IF THE thought of leaving the house you have lived in for decades fills you with dread, you could always take a leaf out of Caroline and Roger Harnett’s book and build a smaller house in the garden of the old one — if the garden was large enough in the first place, that is. The Harnetts did that, and they haven’t looked back.

“It really was a great opportunity — to design and build our new home in a place we love and have lived in for a long time. That’s what really excited us about the project,” says Roger, who, having nearly completed the building of the new home, is finding it hard to hide his pride in this achievement. “And to think, it won’t take long to move in either.”

The Harnetts are both in their middle fifties and have taken early retirement. Their children left home some years ago and then they found themselves rattling around in a rambling old Grade II listed property which only really filled up at Christmas. They were happy living in their village, St Tudy, near Bodmin, and were determined to stay there. But their house was just too big for them. Sounds familiar? As with many people of their age, they felt that it was too late in life to settle in a new area or even a new village. Unable to find anything in St Tudy, where property rarely comes on the market, they struck on the perfect solution: build a new house in their garden (sometimes known as “garden grabbing”). Luckily their property had a large field at the back with its own access, making it ideal for a new home.

This was not the reason for buying the house and land 20 years ago. Back then, they were moving with their three young children, Simon, Elizabeth and Alistair, from Crowborough in East Sussex. Caroline came from the South West, so after a few holidays in the area they decided to make the move. As Roger is a planning officer and Caroline a teacher, they both managed to find local employment. They chanced upon the former farmhouse, which has been their home ever since. “We chose the house because we thought the huge garden would be great for the children,” Roger says. In the event, however, the children preferred to play in the village playing field 50 yards down the road rather than in the family garden.

Although it turned out that they did not need a big garden, the Harnetts are thankful for the land now. Eighteen months ago they set the wheels in motion, creating a design for their new home and taking it to an architect, who fine-tuned a few of the details. Roger’s planning expertise helped to an extent: he was aware of the pitfalls and, although that did not prevent them happening, he knew how to deal with them. One problem was the initial reaction from villagers. Roger and Caroline decided to hold a meeting to keep neighbours informed of the proposed build; the main concern expressed was the impact the new property would have, as it was in a conservation area and quite central in the village. After some gentle reasoning and negotiation, the concerns seemed to be resolved. And this situation was further helped when Roger and Caroline hired a local builder and local tradesmen to work on the house.

The L-shaped two-storey house, which sits on a plot of about a quarter of an acre, is nearly finished. A self-contained ground floor, with double bedroom, bathroom, lounge and kitchen, is perfect for the two of them. Upstairs there is room for three possible bedrooms, which will more than accommodate the odd family invasion. Outside there is a 60ft garden.

The new house has taken about two thirds of the land belonging to the original property. The split has left the farmhouse with its own reduced garden, also 60ft; however, much of that space is taken up by a barn.

James Greenwood, managing director of Stacks Property Search & Acquisition, an independent buying agency, says that many fiftysomethings are in a similar situation. “You spend much of your life trying to gain more space to house a growing family, then 20 years later, when the last of your offspring have flown the nest, you realise that the house is much too big and that the equity would be better spent helping to house those very children who are struggling to start their own families.”

Greenwood believes that these homeowners do have a few options. The obvious one is to move to a smaller home, which would probably mean going to a different area. Or they could stay put and consider using the space now vacated by their children to accommodate a lodger or perhaps start a bed-and-breakfast.

He admits that not everyone is likely to be as fortunate as the Harnetts, whose ability to stay put was achieved only by a combination of a savvy move 20 years ago, a lot of hard work, and a determination not to quit the village where they had been happy for so long.

All that is left to do now is to sell the old farmhouse. The five-bedroom property retains many of the original features, with massive old fireplaces, beams and slate flag flooring. It is situated on the village square opposite the church. St Tudy is a little rural gem, close to Bodmin to the south and Wadebridge to the west. The village boasts a pub, post office, mobile bank and library. The surfing beaches of north Cornwall are not far away and it is only a ten-minute drive to the peace of the moors.

As for prospective buyers discovering that the current owners are living at the bottom of their garden, the Harnetts think that this can only help the sale of the property. “It shows that we are settled in the village and are happy to stay,” Roger says. Although maybe it would be wise not to seek their advice on redecorating.

The house is being sold for £575,000 through Webbers, 01208 73298

• Have your say: what do you think about garden grabbing? Let us know at

  timesonline.co.uk/property

  DOWNSIZE

  Stacks Property Search & Acquisition has the following advice for downsizers:

• Try not to recreate exactly what you had on a smaller scale. Think of it as a new start and an opportunity to live in a different way.
  Stacks: 01594 842880 www.stacks.co.uk

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