THERE is no remaining evidence that Lynsey and John Hartley’s house started out life as a barn. And as they told SUSAN GOODSON, its quiet setting with no through traffic, despite being in the centre of town, makes it a lovely peaceful family retreat

A HOME that was already in the family has been enhanced even further thanks to the talents of John and Lynsey Hartley, who have made their mark on the place over the last 14 years.

It belonged to John’s grandparents who had a fish and chip shop in town and has always been a much loved home for them, but the couple have remodelled it quite a bit just to make it their own.

The home - Roftmere, Station Road, Dalton - is a detached home with a lounge, dining room, kitchen, one ground floor bedroom with en-suite with under floor heating and two first floor bedrooms (both doubles), a superb bathroom and a balcony.

Outside there is a drive to the garage and an enclosed garden to the front with an ornamental pond, flower borders and a private seating area. There is ample off-road parking at the front and a neighbourly right of access exists to the adjacent property.

Talking about their home, Lynsey said: “It belonged to John’s grandparents and it was detached, which is we wanted. It’s a pretty big house; it’s in its own setting back off the road and quite private.

“It is very quiet here.

“We remodelled it to make it our own, including extending the front. We removed the kitchen from the back of the house to where a second garage used to be and created a dining and seating area at the front. It is a sort of a wrap-around space. It’s very good for entertaining.”

The kitchen has solid wood working surfaces, rebated sink unit, oak flooring, built-in fridge freezer and plenty of natural light thanks to two skylights.

Lynsey said: “Upstairs we made the bathroom larger by extending into one of the bedrooms, but only because the rooms are such a good size it didn’t matter.”

The fabulous bathroom has under floor heating, heated towel rails, tiled flooring, an oval bath and a separate shower cubicle.

Another feature of the extension is an upstairs balcony, which as it is south facing gets plenty of sun. It is reached through glazed patio doors from both bedrooms.

The whole house is very light and airy and Lynsey credits John’s artistic abilities with them finishing up with not only a modern house but one that is also a welcoming home with unique features and plenty of natural light.

The house has a large big living room with an electric fire, double glazed window to the front and an understairs storage cupboard.

Lynsey added: “It was once a three-storey barn, but was converted in the 70s and then we made our changes. We have also had plenty of insulation installed to make it more energy efficient and keep it nice and warm in the winter.

“We have loved living here and it is a good house for socialising but we have another property now which we want to work on and are ready for a change.”

The house - Roftmere, Station Road, Dalton - is on the market with Ross Estate Agencies for £275,000.

For further details or to arrange a viewing please phone the agent on 01229 469911 or call into the Dalton offices at 70 Market Street.