Old and new homes – in pictures

Historic home: Kent. Beaver Cottage in Ashford is believed to date back to the 14th century, and once inside the heavily beamed interior you see why. The front door leads into the dining room, which has a flagstoned floor and log fire, the lounge has a beautiful inglenook fireplace complete with wood burner, and the three bedrooms have wooden floors. All the rooms are generously proportioned. Outside is an attractive bespoke wooden fence in keeping with the medieval theme. Yours for £300,000.
Ward & Partners, 01233 754074
Photograph: Ward & Partners

New build: Kent. This five-bedder in Loose, Maidstone, is a blank sheet, perfect for someone who wants to put their own stamp on a home – provided they can put up with everything being beige in the meantime. And we mean everything: even the bathroom is tiled in beige, while magnolia is the colour of choice for every wall. Two of the bedrooms have en suites, while the master room has an attached dressing room, and outside the generous garden (possibly beige, given the recent lack of rain) backs on to woodland. On the market for £500,000.
Ward & Partners, 01622 829085
Photograph: Ward & Partners

New build: Cheshire. More beige but this time in spots, and at least one of the toilets is blue. Three of the four bedrooms in this house in Malkins Bank, Sandbach, have built-in wardrobes, the rooms are big and the kitchen/breakfast room leads into a conservatory. There’s plenty of scope to do something interesting with the relatively private garden too. Yours for £275,000.
Reeds Rains, 01270 306045 Photograph: Reeds Rains

Historic home: Berkshire. Just look at the size of the cooking range in this kitchen. And because the inside of this three-bedder in Compton, Newbury, has been painted and furnished in white, it has a light and airy feel, despite the numerous beams. Developers take note: white is bright, beige is, well, like lentil soup. The only disadvantage is that the main garden is to the front of the house – the back yard is a charming but small courtyard. On the market for £399,950.
Hamptons, 01635 898561
Photograph: Hamptons

New build, Leicestershire. This four-bed detached house in Ellistown, on the market for £219,995, looks compact, but the developer has used the loft space to create a master suite comprising a bedroom, dressing room and en suite … a whole floor away from the children. If you don’t like this version, there are 39 others on the Poppyfields development to choose from, ranging from two-bed coach houses to three- and four-bed family homes.
David Wilson Homes, 01530 229205
Photograph: David Wilson Homes

Historic home: Derbyshire.This five-bed grade II-listed weaver’s cottage in Hayfield, High Peak, is on sale for £300,000. It may not look much from the outside, but the inside is stunning. It retains many original features, including fabulous stone mullion windows and beamed ceilings, but has been renovated to create a comfortable family home. The kitchen is a bit ultra urban-chic for an old-fashioned village home, but the only big disadvantage is the back garden, which is a shared courtyard.
Sutherland Reay Estate & Letting Agents, 01663 769000
Photograph: Sutherland Reay Estate & Letting Agents