They and their two sons are usually to be found in the spacious room, and it’s perfect for entertaining family and friends.

Catherine said: “My favourite room in the house is definitely the kitchen, it’s just a lovely big family room.

“I can be in there cooking and the kids doing their homework, it’s really nice. And one of the really good things about it is that it has bi-folding doors to the back garden.”

She and Stuart, and their sons Matthew 11, and seven-year-old Joshua, moved into the bungalow just four years ago.

Catherine said: “Stuart always wanted a home build so when this came up, we sold our house in Carlisle and moved into rented accommodation for two years while it was built.”

One of the big attractions of the property is the underfloor heating which not only keeps the rooms nice and cosy but means that radiators are not needed and the Hodgsons’ furniture fits neatly against the walls.

“We used a local builder for the bungalow construction and he suggested underfloor heating,” said Catherine.

“It means we can put our furniture against the wall and it has been very warm. The heating bills have been lower than for any other house we’ve lived in.

"We also put in a wood-burning stove in the living room, not because we needed the additional heat but to have a focal point.”

Building their dream home from the ground up meant that the couple put their own stamp on the interior.

The spacious entrance hall has wooden flooring and leading off it are the living room, where the wood-burning stove sits on a tiled hearth with wooden mantelpiece and is lit by recessed lighting, and the family bathroom. This has a four-piece white suite and a separate shower cubicle in the corner.

The substantial kitchen dining room is more than 19ft square with a comprehensive range of units, built-in appliances, a tiled floor and island work units. There is ample room for the table where Matthew and Joshua do their homework.

An adjacent utility also has fitted units with a double sink, built-in cupboard and an integral door to the garage which has up-and-over door, power and light.

The master bedroom has en-suite facilities incorporating a double shower cubicle and there are two further double bedrooms, one with built-in wardrobes.

Outside, the bungalow is approached by a driveway leading to a paved parking area. Both front and back gardens are lawned with shrubs, bushes and trees and the back garden, which is accessed from both sides of the property, also has a paved patio area, shed and play area laid with bark chippings.

Catherine said: “We’re not gardeners so we’ve made it a low-maintenance garden - just as well with having young children so they can play football.

“There is lots of wildlife in the garden - an owl, hedgehogs garden birds. We’ve never had that before as we’ve always lived in Carlisle so it has been a bit of a novelty for us – we’ll go out and look at the stars as we can see them now! “There are lots of walks and cycle routes round where we are which is great because Stuart is a keen cyclist. He just goes out the front door and that’s him away up the fells."