Pentrepoeth Road, Newport, NP10

The Great Barn has been arranged around its outlook. Rather than tucking the main living rooms at ground level, the kitchen and lounge sit on the first floor, where the countryside and the slopes of Machen Mountain fill the windows from morning through to evening. Recent work has brought the whole house to a fresh, settled standard, with new windows and a new front door, redecoration inside and out, and new carpets laid throughout. It is a home that asks nothing of its next owners other than to move in, unpack and begin enjoying the setting.

The Ground Floor
A glazed porch opens into the entrance hall, which leads on to an inner hall holding the staircase and two cupboards. The reception room is a generous, flexible space that once accommodated a full-size snooker table, with a chimney breast anchoring the end wall and windows to both front and rear. It lends itself equally to a family room, a cinema room or a playroom, and its position away from the main living floor means noise and clutter stay comfortably out of sight. Across the hall are a cloakroom and a utility room, with internal access through to the double garage. To the rear, a further hallway could serve as a home office or a well-proportioned boot room, opening onto a porch glazed on three sides that gives the house a practical second entrance.

The First Floor
This is where the house comes into its own. The kitchen/diner is triple-aspect, including a projecting bay, so light moves across the room as the day goes on. It is fitted with integrated appliances, among them a gas hob and a wine chiller, and a large central island gives room to cook, serve and gather. There is space for a full dining table alongside, which makes this the natural setting for long family dinners and evenings with friends. Across the landing, the lounge is larger still and equally light, with windows on three sides, a contemporary log burner and a fitted window seat facing out towards the mountain. The views across the countryside from here are quite something, and they change with every season. Between the two sits the fifth bedroom, currently a home office with two front-facing windows, and with gigabit symmetrical broadband in place, working from home is effortless. A cloakroom completes this floor.

The Second Floor
The top floor is given over to four bedrooms, each opening off a long and bright landing. The principal bedroom has its own en-suite with both a bath and a separate shower, creating a quiet retreat at the end of the day. Bedroom four, at the opposite end of the landing, also enjoys a generous en-suite, making it an ideal choice for guests or older children wanting a little independence. Bedrooms two and three are both well proportioned, and the family bathroom sits centrally on the landing alongside a storage cupboard. Every room on this floor has been freshly decorated and newly carpeted.

The Outside
A long driveway sweeps up to the house, giving ample parking in front of the double garage and a real sense of arrival. The exterior has been repainted to complement the new windows and front door. Lawned gardens wrap around three sides of the house, lending it space, privacy and a settled feel within its plot. On the west side, a large decked terrace catches the evening sun and is the obvious place for summer suppers, drinks with friends and long, unhurried evenings outdoors.

The Area
Rhiwderin sits on the western edge of Newport, where the city gives way to open countryside. Machen Mountain and the woodland around Ruperra are close at hand for walking, while Tredegar House and its parkland and the canal towpath at Fourteen Locks are a short drive away. Rhiwderin Primary School is in the village, and Bassaleg School, one of the most sought-after secondary schools in the area, is close by. In the other direction lies the village of Michaelston-y-Fedw, home to the popular Cefn Mably Arms, with country lanes offering an easy route into Cardiff. Junction 28 of the M4 is a few minutes away for Cardiff and Bristol, Rogerstone station sits on the Ebbw Vale line, and Newport's main station offers direct services to London Paddington.

Tenure: Freehold
Council Tax Band: I
Local Authority: Newport