Cuffley Hill, Goffs Oak

*** GUIDE PRICE £650,000 - £700,000 *** Throwing open the glass doors to the Juliet balcony on a summer’s morning, Sinem reflects on all the superb work she has carried out on her beautiful home at Goffs Oak. The exceptional, semi-detached house has been transformed into a substantial, four-bedroom home, with ample space for family living and entertaining, as well as quiet relaxation. “This has been a fantastic place for my children to grow up,” she says. “The location has been everything we hoped it would be – and more – and the house has been perfect for us over the years, giving us additional space as we have needed it. We extended it out to the back to create a lovely open-plan kitchen dining room and we also went up to give ourselves a third floor. This is now a wonderful master bedroom, with an en-suite shower room and walk-in wardrobe.”

Love At First Sight

It was 21 years ago that she first visited the property, which is thought to date back to the 1950s. “I was pregnant with my second child and had heard lots of good things about how great the area was for families,” she recalls. “It was still a three-bedroom house then, but I fell in love with it immediately. People say you know instantly if somewhere is right for you – and I did. It gave me that lovely, welcoming feeling and I could imagine us living there.” The ground-floor extension was carried out in 2010 and the loft conversion in 2013. Other enhancements to the house have included a new family bathroom, complete with a luxurious, freestanding bath, and the installation of a garden studio, with water and electricity, that could make a superb office, gym or teenagers’ den.

Open House

Set back from the road by a driveway, the house is entered via a porch and then the hall. This leads into the sitting room to the right and the kitchen straight ahead. The sitting room is a long space, with a bay window and a stylish, contemporary finish. This is currently arranged with comfortable seating at one end and formal dining furniture at the other. “This is now open to the kitchen dining room, which runs across the back of the house and then back along towards the hall. Opening it all up has given us lots of living space to spread out into and has been wonderful for entertaining.”

Indoor-Outdoor Living

The kitchen itself, which features granite work surfaces, a range-style cooker and American-type fridge freezer is arranged to offer ample space for food preparation and storage, and is cleverly designed to ensure everything is within easy reach. There is a breakfast bar for casual family meals and bi-folding doors can be pulled back onto the terrace and garden. “Being able to wander outside in the summer months has also been fantastic,” she observes. “There is a very good flow throughout the ground floor of the house and out into the garden.”

Summer Days

The first floor of the house encompasses three of the bedrooms, plus the gorgeous bathroom, with its double shower and beautiful bath. The front bedroom, which has a bay window, is especially generous. The third bedroom is currently used as a study or snug. “By converting the loft, we were able to ensure that the children each had a good-sized bedroom,” she says. An attractive staircase, with oak bannisters, leads up through the centre of the house, rising as far as the third floor. Here, the impressive master bedroom and its en suite shower room have been finished with exceptional flair, with eye-catching design features, such as a glass panel between the bedroom and shower and the Juliet balcony, with its garden views. “On warm days, I open the balcony doors and bathroom window, which creates a nice breeze through,” she says.

Village Feel

Despite being within such easy reach of London and the M25, Goffs Oak provides an easy pace of life, Sinem suggests. “We have loved being here,” she agrees. “We are close to good schools, shops and transport links, and yet it is like being in a little village. There are lots of places to take the children, including horse riding and sports activities, and we are close to some beautiful country walks. There is also a really good community feel.” She adds: “I am very sad to be leaving now, but I can also imagine just how much another family will enjoy being here as much as we have done.”

“People say you know instantly if somewhere is right for you – and I did. It gave me that lovely, welcoming feeling and I could imagine us living there.”

“There are lots of places to take the children, including horse riding and sports activities, and we are close to some beautiful country walks. There is also a really good community feel.”

“We are close to good schools, shops and transport links, and yet it is like being in a little village.”