Craiston Way, Chelmsford

Extended in all the right places, packed with clever upgrades and with enough entertaining space to make you very popular indeed — this four-bedroom detached home, in a hidden corner of Craiston Way, is anything but standard.

Thoughtfully extended to the front, side and rear, this is a home that has evolved with modern family life firmly in mind. The result? Generous reception spaces, a stylish kitchen, four bedrooms, contemporary bathrooms and a brilliantly versatile garden — with solar panels, EV charging and an electric garage door adding some welcome 21st-century practicality too.

Step inside through the extended porch and into the entrance hall, where you'll immediately get a sense that there's rather more space here than you might expect. A convenient downstairs WC takes care of the practicalities, while the front extension has transformed the dining area into a fantastic entertaining space.

And this isn't just somewhere to squeeze a table and six chairs. The enlarged dining room offers plenty of space for long dinners, big family gatherings and those occasions when "just a few people coming over" somehow turns into twelve. A skylight overhead floods the space with natural light and gives the room an added sense of openness.

Then there's the additional reception room — marked as an 'Office' on the original floorplan, but far too impressive to pigeonhole.

Created as part of the side extension, this is one of the home's real surprise spaces. The soaring ceiling and oversized skylight create an immediate wow factor, filling the room with light and giving it a wonderfully airy feel. Cinema room? Games room? Grown-up snug? Home office? Somewhere to escape the children? We'll leave that decision to you.

The extensions don't stop there.

To the rear, the original lounge has been significantly enlarged to create a superb main living room with the kind of proportions made for putting your feet up. At its heart is an open feature gas fireplace, bringing warmth and character to the room and providing a natural focal point. It's a space that works just as well for quiet Sunday evenings as it does with a house full of guests.

The kitchen/breakfast room brings a sharper, contemporary edge to the home, with sleek high-gloss handleless cabinetry and granite work surfaces. There's also a breakfast bar with seating — because somehow everyone always ends up in the kitchen anyway. Practical additions include a water softener, water filter and waste disposal unit, adding a few more thoughtful touches to an already well-equipped space.

Whether it's morning coffee, homework, a glass of wine while dinner is cooking or simply catching up at the end of the day, the breakfast bar makes this a naturally sociable space. A separate study sits alongside, giving anyone working from home somewhere to shut the door and get on with it.

Head upstairs and the house continues to deliver.

The principal bedroom is a particularly generous retreat, complete with fitted wardrobes and a recently installed air-conditioning unit — something you'll appreciate considerably more when the British summer decides to have its annual three-day heatwave. The bedroom is also served by its own stylish shower en-suite.

Both the family bathroom and en-suite shower room have been finished in a smart, modern style, so there's no "we'll probably redo that one day" bathroom waiting for you upstairs.

There are three further bedrooms, giving four in total. Three of the four bedrooms benefit from fitted wardrobes, while the fourth is currently being used as a home office — ideal for hybrid working, although equally ready to return to bedroom duties whenever required.

And then there's the garden.

Rather than one flat stretch of lawn, the rear garden has been cleverly arranged across three distinct levels, creating a succession of outdoor spaces with their own character. A retaining wall defines the lower level, while steps take you up through the first and second tiers.

The result is a garden made for multiple seating areas — morning coffee on one level, BBQ and dining on another, and perhaps a quieter spot at the top for catching the last of the evening sun. It's an outdoor space with plenty of personality and lots of potential for entertaining. There's also a garden shed with power supplied, providing useful additional storage and further versatility.

The practical specification is equally strong. Solar panels sit on the roof, there's an EV charging point ready for electric-car ownership and the garage benefits from an electric door. The house also has a gas boiler replaced in 2024 and loft access via a convenient pull-down ladder.

Ultimately, what sets this home apart is just how much it offers beyond the traditional four-bedroom detached layout.

Four extensions. Multiple reception spaces. Four bedrooms. A three-tier garden. Modern bathrooms. Solar power. EV charging. And a reception room with a ceiling that deserves its own Instagram account.

Craiston Way has grown up — and this one has done it particularly well.

Four extensions. Four bedrooms. Three garden levels. One seriously versatile family home.

Chelmsford offers that increasingly sought-after balance of city convenience and countryside living, making it a popular choice for families and London commuters alike. The city centre provides an excellent selection of shopping, restaurants and cafés, with Bond Street, High Chelmer and The Meadows among its main retail destinations, while green spaces including Central Park and Hylands Estate provide plenty of opportunity to escape the hustle and bustle.

Chelmsford is particularly well connected, with direct rail services to London Liverpool Street typically taking around 35 minutes, alongside convenient access to the A12 for journeys towards London, the M25 and further into Essex. Families are also well catered for, with a broad choice of schools across the area, including the highly regarded King Edward VI Grammar School and Chelmsford County High School for Girls.

Add in a lively food and drink scene, leisure facilities, riverside walks and plenty of surrounding Essex countryside, and Chelmsford manages to deliver the best of both worlds — close enough to London for the commute, but with plenty of reasons to stay local at the weekend.

THE SMALL PRINT:

We’ve done our homework, but we aren’t fortune tellers. We haven’t poked the boiler, flicked the switches, or tested every light bulb. Nothing here counts as a contract or statement of fact—get your solicitor to check all the serious stuff, like tenure, parking, planning permission, building regs, and all that jazz!

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