City and countryside collide at this dream home near the summit of one of the most well-known local mountains in the south Wales valleys. Although it is located north of Cardiff, this abode also enjoys the expansive views of the countryside that cocoon the home.
Hidden from view, nestled within the trees at the top of Caerphilly mountain and boasting engaging vistas from all of its balconies and terraces, it's hard to imagine you are so close to the capital of Wales.
But just a couple of miles down the mountain road the northern suburbs of Cardiff greet you with all the amenities and facilities you would expect in one of the UK's best cities.
READ MORE: Former valleys hospital that's now a seven-bed luxury home with incredible rural views
If you can find it, three levels of loveliness embrace you as soon as you arrive at this hillside home, with understandably the main driver of the design of this house being the panoramic vistas that roll out across the mountain top in front of you.
It feels remote and away from the world but the world, at least a slice of it, is literally just down the road when and if you need to engage with it.
It's not a surprise to discover the name of this dream home is Treetops Lodge because, as well as mountain summits on the horizon, the home has been built on a gentle slope to take maximum advantage of the wooded, treetop views that this home enjoys from almost every window.
But what might be a surprise is to learn that this substantial contemporary looking house used to be a traditional cottage that has had a huge expansion that includes a 47 foot open-plan kitchen diner lounge, plus the additions of terraces, balconies, picture windows and doors to the garden wherever possible.
Another discovery not obvious when you first arrive is an annexe incorporated to this renovation project that can be accessed from the first floor of the main house and offers a new owner flexible living options.
This section of the home used to be a period cottage in the grounds, and offers a cosy and feature-packed lounge that includes an inglenook fireplace with bread oven and cute spiral stone staircase to the potential annexe's bedroom and bathroom.
The adjacent room to the annexe lounge is currently being used as a gym but can easily be transformed into a separate kitchen diner once appropriate units and appliances were installed, and furniture added.
And any lucky granny or teenager blessed with this vintage slice of the house as their dedicated living space won't miss out on views or the outdoor connection either, as the potential annexe has glass doors out onto a sunny terrace.
But back at the entrance to the house at the lower floor there's an array of design details to notice and admire before happening upon the absorbed character cottage.
Three storeys of the house begin with the ground floor that is tucked underneath the main living accommodation above, creating the opportunity for a huge sunny terrace on the next floor up.
The first pleasing feature before you even enter is the entrance terrace that is a lovely, shady space to relax on a bench overlooking the garden if the overhanging terrace above becomes too hot.
But the entrance has been designed to be a space that connects not just visually with the mountain location but structurally too, using stone flooring and feature stone facades to promote this country home's link with natural materials.
Into the entrance hall on this lower floor and the generous room offers extra socialising, relaxation space with its own bi-fold doors to a side terrace.
That's how fancy this dream home is - even the entrance hall has its own bi-fold doors and dedicated outdoor space.
This hall leads to the more functional aspects of the house; the utility room, the laundry room, the boiler room, three handy storage rooms and a wet room.
Up to the first floor and arguably the home's main event, a kitchen diner lounge that spans from the back of the house to the front and rolls out to the terrace and the views to the front.
But the space also has extra glass doors to a side terrace from the dining zone that is a potential party zone as it features a garden bar just ready to be stocked to get the party started.
There's also an additional reading corner in the lounge that has its own view through a massive floor-to-ceiling window, and a well placed chair in this area, flooded with peaceful treetop vistas, is sure to detract from any book.
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This extra, cosy corner of the lounge illustrates how every area of the house has been carefully designed to make the most of the space and the most of the incredible, uninterrupted views that this location wraps around the home.
If a new owner fancies one, this side terrace might be the perfect spot for the addition of a hot tub, although it's already been established that this home has an embarrassment of outdoor spaces to choose from for this extra, bubbly member of the family.
The garden below the house is certainly large enough to add a pool too, with plenty of space left to spare for family games and strolls around the plot.
The substantial open-plan living space has been zoned to perfection, creating a generous, contemporary, shiny kitchen with feature island unit and Bosch and Neff appliances, flowing into a large, social dining area, then flowing into the lounge area.
And all areas have direct access to the views so every occupant, wherever they are and whatever they are doing, feel part of the wider landscape as well as part of this internal socialising zone.
The wall of glass at the end of the room opens out onto the elevated terrace, that is just one of the many outside spaces that connect the indoors to the outdoors, and is a stunning spot to relax and enjoy many moments of alfresco dining.
There are so many choices to enjoy the surrounding landscape while alfresco dining at this dream home, from this large sociable terrace to smaller, more private patios and integrated balconies - the challenge is to decide where to eat before your food goes cold, but what a wonderful challenge to have.
And just as the outdoors gives you options for a peaceful place to relax, the inside can off this too, away from the substantial open plan kitchen living area.
Sometimes you need a quieter and more intimate place to chill-out and this house understands that desire too, with a sitting room off the main open-plan space.
This internal room that has no external windows also opens up into the hall via an open double doorway, so clever design means even this internal space can check out the views too.
To the right of this cosy lounge is the annexe that completes the first floor accommodation, so back to the hall on this floor to ascend and explore the top of the property.
Up here, as well as the bedroom and ensuite in the absorbed annexe cottage, there are four other slumber spaces.
The principal bedroom quite rightly has the prized position at the front of the house, above the lounge area.
The room boasts a wall of glass below the character exposed beams and roof structure that leads to the room's private balcony, surely the most inviting spot for a lazy Sunday morning brunch.
Two of the remaining bedrooms have access onto a shared balcony, with the front room happily enjoying a wall of glass too, allowing spectacular views to wake you up in the morning.
There's also a family bathroom on this top floor of Treetops Lodge, as well as the principal bedroom's ensuite that is a four-piece stunner with statement free-standing bath and walk-in shower.
This house of multiple choices of rooms, floors, outdoor spaces, and ways of living for more than one generation for a family that can boast a unique and enviable location is on the market for £1,695,000 with estate agent MGY, call their Radyr branch on 029 2084 2124 to find out more.
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