Finding a renovation project within the current property market that is heating up in many areas of Wales is a challenge, and that's before you even tackle any planning applications and multiple tasks required to bring a wreck back into a habitable home.
Many people are chasing their Covid pandemic dream of living near the sea, in a quieter location and in a home full of character, so finding a cottage or farmhouse close to the coast is an even bigger ask.
And if you want to find a renovation property that has enough garden to potentially build some extra homes and squeeze even more potential out of the plot - well that's a rare beast indeed.
Except this cottage for sale can potentially boast a full house when it comes to the property cards it can deal you.
Firstly the location of this renovation cottage for sale is a tempting combination of coast and country, village and town.
The property is nestled within the sleepy hamlet of East Williamston, and it must be a pleasant place to put down roots and live as, according to the local community council, the area has been inhabited for over 700 years.
Website Pembrokeshire Town & Community Councils states that the village has flourished in recent years into a very pleasant area to live being a 'quiet, picturesque village with good community spirit'.
Local triumphs includes the village hall which was built in 1953 on land donated by the then oldest inhabitant and rebuilt thanks to a lottery grant in 2000, and is the centre of the village for activities and socialising.
East Williamston Jubilee Park and Nature Trail is a pocket of land bought by the community and developed into a play area, nature trail and much-loved open space for local residents to enjoy.
So that's the immediate area a playing its ace card for someone wanting to embrace the quiet life, but the village is spoilt for choice when it comes to a day by the sea, as it is close to Tenby and Saundersfoot.
Through the country lanes for about five miles, about 15 minutes of your time, gets you to the popular coastal town of Tenby.
The pretty pastel period properties that hug the coastal cliffs above two glorious sandy beaches and an array of independent shops, cafes and restaurants, has assisted Tenby in becoming one of the most popular places in Pembrokeshire to visit, live and use as a base to explore.
The town regularly appears on lists of the best place to live in the UK, including a recent survey that put the town second on a list of the best place for post-Covid living, beaten only by Bath; find out more about that here.
But the embarrassment of coastal riches that this cottage can easily access continues with Saundersfoot, which is about four miles away and only takes about 10 minutes in the car from front door to sea front, depending on the time of year and amount of holiday traffic on the roads.
This large coastal village within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park is popular with families due to its Blue Flag award-winning wide, flat, sandy beach.
The pretty harbour and stunning views from the top of the cliff make it a popular destination for visitors to stay, with a variety of holiday accommodation to choose from.
Saundersfoot is especially popular with locals and visitors who are keen to try the local produce served in the growing number of eateries in the village, growing its reputation as a culinary hot spot, including Harbwr Bar & Kitchen and Coast Restaurant.
But there's more needed at this cottage for sale than a bucket and spade to get it to become your country and coast dream home, so visiting the nearby seaside towns and villages regularly might have to wait for a while.
According to the estate agent selling this building, it was built in the 1850s and is called East House.
The property sits on the edge of the village so the agent states that no building development can take place beyond it, but there is the chance to create a building development actually on the plot.
Located at the end of a no-through road there's peace and quiet on offer here unless, of course, you decide to investigate the outline planning permission that used to be in place for this good-sized plot.
As well as off-road parking for up to three cars, the cottage has a front and back garden that in the past has had outline planning permission to create two building plots at the site, which has now lapsed.
Outline planning permission is just an early stage, more basic application to the local authority to discover if a building proposal is likely to be approved, before any major costs are spent by the applicant.
Of course there's no guarantee of any full planning permission being granted now, but the existence of the lapsed outline permission must surely give a new owner keen to investigate creating more dwellings here at least some hope.
The house itself is a two-bed period abode that will benefit from a full renovation project to bring it back to life and reawaken its charm.
As the garden is so generous, at about a quarter of an acre, and again subject to planning consent, it's obvious that there is scope to significantly increase the size of the cottage into a spacious family home near the coast.
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There's also a garage and an outbuilding workshop, so even before you step foot into this house that oozes potential, the garden might have already won you over, especially when combined with the location.
Yes there's a good amount of work to do here - a quick lick of pretty cottage-inspired pastel exterior paint will obviously not suffice.
The task list might include upgrading the electrics and plumbing, to checking the structure for damp and any structural issues.
There's a new country-style kitchen to buy and install and a bathroom worthy of spending hours soaking in the tub are probably just a few to tackle.
Then there's the restoration of the remaining period features to contemplate, the essence of the property that still remain from decades gone by.
The most noticeable, and arguably the most exciting, are the quarry tiles in the front reception room just begging for some renovation attention and budget to look glorious again.
Behind the intriguing heater in the fireplace is what looks like a tiled fireplace from the 1920s or 1930s and maybe behind that, hiding in the chimney breast, is a fireplace that dates back even further?
Whatever a new owner decides to do with the fireplace, there's no doubt it is one of the main focal points of this room, if not the whole cottage, so an open fire or log burner will surely enhance the cosy cottage feel inside the newly refurbished abode.
There are ceiling beams in the living room and the second reception room to either uncover or repaint and, as long as the house is not listed and planning and building regulations allow, there's scope to remove some walls if the budget does not allow for an extensions.
Choose the living room to dining room wall to demolish, the dining room to the kitchen wall to skip, or both if you want to create a very generous living area. Doors out to the garden from a living space and the kitchen would be a bonus too.
The kitchen has basic units that are surely headed for a skip too, to be replaced with country-style decor more appropriate to the property's age and character. There's space for a breakfast table and chairs in here too, as well as doors to the garden.
The bathroom is on the ground floor and, although the suite looks usable, at least while you are onsite reviving this property, ripping it out and replacing with luxury would certainly add value as well as increase attractiveness.
Imagine a period-style roll-tip bath and fixtures and fittings to continue the country cottage vibe but in a modern standards context.
Of course, if an extension happens and the floorplan is reconfigured, an upstairs bathroom is preferable, as well as a master bedroom ensuite, plus a cloakroom and utility room on the ground floor at the very least, although a full shower room would be even more advantageous.
Currently there are only two bedrooms upstairs.
Whatever the future for this house - a cottage-sized renovation, an expansion and extension, or the full potential of the plot realised via new homes built in the garden - it's a rare beast that only a nimble property hunter with the vision and budget will catch. Then they can celebrate their hand of a full house.
The cottage is for sale for offers in excess of £300,000 with estate agent fbm, call their Tenby branch on 01834 842207 to find out more.
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