Grantchester Close, Runcorn, Cheshire, WA7

We are always being told that there is a housing crisis in this country with too few homes to go round, but the rate at which building is going on sometimes makes this difficult to believe and nowhere is this more evident than Runcorn, as it spreads itself ever outwards. However this urban sprawl can frequently be to the advantage of any incoming purchaser as their prospective new home is being put progressively further from the noise and grime of the industry that provides their employment. Until recently the very idea of a nature reserve in Runcorn was laughable yet here we are, looking at this home sandwiched between Brook Wood and the larger if less appealingly named Bog Wood nature reserves, it remains within easy striking distance of the town centre and all the facilities you need for an easy life, thus offering the best of both worlds.

It comes as no surprise that this is part of a freshly built development but happily, it manages to feel exactly that; fresh. And it is helped in this by wide roads and the amount of open space between the buildings, removing any feeling of being cramped together and this, combined with the amount of greenery visible adds to the notion that you are not on an estate at all, but further out into the countryside.

To the front of the home is a neat open plan lawn beside a wide driveway where it would be possible to park at least three cars off the road before it finishes at the door to the integrated garage. The sloping roof of the garage continues across and forms a porch above the adjacent front door, offering shelter to anyone unloading the weekly raid on Asda. Opening the front door, we enter the hall where the staircase rises in front of us while a door to our left reveals the lounge.
This is a comfortable and well proportioned space, easily able to accommodate whatever type of furniture you care to put here and all kept brightly illuminated by the large front facing window. There is no formal fireplace to provide a natural focal point but rather than making the room feel a little bare it adds to the sense of modernity with the clean lines typical of Scandinavian design.
A door to the rear of the lounge takes us into the kitchen/dining room, normally a layout that fills me with foreboding because so often there is simply too little space to fulfil either function well. Here however, there are no such worries as the dining area would easily contain a suite of table and chairs sufficiently generous to hold lavish dinner parties with space left over for additional furniture if desired.

At the other end of the room the fitted kitchen units are arranged in a deep 'U' formation and feature a series of integrated white goods that cover all bases. The overriding sensation in here is one of light, for not only is there a large picture window in the kitchen area but this is supplemented by the fully glazed patio doors of the dining room. Beside the door through which we entered, another door opens into the void beneath the staircase and provides the ever useful 'glory hole' for all the things that every home accumulates but no one wants on show. You know the sort of thing, ironing boards, Hoovers, old paint tins and masses of things that "will come in useful one day". They haven't yet, but you never know...

Another door from the dining room takes us into the utility room where we find further storage cupboards and all the noisier items of technology, the washers, driers and so on. Off here lies the downstairs cloakroom, tactfully hidden away and containing the expected wall mounted hand basin and lavatory.

Stepping through the patio door onto (unsurprisingly enough) the patio, which runs the full width of the home. This is a large area and, being in such close proximity to the kitchen makes it the ideal spot to enjoy al fresco dining, especially when the God of the charcoal fails to co-operate. The patio has the effect of turning the garden into a space of two halves, where a fence running alongside the paving separates this from the lawn beyond and prevents wayward footballs spoiling the atmosphere when adults gather to drink and chat. The entire garden is surrounded by a substantial wooden fence tall enough to provide an unexpected level of privacy but not so tall as to feel claustrophobic.

Returning indoors and climbing the stairs to the landing, we move towards the rear of the home to the first and smallest of the bedrooms though at 8'3" by 10'6" can it really be called small? I had a room of similar dimensions in a shared house once, containing a double bed, dressing table and wardrobe and more 'stuff' than you can imagine and thought it was fine. Admittedly I was a student at the time...

Beside here the second bedroom is altogether larger, making any choice of layout and furniture purely that; a matter of choice.

Moving towards the front of the home we pass the family bathroom, which provides very much what you expect. Neatly tiled and well presented it contains a pedestal hand basin, lavatory and traditional bath fitted with a glass side screen to protect the room from any overspill caused by over-enthusiastic use of the shower above. This draws its hot water directly from the home's central heating system ensuring that you never run out just as your eyes are full of soap.
The third bedroom overlooks the front and is the largest yet, with plentiful floor space for any free standing furniture of your choice along with the obligatory double bed.
And finally we come to the principal bedroom, fittingly the biggest of them all. Spacious, airy and comfortable it also has its own en-suite bathroom or to be pedantic about it, shower room. En-suites are frequently small enough to endanger your elbows when getting dry but here, space is never an issue. It offers a pedestal hand basin, lavatory and a double size walk-in shower cubicle, giving a real sense of luxury. And why not? It is the main bedroom after all...

Newly built homes are frequently the subject of bitter argument, with some people feeling they lack character and I suppose in many instances that can be true but with examples like this one becoming available, the advantages of space, efficiency and a guarantee of quality from the builder outweigh such considerations. So really, it all comes down to that old estate agent's adage; location is everything. So if this is the locality where you need to be, this home could be the perfect one for you. The only way to find out is to give us a call so go on, you know it makes sense.