The Habitat House.WhatHouse?
- Habitat House in the Cotswolds has been named the Best House in the UK by the 36th WhatHouse? Awards.
- The five-bedroom home — which is one of 10 — is made from natural local materials and has floor-to-ceiling windows.
- Each of its bedrooms boats a balcony with sweeping views of the lake and countryside.
A five-bedroom lakeside home in the Cotswolds, complete with a sloping green wildflower roof, has been named the Best House in the UK.
The 36th WhatHouse? Awards, which celebrate new homes, developments, and builders in Britain across 20 categories, named Habitat House — which is designed to last 1,000 years — as a Gold Winner for the “Best House” category.
The rural home is situated on a 550-acre nature reserve on Lower Mill Estate in the Cotswolds.
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It is one of 10 contemporary detached holiday homes as part of a development from Habitat First Group, which aims to combine holiday home communities with “a deep love for Mother Nature.”
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The sustainable houses, designed using local, natural materials by Featherstone Young Architects, are detached and arranged over three floors. A five-bedroom property starts at £950,000 ($1.3 million).
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The ground floor boasts an open-plan living room and a kitchen/dining space, both with sliding glazed doors opening onto the deck. There’s also a bedroom, a WC, and a separate utility/mud room.
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A light-filled landing leads to the first floor, where you’ll find a bathroom and three more bedrooms — two with en-suite bathrooms.
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On the top floor, you’ll find another en-suite bedroom with a walk-through dressing room. All bedrooms have balconies with sweeping views over the lake and countryside.
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The homes are flooded with natural light thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows. The judges were impressed by “the sense of space and light and the fabulous views from almost every room,” according to WhatHouse?.
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Each house has its own garden deck surrounded by a spacious lawn area.
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Made with local Cotswold stone, Western red cedar cladding, and its own air source heat pump, the judges added that the house “offers exceptional value for money, with fantastic green credentials and a great specification for the price.”
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And if you like the model but are looking for something smaller, three and four-bed homes are also available, starting at £715,000 and £750,000 respectively.
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