A country smallholding has gone on the market for £850,000 to offer the new owners the ultimate Good Life.
Tuckerton Farm near Bridgwater, Somerset, is not only self-sufficient in fruit and vegetables, but it even has its own wine supply from a hobby vineyard on the grounds.
There are also chickens, which provide a steady supply of eggs, an orchard with cider, cooking and eating apples and they offset their electricity bill by selling the electric from their solar panels back to the grid.
Tuckerton Farm near Bridgwater, Somerset, pictured, has been completely refurbished by the current owners
The property was in such a bad state that the surveyor who inspected the house refused to charge Sue Frost, left, and her wife Barbara Pitkin, right, for the inspection – although the couple decided they would proceed with their project
The house has its very own lake as well as two golf holes, a vineyard, paddocks, a stream and a wildflower meadow
The property is self sufficient when it comes to fruit and vegetables and even sells power to the national grid with solar panels
The rundown house was in such a bad state when Barbara Pitkin, 60, and her wife Sue Frost, 52, bought it that their surveyor told them not to buy it and did not charge them for his services.
But the couple ignored the advice and took on the mammoth project, transforming it into a productive home.
They have now had to put the house on the market with estate agents Strutt & Parker as they need to move closer to family.
The property is set in seven acres of land with a wildflower meadow, two golf holes, a lake, paddocks, a stream, an animal shelter and a foaling barn.
The pair took three years getting their home up to scratch – making all the windows watertight, digging up the floors to restore the old flagstones, had new sewage pipes fitted and put in a new kitchen and bathrooms.
They had solar panels fitted to heat their water and changed the Aga from oil to electric. The house creates more electricity than it uses, with the couple selling some back to the grid, offsetting their bill by about a third.
The house has 3,405 sq ft of accommodation with a kitchen/breakfast room, sitting room, dining room, drawing room, studio, five bedrooms and two bathrooms.
The wonderful property sits on seven acres and can produce 200 bottles in a good year from its own vineyard
The house has five bedrooms and two bathrooms and has been completely refurbished by Barbara and Sue
For those who like horses, among the outbuildings are several stables and even a space for mares to deliver a foal
In the kitchen, pictured, the house’s Aga has been converted to electricity so it uses power from the solar panels
There are also a number of outbuildings, including an office, gym and stables.
Outside there is a large polytunnel and a large greenhouse where the couple grow all their own vegetables and the vineyard, which contains Rondo, Orion and Sirius grapes, is set to produce 200 bottles from this year’s harvest.
It is the main house in the pretty hamlet of Tuckerton, which is just five miles from the Quantock Hills.
Mrs Pitkin said: ‘We moved to Tuckerton Farm in 2013 from Scotland. We were looking for a project house.
‘When we went to view the house, our surveyor made it clear that it needed a lot of work – so much so that he told us not to buy and didn’t charge us for his services! But something about it kept us intrigued.
‘It took around three years. We also had to settle the grounds – the surrounding land was all completely overgrown.
Sue and Barbara made sure the house was watertight and dug up the old floors so they could use the old flagstones
On one corner of the property, there is a summerhouse, pictured, which can act as a secret retreat
The couple moved to the farm in 2013 from Scotland and and were looking for a project for them to work upon
It is the main house in the pretty hamlet of Tuckerton, which is just five miles from the Quantock Hills
‘We have grown all our own vegetables – potatoes, onions, garlic, carrots, beetroots, cucumber, tomatoes, chillies, butternut squash, apples, pears, broccoli, brussel sprouts – as well as pear, plum, walnut and hazelnut trees. We are completely self-sufficient.
‘In fact we produce so much that I give lots of our veg to charity. We also get our own eggs from our hens.
‘Because I’m called Barbara, our friends take the mickey and call Sue Tom, after the character in the Good Life.
‘We sell electricity back into the grid and get paid for that. It means running things like our electric Aga is so easy.
‘The house is well insulated, so it keeps heat really well.
‘We weren’t looking for a vineyard but it cropped up when the agent was showing us around and instead of scaring us off it got us hooked.
‘It was planted by the previous owners. This year was the first time we produced a really delicious batch of wine.
The site required major work before the house and farm were able to achieve self-sufficiency
Thousands of hours work went into restoring the house and the grounds and bringing the property back to life
‘Our grapes go to a master wine maker and he makes it for us. It’s now producing excellent grapes and it’s there to be utilised so it’s a fantastic opportunity for someone new to take over and get stuck in.
‘We have given most of our wine away to friends but it can easily be sold at farmers’ markets – a potential income stream for the next owner – and it only costs £2.10 to make a bottle so the mark up could be great.
‘It is also a wildlife haven, fantastic for outdoorsy types. We have a pair of swans who raised six cygnets on the pond last year, a pair of kingfishers, ducks, hens, badgers, wild cats, foxes, dragonflies.
‘Tuckerton Farm was supposed to be our forever home, but we need to be closer to our parents.
‘We are sad to leave and hope that a family inherits our hard work and loves the land as much as we have.’
Sue and Barbara said they had hoped to remain at Tuckerton Farm for ever, but they are moving closer to their parents