4 Bedroom detached house ● Beales Lane, Walton Park ● £850,000

Lying in a hammock in the dappled light of the leafy trees, the owners of the house on Beales Lane can read their books as they watch the children enjoy playing in the garden. Here they have created a family idyll, a perfect indoor-outdoor lifestyle that has provided them with everything they were seeking when they arrived 13 years ago. “If we were not relocating for family reasons, we would never move as this place is absolutely perfect for us,” one of them admits. “We love this location and the house is our ideal family home. It has all the space and flexibility we require, as well as plenty of room for entertaining friends and relatives and working from home.”

LIGHT AND OPEN

Believed to be approximately 30 years old, the generous, corner plot property was originally a self-build. The current owners are only the second set of people to ever live here. “All the houses in this area were self-builds, which means they are each very different,” the owner observes. “We also liked the fact it was a large plot, in an elevated location, on a peaceful cul-de-sac. Its position makes it very light and gives us a view down the hill for a good couple of miles.

INDOOR-OUTDOOR

The substantial, detached Walton Park house also offered them the potential to create a home encompassing spacious, open-plan family living with an easy flow on to its gorgeous outside space. “In the time we have been here, we have opened it up, reconfigured the layout and extended it further,” the owner explains. “We now have a wonderful, L-shaped kitchen, dining and sitting room, with two sets of bi-folding doors that open on to the garden. This is a fantastic place in which to cook, dine and spend time with the children. The whole space is zoned, so we can use the different sections for different purposes and yet it is also bright, open and airy – and we can just step straight out into the garden on warm, sunny days.”

HOME EVOLUTION

There is a cloakroom downstairs, plus a study, which is flooded with light. “We also converted half of the double garage into a games room so our boys could have their own space. This has all worked very well for us and has supported the evolution of our family, as the boys got older and my wife and I moved to working from home.” Other changes have seen them double the size of the utility room and create a useful reception hall, with generous storage. “This has been a wonderful place to live and it is now ready for new owners to move into,” he continues. “But if someone else did wish to enlarge it even further we do have full planning permission to extend the living space at ground-floor level and to build out over the garage to create a magnificent new master bedroom suite and transform the house into a five-bedroom family home.”

HAPPY TIMES

The first floor features a light-filled, galleried landing leading to four double bedrooms and the family bathroom. “All the bedrooms are very large and the master bedroom has an en suite shower room,” he says. “We currently have the fourth bedroom arranged as a study, with a desk, and there is still ample space for a bed, enabling it to double as a guest room when people come to stay.” The interior has a bright, contemporary ambience, where largely neutral shades are complemented by splashes of carefully chosen blue and green colour. It blends beautifully with its outside space, creating the indoor-outdoor living experience the owners hoped for. “We have had such a wonderful time here – summers in the garden, with the children playing football, and lots of barbecues with friends and family.”

A UNIQUE BALANCE

The proximity to the lake and Parks Trust land has also given them great pleasure. “We love being able to head straight off on walks or cycle rides and ducks and herons sometimes come up to the garden – we have even fed the ducks from our hands.” The children have been able to walk to school and get to their many activities, while their parents have found travelling for work from Milton Keynes has been easy. “Of all the places we have visited in the UK and Europe, we have never been anywhere like this,” he admits. “We are very sorry to be leaving. As well as the large house and garden, it has given us that unique sense of feeling like you are in the countryside, because there is so much greenery and space, while also providing all the convenience of the city.”

SETTING THE SCENE

The Beales Lane house enjoys an enviable corner position in Walton Park, with a generous wrap-around garden. To the front, there is a driveway, with ample off-road parking, a garage and lawn. To the rear, the house opens easily on to its sunny, lawned garden, with its terrace for entertaining, and mature trees, providing shade in the summer months.

• Property reference CWR080609740
• Tenure Freehold
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• Energy rating C
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