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Wales Online
Wales Online
Lifestyle
Joanne Ridout

The tiny Valleys cottage that's actually bigger than it looks

This cottage is surely going to stop you in your tracks as you wander down this road - it's such a cutie.

Flanked by two big beasts of buildings on both sides makes it visually shrink even further, but don't be totally fooled by initial appearances - never judge a property by its facade.

The sweet abode is definitely a Tardis property, hiding more space on the inside than you expect from the outside.

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This home would even impress Doctor Who with its manipulation of visual space into a two-bed home; yes, there are somehow two bedrooms inside this little lovely.

Take the Doctor's time travelling Tardis back to 2009 and the cottage looked a little tired, although obviously someone's well-loved home, and with no worries about running out of milk, with a Co-op right next door.

The cottage is actually well-located for local facilities, with the main road through Hirwaun at one end of the street and access to the Heads of the Valleys road just around two corners.

The house in 2009 (Google maps)
The house in 2022 looking fresh and boasting a cottage feel (Purplebricks)

For shopping, pubs and cafes, this Cynon Valley's village high street is just a stroll away and the town of Aberdare is just four miles down the road.

For commuters or more substantial shopping events and socialising experiences, Cardiff is around 30 miles away and Swansea about 25 miles.

Back to the recently-renovated cottage and the anticipation is building as you walk up the garden path - how is the space going to unfold inside?

The freshly-painted white facade accented with blank window sills and a sweet feature porch over the front door greet you with cottage character.

Push open the front door and you step into a separate lounge and it's surprisingly spacious with plenty of space for a sofa and an armchair.

Front garden (Purplebricks)
Front lounge (Purplebricks)

From the neutral cream and grey decor it's obvious that the renovation to smarten up this home has happened recently.

The chimney breast is still in place on this floor, and on the floor above, but no chimney seems to be in existence.

There might be the possibility of adding a log burner if a new owner wants to add some cottage character; expert advice is required if this is a feature that is longed for.

Handy under stairs storage and a door to the rear of the cottage (Purplebricks)
Surprise second reception room (Purplebricks)

A very handy cupboard has been built under the stairs, making the most of the space available.

There's a door in the corner of the lounge that maybe a visitor is guessing leads into a kitchen in surely this 'two up, two down' house?

But this Tardis cottage can also offer you a separate dining room too - who would have thought this cutie could give you two, separate reception rooms downstairs and two bedrooms upstairs?

Good size kitchen in a rear extension (Purplebricks)
Bathroom can easily welcome a full size bath (Purplebricks)

And it's a good-sized dining room too, with alcoves to utilise for shelves or even a home office space in the corner as well as ample room for a dining table and chairs.

From the window in this room there's a hint of something waiting outside, but it's not obvious, so the tour continues via a handy tiled vestibule area that leads into a kitchen.

Although it is a pretty standard galley design, it can accommodate all that a kitchen needs as well as space to pass the cook to get to the bathroom at the back of the property.

Surprise rear garden (Purplebricks)

And that's probably when it becomes obvious that the house has a single storey extension that provides the extra floor space to the floorplan that houses the kitchen and bathroom, which easily offers a full size bath.

Between the dining room and kitchen, in that tiled vestibule area, there's an intriguing door. It leads out to a garden - yes, this house has a rear garden sizeable enough to make some city homes jealous.

Added height in the bedroom by going into the roof space (Purplebricks)
Two bedrooms on the first floor (Purplebricks)

As the garden is elevated and flanked by the walls of the neighbouring commercial units, it is surprisingly semi-private and a bonus space that you probably wouldn't expect to find when you first arrive at the cottage.

Up to the first floor via the stairs in the dining room and you're back into the original cottage.

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Into the two bedrooms which are nestled into the loft space, adding that all important extra head height.

But if more height was needed, then opening both spaces up totally into the roof space could be investigated, and exposing the roof beams would add an extra and delightful cottage feature too.

However, there are a few extra elements to this cottage that a potential new buyer needs to think about, the first is that if you're over 6ft 2ins tall, maybe this abode is not for you unless you raise the bedroom ceilings.

The estate agent selling the home states that the house is also a cash only purchase due to it's proximity to commercial premises that makes it unsuitable for mortgage purposes.

Finally the cottage is going to GOTO online auction, with starting bids from £70,000, call Purplebricks on 0800 810 8008 to find out more about this method of purchasing and the property itself.

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