A wonderful and historic family home that is cost-neutral in energy terms - that’s how Jill and Geoffrey Faux describe their treasured property which has a superb position in a small settlement adjacent to Cardew Lodge near Dalston.

“We’ve lived in Cardew Farmhouse for 34 years, coming here in 1984,” said Geoff. “We moved with our two boys just a mile from West Curthwaite where we had lived happily for 11 years.

“Cardew Farmhouse fulfilled a lot of our dreams – more space, a bigger garden and nearer Caldew School. The move wasn’t easy as mortgage interest rates soared that year so initially we had a lodger.”

The property was originally built in 1719 as a Cumbrian farmhouse and has great character. Original features combine with modern additions to create a comfortable home that is ready to move into but offers scope for further improvements if required.

The accommodation includes a charming entrance hall, two reception rooms and ground-floor shower room, four double bedrooms, a smaller fifth bedroom and bathroom on the floors above.

The entrance hall is a low-ceilinged space with exposed beams and pretty cross-hatched windows. Exposed beams also grace the sitting room, which is warmed by a wood-burning stove, and the dining room which has fitted cupboards.

Both reception rooms have a pleasant private aspect overlooking the garden, while the farmhouse-style kitchen has a quarry-tiled floor.

On the first floor one of the bedrooms is en-suite while the main bedroom has a large dressing room.

Beautiful well-planted gardens complement the farmhouse interior, with raised beds, borders, shrubberies, fruit trees, a greenhouse and large studio.

Jill said: “Geoff and I both worked from home for 20 years so we converted the garage into a rather grand office with a small lean-to potting shed for growing seedlings and keeping tender plants in over the winter.

“We also revamped the south-facing front garden into an enclosed space safe for children and pets while the back provides us with most of our vegetables and fruit for the year.

“We got together with our neighbours to pave the area at the back of the house to provide ample parking as well as a safe play area for children.

As well as making lots of changes to the gardens, the Fauxes have also invested a great deal of time and effort into making Cardew Farmhouse a warm and comfortable family home.

Geoff explained: “We’ve installed a new kitchen and bathroom, tackled one or two damp areas and renewed all the casement windows on the front elevation with draught proofing by Ventrolla.

“More recently we have laid an oak floor in the living room, tiled the hall to match the kitchen, had two new external oak doors fitted, renewed the gas central heating boiler and installed both hot water panels and photovoltaic cells on the roof.

“All this combines to make this a wonderful family home which we will be very sad to leave. However, as we are now either side of 80 years old, we feel we need to move closer to shops and a bus route.

“We are proud of the way we have improved the house making it cost neutral in energy terms and warm and comfortable to live in and we hope it will serve other families as well as it has us in the future.”

Cardew Farmhouse, Dalston, is for sale at £429,000 from Hayward Tod. Find out more here .