For sale direct from the owners!
This delightful stone-built country home is set across 2 floors in the traditioanal Alpujarran style.
The bedroom accommodation is on the lower floor and the main living areas on the first floor, making the most of the amazing views available and giving the first floor a light and bright feel.
The house has impressive views across the Poqueira Valley at the three villages of Pampaneira, Bubión and Capileira and it is possible to walk across the valley to reach these villages (for those that enjoy physical exercise!).
This is a fabulous area to enjoy outdoor activities – whether it is walking and hiking, horse riding or the more relaxed pastimes of bird watching, painting and simply enjoying the views. There are walking routes immediately available from the house and you can escape for hours if you want.
The Buddhist temple of O Sei Lin is also very close by.
The location needs to be considered as the access to the house is along a steep, bumpy track which takes around 20mins. However, what you reach is well worth the effort! You don’t need to own a 4 x 4 but it is advisable to have a car with a decent clearance from the ground.
Outside space is a vital part of life in Spain and this property offers three separate terraces and a balcony to take in the views and relax no matter whether you are taking in winter sunshine or enjoying a shady summer’s day. The large terrace area off the living room is a great space for relaxing and entertaining and then a second large terrace is on a lower level near the bedrooms.
The house is approached via a driveway bounded by a dry-stone wall and pine forests which then open up when you arrive at the house itself.
The upper floor… includes a large open plan lounge/dining room with a large wood burning fireplace (with incorporated oven) and a further 18,000KW Bio-mas pellet boiler which provides central heating to the radiators in lounge, all bedrooms and bathroom. The lounge has door access to a large covered terrace with panoramic views east and south.
The kitchen is offset to the side and open to the lounge dining room creating a lovely flow to the living space. The kitchen is modern in design with a large pantry or storeroom off it which is currently used for storage and a home office. This room has potential to be opened up to make a very large kitchen or could even be converted to an upstairs bedroom if a 4th bedroom is needed.
The bathroom is a good size with large modern vanity sink, large shower, WC and bidet.
Additional upstairs information: The lounge has two doors, one being the main entrance and the other is a door which gives access to the north side of the property. All 4 doors to the outside of the property including one from the lounge to the balcony and downstairs Tinao are stable door type.
A cloakroom on this level is perfect for guests.
The lower floor… is where we find all three bedrooms: the master being the largest, and two further good-sized double bedrooms.
Each bedroom is accessed from a spacious hallway.
On this floor there is also a cloakroom with WC and wash basin.
There is access off at the end of the hallway to a downstairs Tinao (Arabic style stone terrace) again constructed of the local stone and chestnut beams a great place to relax and read a book in peaceful beautiful surroundings.
There are so many reasons why this home will appeal to people wanting to escape the stresses of modern life…just because the house is off grid, it doesn’t mean you have to be uncomfortable! Here’s a few that we’ve picked
♦ “Upside down house” with living space on the first floor to maximize the views
♦ 3 bedrooms and bathroom plus cloakroom
♦ Reliable Internet with good WIFI coverage around the property
♦ Wood burning stove, pellet burner and central heating to radiators
♦ Tourism License
♦ Beautiful free form swimming pool
♦ All windows are double glazed internal shutters.
♦ All external doors of high quality with stable door design
♦ Attractive chestnut beams and character throughout
Gardens, outside space and the land…
The house is set within 15,000M2 of land which is partly made up of pine forest which gives the house a real feeling of seclusion and privacy. There is a gated entrance to the property and the whole land area is fenced.
There are several terraces which can be enjoyed at different times of day or when wanting shade or sunshine. Apart from the undercover terrace off the lounge and the downstairs Tinao, there is also a sunny terrace adjacent to the kitchen. This is currently used for barbecues and is the perfect spot for alfresco dining.
In front of the Tinao downstairs there is a large open terrace with views of the lower land and rustic garden, and views south. To the back of the house there is a large area used for wood storage, the solar store, washing line etc. This area is so big the current owners use it as a large terrace for view to the mountains and main peaks of the Sierra Nevada. Off this there are external rustic stairs down to the lower terrace that runs the length of the bedroom areas.
One key feature of the gardens are the massive stone retaining walls are really something to see, they are made from local stone and run the entire length of the driveway lower and upper sections of the land. Over 24 trucks of stone were used to build these.
The extensive almost 4 acres of land is defined into long wild terraced zones. The lower zone has been partially converted to garden and winding path.
The house level has garden beds and several fruit trees, this has plenty of areas to park. Off this zone a staircase leads through the forest path up to the swimming pool.
The unique shaped swimming pool is designed to look natural with stone lining and creating a rocky lagoon type look. The pool is designed with beach shallow section sloping down to the deepest 1.8metre depth. It is approximately 14M (50ft) in length and 7M (22ft wide at its widest point). Incorporated into the stonework is the pump and filter.
Also, garden beds part of the design create a lovely effect to the whole pool area. The pool area is partially surrounded by a low stone wall, garden bed, also features huge beautiful pine forest. From the pool area there are stunning views over the house and valley
Eco credentials and the important information you need living off grid…
Water – the house comes with five 3,000ltr water tanks which provide a total of 15,000litres which fill continually from the acequia (one of many ancient water channels which the whole community and Granada university students helped with cleaning in March/April)
You can choose whether you wish to take part in the cleaning of this channel or you can choose to pay for 2-3 days of work 70€/day to local workers to do it for you.
The owners really recommend taking part in the work as it’s a great way to get to know the local community. The mountain spring water flows from March/April to December/January and there is plenty of water available with the help of the tanks, even during the hottest of summers.
The property also has a licensed but currently unused “alberca” (approx. 100,000litres that could be reinstated if you wish to become self-sufficient and grow a full orchard, or vineyard etc. This would cost about €2,000 to re-instate.
Waste water – the sewage for the house is to a septic tank, which is situated below and away from the house.
Electric – the solar system includes an 8 x Rolls Batteries 48V with 9 solar panels, and a state of the art Outback inverter and midnight charge controller, fitted by a professional company: solar Andalucia. It delivers a 2.4kW system so is as close to living on mains electricity as you can get. There is a a petrol generator which can be used whenever it is a cloudy or rainy day. However, since the current owners have lived at the property, they have not had to use the generator more than 5 times in an entire year.
There is also a Solar DC powered swimming pool pump, installed last year, which helps to extend the use of the swimming pool during the year.
Local villages and the Alpujarra…
The Alpujarra have long been a favourite destination for many nationalities looking to escape the stress of modern life. This secluded lifestyle is not for everyone and this property is not the easiest to reach. However, the peace, privacy and tranquillity which greets you is something to behold.
Whilst the house is isolated in some ways, it also have a wide range of villages close at hand – the nearest village in Soportujar which is a drive of between 15 and 20mins. Pampaneira can be reached in 30mins and the popular town of Orgiva is approx. 40mins.
Official hiking paths make it possible to walk to the three villages across the Poquiera valley in around an hour.
The stunning Poquiera valley is part of the Sierra Nevada mountains and provides views to both the north Mulhacen (highest mountain on mainland Spain) and South towards the Mediterranean with sea glimpses and even views to the Rift mountains of North Africa.
This house is not going to suit those that want easy access and lots of amenities within a short walk. This is rural living and you learn not to forget that vital item of shopping! However, this house will appeal to many buyers who want to escape the hustle and bustle of modern life and want to immerse themselves into a rustic life which could almost be from the 1950’s. Neighbours, when you meet them, say hello and offer to help and there is a great community feeling which is illustrated above with the annual cleaning of the water channels.
Access needs to be considered but it is not necessary to have a 4 x 4 – you just need to accept that the track takes around 20mins and we can guarantee that the views when you reach the house are well worth the effort!
If you would like to know more, we can introduce you to the owners, William and Tracy who will be happy to show you their slice of paradise.
