Location

Tyllwyd is situated in a pretty valley position on the northern edge of the historical mining village of Glanaman in the historic county of Carmarthenshire in south Wales. The large shopping town of Ammanford is about four miles away while the market town of Llandeilo is about eight miles. Good local road connections and the M4 motorway link you with south Wales (Swansea about 17 miles and Cardiff about 57 miles) the Severn Bridge and into England (about 80 miles).

For those that enjoy the outdoors with walking and cycling the surrounding countryside offers a wealth of areas to explore including Dinefwr Park National Nature reserve owned by the National Trust, numerous castles including Dinefwr and Carreg Cennen, the Brecon Beacons National Park (Bannau Brycheiniog National Park) and the National Botanic Garden of Wales.

Description

Ty Llwyd is sometimes translated as The Grey House - but, since the stone of the house itself is many beautiful colours, an alternative translation seems more apt - 'The Old House'. The Old House sits on an ancient footpath at the foot of the Black Mountain (Y Mynydd Du). The Old House, as you'll find it, was probably built in the early 1600s, though it's likely there was a dwelling on the spot long before that. It is Grade II listed as a fortified farmhouse. If you walk North-East past the ancient oaks and Hen Bethel – the Old Chapel. there's nothing for many miles but the Brecon Beacons.

The house sits, unusually, in the middle of the land, about a quarter of a mile from the road, looking out over the green of the valley.

The Old House comprises three ancient buildings; the House, the Old Byre (East Wing) and the Old Hayloft (South Wing) amalgamated into one architect-designed newly completed five-bedroom farmhouse.

The Old House combines all the charm of a historic building with the comfort of a brand-new eco-build. There is heating under the blue pennant flagstone floor (locally reclaimed). The house is built of stone, Welsh oak beams and locally reclaimed Welsh slate.

Accommodation
You enter through the arched porch – a unique feature and reason for the listing – straight into the farmhouse kitchen and hallway. The kitchen cabinets and island are handmade painted wood. The Rangemaster electric oven sits in a vast Inglenook fireplace beneath the chimney, and you can still see the outline of the seventeenth century bread oven in the stones. The Rangemaster double Belfast sink is under the window looking out to the wildflower meadow. The Fisher and Paykel fridge (with drawer freezer) is built into a nook in the stone wall. The larder has been built with room for a microwave inside. You can see the oak studs which mark where the 'master's parlour' was in the original house – now a spacious hallway with a large recess for a hidden coat cupboard.

From the hallway you go down three steps into the Old Byre – now a vast, light living space. It's currently divided into three parts – a reading and seating area around the wood-burning stove, a dining area with enough room for a table for twelve, and a large living space under the beams of the hayloft with the curved feature window originally built for carts, looking out onto the land and the valley. The view down the valley is seamless green. The room as a whole is big enough, and beautiful enough, to be a wedding venue.

Back in the hallway - the oak and glass staircase (made by a local joiner) leads up to the two original bedrooms, which are cosy (though both big enough for a double) and incredibly quiet, with modern oak floors. Over the porch is the first of three bathrooms in the house – the green bathroom – with a slate floor, rolltop Victorian bath looking out over the valley, The countertop is a piece of reclaimed oak with a waney edge and features a brass splashback and brass fittings.

Next to the kitchen is the old wash house (a butler's pantry) with washing machine and dryer and masses of extra storage – which you go through to the South Wing – The Hayloft. Connecting the old House with the Hayloft is a little stone walkway leading to the kitchen garden, perfect for an indoor herb garden, or green wall.

Down four steps to the Hayloft is the second sitting room or TV/games room. Next to it - wheelchair accessible ground floor room could make either a large double bedroom (with accessible wet- room right next door) - or a lovely study with a stable door out to the front, and views out to the garden. The wet-room also has the downstairs loo in it, a shower overlooking the garden and hidden storage in the panelling.

Up another oak staircase (ready for carpet of choice) are two beautiful bedrooms. While these bedrooms are open to the oak beams, the walls are also unusually high at the side, avoiding the usual 'bump your head on the eaves' scenario.

The larger of the two rooms is the principal bedroom, with more than enough room for a four-poster bed, and the smaller would make a great kids twin room, or another large double bedroom. Between the two rooms is a gorgeously designed bathroom, with purple slate floor, more hidden storage in the panelling, and a small clawfoot bath.

At the other end of the house - by the Old Byre, accessed from the outside, is the plant room containing the buildings inner workings. The heating runs off ground source heat, fed by artesian well. Water comes from the houses own bore-hole with state-of-the-art filtration system. The house has a brand new independent bio-rock sewage treatment plant. The wiring is solar panel ready. While the listing prevents solar panels on the house - the south-facing barn roof would be ideal for an array (the electricity in the barn is already connected to the house). With the addition of solar panels, the dwelling could be entirely independent and off-grid.

There is also a Top tier CCTV system with five cameras and capacity for three more which links to your phone. In addition SWA Cables are laid 400m to the gate - ready to install an automated gate and intercom if you want one. There are cables laid ready to install vehicle charging points in the barn – where there is room for about six vehicles.

The house has been designed with meticulous attention to detail. Standing at the stove, you can see right down both wings of the house. Each building has its own wi-fi hub because the four-foot walls are too thick for a signal to pass through. The walls are lime-coated and lime-washed in a colour scheme inspired by the subtle hues of the stone. Unlike the vast majority of buildings its age, in the Old House's eco-friendly hemp-crete insulation means it warms up quickly and stays cosy. But at Ty Llwyd it's not the house itself which is the focus but the natural world. Robins and pheasants walk right up to the living room windows. Ty Llwyd feels a long, long, way from the bustle of modern life.

Externally & The Land

The property is approached by a track that then leads to own track and land. The property enjoys landscaped grounds and gardens including lawned areas, pretty stone walls, large gravelled driveway with ample parking area, mature trees, hedges, bushes, shrubs and flower borders. A new large general purpose outbuilding provides excellent workshop and garage space. In a nearby field is a new stable block with two boxes and tack/feed room. The land comprises an interesting mixture of pretty pasture land that is ideal for horses, ponies, livestock and amenity use and a large area of magical mature woodland to explore and enjoy.