A GRAND DESIGN
CYNCOED Road is one of the most sought-after suburban streets in Cardiff and as soon as any homes go on sale, they are snapped up quickly. Now you could buy a patch of land on the street for more than £1.6m and that includes the cost of having your dream home built there.
But there’s no need to worry about demolishing an older property on the site to make way for the highly contemporary new build; that’s been done.
There’s no need to worry about employing an architect to design a gorgeous dream home; the plans are already in place from Downs Merrifield Architects.
And there’s no need to worry about who’s going to do the hard graft to make the plans a reality; developers Scimitar Homes are on stand-by with the keys of the diggers.
All a new owner of this “virtual house” needs to do is worry about how the home will look inside.
Of course there are computer generated images (CGIs) available for each room for a prospective buyer to see how each space will flow within the home.
And the estate agent selling the property has just released a virtual walk-through tour of the luxury property that is yet to exist.
The huge advantage of a new buyer purchasing the home at this early stage is that they have the potential to create a bespoke space inside.
The choice of kitchen, bathroom suites, tiles and fixtures and furnishings are all up for discussion with the developers to create an interior design that reflects the new owner’s taste.
Of course, if they have very expensive taste and demand gold-plated taps and solid marble throughout, then renegotiation of the price is the obvious next stage.
Another huge decision a new owner has to make before the build begins is the inclusion of an indoor heated swimming pool at the rear of the property.
The proposed pool would run down one side of the house, from the games/cinema room and connect directly with the rear garden.
But taking the plunge and diving into this option will cost the new owner an extra £200,000.
Tony Felice, a director of Kelvin Francis, the estate agent selling the property says: “This is a relatively new format of a selling and marketing a property.
“It gives the new owner the chance to bespoke the property that hasn’t really been available to do before. It used to be the case of what you saw is what you got.
“With technology, now a buyer can see the plans and virtually walkthrough the new house. They can then decide on the finishes that they want to make it unique to them before it’s built based on what they see.”
The plans for the new three-storey home start with the essential “drivein, drive-out” driveway with parking for at least two cars plus an integrated double garage.
The hallway has been designed to make a splendid first impression, with the well of the staircase open to the apex of the roof at the very top of the house, giving a sense of light and granduer.
There’s an intimate lounge at the front of the house, plus a separate study, utility and cloakroom, but the eye is constantly drawn down the hallway to the double glass doors at the end that gives a visitor enticing glimpses of the open-plan kitchen/ diner and garden beyond.
This “heart of the home” room spans almost the entire width of the rear of the house, with the cinema/ games room representing the remainder of the space.
This is where an indoor swimming pool would be located, making this area the undisputed party zone of the abode, with the media / games room leading to the pool, leading to the garden.
To make an even bigger splash, dump the media/games room and create a truly spacious pool. That’s if a new owner wants one at all. It’s all up for negotiation.
What is a fact is the spacious kitchen, dining and relaxing room at the rear is a social and contemporary space for the whole family to congregate. It has a huge bank of bi-fold doors, seamlessly connecting the whole space with the patio and garden and dedicated cooking, eating and lounging zones.
Of course, how the kitchen will eventually look - from Shaker to high gloss style - is ultimately up to the buyer.
Up the sweeping staircase to the first floor and there are four ensuite bedrooms to choose from.
Of course, the master bedroom suite is likely to be the instant winner, with its own ensuite and generous walk-in wardrobe and dressing rooms.
Plus there’s a bonus private balcony accessed through huge glass doors, arguably the most special spot in the house to enjoy a glass of bubbly at dusk or a strong coffee in the morning.
At the top of the property the second floor contains a complete bedroom suite, which could also be an office, study or lounge.
The most engaging aspect of the space is the complete wall of glass windows from the floor to the apex of the roof.
Up here there’s an ensuite and also a storage room that the plans indicate could be an ensuite games room!
This complete second floor of accommodation definitely has the potential to be the ultimate man cave, hen den or teenager hang-out, depending on whichever member of the family grabs and claims the space first.
Inside there is approximately 4,715 square feet of potential loveliness and on the outside a south west facing garden that is about a quarter of an acre.
Despite being a busy route through the popular suburb, Cyncoed Road is one of the most expensive locations to buy a property in the capital. The kudos of the address far overcomes the buses passing by.
The existence of apartment blocks on the road with lower asking prices brings the street’s average property price down but it was still a hefty £679,909 in November 2019.
Analysing the sales history on property portal Zoopla for this former period house on the street reveals that it was first sold in 1996 for £220,000.
The final listing is for £625,000 in April 2014, having changed hands only once before that in June 2012, when it was listed for sale for £550,000.
As with many of the properties on the road, the sales history is brief as once people get their Cyncoed Road address they seem loath to leave it, adding to the rarity of regularly finding a choice of homes for sale on the street. And it’s unlikely that any of those buyers who found a home to purchase had the chance to choose their own tiles and toilet.
■ For further details about this £1.65m (or £1.85m) Cyncoed Road home please contact Kelvin Francis, the estate agent selling the property at their Cyncoed branch on 029 2076 6538.