The House They Wish They Could Take With Them

If Al and Jess could pick this house up and take it with them, they would.

It didn't even exist when they chose it in 2021 — just a plot on a plan. They knew they wanted the ease of new-build, but not the compromise that usually comes with it: another identikit red-brick box, small rooms, a garden overlooked from every angle.

They walked the development, compared every house type and every plot, and this was the one that made sense. Not just the layout — the position. A generous corner plot beside the duck pond, a path down one side, and no house backing onto the garden. That last point is rarer than people think, and it's the one buyers usually only appreciate once they've lost it.

If you've been looking at modern four-beds, you've probably already met the compromise. The square footage looks right on paper, then you walk it and half of it's corridor. The bedrooms eat the living space. The garden's an afterthought tacked on at the end.

This one doesn't do that.

A kitchen built for actually having people over

The island, dining area and garden all flow into one another, so nobody gets stranded on cooking duty while everyone else is having fun. Open the bifolds and it's one space — inside and out, cooking and eating and sitting with a drink, all part of the same conversation.

The garden came sloped; Al and Jess had it levelled and landscaped into a lawn you can actually use end to end, plus two patios positioned around the sun rather than plonked down at random. The lower one catches the morning light — Jess's coffee spot. The upper one, next to the house, picks up the afternoon and evening sun. And for a young family, the kitchen-to-garden sightline means the kids can be outside and still be visible, without everyone having to be in the same three square metres.

The room that wins in winter

Come autumn, the leaves drop and the lounge takes over. Wood-burner lit, tucked in the bay window, looking out past the duck pond to the horses in the next field. Ducks and birds are regulars. Deer show up often enough that it's stopped being a surprise.

Summer belongs to the garden. Winter belongs to this room.

Finished properly, not left as handed over

Quartz worktops. Two full-size Miele ovens. Fitted shutters throughout. A properly installed wood-burning stove, not a bolt-on. The garage has been converted into a separate utility and storage room, with the electric roller door kept intact.

Upstairs, the same thinking continues — the landing is open rather than swallowed by circulation space, and all four bedrooms are proper, furnishable rooms. Friends with similarly sized houses have told Al and Jess they wish theirs had been laid out this well.

Room to grow into, not out of

It's worked as a couple's home, but it was never going to be outgrown quickly — there's space for children, for guests, for working from home, without the place becoming a squeeze.

Fair Oak has given them more than they bargained for

A traffic-free path into the village. Woodland walks and field paths the local dog walkers use daily. The Garden Society garden centre and café roughly seven minutes by car. Easy reach of the M3, M27 and A34, with Southampton Airport and Southampton Airport Parkway about 15 minutes away.

They know their neighbours. The house has become known locally for its Christmas lights — people stop them in July to ask if they're doing it again this year.

They're only leaving to be closer to family.

First viewings: open morning, Saturday 19 September 2026, 10:00am–12:00pm.

If you want a modern home without the usual trade-offs, come and see the one Al and Jess wish they could take with them.

Viewings strictly by appointment only

Detached House for sale in Eastleigh, Samuel Jarvis Avenue,, Fair Oak, Eastleigh, Hampshire, SO50 7QN, 1451 m²