Rural View has had lots of positive feedback for its website over the last couple of years but we’ve now got an even better one!
In the ever evolving digital World we now live in, we trust you’ll find our new site has an even brighter, more stylish, interactive and user friendly feel. There are plenty of interesting articles and photographs about the housing market and country living. We also believe that it shows off our clients’ properties for sale or let to even better effect.
Please enjoy exploring it and we would love to receive your comments and suggestions!

If you want to add that bit of wow factor to your house you only have to look as far as the kitchen. Of course the style and decor of other rooms is important, bathrooms can be fitted to exacting standards and gardens can be just so, but the kitchen is really where it’s at and kitchens sell houses. This is the one space where you can truly impress and invariably see a better return than in any other home improvement.

Do kitchens really sell a country property?

Kitchens nowadays are the hub of the house, where families spend time together and around which socialising revolves. To have a kitchen large enough for a spectacular working end, open plan to sofas, tv, woodburner and bi-fold doors spilling onto a terrace is a dream for many and it is no surprise that the majority of house extensions incorporate such an ideal. This, with a large master suite on the first floor above it is the wow factor that turns an often modest home into a very desirable package. Conservatories or oak framed extensions are also often utilised, where a smallish kitchen can be opened up into a stunning space filled with light and linking the outside.

Preparing your kitchen for sale?

From underfloor heating to funky lighting, and everything in between, whether bespoke handcrafted units or flatpack installations, owners can have fun fulfilling their aspirations and a good designer will listen to priorities while not forgetting aesthetics. You have to be careful with the budget, of course; a top notch kitchen will set you back as much as a sleek German coupe, but it’s often best to list the wants and then pear back to affordable levels. There are many gismos that can be added to turn a standard design into a spectacular finish, you just have to know what to compromise on.

There is one bit of crucial advice, however: Do it for yourself. We are often asked whether a kitchen should be replaced before putting a property on the market and the answer is generally no. Kitchens are very personal designs and they are the first thing that buyers would normally rip out and replace. It is heart-breaking to see a relatively new kitchen sitting in the skip, but it does happen, purely because buyers want to be able to inject their own tastes into the most important room in the house and enjoy it for themselves.

The idea of owning an eco-friendly home was perhaps at one time considered a nice but unrealistic idea, perhaps even a little left-field or hippy but increasingly over the years they have become more mainstream and indeed, are now extremely desirable.

What makes a ‘green’ rural property?

Green homes have been with us for a while now but what makes a property ‘green’? The simple answer is one that is environmentally friendly and sustainable. It could be one that has either been built or remodelled in order to conserve energy or water, improve indoor air quality, uses sustainable, recycled or used materials and produces less waste.
The extent to which a house may be considered ‘green’ can vary. At the basic end this could be just involve a few simple improvements to an existing building such as lagging pipes, insulating lofts and cavity walls, installing double glazing and using energy efficient appliances and light bulbs. In truth, this is now regarded as standard practice.
At the other end of the spectrum, truly eco-friendly houses will be designed and built to minimise their environmental impact using materials and technology that reduces its carbon footprint and lowers its energy needs. These could be built into the ground, out of straw or wool bales or even glass with the latter having two or three layers with gas in between to prevent heat loss.  There are many options when it comes to sustainable roofs from turf to tiles made out of recycled tyres.

Alternative Energy for Rural Properties

Rather than the usual mains connected services, these could be self-sufficient. Water for example could be supplied by a private stream or well, harvested rain water or from a ‘grey water’ treatment system. In many rural areas septic tank is the usual means of foul drainage disposal and is an acceptable natural sewage method although private treatment plants are preferable. Many of us would probably baulk at the idea of an earth or composting toilet although these were common place in the 19th Century.
An alternative to using energy from polluting fossil fuel or nuclear generated power stations would be to produce one’s own electricity from natural sources such as wind, sun and water. The installation of photovoltaic solar panels boomed a few years ago when generous tariffs paid for surplus electricity sold to the National Grid was seen as a nice little earner by private home owners as well as a means of providing cheap energy.
In the UK we have been slow to take advantage of the many eco-friendly means of heating that continental home owners use such as air or ground sourced heating pumps or bio-mass fuel. The initial capital cost of the equipment can be more than a conventional oil or gas boiler but are often much cheaper to run.

Eco friendly Cottage for sale near Tisbury Wiltshire

One energy efficient property for sale that Rural View are currently marketing that encompasses many of the points above and more, is Jasmine Cottage in the attractive rural hamlet of Fonthill Gifford near Tisbury. The current owners have completely refurbished their delightful home from top to bottom installing exceptionally high levels of insulation, underfloor heating, a heat recovery ventilation system, solar panels and a wood pellet fired boiler which, under the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme, provides a quarterly income of £346. Get in touch with us for more information.

Rural View hope that you all had a very Happy Christmas & Prosperous New Year to all of our clients, customers, followers and business connections!

Hindon is one of the most sought after villages in the beautiful Nadder Valley and we are delighted to have been instructed to sell an attractive older style chalet bungalow on the edge of it. With its versatile accommodation, good-sized South facing garden and pleasant outlook this property would make an ideal Christmas present! More information can be found on the Properties For Sale section or give us a call.

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