Coatesville: Manageable and immaculate

VICKI HOLDER visits a low-maintenance, well-presented rural property where living the country lifestyle without the hard work is the name of the game.

Townies considering leaving the rat race for the peace and privacy of a rural environment will be tempted by the ease of this unusual Coatesville property.

Beautiful grounds set an idyllic country scene as visitors enter the electronic gates. The sealed driveway meanders from the quiet, no-exit road through a leafy avenue that hides a rambling, brick-and-tile home. Lush, green paddocks where horses graze flank neatly clipped lawns shaded beneath the trees.

Owners of this property enjoy an expansive green outlook in every direction, yet only one of the paddocks is theirs to maintain. There's still plenty of room for the children to ride their horses or keep other farm animals for fun. And if they're looking for adventures, they can follow the tramping trails through the forest just across the road.

But because this property is smaller than most others in the neighbourhood, it makes a great compromise for those who want the lifestyle without the hard work.

Everything about this property is manageable. Even mowing the lawns is easier than on most lifestyle blocks, as all the land is flat. A full-sized, floodlit grass tennis court behind the house needs a little work, but it could be turned into a dressage ring if the new owners were serious about their horses.

Having been totally refurbished for sale, the single-storey home is in pristine condition. When the owners' circumstances changed, he moved on before the immaculate designer kitchen and elegant new bathrooms were ever used. The new owners can simply move in, spread out and make themselves at home.

All the family and formal living areas, plus the three bedrooms, face north for the sun. But the intense heat of summer is moderated by the addition of a deep, overhanging roofline across a tiled terrace.

The owners can drive around the turning bay, park beneath a porte-cochere and enter the house through the formal entry or through a relaxed, sunny conservatory off the family room that makes the most of the winter sun.

There's good flow between the living rooms, which have been treated to a fresh, contemporary update. New, textured, natural wool carpets flow from the family room to the lounge. A pale, pre-cut timber floor has been laid in the kitchen, where stainless-steel appliances are complemented by granite benchtops, stone-coloured cabinetry and red, glass splashbacks.

Glass wall sconces throw soft light on the walls, which set an inviting mood in the lounge as guests enjoy the warmth from a grand stone fireplace. A magnificent slate billiard table (to be negotiated for sale as a chattel) in an enormous games room off the kitchen invites a spot of after-dinner activity.

Two children's bedrooms - one butter yellow, the other duck-egg blue - feature small desks built between storage cupboards. Glass sliders open all three bedrooms to the terrace.

The big master bedroom at the end of the corridor has an en suite and walk-in wardrobe. However, nobody has to wait in line for the bathroom, for the family bathroom has been divided into three separate spaces - a bath and vanity in one, a shower next door and a toilet and basin in another.

There's plenty of room for guests to stay as well. The main part of the house adjoins a large self-contained apartment with a separate living area, kitchen, bedroom and en suite. The two parts of the house meet across a big, tiled rumpus room warmed by a free-standing Kent fireplace. This mid-way area accommodates a fifth bedroom and serves as an internal walkway from the double garage.

It's the kind of home that just keeps on going, offering all sorts of possibilities for the future. It also provides a country lifestyle and the answer to any jaded city person's dreams.

Vital statistics

ADDRESS: 136 Mill Flat Rd, Coatesville.

FEATURES: Small, pretty, manageable lifestyle property 12km from Albany; fully fenced horse paddock; grass tennis court; plentiful parking; refurbished brick-and-tile home with conservatory, games room, three bedrooms and three bathrooms; self-contained apartment with two bedrooms plus bathroom; double garaging; remote-controlled electronic gate.

SIZE: Land area 1.24ha.

AUCTION: 3pm, December 8, on site.

AGENTS: Helen Haycock and Frith Daniels, Albany Professionals Real Estate. Ph Helen 415 7089 bus; 027 613 9705 mob; Frith 415 9274 bus; 0274 776 868 mob.