INSPECTION RECOMMENDED
A modern well-appointed 6 bedroom detached house
With a double garage and carport
Benefiting from double-glazing, oil fire central heating via panelled radiators and ground floor under floor heating

Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham 1.5 hours.

Meifod is a lovely typical Welsh village. The main street is lined with old stone houses and some oak framed cottages. It has a pub, post office, shops, church, community centre, garage and art gallery. The primary school is very good. You can play tennis, football, go bowling or go for a walk in the hills. And there are plans for a rugby field and cricket field with clubhouse.
This year Meifod is host to the National Eisteddfod. The National Eisteddfod is the cultural event on the Welsh calendar.
Meifod is also home to Marcel and Anneke with their two children Sven and Iris. They are Dutch and came to Wales 4 years ago. The first year they rented a house just outside the village. And during that time they bought the plot and the plans. The builder came with it as a package deal. It suited them fine. The builder was very flexible and accommodating. They could adjust the plans to their hearts content. And so they did.

The most striking adjustment downstairs is the large family kitchen. It runs from the front to the back of the house. It has windows to three sides and at the back it has patio doors opening to the terrace and back garden.
And since they lived in GB now Anneke was determined to have a British cooker. ‘For years I wanted to have an AGA, since that was the only well known brand in the Netherlands. But here I learnt there are many kinds of cookers. The downside of the Aga is it is on all the time. And this being a well-insulated house I didn’t think that would be practical. So we opted for a Sandyford Classic. It can be controlled by a timer or overruled by hand. It switches on and of when you need it. It also does the domestic hot water and heating.

Another feature in the kitchen is the Welsh slate counter and the two Belfast sinks. The whole kitchen was made by the builders carpenter, who was eager to take it on and delighted with the result. So are Anneke and Marcel

Another adjustment to the plans was the wall of the dining room was moved one foot back. That way it would also take the bookcases that housed their extensive book collection.

The fireplace was also made to the specifications of the couple. Seen some of the other houses the builder had made it struck them that the fireplace was coming far into the living room, taking up a lot of space. And since the chimney is to the side of the house they made a design that would use that space rather than living room space.

Upstairs most things stayed the same. There are 4 double bedrooms of which one en-suite and a family bathroom. But one of the bedrooms is in use as an office. So it houses a large desk, and the wiring you need for a modern office.

The other major adjustment to the plans is the attic. In the Netherlands a house with an attic has a usable attic. And with friends and family coming from so far away, they wouldn’t stay for just a cup of tea. They stay the weekend or longer. So the plans were changed and two big rooms and a bathroom were made in the otherwise useless attic. And not to worry about storage, under all the eaves is storage space.

The house is set in about 0.3acre. And since the house was newly build in 2000, designing and making the garden was a nice project. Anneke and Marcel are both horticulturalists. But the designing was mostly done by Anneke and the planting by Marcel. And when a lot of topsoil needed to be shifted the next-door neighbour helped. ‘It would have taken us forever to do.’

The front garden is stocked full with shrubs and herbaceous plants. It is mainly blue, purple, pink and white.

Behind the house is a patio that stretches the width of the plot. It faces south-south-east. There are paths to define the different borders containing: a herb garden, vegetable garden, soft fruit, some fruit trees and flowers. The flowering plants there are mainly yellow, orange and red.

Our Dutch family and friends think it is a real British house and garden. Our British friends think it has a real Continental flavour. Anneke and Marcel hope it’s a mix of the best of both worlds.

Floor Plans available on request

Advertiser contact details
Name: Marcel Willems
Email: Contact the Advertiser
Ad Ref: 6232