GUIDE PRICE: £1,000,000--£1,100,000.

INTERNAL VIEWINGS AVAILABLE ON REQUEST .

Entirely unique and staggeringly beautiful, this detached family home has quite literally been carved into the hillside above Preston Park Station, so not only is it an architectural masterpiece but a genius feat of engineering. From the street you see only the parking forecourt and tall white walls, yet a stairwell rises up to a magical front garden and the contemporary façade of the property as it looks out over the city to the south east. Exceptional interior design has ensured this house feels like a home rather than a glossy white box; where locally sourced natural materials have been used to add warmth and interest to each space. Designed by the owners, the house is ideal for families but also for entertaining, as both form and function have been considered at every turn.

Not only is this house exquisitely styled, but it conforms to the highest eco specifications for sound and heat insulation, energy consumption and air tightness. 43 sq. m. of triple glazed, Secure by Design windows have been used to fill the house with natural light, while photovoltaic roof panels ensure the energy bills are negligible. While it is peaceful and private inside, it sits in a central location so it remains well-connected to the city by road, train or on foot, or you can reach the beach or the South Downs in 10 minutes by car. The local schools are amongst the best in the city with several highly acclaimed private schools also nearby, and the commute to London is less than an hour door to door. For families and professionals alike looking to live in a bespoke and luxurious home in this cosmopolitan coastal city – this house needs to be seen to be admired.

Style: Contemporary Eco House (2018)

Bedrooms: 4-5 double; 1 en suite all with direct access to a terrace & the garden

Bathrooms: 3

Living rooms: 2 spacious with direct garden access

Home Office

Area: 2033 sq.ft.

Outside: South east facing garden and 2 full width sun terraces

Location: Preston Park Station

Parking: off-street parking for 3 cars

EPC rating A

Why you’ll like it:

Introduction:

Completely unassuming from the street, the only hint that a property even exists here is the name sign: ‘West Hill House’, a shingle forecourt for parking and a timber gate which invites you to explore further. This opens to an external stairwell with wind chimes and a pergola abundant with scented honeysuckle, passion flower and jasminoides, which in turn leads up to the Provencal inspired garden and this magnificent, detached property built into the hillside. Standing three storeys tall it is both beautiful and imposing, with white rendered walls and a wealth of glazing on every level leading out onto sun terraces which wrap around the property.

Expertly designed, the garden has sweet seating areas which catch the last of the summer sunshine, plus architectural plants adding shape, texture as scent. A wild flower garden rises up the side of the house to attract local wildlife and bees and you are not overlooked in the slightest.
Built into the chalky hillside, only the finest Newton damp proofing membrane was used – with a lifetime guarantee which runs from the back of the house to the front of the garden. The chalk also provides a natural warmth and insulation which emanates from the rear wall into the house, so the underfloor heating (found on every level) has been cleverly designed to gradually decrease in temperature from the front to the back of the property, for added energy efficiency.

Living room:

Two sets of large-scale triple glazed doors open to the ground floor reception rooms which are partially open to one another with a central staircase for division. During the warmer seasons, the garden becomes an extension of the entertaining area offering a seamless flow into one another with dining areas both inside and out. Bamboo flooring is found throughout the house for both its hardwearing nature and its attractive patterning, and the walls are crisp in white. The upright steels forming the structure of the lower two floors have been timber clad to soften their edges, and within the seating area, recessed ceiling lighting provides a gentle glow. Due to the hillside position, all windows are on the south elevation, so these rooms are naturally light and warm.

Kitchen, utility and shower room:

Beyond the dining area, the kitchen is formed around a central island topped with a single piece of quartz stone and illuminated by soft pendant lighting. Into this, the sink with draining grooves and flexi tap have been seamlessly cut-in, and a breakfast bar has been formed for less formal social occasions. Along the rear walls, the units are a fine quality German design which have been paired with bamboo worktops to echo the floor, and within them, the John Lewis gas hob, Hotpoint dual ovens and dishwasher have been integrated, leaving space for a tall fridge freezer. An antique door; reclaimed from a Sussex manor house, opens to the utility room adjoining the kitchen, which also reveals a ground floor shower room with Moroccan inspired wall tiles and a spacious walk in shower.

First floor bedrooms, bathroom, home office:
Rising centrally through the house, you gain a lovely line of sight right through the 8m high stairwell. Again, the natural light streams in via full height windows on the south elevation; this time opening to the first sun terrace from bedrooms one and two on the first-floor. Both bedrooms on this level are substantial doubles with ample room for king size beds, seating areas and freestanding pieces of bedroom furniture – although there is built-in storage too. The bamboo flooring continues up here, again heated from below, and they share use of the family bathroom. This follows the same style as the shower room below it with decorative tiles to accent the walls, but this room has a shower over the bath.

Across the hall is the generous home office which works well as it us coolly positioned towards the rear of the building. It would be perfect as a fifth bedroom, as all rooms have access to the outside via windows to the terrace, conforming to all structural and fire regulations.

Top floor bedrooms/master suite:

The top floor is timber framed, so these bedrooms have vaulted ceilings revealing their ceiling beams. The sense of space and light up here is magnificent, and again, two sets of doors open fully to a second sun terrace with strengthened glass balustrades to ensure the view is not compromised from within. These rooms are linked so the entire floor could be used as a master bedroom suite with a sizable dressing room, or with the addition of a partition wall, they become two large doubles. En suite to the master, the shower room is spacious with dual conical sinks inlaid to a bespoke timber and concrete washstand, and the rainfall shower is on-trend with grey metro-brick wall tiles. Looking out as far as the eye can see over the city’s roof and treetops towards the racecourse in the east and the coast to the south, the views are ever changing with the seasons. This landscape sits below big, open skies, so it is possible to star gaze from your bed as you drift off to sleep.

The garden and sun terraces:

Expertly designed, the outdoor spaces offer a treat for the senses whether you are dining on the upper terraces, basking in the sunshine or entertaining friends. They are completely private due to their open aspect, and the views are exceptional from wherever you are sitting. From the upper levels these take you over the city, while in the Mediterranean garden, the architectural planting and scents are divine. Among this vast array of plants is a hidden seating area and a garden shed for storing your tools and furniture, and the entire space is low maintenance with a shingle floor which has connotations of the beach – just perfect for a coastal home.

Agent’s thoughts:

It is very rare for us to see houses of this calibre come onto the market; both unique in their design and conforming to such high eco specifications. It has a unique character unlike so many newly built homes, and the location cannot be beaten for anyone looking to commute or with children looking to get into some of the top schools in the city.

Owner’s secret

“From the very beginning, we had a vision for this house, but the reality has been even more remarkable than we had hoped. It was a real labour of love – particularly the excavation process at the beginning, but once the house started taking shape it was worth all the hard work and long hours. Since its completion in November 2018, we have had a wonderful time, starting with 5 of us & now just the 2 of us. entertaining friends, of course, but also sitting in complete tranquillity, tucked away from the hubbub of the city. It is a great house if you work from home as it is quiet, but as commuters too, you can roll out of your house and into the station in a minute or two. Being so elevated above the train line they just disappear, and of course the views from the terraces never tire.”

Where it is:

Shops: Sainsburys Local 7 min walk, city centre 15 min bus ride

Train Station: Preston Park Station 30 sec walk

Seafront or Park: Preston Park 6 min walk, seafront 10-15 min drive

Closest Schools:

Primary: Stanford Infant and Junior Schools

Secondary: Varndean and Dorothy Stringer, Cardinal Newman RC

Sixth Form: BHASVIC, Varndean College, Newman College

Private: Brighton College, Lancing College, Brighton and Hove Schools for Girls, Windlesham Prep.

This exceptional and unique home is situated in a popular area with lots of local amenities and green spaces on your doorstep – including the South Downs National Park which is just 10-minues away by car. The city centre shopping districts and beach are also within easy reach, and this house also offers easy access to Preston Park Station, the A27 and the A23 which have direct and fast links to the airports and London.