Whitcombe Road, Stoke-on-Trent, ST3

There is something quite unexpected about Oulton.

Tucked away on a private road shared by just six homes, it feels wonderfully removed from the everyday. Quiet, private and surrounded by greenery, you would be forgiven for forgetting quite how much is waiting behind the front door.

Because this isn't an ordinary three-bedroom detached house.

The current owners have refurbished the home throughout, but importantly, they haven't stripped away its personality in the process. There are little details everywhere – the stained-glass window running alongside the staircase, generous bay windows, high ceilings and rooms with proportions that you simply don't tend to find in newer homes.

The kitchen is a great example of how the house has moved with the times. Shaker-style cabinetry, marble-effect worktops and integrated appliances give it a clean, considered finish, while the adjoining space around the bay window creates a natural spot for breakfast or a morning coffee.

Across the hallway, the dining room feels completely different. Richer and more atmospheric, it is a proper room for gathering around a table rather than simply somewhere a dining table happens to fit. Christmas, Sunday lunches and evenings with friends all feel at home here.

Then there is the living room. At over five metres long, it has the proportions for proper sofas without the room ever feeling crowded, with windows looking onto the greenery outside and a fireplace creating a natural focal point.

One of the cleverest changes downstairs is perhaps one of the most practical. The ground-floor bathroom combines a modern shower room with a dedicated laundry area, keeping the washing machine and tumble dryer neatly away from the kitchen.

Head upstairs and the sense of space continues. There are three genuinely generous bedrooms rather than two doubles and a token third. The principal bedroom is particularly impressive, while the second bedroom stretches to over four metres in length. The family bathroom has also been modernised, with warm tiled walls and a shower over the bath.

And then there is the outside space.

The garden is a big part of why the owners have enjoyed living here. Mature greenery gives the house a wonderfully established feel and, with very little overlooking, there is a level of privacy that's becoming increasingly difficult to find. The sellers talk about watching squirrels and robins in the garden – a small detail, perhaps, but one that says quite a lot about how peaceful life here can feel.

That sense of peace extends to the road itself. With only six homes, the owners have found it quiet and secure, with respectful neighbouring households and very little passing activity. The property is only overlooked by a single window to one side, something you really appreciate once you're outside.

And while the house has character, the important work hasn't been ignored. It has been refurbished throughout, the electrics were fully rewired in 2023, there is a combination boiler approximately six years old, and the kitchen includes integrated appliances.

Oulton isn't trying to look like every other renovated home.

It has kept the things that make it interesting, improved the things that matter and created a home with far more space, privacy and individuality than you might expect from a three-bedroom house.

It's different – and that's precisely the point.