While the majority of new houses in the UK are two-storey designs in traditional or contemporary architecture, house-hunters can find other types too if they are looking for something a bit more select.
We recently reviewed some new build bungalows, but for those aspiring to more living space, a real taste of luxury can be found in homes laid out over four or five floors. Examples of this kind of property – especially brand new ones – are rare and most likely found in the most prime residential areas of a town or city, so they’ll need a budget to match the plentiful living space.
Here are some of our favourites for sale right now.
Bishops Row
Bishops Row is a terrace of nine houses by Octagon Developments in Fulham, five of which are still available, with guide prices from £3.3mllion. Ranging from 4,375 sq ft to 6,150 sq ft, they come with four/five bedrooms and four reception rooms. The ground floor has a kitchen/breakfast/family room which opens onto a private walled garden. There are drawing room and formal dining room on the first floor, with bedrooms on second and third and the master bedroom (with dressing rooms and marble en suite) over the whole of the fourth floor, with private balconies. There’s also the bonus of the lower ground floor, with gym, wine room and cinema room, and a covered courtyard garden with “walk-on” glass ceiling.
Angus McQuhae, senior land and sales director at Octagon, said: "Townhouses tend to fit in well with surrounding Victorian and Georgian properties. This design maximises the internal living spaces and creates a natural invitation for neighbours to talk to one another, helping to build a close community. Retaining outside space can be difficult, but is key for this style of home – we often include roof terraces, balconies and manageable courtyard gardens.”
The Denham Film Studios
The Denham Film Studios is a development from award-winning Weston Homes on a site which played a major part in the British cinema industry. In addition to the retained, converted period building at the front of the site, there are a host of new build apartments and houses. One of those currently available is ‘The Lester’, a four-storey townhouse with 1,711 sq ft of living space. On the ground floor is an integral garage and the kitchen/dining room, which leads to the rear garden; on the first, a large family room with private terrace; and on the second are the family bathroom, two double bedrooms and a single bedroom (which could be used as a home office). The master bedroom takes the whole of the top floor and has built-in wardrobes, a large en suite with freestanding bath and twin basins, and its own private terrace. Plot 44 is priced at £695,000.
Gabriel Square
Meyer Homes has used striking contemporary architecture at Gabriel Square in sought-after St Albans and there’s a collection of townhouses set around a landscaped garden square with unique sculptures. The clean lines of the interior layout is matched by high-specification fixtures and fittings throughout. On the ground floor is an integral garage and a kitchen/dining room with access to the rear garden, which has a spiral staircase to the first floor. Here, there are two living rooms, one with a terrace. There are two bedrooms on the second floor (one with en suite shower room) and on the third floor, the family bathroom, a double bedroom and a single bedroom cum home office. There’s also the bonus of a roof terrace. In all, there is 2,088 st ft of living space. Prices range from £965,000 to £1.3million.
Chelsea Barracks
There is a terrace of 13 substantial townhouses at Chelsea Barracks, a landmark, 12.8-acre development in super-prime south-west London. Inspired by historic residential squares in the area, these properties are built from Portland Stone in notable dimensions, between 8m and 10m wide and boasting ceiling heights of 3.48m. As you would expect for a price starting at £38million, every element of these homes is of the highest quality, with many bespoke features. The master bedroom stretches across the whole of the second floor. Each home has a basement with swimming pool, sauna, steam room and gym, as well as a landscaped rear garden and a roof terrace with superb views across the capital.
Hamilton Drive
There are new five-storey, Georgian-style townhouses at Hamilton Drive in St John’s Wood, on the border of Regent’s Park. There’s a feature staircase and lift access to all floors. In the basement is the gym and plant room; on the lower ground floor a home cinema, utility room and self-contained bedroom/en suite with access to a terrace; the ground floor has a dining room at the front, and an open-plan kitchen/family room at the rear, accessing the garden; the principal bedroom with en suite bedroom and dressing room is on the first floor, along with a sitting room; and on the second floor, another impressive bedroom at the rear, with dressing room and bathroom, and another en suite bedroom at the front. Being marketed by Aston Chase, these homes are on sale for £12.5million.
Hope House
Lansdown is in central Bath and it’s the location of the exclusive Hope House development from Acorn Property Group, which is set in six acres of parkland. Plot D2 on Park Row is one of a terrace of four-storey townhouses. The ground floor is devoted to an open-plan kitchen/living/dining room, which has a convenient utility room and bi-bold doors to the front garden. Off the first floor landing is a useful large storage cupboard and a large living room which opens out full width through full glazed doors to a generous front terrace. In addition to a family bathroom, there are three double bedrooms on the second floor: bedroom two is en suite, while there’s a door from bedroom four (which might also be used as a home office) onto another large terrace at the rear. The top floor has more storage and the luxury master bedroom with dressing area and en suite shower room. This home comes with two parking spaces and is priced at £1.35million.
Lilia Mews
Statons is marketing the gated development of Lilia Mews in fashionable Whetstone in north London. In addition to a collection of apartments are 10 four-storey townhouses. This comes with a large open-plan kitchen/dining/living room and private garden; a first floor devoted to the master bedroom, which has abundant built-in storage, a dressing room and en suite bathroom; two generous bedrooms and a bathroom on the second floor; and on the this floor, another bathroom and a very large fourth bedroom with doors onto a balcony – together, they make for a luxurious guest suite. Prices here start at £1.275million.
Magna Carta Park
At the exclusive Magna Carta Park development from Royalton Residences in Englefield Green, there are a host of luxurious apartments and houses, among them the ‘Albemarle’, a detached, five-bedroom, double-fronted mansion in a Georgian-inspired design, with 4,499 sq ft of living space. On the lower ground floor is the integral garage, WC, utility room and a large family room which opens out to the rear garden. Grand feature steps lead from the driveway to the front door on ground floor level, with a cloakroom and WC of the hallway, a large kitchen/breakfast room and an open-plan dining/living room with three double doors to a terrace. There are two large double bedrooms on the first floor, both with en suite bathroom and a dressing room in the master bedroom. On the top floor are the family bathroom and three more double bedrooms, with an en suite to one of them. There’s the bonus of lift access to all floors. Prices around £4.25million.
La Baie
Sandbanks on Poole Harbour is one of the most desirable places to live in the UK, often cited as one of the most expensive residential areas in the world. On the books of agents Luxury & Prestige is the one-off La Baie, a striking four-storey home in a very contemporary architectural style a plectrum-shaped roof and sweeping curves, and a superb view over the waterside garden. This property has five en suite bedrooms (the master bedroom has the luxury of a dressing room and two en suites), numerous terraces and balconies, indoor pool and an integral double garage. This is priced at £5.995million.
Elsworthy Rise
In Elsworthy Rise in Primrose Hill, buyers are invited to bid for an entire terrace of townhouses through Beauchamp Estates, with offers in excess of £10million. Already there have been bids made from families who want to make a single home featuring 17 bedrooms and 10 bathrooms. Three of these houses have three floors of living space and a private underground parking space, but the houses at either end also accommodate a games room in the basement in addition to four en suite bedrooms and an open-plan kitchen/dining/living room that opens onto a generous private garden.
13 Stratford Place
In a quiet cul de sac in Marylebone, 13 Stratford Place was originally a lavish townhouse which later got converted into apartments. Now, it has been fully refurbished single home stretching over 9,462 sq ft of living space over five floors. As you might expect, there’s an opulent and grand interior design to this home, which has four bedrooms, four bathrooms, four reception rooms, a gym and sauna, office space and a gallery. It also has two large terraces (with hot tub). Robert Cox, sales manager at Harrods Estates Mayfair office, says: “We often say, ‘if only the walls could speak’, but in this case the stories we have discovered and the personalities who have lived and worked here are extremely special.” Price on application.