The townhouse was great. We were amazed at how much room there was, when all we had heard was how small English houses were. There were four bedrooms upstairs (one was teeny-tiny, though), and some of them already had closets (we thought we'd have to get wardrobes). The kitchen looked very spacious and modern, with Bosch appliances and lots of cupboards. The best part of the whole house though, was the conservatory! You heard me right-- as in, "it was the maid with the lead pipe in the conservatory." (See photo)
Cool, right?
Ethan and I loved it. We liked how it was close to Harrogate... close to the action, and it was in a court which looked great for the kids to ride their bikes out front.
Okay, house number two was located in a teeny village about 13 minutes from Harrogate. There is no house number... the house is called "Bridge End." Seriously.... the mailman knows the house as Bridge End, not #234 Dobbs Lane or whatever. That should give you a feel for how small a village this is. Four bedrooms again, 2 car garage, HUGE kitchen (with a dishwasher that was running at the time, and we couldn't even hear it -- when I saw that, I shouted "SOLD!"),
living room, utility room, dining room (which we would actually use as our American room/playroom), nice patio outback, and sheep grazing across the street. The downsides are the carpet-- I can't really call it carpet... it's more like Rattan. It's not very comfy on your feet, and it doesn't clean well. Also, being in such a small village, it would mean that I would probably have to send Tim to a small village school. I looked into the two primary schools nearby. One of them has 35 students, and the other has 21 students TOTAL!! Grades K-5!!! (This will be a topic for another blog, I'm sure.) Ethan and I are also concerned about being too far away from Harrogate, and not having a lot of people around.
Here's a picture of the front of the house. Another thing about it is that it was built in 2000. I feel like I'd be cheating... it looks like I'm in this cute, old English-country home.... but the house isn't even 8 years old!
So, what would you choose? I'll tell you what we chose next time!
3 comments:
Well, you know what I would choose. The one in the country with sheep grazing across the street! However, the conservatory definitely is awesome too. Hmmm. Both look beautiful. Can't wait to find out your choice!
I think you went with the townhouse for the sake of the kids' schooling and being near people. Fun...this is like that one show on the Home Network (whatever channel that is..I watch it when I'm at my mom's..so I don't know).
Both homes look/sound accomodating; though, I gotta say it would be a hard choice for me if I were in your shoes. The house in the country sure does sound so quaint and up my ally except for the not being near people part.
Do people just stay put in their little village or commute to larger towns nearby for "mingling"?
If it were me...(oh, if only) I'd choose the townhouse. School and close to the action would win out over country charm..."though there's nothing I'd enjoy more than a country living". Sorry, PBS has only encouraged my Austen fascination by airing week upon week of literary delights! (Check them out on Sunday nights at 9!)
Am on seat's edge to find out which you've chosen...miss ya dear!
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