With the recent increases in bills (energy, water, just about everything else), the temptation to pack it all in and go off-grid has never been higher. Not only does it tick all the right boxes in terms of sustainability, but more often than not it will end up far cheaper than the absurd prices currently being charged by various energy companies. Plus, if you do it really well, then there's every chance that Kevin McCloud will come and visit, wistfully staring into the distance and whispering 'fabulous' as you point at some solar panels.
On the sustainability front, what is even better than building off-grid from the ground up is to take an existing structure and drag it kicking and screaming into the 21st century. To that end, in his native Northumberland, Sam Gibson of Galbraith offers a unique opportunity to create a dream home around the shell of a former gamekeeper’s lodge. It sits in a far corner of the historic 3,000-acre Chipchase sporting estate in the magnificent North Tyne Valley, an untouched area of winding rivers and burns, rich and varied wildlife, tranquil woodlands and majestic hills.
For sale at a guide price of ‘offers over £375,000’, Threpwood Hill is located in a wonderfully isolated and peaceful setting just south of the ancient rural village of Birtley and a brisk walk from Wark on the banks of the River North Tyne, some 10 miles north of Hexham. The property, which comes with a south-facing walled garden and extra land for parking, has full planning consent to create a charming, four-bedroom family house, incorporating the existing stone buildings.
Per the planning document, the proposed house would be largely single storey, in which you would find three bedrooms, all en-suite, a sitting room, a kitchen and a garden/dining room with double width sliding doors to take full advantage of the sublime surrounding scenery. The top floor of the existing cottage would be turned into the master suite.
Approached along an estate track, Threpwood Hill is currently off grid with no mains water, although a connection to electricity and mains water is possible (if you are cowardly), thanks to its position within the Chipchase estate. The new owner will also need to replace the septic tank with a new sewage treatment plant, as stipulated in the approved planning application. Mr Gibson estimates the total cost of the redevelopment at about £400,000, after which Threpwood would be valued at some £850,000.
Additional reporting by James Fisher
Credit: Strutt and Parker
Best country houses for sale this week
An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for
Seven outstanding rural homes for sale, as seen in Country Life
Our look at the best homes to come to the market via Country Life in recent days includes a sprawling
Property with potential: Renovation projects for sale, starting from just £125,000
From a period drama-worthy stately home to a delightful cottage to a 17-bedroom mansion for sale at just £400,000, these
The Country Life Podcast
Listen to all the episodes of the Country Life Podcast.
This 321-acre estate on the southern tip of Wales is a sporting fantasy that needs some love
The Trewern Estate in Pembrokeshire offers shooting, fishing and a decent income from grazing — not to mention an 11,000sq
-
When Chelsea was grazing and pasture, not gazing and posture, this house was a Georgian dairy. Now it's a townhouse on SW3's swishest streetWill Hosie takes a look at The Old Dairy, a beautiful old home in SW3 that's seen the entire area grow up around it.
-
Four festive recipes from the Country Life Archive that have (thankfully) fallen out of favourEvery Monday, Melanie Bryan delves into the hidden depths of Country Life's extraordinary archive to bring you a long-forgotten story, photograph or advert.
-
When Chelsea was grazing and pasture, not gazing and posture, this house was a Georgian dairy. Now it's a townhouse on SW3's swishest street
Will Hosie takes a look at The Old Dairy, a beautiful old home in SW3 that's seen the entire area grow up around it.
-
18 country houses across Britain, from £400,000 to £4 million, as seen in Country LifeOur look at the homes to come to the market via Country Life this week picks out a charming Kent cottage and an Arts and Crafts house in Leicestershire.
-
Can you buy happiness? The latest list of Britain's happiest places, and what you could end up with if you moved thereCan you buy happiness? Of course not, but you can buy a nicer house in a better town... and, well, that's probably going to help quite a bit.
-
The wave of downsizing about to hit the property market in the UKThe Chancellor of the Exchequer's Budget — and specifically the 'Mansion Tax' — has fired a starting pistol for downsizers, and the waves will wash across the entire property market. Annabel Dixon spoke to property experts across the country to gauge how it will play out.
-
A Georgian farmhouse that's an 'absolute gem' in an ancient village on Salisbury PlainJulie Harding takes a look at the beautiful West Farm in a gorgeous Wiltshire village.
-
It'd be crazy to buy this 500-year-old farmhouse just because of its utterly gorgeous Aga — so thank goodness that the rest of this place is also really nicePerry Mill Farm is an immaculate yet characterful four-bedroom dream home in the country at a price that will make city dwellers immediately start Googling 'working from Worcestershire'.
-
'A masterpiece of timeless elegance' for sale on the charmed Surrey estate once owned by Henry VIII and the Guinness familyThe Manor House in Burwood Park is a grand, enormous and undeniably impressive. Annabel Dixon takes a look.
-
A grand hall in Yorkshire with 400 years of historyCarlton Hall is a wonderful family home amid glorious gardens in a quaint village location. Penny Churchill looks inside.
