Even residents who have lived in Cardiff for many years probably won't be aware of pockets of properties that hide in the suburbs.
Tucked away off quiet residential streets, the more recent additions to the capital's housing stock come about by utilising empty plots of land, demolishing older properties, or even carved up huge gardens that a homeowner has sold off for development.
And this dream home for sale is one of the capital's hidden gems, nestled amongst mature woodland and bordered by the Nant Fawr Stream, anyone checking out the estate agent photographs for this luxury house might think it was located within the rural landscape of the Vale of Glamorgan or Monmouthshire.
READ MORE: Modern £2.2m luxury home hiding in one of Cardiff's poshest suburbs with surprise indoor pool
But this bespoke, architect-designed unique house is actually situated within a leafy corner of Cyncoed, arguably Cardiff's most expensive suburb.
The modernist 'cube' style home is definitely within the catchment area of the popular Cardiff High School, it's just next door, and just a short walk from the highly regarded Rhydypenau Primary School.
Part of a gated community of four homes called Nant Fawr Court, this 'pocket of posh' was built in 2009 by local property company Scimitar Developments, with the brief given to award-winning architect firm Loyn & Co to create the sense of rural and natural enclosure, making the most of the unique site.
The design of the site externally was just as important to the success of the original development, with the four houses organised around a series of courtyards with interlinking garden walls and views out to the surrounding woodland from each house.
And now one of this unique quartet is for sale.
The impressive start to a visit to this dream home in this exclusive gated community begins from the outside.
The four houses themselves, although individually designed, are visually connected by the consistent use of handmade bricks and clay tile building materials and strong shapes that strike a pose amongst the trees and neighbouring roof tops.
The intriguing design of this particular five-bed detached house for sale tempts you to wonder about the internal layout, with glimpses from the large driveway of multiple and unusual windows, a roofline that makes a statement, and the suggestion of maybe three storeys inside.
Open the front door and a grand triple-height, open-plan hallway is a welcoming, visual surprise.
Some houses have an impressive two-storey entrance space but this luxury home can boast three, rising to the peak of the unique roofline and dressed at the top with a triangular window.
The hall opens directly into the reception room spaces, starting with the sociable dining area.
This area is tucked under the first floor mezzanine landing to ensure it is a more intimate space that looks out and flows out onto the garden terrace via a wall of glass doors, perfect for dinner parties where the conversation flows and the guests can easily flow out into the garden.
Obviously much thought has been given to sightlines in the design of this home, with the outside visible from so many angles and through so many spaces.
See the garden from front door via the long central hallway, see the garden from the kitchen via the dining room, see the front garden from the kitchen via the utility room and garage.
There are internal sightlines to admire too, with areas of the downstairs fully visible from the mezzanine upstairs landings and see almost everything from a 'sweet spot' in the centre where the three reception rooms flow out from.
There's one internal sightline that is a total surprise, but that is revealed later in the property tour.
Moving towards the centre of the home, with the visual delights of windows and suspended landings to escort you, the space opens up to the left to reveal a super slick kitchen with substantial island.
The area has a sociable, family lounge area too, so you can relax while the Masterchef-inspired culinary creations unfold in the adjacent kitchen area.
The clever design continues in this space, with the dining area doors on the opposite wall of the house to the kitchen allowing the cook to have a sight line into the garden beyond, directly from the island.
Just to distract the cook further on the other side of the island is a wall of windows above the sink, so even more light and views join the room.
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To the side of this central lounge area is another set of glass doors to the surrounding garden, continuing the indoor/outdoor connection that is at the core of this home and continues to deliver on the developer's initial design brief.
The kitchen is a slick, glossy affair, in a juicy berry shade that adds an eye-catching splash of colour to the predominantly white, contemporary interior design.
Once past the kitchen and central lounging area, the space concludes with arguably a cosier sitting room, but this doesn't mean the room is small, but being at the end of the house, it is less open-plan.
The space also has numerous picture windows and glass doors looking out at, and opening onto, the garden and maybe a window that no other home in Cardiff can boast - an internal window that looks out onto a surprise indoor swimming pool.
From the outside, this house gives you no hint at all that hiding inside is a generous-sized indoor swimming pool.
There's space for lounging at one end of the inviting pool and glass doors that open out onto a patio area that surely creates the perfect layout for a perfect pool party.
At the end of the room there's a handy shower room to wash all the pool water off, plus a room that is currently being used as a storage and pool pump room.
Although the core of the ground floor is centred around the substantial open-plan spaces there are bonus spaces to discover too.
A cloakroom hides by the front door and behind it a cosy snug that could also become a home office. How many home workers in the city can say they can close their laptop at lunchtime and do 50 lengths in the room next door?
There's a large utility room off the kitchen and a two vehicle integrated garage. If not required, this garage could, with the correct planning consent, be converted into an annexe perfect for multi-generational living in one home.
There are more surprises upstairs, with two bedrooms not only having an ensuite bathroom but also an ensuite roof terrace - a very unusual multiple feature that continues the indoor outdoor design of the house.
But the remaining three bedrooms don't miss out, as there is one generous roof terrace accessed via the mezzanine landing that everyone can share.
All the bedrooms have a strong connection to the garden via floor to ceiling windows and the master suite, as well as boasting a private roof terrace, has a walk-in wardrobe plus a bathroom that has steps up to a sunken bath.
Feel like Cleopatra as you step down into this luxurious multi-jet bath, surrounded by candles and sweet smelling bubbles - how can you fail to relax?
One more surprise to find in this amazing home, and that's a staircase up to the top floor - a mezzanine space that offers a quiet hideaway sitting area within this 6,000 square foot home, that has been designed to make the maximum of space, light and location as the perfect trio of selling points.
The house is for sale for £2.2m with estate agents Kelvin Francis, call their Cyncoed branch on 029 2076 6538 to find out more.
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