< Previous10 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY HOMES Having undergone a sympathetic refurbishment programme, this month’s property offers contemporary living amongst traditional features. LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 11 HOMES S tanding in the village of Washingborough, around four miles south of Lincoln, is Dial House — a contemporary family home, wrapped in traditional character. Having lived at the abode for almost six years, the owners were initially attracted to its stonework, plot size and location, yet it was the great potential of the property, which was in desperate need of some TLC, that sealed the deal. The owners explained: “It was in a really 12 Á12 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY HOMES bad state — just not loved over the last 30 or 40 years. So once we bought the house we started from the top down, to give it the attention it deserved, putting a new roof on it, dealing with the electrics, plumbing, bathrooms, and reconfiguring the inside to make it more user friendly. We also extended at the back, which has created a lovely flow from the kitchen/diner through three bifolds out onto the patio area, providing views down the garden and onto fields.” The owners ensured to retain many original features including original brick and beamwork throughout, with myriad beams covered up previously now back in view, while additions such as the doors, staircase and kitchen were carefully handmade. “Every little bit in the house has been handmade and sourced to fit the home, so it’s no simple reproduction,” the owners noted. One approaches Dial House via a private driveway, which offers access to a large, gravelled parking area and detached double garage with annexe above. “It’s lovely and peaceful living LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 13 HOMES here,” the owners said. “Once you travel down the long drive to the back and shut the electric gates, you’re locked away from the world in tranquillity and privacy while still being in the centre of the village.” Alternatively, on foot, one can take a lawn-flanked path to the front door. 14 Á14 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY HOMES countryside beyond and visiting wildlife such as deer. From the kitchen/diner one can also access a WC, utility, and boot room with its feature window and panelled feature wall with shelving for storage worth highlighting. The kitchen/diner additionally links back into the cosy snug, the owners’ favourite room in the home, where they enjoy sitting in front of the exposed brick fireplace, while chatting with anyone in the kitchen. Of course one must not forget to admire the exposed beamwork in this room too. Travelling upstairs four bedrooms can be found - one of which has an en-suite - as well as a family bathroom with underfloor heating, whimsical tiled flooring, a wall mounted radiator, shower cubicle, roll top bath with hand shower attachment, low level WC, and free standing sink. Moving outside, the gardens to the front and rear are primarily laid to lawn, offering a large but manageable space perfect for children to play in and for dogs to run around. Meanwhile a substantial patio alfresco dining entertaining area to the rear is a real suntrap ideal for the summer. Stepping into the property’s entrance hall exposed beams (which are visible throughout the majority of the home) and stylish tiled flooring welcome you, as handmade stairs rise to the first floor landing and offer a handy understairs storage cupboard. To the right is the sitting room, and left the snug, while straight ahead is the open plan kitchen/diner - the most used room in the home. “Even in the winter it sees a lot of use as it doesn’t really get cold in there,” the owners said. With solid wood flooring, the room hosts a bespoke Murdoch Troon kitchen comprising a range of wall and base units, breakfast bar with solid work surfaces over, Belfast sink, integrated dishwasher, double oven, induction hob with extractor over, bin drawer, tiled splashbacks, wall mounted radiators, feature ceiling lights, and space and plumbing for a fridge freezer. Bathing the room in light, it also holds two huge glass roof lanterns along with aluminium full height bifold doors that are delightful to sit in front of in the summer, providing access onto the alfresco patio dining space and lawned garden, as well as relaxing views of the open LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 15 HOMES Though the owners have adored the property, they are now selling: “We are purely selling because we need an extra bedroom. We’ve got five children and our little man needs his own room now!” They added: “We’ve actually bought the land to the side of the house because we love the spot so much and plan to create a very similar home.” Dial House is on the market with Mount & Minster with a guide price of £700,000 to £725,000. Whether you are looking for classic, traditional style or contemporary designs including the latest in media wall electric fires, we are sure to have something to suit. We also have a great selection of fireside accessories including wicker log baskets, fire-guards & companion sets, along with cleaning & maintenance products to keep your fire looking great. Plus, our ‘Outdoor Living’ fire-pits & wood-burners will keep you cosy in your garden year round. Gas – Electric – Wood-burning & Multi-fuel Burning Sensation (Grimsby) Ltd Armstrong Street, Grimsby. DN31 1XD Call: 01472 351651 sales@burningsensation.co.uk www.burningsensation.co.uk T AP£2.95 PRIL2023 GdGarden Homes& & AirAmb Lincs& Family M bl Ntt Mtt What’sO O WWWLINCWWW.LINC OLNSHIRETOOLNSHIRETO Lincolnshire Today’s gift subscription for only £27.55 with free delivery Call 01472 310301 or visit www.lincolnshiretoday.net/341 1st 3 £1 Looking for a great gift idea? BRIGG BEDS 01652 651828 Princess Street | Brigg | DN20 8HG www.briggbeds.co.uk Kingsize beds fit for Royality…16 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY ARTISTIC LINCOLNSHIRE in art B orn in 1996, Emily Crook studied graphic design at Middlesex University, but always had a passion for art. Upon graduating Emily changed her career path and became dedicated to creating art and finding her unique artistic vision. Emily takes her inspiration from fashion, culture, pop and street art and then merges these with icons from popular culture which she grew up surrounded by. Emily has always followed street art and this takes influence in her backgrounds. The backgrounds are all created using spray paint and hand cut stencils and then acrylic paints are used to hand paint her chosen icon over the top. Finally Emily's love for fashion comes through many of the pieces as her icons will usually be found holding shopping bags or be wearing luxury brands. If you’d like to see Emily ’s work for yourself, head down to Lincoln’s Little Red Gallery Popular cultureLINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 17 ARTISTIC LINCOLNSHIRE THE LITTLE RED GALLERY Love art? Then we’d love to meet you, please call in for a cup of tea and a chat. The Little Red Gallery are feeling ‘Love’ with a fantastic range of pieces and perfect gift ideas.18 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY space-conscious gardeners, but also those looking to create an impressive focal point. O ver the past few years, vertical gardening has been gaining more attention - particularly amongst those with limited garden space and who want to make the most of the outdoor areas they have, whether a small yard, patio, or an apartment balcony. Raising plants upwards, rather than outwards as is conventional, there are a number of methods which can be used to establish a vertical garden, such as living walls, arches, obelisks and trellises, hanging and wall planters, pockets, or simple stacked pots on shelves. Up-cyclers can even look to utilise plastic bottles and wooden pallets, and there are different planting and irrigation systems that can be selected to meet your needs. While allowing you to maximise your garden space, going vertical has further benefits. It pushes us to think innovatively and enables the decoration of walls, fences, and windows, allows less attractive areas to be hidden, and adds a sense of as introducing a pretty and eye-catching visual aspect to your outdoor space. By utilising varying heights, colours and containers, vertical gardening can present much more interesting scenery. A vertical garden tends to be easier to maintain as well and saves on back pain from constant bending; less weeding is required as there is less room for weeds to expand across a bed, and with many plant diseases being soilborne, when plants are placed vertically they make little contact with the soil and ground. Less prone to rotting when sat in damp soil too, and with better airflow, the fruit of vertical plants are additionally more tricky to reach for plant- eating pests that live on the ground. However it should be noted that there may be a need to constantly fertilise and prune plants to compensate for the limited nutrients and room available. Vertical gardening is particularly well suited to growing herbs like mint and rosemary, vines such as clematis and wisteria that create a lovely trailing effect, fruits like grapes and raspberries, and vegetables including lettuce and spinach which require minimal plant space and can be grown in small containers. Where using containers in your vertical garden, generally plants with shallow roots will thrive. Furthermore, vegetables like cucumbers often provide a higher quality harvest where off the ground, able to grow vertical GoingLINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 19 GARDENS Charles H Hill Ltd. Moor Lane, Horsington, Woodhall Spa, LN10 5HH. Tel: 01526 388281 www.charleshhill.co.uk straighter when hanging and more effectively fight off disease and pests. When choosing your plants it’s important to select the right ones and establish a set up that ensures they have adequate sunlight (receiving at least six hours of sun), water and drainage, while remaining sheltered from wind to prevent damage to tall structures. To assist, one can add self-watering systems, drainage holes and use well-draining potting soil in your wall gardens. If you do have a shady spot however, try planting it up with shade-loving ferns and mosses. After taking all these factors into consideration, the fun of choosing your plant structure begins. One might opt for a ready-made vertical planter, to build your own vertical container garden, install wall planters or mount up-cycled cans, cloth shoe holders and gutters, insert a trellis into dirt or purchase one already integrated into a container and introduce and train vining plants, acquire a living wall kit, or make use of what you already have, with fences often able to support plants like fig ivy and wisteria. For those fully committed to vertical gardening, there are hydroponic options using a liquid planting medium instead of soil. Typically grown as a tower or pod system, plants including iris and daffodils are great for this type of garden as they can grow in water alone. There is no limit to what you can do when growing vertically. © stock.adobe.com/MrPreecha © stock.adobe.com/robyn charnleyNext >