Old and new

New-build: Cornwall. Rarely do you get a beach thrown in with a £384,950 house. Not your very own, alas – you will have to share it with your neighbours in the development of Two Coves near Charlestown – but the exquisite sandy cove can be reached only via the estate. Indoors you get four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a garage and fitted luxuries. Ancient woodland surrounds you and it is just two miles to the award-winning Eden Project.
Knight Frank, 01392 848844 Photograph: Knight Frank/Knight Frank

New-build: County Durham. From a distance they resemble vintage village houses on a green. In fact they are a gated cluster of two-bed flats in the village of Great Burdon, near Darlington. Inside is urban chic – wooden floors (and underfloor heating) and en suite bathrooms; without is a gentrified country idyll – five golf and country clubs surround the village and the north Pennines are a short drive away. Prices from £227,000.
Ann Cordey, 01325 488 433 Photograph: Ann Cordey/Ann Cordey

Historic home: Worcestershire. This Georgian number has wide rooms, two inglenooks and an acre of landscaped grounds crossed by a brook. The 20th century has honed the legacy adding a massive bathroom, a sweeping conservatory, remote controlled gates and the double garage. The four bedrooms overlook either woodland to the rear or the village green in front. Beyond is the village of Hopton Wafers, six miles from Ludlow. Cost: £475,000.
Andrew Grant, 01905 734735 Photograph: Andrew Grant/Andrew Grant

Historic home: Norfolk. This £325,000 thatched wedge was once part of the 17th-century manor in Intwood, near Norwich. Now it is a dolly-sized home with two beds and an unexpectedly large living room. The master bedroom is a dramatic tent of beams in the eaves, a slipper bath sluices you in the bathroom, and the kitchen is new. Outside is a wide garden. If the price is steep it is because the perfections of the village make vintage property sales a rarity.
Abbotts, 01603 630083 Photograph: Abbotts/Abbotts

Over the sea: Turkey. From your balcony you can watch the sun set over the bay with its sprinkling of wooded islands. This new, villa-style block houses eight apartments surrounded by communal gardens and perched on the waterfront in the resort of Gocek. The nearest swim is beneath your balcony in the communal pool; otherwise it is a two-minute hike to the Aegean. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms and an open-plan living area will set you back £310,000.
Spot Blue, 020 8339 6036 Photograph: Spot Blue/Spot Blue