Bygrave Road, Baldock, SG7

Family life has a habit of gathering in one place. Here, you can see exactly where that will be.

Breakfast at the island before everyone disappears for the day. Homework spread across the dining table. Someone cooking while somebody else is on the sofa. Friends arriving on a summer afternoon and the bi-fold doors pushed right back so the patio and garden become part of the room.

That extended kitchen, dining and family space runs to more than 32ft and has completely changed the way this three-bedroom semi-detached home lives. Rooflights bring daylight through from above, the large island gives you somewhere to cook, perch and chat, and there is still proper room for a dining table and sofa rather than squeezing everything around the kitchen. Bygrave Road, Baldock

Having all of that at the back also makes the separate front room far more useful. Currently arranged to combine sitting, working and storage, its bay window, fireplace and built-in shelving give it plenty of personality. Shut the door and it can be a quieter lounge, home office, playroom or somewhere to escape when the rest of the house is busy.

A utility room keeps washing, cleaning kit and household clutter away from the main living space, while the downstairs WC is one of those things you quickly miss once you have lived without one. Both sit away from the social part of the house rather than interrupting it. Bygrave Road, Baldock

Summer is where the layout really earns its keep. Open those doors and you arrive on a generous patio beneath the timber pergola, with enough space for a big table, barbecue and outdoor furniture. Beyond it, the garden keeps going. There is a long lawn for children, dogs and football goals, planting around the boundaries and a shed at the far end for the things you would rather not have taking over the house.

It works just as well when friends come round. Food can be prepared without disappearing into another room, people can move between kitchen, table, sofa and garden, and nobody ends up standing in a doorway trying to join the conversation.

When it's time to relax and recharge your batteries, the main bedroom is a proper double with built-in wardrobe space, bedroom two also gives you useful furniture space, while the third works naturally for a younger child, nursery, guest room or home working if three bedrooms are not required every day.

A modern family bathroom has both a bath and shower, so hurried weekday mornings and children's bath times are equally covered.

Own a car or two?  Parking is taken care of on the driveway at the front, which becomes particularly valuable when you consider how conveniently placed the house is. Baldock station is only a few hundred yards away and the town centre is also comfortably walkable, so the car does not have to come out every time you need a train, coffee, meal out or something from the shops. Bygrave Road, Baldock

For buyers who do not know Baldock, it is worth understanding what that gives you. This is a proper Hertfordshire market town with its own identity. The wide High Street is lined with historic buildings and there is a strong mix of independent businesses, cafés, pubs and places to eat, alongside the everyday shops and services you actually need. There is still a weekly market too, so the centre feels like somewhere people use and meet rather than simply somewhere they drive through.

It is also compact enough for town life to become part of your normal routine. From here, you can walk to the station, head into town for coffee, dinner or a drink and leave the car at home. For commuting, the rail connection and nearby A1(M) make London and the wider region accessible, but look at the aerial photographs and you can see the other side of Baldock just as clearly. Open fields and countryside sit around the edges of town, so you get that useful balance of connections, community and somewhere greener to escape to at the weekend.

And ultimately, that is what makes this home work so well for a family. You have places to be together and somewhere to get away from each other, proper outside space, parking and a location that makes the everyday running around easier.

| ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Council Tax Band - C

EPC Rating - D

| GROUND FLOOR

Living Room: Approx 14' 2" x 9' 11" (4.32m x 3.02m) 

Kitchen / Breakfast Room: Approx 32' 3" x 15' 1" (9.83m x 4.60m) 

Utility Room: Approx 9' 2" x 5' 4" (2.79m x 1.63m) 

Downstairs Cloakroom: Approx 5' 5" x 2' 8" (1.65m x 0.81m) 

| FIRST FLOOR

Bedroom One: Approx 13' 0" x 12' 10" (3.96m x 3.91m) 

Bedroom Two: Approx 13' 5" x 8' 2" (4.09m x 2.49m) 

Bedroom Three: Approx 12' 1" x 7' 3" (3.68m x 2.21m) 

Bathroom: Approx 9' 1" x 6' 5" (2.77m x 1.96m) 

| OUTSIDE

Driveway providing off road parking to the front