Property: Star in suburbia
Spacious semi in sought after area is a buyer’s dream, says Paul Drury
THere was a time when the suburbs were considered bland and boring, a sea of white picket fences with faceless people living in the homes behind them. The appeal of such prim avenues was summed up by pop group The Members, who sang about the ‘same old boring Sunday morning, old men washing their cars’ in 1979.
But the Sounds of the Suburbs have been ringing to a different tune since lockdown restrictions began to ease, with a substantial semi-detached now a number one hit among house-hunters.
‘It is unbelievable how things have changed,’ said Susan Farmer, manager at Aberdein Considine’s branch in Glasgow’s Shawlands area. ‘Many more people are working from home and often it’s couples working from the same home. They want more space and want a garden.’
Amid this renewed popularity is the arrival on the market of a fivebedroom semi on Tavistock Drive in Newlands, one of south Glasgow’s most attractive suburbs.
It is tucked away in a cul-de-sac just off the main Kilmarnock road, which links Glasgow city centre with residential areas such as Merrylee, and Giffnock and Newton Mearns in renfrewshire.
Giffnock was recently named the UK’s top suburb, based upon a list of criteria such as shops, security, schools and crime.
One of Giffnock’s myriad quarries probably provided the blonde sandstone used to build this 1910 Newlands villa only a mile or so north. The versatility of this property is demonstrated by the fact that the dining room is laid out as a bedroom. This room could easily evolve again, as an office, as there are four more bedrooms upstairs.
With a study on the same level, Tavistock Drive could comfortably satisfy the desire for his-and-her work spaces.
There is also a garden, accessed from a modern kitchen at the back, with French doors opening onto decking that is perfect for alfresco dining. Inside, traditional features include cornicing in the lounge, tall wooden-panelled doors throughout and period fireplaces, including a working one in the master bedroom.
The original sweeping staircase leads from a generous hallway to a half landing, with a large walk-in storage cupboard that is big enough to be used as a dressing room or another study.
There is a three-piece family bathroom on the first floor, plus a swish four-piece wet room at the rear downstairs.
Selling agent Miss Farmer summed up the attraction of this suburban star by saying: ‘It sits in a leafy street where properties rarely come up for sale.
‘We are seeing couples jump a rung on the property ladder.
‘The forever house at the moment is the substantial sandstone semi and, unfortunately, we cannot get enough of them.
‘People want the character you get with high ceilings and original fireplaces. And this home has them in spades.’
Offers over £620,000 to Susan Farmer at Aberdein Considine on 0141 636 4136 or email susan. farmer@acandco.com.