Chris Brown's house, from well-regarded Cumbrian developer Story Homes, has been everything he wished it to be in the two and a half years he has lived there.

Chris, a retired police officer, initially wanted to buy the Scotby house off-plan before it was built but missed out. The couple who had reserved it then couldn't complete their so Chris rejoined the process when the house was half-built.

"The original buyers specified the fittings, like the wall-mounted fire in the living room, which I’ve inherited although I did get to choose the tiling in the bathroom and kitchen," he said.

Scotby is handy for family, which was another reason why he was keen to Alders Edge, the new Story Homes estate there.

He said: "Scotby is a quiet peaceful area handy for Carlisle and the motorway but out of the city. It has good amenities like the village school, shop, pub and church. The village hall has a lot of activities going on and there's a real sense of community.

"The Alders Edge estate is very family-orientated with lots of younger families but with a mix of older retired couples as well. It’s a beautiful quiet small estate, just over 40 houses and very family-friendly.

"My house is in a prominent position on the estate at the top of the hill with an open outlook down the estate, not looking on to anyone else’s back walls or gardens."

His home has an entrance hall with understairs storage cupboard and door to a utility room where thee is a worktop and door to the integral garage. There is also a cloakroom at the front of the house.

The good-sized living room has the wall-mounted coal-effect gas fire with living flame. A more traditional addition is the coving which is present throughout the ground floor reception areas.

The dining kitchen is a large room with fitted wall and floor units, integrated appliances - including a built-in wine rack - and French doors to a rear patio area.

Upstairs are four bedrooms, three doubles and a single. The master bedroom is spacious with an en-suite shower room. The other bedrooms share the family bathroom which has a four-piece white suite with a corner tiled shower cubicle. Externally, there is a block-paved driveway providing extra parking space and leading to the single garage and the open-plan front garden is laid to lawn.

Having only taken up residence in December 2014, Chris has not yet felt the need to redecorate or change anything in the house but he has landscaped the back garden with raised decking and artificial turf.

"The garden is my favourite spot, it’s an absolute sun trap. It faces south-west so from 10am right the way through to early evening the sun is on it," he said.

"It's low maintenance with decking and a border. The artificial turf is very easy to look after, you just brush it down. There are views across countryside from the decking.

"I like the living room too, it’s cosy. The house is very energy-efficient and reasonable to run with excellent standards of insulation. Story Homes houses are very well built.

"This house would be ideal, being a four-bedroom detached house on a family estate. I’ll miss it and the village and neighbours here."

The house in Alders Edge, Scotby, is for sale at £275,000 from Cumberland Estate Agents, tel. 01228 403222.