Bygrave Road, Baldock, SG7

If you're buying as a couple now and already wondering where a cot, a desk, bikes, toys and everything else that seems to arrive with the next stage of life will go, this is the sort of house worth looking at properly.

Bygrave Road gives you something quite difficult to find at this level in Baldock: character, a driveway, a decent garden and three bedrooms, while still being close enough to the station and town centre for walking to be part of normal life.

The house dates from 1902 and has grown since then. The rear has been extended and the loft converted, so what starts as a traditional terrace from the street becomes a home arranged over three floors with much more flexibility than the frontage suggests.

Downstairs is one long, connected living space. The front works naturally for sofas, television and switching off at the end of the day, with useful built-in storage helping deal with the less photogenic side of life: shoes, toys, bags, paperwork and everything else you don't particularly want on display.

From there, the house opens through into the kitchen and dining area at the back. This is where everyday life is likely to gather. Breakfast before work or school, children at the table while dinner is being sorted, friends staying longer than planned, or simply leaving the doors open to the garden when the weather allows.

The kitchen already gives you plenty of storage and preparation space, and the current owners have freshened things up with new worktops and a new sink. More importantly, there is room for a proper dining table rather than eating around whatever space happens to be left.

That connection with the garden becomes increasingly useful as life gets busier. You can be cooking while keeping an eye on children outside, carry food straight onto the patio in summer, or sit with a coffee while the back door is open and the house feels that bit bigger.

The patio sits straight off the kitchen, so summer meals can spill outside easily, while the long lawn gives children room to run, kick a ball or drag out the paddling pool. Later on, when the toys have been abandoned and the house is finally quiet, there is somewhere for you to sit out with a drink too.

When it’s time for 40 winks, the first floor gives you two bedrooms that can change with life. The main bedroom is a proper double with room for the furniture you actually want around you, while the second might begin as a home office or spare room, become a nursery later, then change again as children grow.

Bath time, shower time, the morning rush or five minutes of peace once everyone else is finally settled, the family bathroom is right where you need it. Having a bath with shower over works for both ends of the day, whether it is getting everybody moving or winding down before bed.

And when somebody wants a bit more space to themselves, there is another whole floor above. The converted loft creates a sizeable third bedroom with roof windows and eaves storage. Parents may decide to take the top floor themselves, an older child could eventually disappear up there, or it could become guest space or somewhere to work without surrendering one of the other bedrooms. Either way, it gives the house somewhere to adapt as life changes rather than immediately feeling full.

Parking is another everyday advantage that sounds fairly ordinary until you're carrying shopping, wrestling with a car seat or getting home late after work. Your own driveway is directly outside, rather than another daily search for a space.

Then there is Baldock itself. From here, the station, town centre, schools, cafés, pubs and everyday shops are close enough that the car does not have to come out for every journey. For commuters that makes mornings easier; for a young family it means weekends and school days can gradually become more walkable too.

For buyers coming from outside the area, Baldock is a proper market town rather than simply somewhere to sleep and commute from. It has independent shops, cafés, pubs, restaurants and a town centre people actually use, while the station and road links keep London and the wider area within easy reach.

This is likely to suit somebody at exactly that point where a flat or smaller house is beginning to feel restrictive, but a much larger family home feels like too big a jump. You get three bedrooms, a garden children can actually use, parking, an extended kitchen/diner and enough flexibility to let the house change with you.

That is the real strength here: it gives you room for life now, but also somewhere for life to go next.

| ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Council Tax Band - C

EPC Rating - D

| GROUND FLOOR

Living Room: Approx 23' 6" x 11' 11" (7.16m x 3.64m) 

Kitchen / Dining Room: Approx 16' 10" x 11' 9" (5.12m x 3.58m) 

| FIRST FLOOR

Bedroom Two: Approx 12' 0" x 11' 7" (3.65m x 3.53m) 

Bedroom Three: Approx 11' 7" x 6' 9" (3.53m x 2.05m) 

Bathroom: Approx 11' 7" x 7' 10" (3.53m x 2.39m)

| SECOND FLOOR

Bedroom One: Approx 18' 3" x 10' 2" (5.56m x 3.10m) 

| OUTSIDE

Driveway providing off road parking to the front