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As reported in Professional Builder News, Euroheat, the UK’s biggest provider of wood burning stoves and biomass heating solutions, has identified the top five desirable attributes house-hunters look for in a home. It turns out that thatched rooves come fourth in the top five most appealing.

Polling British property hunters about their hearts’ desires

The company quizzed 2085 people aged between thirty and sixty five, who had either moved house during the past twelve months or were in the process of buying a new home. The participants were given a list of home attributes and asked to mark those that apealed to them, those they were most interested in. The top five were:

1. Exposed brick – 51{fcb871d8a172bdb5e6d9fafd8c8457933956cb61c42680abaa1188974828c2e1} of respondents said they loved the look of mellow, exposed brickwork inside the home, a feature much more common in older buildings than new.
2. A kitchen island – It looks like 46{fcb871d8a172bdb5e6d9fafd8c8457933956cb61c42680abaa1188974828c2e1} of us look out for a kitchen island, the last word in contemporary cool and an indication people like a kitchen big enough to contain an island in the first place!
3. A wood burning stove or Aga – National Grid power remains expensive. Perhaps simpler, more traditional ways of heating a home are becoming more appealing, with 39{fcb871d8a172bdb5e6d9fafd8c8457933956cb61c42680abaa1188974828c2e1} confessing they actively look out for alternative and traditional heating solutions.
4. A thatched roof – Maybe a thatched ‘cottage’ remains one of the ultimate ambitions for people with a desire to move to the country.
5. Hardwood floors – 17{fcb871d8a172bdb5e6d9fafd8c8457933956cb61c42680abaa1188974828c2e1} of house hunters rate hardwood flooring highly when looking for a new home, a decade-long home décor trend that shows no signs of slowing.

67{fcb871d8a172bdb5e6d9fafd8c8457933956cb61c42680abaa1188974828c2e1} said older features like exposed brick and thatched rooves made a building feel more ‘homely and cosy’, with 31{fcb871d8a172bdb5e6d9fafd8c8457933956cb61c42680abaa1188974828c2e1} saying older houses are what they’d choose for the longer term, with modern homes earmarked for the shorter term.

Is the ‘good life’ more appealing than ever?

It’s a fascinating survey. Taken at face value you could conclude that the ‘good life’, the simpler life, has a major appeal, at least for the over 30s. Are more of us hankering after a style of home that’s indicative of a gentler past and a more relaxed future? If so, why the change? Or has it always been so? Whatever the situation, traditional features are scoring high in the house hunting stakes.