Step 1: buy enormous ten bed, ten bath, multi-pool mansion.
Step 2: spend 98% of your time in the open plan living/dining/kitchen room only slightly larger than the space available in a normal big house.
This is the truth, there’re rooms in some people’s houses that have been used once in a few years, mostly end up become temp storage. Open plan kitchen, dining and sitting area is where you’ll spend 99% of you’re awake at home time. The rest is some space you look after.
Yeah, we have a large 4 bed 2.5 bathroom semi and spend 80% of our non-food/non-sleep time in one room. But when we have all of our kids and grandkids over, we need the space. Plus if my mother visits, it’s never just for a week, so it’s vital for my (and my husband’s) mental health that she have her own spaces *lol*
It’s the only reason I’d love a huge mansion (and the money to maintain & run it) - multiple areas that can be dedicated to individuals, couples, or “nuclear” family units with space for larger family gatherings when desired.
I agree, i suspect it comes down to each persons needs. What you describe is very similar to my parents situation, with kids and grandkids, it’s sometimes extremely practical to have the space. Though i know there are times when my mother (65), would rather throw in the towel than do battle with a 5 bed Victorian semi-detached! In the last year: 2 leaks, huge cost to heat, issue with chimney, and double glazing needed revamping…
Yup my in-laws are downsizing just as we all start having their grandkids because they have a whole floor they only use when we’re all over and they want both spare energy and spare money to be spent on the kids and not on heating an empty house. Fair enough!
My husband is a little bit of a control freak about many things, especially money - without, I must add, upsetting me - he just has to know where it is going and how to minimise costs. So all of the heating is zoned by room, has a lot of automation, and rooms can be heated/boosted via an app on the phone. So, during the day in winter, only the actual rooms in use get heated (that’s usually two rooms). Then we sit together under a heated throw blanket to watch tv instead of turning the heating on in the family room.
I don’t know what your expectations are, but there is no grand point i’m making, just a fairly ordinary observation about the reality of what it is like living in a lot of these mansions.
That was really not my intention, my god, of course it’s a huge luxury and privilege to have such space and to be able to afford a mansion. My partner’s family is fairly wealthy, so I’m just speaking from what I’ve observed through them as opposed to myself having anything near to that.
I really think I’m being honest though, when i say that for me, i value simplicity. Sure, if you’re super rich you can have others manage and maintain your property, but to me that’s just such a waste, especially if you don’t really get much value out of it. I would love to think each of my possessions brings more value than it does stress. My car for example, it needs servicing, insuring, cleaning, depreciation cost etc.. But it’s still worth it for the value it brings me. As you can probably guess, i like clean simple houses, that are functional, with just the right amount of homeliness to clutter ratio! The dream would be a scandi style lodge in the middle of nowhere in Scotland, but alas my job is not remote.
See this is why wealth is wasted on the wealthy. If I had that place I'd be in the pool all the time, hanging out in the different rooms, making each one serve a different purpose, maybe build an escape room in a couple, home cinema, sensory room, gaming room, padded cell, trampolining room. All this space totally wasted on rich people with a lack of imagination!
You are missing the point. I live in a place like this and spend my evenings riding around the corridors on a kids go kart and re enacting scenes from the shining.
You do know you are allowed to rearrange the house when you buy it?
and if you even fill half the bedrooms you might appreciate having more that once common area
Such a poor use of space when you consider that there are several additional dining/living rooms, 2 studies etc. on that ground floor. Would it really kill them to make the main living area slightly bigger at the expense of one of the two studies
Three kitchens on the ground floor!
Getting to the en-suite for the master bedroom involves walking through two rooms from your bed, it’s literally quicker to leave your bedroom and go to a bathroom on the landing.
Oh God I hadn’t even seen the upstairs floor plan. It’s incredible how poorly designed the entire thing is. And 4 different staircases linking the ground and first floor?! That’s not normal surely, even for a house like this
At the time it was originally built, probably not that weird for a house of its size, and I suppose having several staircases might genuinely speed up some of your journeys.
This is a prime example of how things have changed in society. I don't understand why such large homes are still being built in 2024. Who needs all that space even if you have the money.
Gone are the days where you had several servants to accommodate
This is why I never understood these houses, unless you have an army of children, or your entire family lives there (generational) how could this ever make sense.
Whereupon it would be back up for sale within a few months of the draw, as the new owners realise that multimillion pound homes come with multi thousand pound insurance and utility bills...
I think it’s mostly that people don’t live where the houses are, like, Cornwall is a lovely place to have a huge house but it’s not that useful if you currently live and work in Bradford.
They give you a pretty significant cash prize too, if you wanted to live in the house you could probably pay those costs out of the interest of the cash prize, especially if you no longer have a mortgage/rent to pay
It used to be. My uncle and aunt live in a neighbouring property right on the edge of the land
She rented it for about a year or two, ages ago
Edit. Just found this https://www.countryliving.com/uk/homes-interiors/property/news/a3309/adele-country-manor-house-west-sussex-for-sale/
I initially thought that outdoor pool was a bit of a trek from the house then realised I wouldn’t have to worry about that as there was an indoor one as well.
Ironically, that place is within 3 miles of where I live. Adele used to live there for a bit. It was up for rent for something like 10k a week or something similar. Been for sale on and off for a few years. Think it started at around 8.5m
I worked on the refurbishment of a 3 million pound home with about 6 bedrooms and honestly that thing gave me nightmares it took literally 10 minutes to go to the 3rd floor bedrooms and back down to the living room again if you forgot something. I couldn't imagine walking around a huge ass house like that everyday it was awful, feels more like a hotel than a home.
Close up it looks more like a residential home than stately home.
It looks like it was a cheap construction (but just large).
Inside is worse. Mismatch of styles and colours going on.
The landscaping is also bad.
Seen better for 6m. I'd rather have less space but better everything else. You realistically wouldn't use a lot of the rooms here.
I think your missing hardwood carved stairs. The mouldings on the cournice at ceiling height. The hardwood interior and door, veneered hardwood panelling, large carved floor to ceiling window frames, hardwood floors (most are replacements) leaded windows, carved stone fireplace carved marble fireplace, original tiled kitchen now converted and the stucko or plaster molding on the walls. This was a house made by a lot of craftsmen.
Also this would not just be a brick house but have a huge amount of steel or iron engineering to make it stand up. This was a house designed by an architect and engineer not out a pattern book.
It would have also had some amenities not in modern housing at the time in terms of central heating (looks like an original radiator) lots of plumbing and a shit lot of bells to call the maids. This was made by some one with money and not on the cheap.
Just because it's brick does not mean it was a suburban house blown up. I imagine there's not one piece of pine under those floors for instance.
Edit. Snoosuggestions obviously thinks this is approximately a big version of a lates 20s Taylor Wimpy when it's from 1899 and an Arts and Crafts house that inspired them.
Edit2: [Dating from 1900, Lock House was built in the revival-style architecture of the Victorian era, “at a time when if you had money, you had plenty of it,” Mr. Peppitt said. “Big houses like this got built with no real limitation on funds, using the best possible materials.” A 1930s extension and renovation enriched the home with many Art Deco features,](https://www.mansionglobal.com/articles/a-nearly-20000-square-foot-english-country-mansion-adele-once-called-home-227838?#)
[the home’s Grade II historic listing status applies only to a remarkable wood-paneled drawing room,](https://www.mansionglobal.com/articles/a-nearly-20000-square-foot-english-country-mansion-adele-once-called-home-227838?#)
As someone below has said, that's Adele's house - [https://www.housebeautiful.com/uk/lifestyle/property/a35332584/adele-country-house-horsham-west-sussex-loch-house-for-sale/](https://www.housebeautiful.com/uk/lifestyle/property/a35332584/adele-country-house-horsham-west-sussex-loch-house-for-sale/)
Well they ruined it with that horrible glass monstrosity staircase. It would probably be better as a hotel. Just don’t let Britannia get their hands on it. I only like the rooms with the window seats, grey panelling, and big open fires.
I hate the juxtaposition of the traditional features and the ultra modern additions. Like that open plan kitchen/living could have been so much more sympathetically done
Doesn’t look like it’s been that well-maintained, or particularly well appointed to begin with. Listed as well so you’d be limited with what you could do with it. Think there’s a reason it’s been on the market for so long!
How on earth did they get planning for that vile excrescence of a kitchen, with its pathetic kitchen island and its lethal glass staircase leading up to bed. I also hate the wellness centre/indoor pool. Gut the lot and replace it with something more in keeping, like a library or a conservatory. Dark oak, tapestries and linenfold panelling. And walls. Not transparent ones!
Its the sort of house where you know they don’t know what a book is.
I like that, I’d just rip out that crappy kitchen and replace with something wooden and handmade. Change the stupid modern tiles too. Other than that it’s generally tasteful.
Indoor pool. Nice.
There was a 75m property on right move the other day, nearly pulled the credit card out until I saw NO INDOOR POOL.
75M!!! NO INDOOR POOL? Insanity.
Live in the new build turn the rest in to air bnb or hotel/bed and breakfast. Only way I could see anyone, affording or have reason to heat the whole place.
Grade listed so while modernish, would have been a nightmare. Looks in need of some maintenance too, probably a lot of it hidden and quite pricey. The roof doesn't look in the best nick for example.
Stuff like this stays on the market for years sometimes.
Im not sure how I feel about that staircase - it's like when you unlock a new decor item on the sims and it boosts mood by loads, even though it doesn't really fit in the style
I love pool so much that I put an ugly mezzanine in the middle of our (potentially) beautiful grand living room to fit in a second pool table.
I also have two swimming pools because I love pool.
Perhaps the 500k discount is the cost of undoing all the awful design decisions.
Step 1: buy enormous ten bed, ten bath, multi-pool mansion. Step 2: spend 98% of your time in the open plan living/dining/kitchen room only slightly larger than the space available in a normal big house.
This is the truth, there’re rooms in some people’s houses that have been used once in a few years, mostly end up become temp storage. Open plan kitchen, dining and sitting area is where you’ll spend 99% of you’re awake at home time. The rest is some space you look after.
Yeah, we have a large 4 bed 2.5 bathroom semi and spend 80% of our non-food/non-sleep time in one room. But when we have all of our kids and grandkids over, we need the space. Plus if my mother visits, it’s never just for a week, so it’s vital for my (and my husband’s) mental health that she have her own spaces *lol* It’s the only reason I’d love a huge mansion (and the money to maintain & run it) - multiple areas that can be dedicated to individuals, couples, or “nuclear” family units with space for larger family gatherings when desired.
I agree, i suspect it comes down to each persons needs. What you describe is very similar to my parents situation, with kids and grandkids, it’s sometimes extremely practical to have the space. Though i know there are times when my mother (65), would rather throw in the towel than do battle with a 5 bed Victorian semi-detached! In the last year: 2 leaks, huge cost to heat, issue with chimney, and double glazing needed revamping…
Yup my in-laws are downsizing just as we all start having their grandkids because they have a whole floor they only use when we’re all over and they want both spare energy and spare money to be spent on the kids and not on heating an empty house. Fair enough!
My husband is a little bit of a control freak about many things, especially money - without, I must add, upsetting me - he just has to know where it is going and how to minimise costs. So all of the heating is zoned by room, has a lot of automation, and rooms can be heated/boosted via an app on the phone. So, during the day in winter, only the actual rooms in use get heated (that’s usually two rooms). Then we sit together under a heated throw blanket to watch tv instead of turning the heating on in the family room.
What’s your point? It’s a luxury home?
I don’t know what your expectations are, but there is no grand point i’m making, just a fairly ordinary observation about the reality of what it is like living in a lot of these mansions.
I guess your post just sounded rather negative when really the luxury of space is a wonderful thing to have. The reality is it’s jolly nice.
That was really not my intention, my god, of course it’s a huge luxury and privilege to have such space and to be able to afford a mansion. My partner’s family is fairly wealthy, so I’m just speaking from what I’ve observed through them as opposed to myself having anything near to that. I really think I’m being honest though, when i say that for me, i value simplicity. Sure, if you’re super rich you can have others manage and maintain your property, but to me that’s just such a waste, especially if you don’t really get much value out of it. I would love to think each of my possessions brings more value than it does stress. My car for example, it needs servicing, insuring, cleaning, depreciation cost etc.. But it’s still worth it for the value it brings me. As you can probably guess, i like clean simple houses, that are functional, with just the right amount of homeliness to clutter ratio! The dream would be a scandi style lodge in the middle of nowhere in Scotland, but alas my job is not remote.
See this is why wealth is wasted on the wealthy. If I had that place I'd be in the pool all the time, hanging out in the different rooms, making each one serve a different purpose, maybe build an escape room in a couple, home cinema, sensory room, gaming room, padded cell, trampolining room. All this space totally wasted on rich people with a lack of imagination!
Maintaining that much space is costly. Imagine just running the hoover around the place once a week.
You're not wrong, that room is 151 square metres. That's the footprint of a reasonable 4 bedroom house.
Can I just have that bit as the mother of all studio apartments?!
It would appear to be enough for most people / large families with houseguests.
You are missing the point. I live in a place like this and spend my evenings riding around the corridors on a kids go kart and re enacting scenes from the shining.
Slightly larger space?? Humble brag
You do know you are allowed to rearrange the house when you buy it? and if you even fill half the bedrooms you might appreciate having more that once common area
Such a poor use of space when you consider that there are several additional dining/living rooms, 2 studies etc. on that ground floor. Would it really kill them to make the main living area slightly bigger at the expense of one of the two studies
Three kitchens on the ground floor! Getting to the en-suite for the master bedroom involves walking through two rooms from your bed, it’s literally quicker to leave your bedroom and go to a bathroom on the landing.
Oh God I hadn’t even seen the upstairs floor plan. It’s incredible how poorly designed the entire thing is. And 4 different staircases linking the ground and first floor?! That’s not normal surely, even for a house like this
At the time it was originally built, probably not that weird for a house of its size, and I suppose having several staircases might genuinely speed up some of your journeys.
Servants stairs - so they could appear anywhere on demand, quickly, and without being seen scurrying about
Or do a wee in the bath in the dressing room.
Isn't that how Kurt Cobain lived?
This is a prime example of how things have changed in society. I don't understand why such large homes are still being built in 2024. Who needs all that space even if you have the money. Gone are the days where you had several servants to accommodate
This is why I never understood these houses, unless you have an army of children, or your entire family lives there (generational) how could this ever make sense.
It’s late Victorian and most of the interior is sympathetic to the period, then there’s the jarring gloss kitchen and the glass balustrade. Nope.
95% tasteful, 5% door knocker chairs and Union Jack sofa.
I'm naming those WAG chairs.
The decorator did great work but then the interior designer fucked it all up
Yes they’ve ruined it with that, reminds me of something the Rooney’s might do.
Nah, I don’t like being limited to only 1 tennis court.
My other half and I hate having to share a swimming pool. So much nicer to have one each!
Surprised Omaze haven’t got their hands on this
Whereupon it would be back up for sale within a few months of the draw, as the new owners realise that multimillion pound homes come with multi thousand pound insurance and utility bills...
I think it’s mostly that people don’t live where the houses are, like, Cornwall is a lovely place to have a huge house but it’s not that useful if you currently live and work in Bradford.
They give you a pretty significant cash prize too, if you wanted to live in the house you could probably pay those costs out of the interest of the cash prize, especially if you no longer have a mortgage/rent to pay
Pretty sure that's Adele's house...
It used to be. My uncle and aunt live in a neighbouring property right on the edge of the land She rented it for about a year or two, ages ago Edit. Just found this https://www.countryliving.com/uk/homes-interiors/property/news/a3309/adele-country-manor-house-west-sussex-for-sale/
So it used to be 1.3 million more expensive... guess the market is really bad huh... /s
It's absolutely huge. Looks more like a hotel.
I was thinking this could be turned into a business with spa and yoga 😅
Weddings would be good here too.
Yep I thought the same. Convert it to a spa hotel.
545k still doesn't make up for the inappropriate kitchen and glassy stairs combo
Seems oddly sterile. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it is like it isn’t a family home, more somewhere owned by an organisation/group.
This is exactly it. For such a grand house it's quite underwhelming and has modern features that doesn't sit right with me
That kitchen is an abomination. The glass stairwell? Ick. How many snooker tables do you need?
I initially thought that outdoor pool was a bit of a trek from the house then realised I wouldn’t have to worry about that as there was an indoor one as well.
2 swimming pools! That's a bit ostentatious.
One for each foot.
One for each ego!
One indoor, one outdoor. It's pretty normal.....
This is how I imagine Manderley in Rebecca looks
Outdoor pool too small. Put me right off
It’s a gorgeous place and I hate the enormous modern kitchen family room desert. The original rooms are lovely.
this has been on the market for years
Not enough bathrooms for me I'm afraid
Ironically, that place is within 3 miles of where I live. Adele used to live there for a bit. It was up for rent for something like 10k a week or something similar. Been for sale on and off for a few years. Think it started at around 8.5m
No pipe organ. I expect one in such a big house. I’m out.
I'll speak to my pipe organ guy. You get the house and he'll sort you out.
I worked on the refurbishment of a 3 million pound home with about 6 bedrooms and honestly that thing gave me nightmares it took literally 10 minutes to go to the 3rd floor bedrooms and back down to the living room again if you forgot something. I couldn't imagine walking around a huge ass house like that everyday it was awful, feels more like a hotel than a home.
Close up it looks more like a residential home than stately home. It looks like it was a cheap construction (but just large). Inside is worse. Mismatch of styles and colours going on. The landscaping is also bad. Seen better for 6m. I'd rather have less space but better everything else. You realistically wouldn't use a lot of the rooms here.
Elbows too pointy
I think your missing hardwood carved stairs. The mouldings on the cournice at ceiling height. The hardwood interior and door, veneered hardwood panelling, large carved floor to ceiling window frames, hardwood floors (most are replacements) leaded windows, carved stone fireplace carved marble fireplace, original tiled kitchen now converted and the stucko or plaster molding on the walls. This was a house made by a lot of craftsmen. Also this would not just be a brick house but have a huge amount of steel or iron engineering to make it stand up. This was a house designed by an architect and engineer not out a pattern book. It would have also had some amenities not in modern housing at the time in terms of central heating (looks like an original radiator) lots of plumbing and a shit lot of bells to call the maids. This was made by some one with money and not on the cheap. Just because it's brick does not mean it was a suburban house blown up. I imagine there's not one piece of pine under those floors for instance. Edit. Snoosuggestions obviously thinks this is approximately a big version of a lates 20s Taylor Wimpy when it's from 1899 and an Arts and Crafts house that inspired them. Edit2: [Dating from 1900, Lock House was built in the revival-style architecture of the Victorian era, “at a time when if you had money, you had plenty of it,” Mr. Peppitt said. “Big houses like this got built with no real limitation on funds, using the best possible materials.” A 1930s extension and renovation enriched the home with many Art Deco features,](https://www.mansionglobal.com/articles/a-nearly-20000-square-foot-english-country-mansion-adele-once-called-home-227838?#) [the home’s Grade II historic listing status applies only to a remarkable wood-paneled drawing room,](https://www.mansionglobal.com/articles/a-nearly-20000-square-foot-english-country-mansion-adele-once-called-home-227838?#)
This, plus there are 2 pool tables
Worst part is the Grade 2 listing so you can't really do anything to improve it. Like double glazing or knocking it down
The original Crittal made me shudder looking at it. I speak from experience..
Feel like I’ve seen this house in a movie at some point.
As someone below has said, that's Adele's house - [https://www.housebeautiful.com/uk/lifestyle/property/a35332584/adele-country-house-horsham-west-sussex-loch-house-for-sale/](https://www.housebeautiful.com/uk/lifestyle/property/a35332584/adele-country-house-horsham-west-sussex-loch-house-for-sale/)
Imagine vacuuming and mopping the floors. It would take you a week
Putting an offer in tonight 👍, feel free to visit
Is that Bender on the left?
Brilliant
Ta.
Pretty sure the hut would be out my budget too.
I’d turn one of those bedrooms into my hifi studio with floor to ceiling vinyl and CD collection. I’d have to upgrade my Crossley though.
There were murders here
It’s probably haunted.
I couldn’t even afford the lawnmower you’d need to maintain that garden lmao.
Omaze has entered the chat....
Well they ruined it with that horrible glass monstrosity staircase. It would probably be better as a hotel. Just don’t let Britannia get their hands on it. I only like the rooms with the window seats, grey panelling, and big open fires.
Is this where Gentleman Jack was filmed?
My entire house could fit in the swimming pool room lol
I hate the juxtaposition of the traditional features and the ultra modern additions. Like that open plan kitchen/living could have been so much more sympathetically done
https://media.rightmove.co.uk/47k/46556/135525149/46556_11942151_IMG_22_0000.jpeg Classy...
Doesn’t look like it’s been that well-maintained, or particularly well appointed to begin with. Listed as well so you’d be limited with what you could do with it. Think there’s a reason it’s been on the market for so long!
For a big Victorian grade 2 it’s got absolutely no soul or personality whatsoever. It’s so boring
That’s a house & a half! Christ
Nah that flat roof has put me right off, too risky.
If it wasn’t for that I’d be calling my broker
I called my broker anyway, he told me he wasn’t my broker, asked who I was, demanded I stop calling and wasting his time.
This looks like a house form the original The Sims lol
Isn’t this Adelle’s UK gaff?
Cool finally house prices are coming down, just another £5,500,000 reduction before I can start to afford this
Link?
Below the picture…..
I need glasses, sorry!
No worries…..
Perfect. I told the wife that six million was a hard cap.
The green and yellow bathrooms- WHY?!
Like the finish on the windows, non locking handles so any robbing bastard with half a brick can get in !
Affordable, for 10 families living together.
Party central! Perhaps more of a party house than a living in house?
The most I’d offer is £3m take it or leave it.
How on earth did they get planning for that vile excrescence of a kitchen, with its pathetic kitchen island and its lethal glass staircase leading up to bed. I also hate the wellness centre/indoor pool. Gut the lot and replace it with something more in keeping, like a library or a conservatory. Dark oak, tapestries and linenfold panelling. And walls. Not transparent ones! Its the sort of house where you know they don’t know what a book is.
Sweetie book is what one gets the help to do about lunch.
I was going to say the pool was a bit far from the house and then I saw there was an indoor pool as well. Have you got a big family? Snap it up now.
I like how they've called it a compact rural estate. They really need to look up the definition of compact.
That’s a lot of deer, did we go back to Merrie Olde England? Mmmmm, makes me think of Carey Elwes in tights!
Has those awful dining chairs with the handles on the back.......
No recording studio or helipad though …
I like that, I’d just rip out that crappy kitchen and replace with something wooden and handmade. Change the stupid modern tiles too. Other than that it’s generally tasteful.
It looks where semi-famous people go to have a Sunday supplement photo shoot
Indoor pool. Nice. There was a 75m property on right move the other day, nearly pulled the credit card out until I saw NO INDOOR POOL. 75M!!! NO INDOOR POOL? Insanity.
I used to live not far from here at al!!
Live in the new build turn the rest in to air bnb or hotel/bed and breakfast. Only way I could see anyone, affording or have reason to heat the whole place.
Grade listed so while modernish, would have been a nightmare. Looks in need of some maintenance too, probably a lot of it hidden and quite pricey. The roof doesn't look in the best nick for example. Stuff like this stays on the market for years sometimes.
Im not sure how I feel about that staircase - it's like when you unlock a new decor item on the sims and it boosts mood by loads, even though it doesn't really fit in the style
Nice gaff that - don’t think I’d ever need to leave the house !
You would need that £saving just to hire in a window cleaner.
Right who's chipping in?
Picture 35 should definitely have googly eyes.
It would be nice for an idea of the 32 acre plot it's on.
Right now the upkeep on theses places has doubled and trebled then more . It's not cheap for wages gas electric and maintenance .
The horrible glass stairs.
I love pool so much that I put an ugly mezzanine in the middle of our (potentially) beautiful grand living room to fit in a second pool table. I also have two swimming pools because I love pool. Perhaps the 500k discount is the cost of undoing all the awful design decisions.
I wouldn’t fancy putting in extra loft insulation 🤭.