Top Road, Rattlesden, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, IP30

The Old Orchard - a substantial and unique eco-friendly home, crafted in a traditional style, offering wonderful family accommodation and an equestrian lifestyle, in natural surroundings, close to the popular Suffolk village of Rattlesden.

Porch | Entrance Hallway | Study | Sitting Room | Dining Room | Kitchen & Sun Room | Utility Room | Cloakroom | Landing | Principal Bedroom | En-suite & Walk in Wardrobe | 3 Further Double Bedrooms | Family Bathroom | Family/Games Room | Double Cart-Lodge garage with Studio / Office above | Workshop | 2x Stables and Store | Gardens and Paddocks

The Old Orchard
This wonderful lifestyle property with a substantial house built in a traditional style, is situated in a lovely semi-rural position on elevated ground near the historic mid-Suffolk village of Rattlesden. It offers a modern family home across 3 floors, providing spacious and well-planned accommodation. With a rendered exterior under a peg-tiled roof it is a modern and energy efficient house, a 21st century country home.

Enjoying far reaching country views to the rear this home was crafted individually with great care and attention to detail creating the feeling of a much older ‘farmhouse’. With many of the features hand-crafted from reclaimed materials, this handsome house has an historic feel, surprising since it is less than 20 years old. Also incorporating solar, air source heat pump underfloor heating throughout and MHRV ventilation technology, individually controlled and zoned warmth, our vendors note this home is comfortable to live in. Hardwood framed leaded double glazed external windows and doors add character too.

In more detail – heading inside

A solid oak framed storm porch with gently ramped pamment flooring leading via a characterful crafted heavy timber entrance door into the entrance hallway. Carpeted stairs with oak bannisters lead upstairs and the ground floor room layout extends off this hallway with flagstone type flooring with cosy underfloor heating creating both a practical and rustic welcoming entrance. Via characterful solid hand-made oak cottage style doors with heavy iron hardware, you enter into all the principal rooms.

First the dual aspect sitting room. A most striking feature of this room is a handsome brick fireplace in an inglenook style with curving oak bressummer and cast-iron wood burner fitted on a brick hearth. Exposed ceiling oak timbers and bridging beams also create an historic ambience as well as a brick-edged carpeted heated floor. Double glazed timber French doors and side lights to the rear south elevation open out to the sunny terrace for summer entertaining. The separate family dining room enjoys more garden views from the characterful leaded timber windows and has the practical flagstone type flooring continuing from the hall and again exposed ceiling timbers and bridging beam overhead.

A study/music room enjoys a window to the front and carpeted flooring. A cloakroom WC with high-level cistern and hand-basin sits alongside. A further door leads into the recently updated and stunning family room-kitchen. This is a wonderful space, recently refitted, hand-made by a local artisan firm with many fine details. The cabinetry is solid timber with soft close oak lined drawers and internal shelving, painted externally in a stylish deep blue with brass door furniture. Exposed ceiling timbers and a terracotta tiled pamment floor also create a wonderfully warm and inviting feel to this room.

Cooking is via a Rangemaster double oven with proving drawers and an induction hob and extractor with lighting over. There is a plumbed French-door style fridge and freezer, a dishwasher, and ample cabinetry with marble tops ideal for a baker. A pantry unit provides further bespoke storage and a free-standing island with reclaimed hardwood timber top and drawers below makes a lovely centrepiece. A door to the separate utility room provides further matching deep blue cabinetry and a stable type door leading outside, space for laundry appliances, household storage cupboards, plus fitted water softener. Leading down one step from the kitchen is a bright sitting area (the sun room) with slate floors, semi vaulted ceiling and large expanse of glass to the south and east sides opening up again to the outdoor terrace via French doors.

Upstairs, a high level gallery window illuminates the spacious carpeted landing. All rooms lead off, starting with the principal bedroom enjoying a far reaching view to the rear over the gardens, paddocks and fields beyond. This room is airy and bright and has dark timber wide board flooring and a vaulted ceiling. There is a walk-in wardrobe with hanging space, and stunning ensuite, recently updated, featuring a bath, a separate shower enclosure with rain shower head and wall fitment, double vanity with basins, WC, heated towel rail and checkerboard type flooring. A spacious second bedroom has carpeted floor, exposed timber details, and window to the front. The third bedroom positioned to the rear, with window with country views, again is carpeted. The fourth double bedroom is positioned to the front. A large airing cupboard houses the heating controls, a large capacity pressurised hot water storage tank, and linen storage. The family bathroom enjoys a free-standing bath tub, with telephone style shower attachment, a separate tiled corner shower enclosure, pedestal basin, WC, and heated rail, with timber flooring and window to the side, and stepped ceiling detail.

Stairs from the landing lead up to the spacious second floor, opening up to a large family/games/home office space providing a really useful bonus room for hobbies, craft, or simply for fun and games. This room has two large velux windows providing a stunning outlook to the rear, and access to eaves storage space. There is also a door off the staircase leading to an attic space above the principal bedroom.

Outside
The Old Orchard sits within a sizeable plot extending to approx. 0.93 ha or 2.29 acres. Leading up to the house is a large pea shingled driveway behind a 5 bar gate providing off road parking for several vehicles. A solid timber framed double cart-lodge with timber doors and weatherboarded exterior, with block paved permeable flooring provides lock-up storage for 2 vehicles, with power and light connected. There is a garden store/workshop attached to the rear with power and light connected, also housing the solar inverter. Open wooden steps alongside lead up to the home office or studio space above with lighting and heating, a cloakroom WC, and velux windows to the front. The south-facing roof to the rear of this building houses an array of 16 solar panels.

Beyond the attractive stone and brick paved south facing terrace the rear enclosed gardens (approximately 400m2 of garden area immediately behind the house) are mostly lawned and surrounded by established hedging and fences. A farm gate leads through to the enclosed paddock or meadow, with a timber stable block mid-way providing 2 x stables, a concrete hard-standing area, and useful store/tack room with power, water and lighting connected, with double doors to the rear.

A second vehicle access is provided via double 5 bar gates off the adjoining lane. The land here is bounded by farmland and offers an opportunity for up to 2 horses or other animals to enjoy their peaceful countryside surroundings and the natural environment.

Location
The Old Orchard is approx. 1 mile out of the centre of the village. Rattlesden sits in a lovely valley position between Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket. It has an attractive mix of properties in the village centre, a conservation area. It enjoys a lovely local community feel, with two public houses, the attractive church, chapel, the C of E primary school and village run community shop. Further facilities are within a short distance at the neighbouring village of Woolpit with easy access to the A14 to the larger towns of Bury St Edmunds, Stowmarket, and further afield.

Property Information
Services: Mains Water, Electricity and Drainage. Air source underfloor heating.
Local Authority: Mid Suffolk Council. Council Tax Band G.
Tenure: Freehold.
Broadband Coverage: Ultrafast – Source Ofcom.
Mobile Coverage: Good outdoor – Source Ofcom.

Directions
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