, double sink unit, and a separate walk-in shower, all finished in a sleek, contemporary style.  The second bedroom is ideal for guests or older children, with its own private shower room and a deep fitted wardrobe. Bedrooms three and four are also good-sized doubles and share the family bathroom, which features a full-sized bath with an overhead shower.

Step outside

Brougham is one of just three stunning homes set on this rural development.  The spacious courtyard is entered through double wooden gates, accessed via an entry phone system for added privacy and security. There’s plenty of room for parking with three allocated spaces, along with a single garage. The garage has large cupboard storing the solar panel battery, and there are hot and cold taps here, ideal for garden hoses and washing down animals just outside the external door. To the right of the house is the haul road that gives you a clear route to the 4.52 acre paddock. This large field has been secured with wooden post and rail fencing and stretches down to the boundary hedge line. With your neighbours’ paddocks on either side, this space feels open and versatile.  It could be used for grazing livestock, growing your own fruit and vegetables or just exercising the dog.  The manageable size lawn enjoys traditional wooden fencing on all sides and young hedging has been planted to give more privacy as they grow on the side and rear fence lines. There are double gates to the haul road and a pedestrian gate for quick access.  On the far side of the house, in the small, linked section of the property, is a cycle store which can be entered from the front and the rear of the house.  This well thought out design means you can come home from a family bike ride and enter the house through the back door.  Wrapping around the rear of the house is a beautifully laid patio which overlooks the good-sized lawn.  Accessible from the back door, the dining area and the lounge, this patio is great for al fresco dining and entertaining.  

Location

Rabley Heath is a small rural hamlet which is surrounded by with footpaths and bridleways leading you through  stunning countryside.  The Robin Hood & Little John Pub is just a miles walk down the road where you will find a lovely atmosphere and great food being served.  Rabley Heath is well connected for road, rail and air.  For commuters, there are a choice of mainline stations; Knebworth is the closest at 2.7 miles, Welwyn North is 3.2 miles, Welwyn Garden City station is 4.8 miles and Stevenage, with its frequent fast trains, is just over a 8 mile drive. The A1 motorway is under 3 miles to the south, linking you north to Peterborough and the Midlands and south to the M25. Luton Airport is 10 miles to the west and Stansted Airport is 30 miles to the east.

The house is under a mile from the centre of Codicote High Street where you will find local shops, a primary school, restaurants and a large community centre, sports ground and tennis courts. Welwyn village is under 2 miles down the road with its Tesco Express, doctors’ surgery, library, a variety of shops and pubs.  Popular Independent schools locally are Sherrardswood in Welwyn, Kingshott in Hitchin, Heath Mount in Watton at Stone and St Albans High School for Girls. Surrounding towns within a 20 min drive are Stevenage, Welwyn Garden City, Hitchin and Hertford.