Yarnscombe, Barnstaple, Devon, EX31

A substantial detached five-bedroom period farmhouse offering spacious and versatile accommodation together with two separate holiday cottages. Requiring updating and renovation throughout, South Down Farmhouse represents an exciting opportunity to create an impressive family home with potential for additional holiday-let income. Generous gardens, ample off-road parking and no onward chain.

South Down Farmhouse is a substantial detached five-bedroom period home, understood to date back to the 1750s and offering an exciting opportunity for purchasers seeking a character property that they can renovate and enhance to their own specification. Requiring a comprehensive programme of updating and modernisation throughout, the property offers particularly generous accommodation, an abundance of character and considerable potential, complemented by gardens, off-road parking and the added attraction of two separate holiday cottages.

Available with no onward chain, this is very much a property for those looking to take on a project. While the house requires investment and improvement, its proportions, period features and versatile accommodation provide an excellent foundation from which to create a truly impressive family home.

Situated between Barnstaple and Great Torrington, South Down Farmhouse enjoys a semi-rural setting surrounded by the rolling North Devon countryside. The nearby village of Yarnscombe offers a friendly community atmosphere, while the larger towns provide a comprehensive range of everyday amenities, schooling, leisure facilities and transport connections.

The accommodation within the main farmhouse is both spacious and versatile, extending across two floors and providing five bedrooms alongside a selection of generously proportioned reception rooms.

On entering the property, the entrance hallway provides access to the principal ground-floor accommodation. There are two separate reception rooms, both offering excellent proportions and retaining attractive exposed beams, adding to the period character of the house. The living room provides a substantial space for relaxing, while the separate dining room offers plenty of room for family dining and entertaining. Both rooms would benefit from refurbishment, allowing a purchaser to redesign and decorate them entirely to their own taste.

The ground floor also includes a utility room, providing useful additional working and storage space, together with a shower room/cloakroom and a rear porch giving direct access to the garden. These areas, like the remainder of the house, provide scope for updating and reconfiguration depending upon a purchaser's requirements.

The first floor continues to demonstrate the generous proportions of the property, with five bedrooms providing excellent flexibility for a larger family, visiting guests or those requiring home-working space. Several bedrooms retain character features including exposed beams and wooden floorboards, while some also benefit from fitted storage and wash hand basins.
The principal bedroom benefits from its own en suite shower room, while a further bedroom also has an en suite, in addition to the main family bathroom. The bathrooms and en suites require modernisation but provide an excellent starting point for creating contemporary facilities to complement the period nature of the house.
Externally, South Down Farmhouse continues to offer considerable potential. There is off-road parking for approximately four to five vehicles, together with a useful storage shed. The gardens are currently overgrown and require landscaping, but their size provides a wonderful opportunity for a new owner to create attractive and more manageable outside spaces.

The enclosed garden incorporates areas of patio and lawn, with established shrubs and planting. Although requiring attention, it has the potential to become a lovely private garden for outdoor dining, entertaining and family life.

A particularly interesting feature of South Down Farmhouse is the presence of two separate holiday cottages – Primrose Cottage and Honeysuckle Cottage. We understand these are restricted to holiday-let use and both currently require updating and modernisation. Subject to the relevant restrictions and any necessary consents, they present an appealing opportunity for purchasers wishing to establish or enhance a holiday-letting income alongside their main home.

Primrose Cottage provides open-plan kitchen and living accommodation, a double bedroom and bathroom, while Honeysuckle Cottage similarly offers an open-plan kitchen/living room, double bedroom and bathroom. To the end of the cottages is a separate enclosed lawned garden which, although also requiring landscaping, could be transformed into an attractive outside area for holiday guests.

South Down Farmhouse is undoubtedly a project, and prospective purchasers should expect to undertake a significant programme of renovation and modernisation. However, for those prepared to take on the work, the combination of a detached five-bedroom period farmhouse, generous gardens, extensive accommodation, ample parking and two holiday cottages creates a rare opportunity with considerable scope for improvement.

With its wealth of character and exciting potential, this is a property that could be transformed into an impressive North Devon family home while also offering the possibility of supplementary holiday-let accommodation.
Available with no onward chain.