St. Albans Road, Codicote

Summary:
Bryan Bishop and Partners are delighted to bring to the market this outstanding detached four double bedroom, two bathroom family home set on a generous corner plot along a quiet residential lane within easy walking distance of the vibrant and thriving high street that runs through the centre of the village of Codicote. Beautifully presented, and sympathetically extended, this exceptional property enjoys spacious yet flexible accommodation with a ground floor that provides a perfect blend of open plan and enclosed rooms that can adapt to your needs continually as they evolve over time. Off-street parking for four cars is available on the driveway that accesses the detached garage/workshop, and a simply stunning kitchen/dining/family room creates an ideal social hub for family and friends, which along with the superb location make this a forever home you can buy with your head as much as your heart.

Accommodation:
This is a really attractive house, with a skilfully designed front that incorporates architectural interest and merit with design features such as a castellated brick detail below the tiled gable end, a fabulous bay window to the front of the living room and a mix of various brick and rendered finishes on the fascia. The solid oak front door has a lovely textured glass inset, matched by full height glass panels either side, and is sheltered by a wonderful timber framed porch with a tiled roof. Inside the excellent quality of materials and workmanship continues throughout, presenting a family home that is elegant and stylish yet also warm and welcoming. The spacious entrance hall flows back through the centre of the house past the contemporary and expertly crafted staircase, with doors on either side leading into the office/study, living room and ideally placed guest cloakroom, and a door at the far end that opens into the fabulous kitchen/dining/family room to the rear. The entrance hall is blessed with abundant light thanks to the windows flanking the front door and two velux roof lights set into the ceiling of the first floor landing, and there is a superb extended view from the front door right along the entrance hall, through into the kitchen/dining/family room and on out through the bi-fold doors into the garden, giving a delightful sense of light and space as soon as you enter.

The office/study is a good size and pretty much square in shape, making all of the space fully usable. Well lit by front and side facing windows, it is ready and able to provide a comprehensive work from home facility, with a good location within the house that offers peace and privacy without being totally disconnected from the day to day living areas. Undoubtedly a first class office/study, if that facility was not needed or was better placed in one of the four large bedrooms upstairs this room would make a fantastic playroom, snug, music room, TV room or teenage hangout space.

Across the hallway is the living room, another nicely balanced room that really underlines the fantastic flexibility on offer with this intelligently designed house. Kept light and bright throughout the day by a large bay window to the front, the living room boasts a modern log burner set into a clean minimalist fireplace part way along the outside wall, with a glorious set of oak and glass internal bi-fold doors that can open up the full width of the rear wall to connect open plan through to the kitchen/dining/family room if so desired. This is a wonderful and valuable asset that gives you so much choice on a day to day basis as to how you configure the individual rooms, and will really pay dividends when entertaining guests. The living room itself stretches to over nineteen feet in length, making it easily able to accept multiple sofas and chairs along with other pieces of occasional furniture whilst still leaving a free flow in and around the room.

The whole of the rear of the house is taken up by the glorious open plan kitchen/dining/family room. One end of the room has been sensibly chosen to be the ‘working' kitchen area and has been fully fitted around the perimeter walls with a comprehensive array of premium quality cabinets exhibiting a variety of formats including low level, high level and full height. The generous size of the room has allowed the designer to then add a substantial central island in a stylish contrasting colour that offers a fabulous focal point to the room, as well as yet more storage and worktop space along with a valuable breakfast bar. Integrated within the island and the other units is a full collection of appliances, all from the very best manufacturers as you would expect in a house of this quality and size. Ably supporting and supplementing the main kitchen, easily accessed from a door set into the corner, is a large utility/laundry room, fully fitted with a sink and cabinets and plumbed for a washing machine and tumble dryer. Through the utility/laundry room is a useful separate external door leading out into the rear garden. The remainder of the room is left as unfettered floor space for you to lay out and furnish in any way that suits your family’s needs. It is a substantial area that will work with you to create a multi-facetted social family space, with more than enough room to accept multiple sofas and chairs along with a generous dining suite, and with the opportunity always available to swap those spaces around at any time. The wonderful bi-fold doors connecting the area to the adjoining living room can be opened to create a huge open plan space or closed to create separate more intimate rooms, and the extensive bi-fold doors to the rear give a wonderful inside/outside flow which would work just as well with a dining table or a casual seating area alongside them. This is an amazing room, flexible and adaptable, and ready to be the hub and beating heart of this exceptional family home.

Upstairs is a large ‘L’ shaped hallway that flows around the elegantly galleried stairwell, and features a smart fitted cupboard at one end with two velux windows set above a light well in the ceiling above. Arranged around the hallway are the four bedrooms, all large doubles in size, and the luxurious family bathroom that boasts a separate bath and large walk-in shower. The principal bedroom benefits from a good selection of fitted wardrobes, as well as a terrific en suite shower room. The property also has the added benefit of concrete floors and underfloor heating throughout.

Exterior:
Enjoying a corner plot, the house has open grass areas to the front and side, with a secure gated side access through into the rear garden, which is fully enclosed and so is ideal for pets and small children. Close to being fully south facing, the garden has been carefully designed to give a great mix of patio, lawn and flower borders, and has a permanent pergola sited on the full-width patio that allows you free choice of sun or shade whatever the time of day. The patio is a substantial space, easily able to accept outdoor casual seating and dining furniture, and so enabling the very best use of the lovely open aspect all around you, making it a perfect place for spending time together as a family and for welcoming friends, with a gated entrance out onto the driveway and separate pedestrian door that gives useful direct entry into the detached garage/workshop that is positioned across the rear boundary of the garden.

Location:
This superb home is perfectly placed to benefit from the great amenities within Codicote Village, being within the village just a short stroll from the high street. This ideal location also offers excellent connectivity, with J6 of the A1(M) reachable within a few minutes drive, and Welwyn North, Knebworth, and Stevenage train stations all within a 15 minute radius, thereby offering a lovely semi-rural setting, yet still with exceptional links to both London and The North. The village itself boasts a variety of amenities, including a butcher's shop, restaurants, pubs, a chemist, convenience stores, dry cleaners and bakers. as well as the Codicote C of E primary school judged "Outstanding" by Ofsted.

Buyers Information:
In order to comply with the UK's Anti Money Laundering (AML) regulations, Bryan Bishop and Partners are required to confirm the identity of all prospective buyers once an offer being accepted. We use a third party, Identity Verification System to do so and there is a nominal charge of £48 (per person) including VAT for this service.