A unique circular home buried underground that looks like a Bond villain’s lair is on the market for £4million.
Above ground, Perdu looks like a modest garden folly. But below the surface is a 4,000 sq ft ‘entertaining home’ with a bar, DJ booth and a hot tub that won’t disturb the neighbours.
The three-bedroom property is within walking distance of the bars and boutiques of Altrincham, Cheshire, a Premier League hotspot — and has already caught the eye of several footballers.
The property is accessed by driving onto a platform that lowers the car below ground and into the house.
The circular home is buried underground, making it look more like a Bond villain’s lair than conventional three-bedroom family home. The garden has a covered dining area and space to sit or lounge in the sun
The dining room is at the centre of the circular home with a table sitting directly beneath a skylight. The room also has a bar with stool seating
Leading off the central dining room is the kitchen and lounge. The entire home is designed so that spaces flow into each other with the seamless design working its way through each room
The dining area has been finished with luxurious panelling and lights that illuminate the wall’s texture. The bar has plenty of space for entertaining and drinks storage
The kitchen is fitted with a marble-topped island and breakfast bar seating. The room opens out into the central dining room, and has doors to a utility room and one of the three bedrooms
The lounge has high ceilings and a skylight, creating an underground space that is filled with light. It is completed with a glass coffee table and velvet sofa
The open-plan design has been created to make the home a suitable ‘entertaining’ space. The 4,000 sq ft home has a bar and DJ booth
Inside it has kitchen, lounge and dining areas as well as the bar and three double bedrooms, all with en suite bathrooms.
There are two subterranean terraces, adding to the outdoor space. One leading off the living room has a jacuzzi, outdoor fireplace and ‘living walls’.
Natural insulation from the surrounding earth makes the house very energy efficient and it is fitted with the latest digital technologies. It is ready to move into.
Chris Oakes, director of Huntsmere, a development company that usually specialises in above-ground homes in the £5million to 10million range, bought the plot in 1999.
After developing the mansion next to it, he turned his attention to the half acre plot of land where Perdu now sits. The build took 18 months to build and had plenty of challenges due to the pandemic.
He said: ‘We bought the site back in 1999 and converted the mansion into flats. We were left with this pretty sizeable half acre plot but because it was a conservation area we were told we wouldn’t ever be able to get planning for anything that took away the view from the main house.
The master bedroom has a dressing room behind the bed, which leads into the largest bathroom in the property. The dressing room has a table and stool seat for getting ready
The biggest bathroom, an en suite to the master bedroom, has two sinks and a long mirror over the basins. The large white bath sits in a room of marble
The third bedroom in the property opens out onto a courtyard with ‘living walls’. The room is the only bedroom to not have a skylight, however the large doors opening outside make up for difference
The bedroom has been created to look similar to the master bedroom, with a a repeating geometric pattern on the headboard. It is finished with bedside tables, lamps, an armchair and stool
‘That’s how we came up with the concept for something underground.
‘On the surface all you really see is a small stone building designed to look like a garden folly. It has a nice gated entrance and you drive onto a platform and the car lift then lowers you down and you drive inside the property.
‘Essentially it’s a garage but it’s more like a car show room.
‘Inside it’s designed like a big circle with the living space as the central circle. It’s very much a social house with a bar and a DJ area.
‘The big question with subterranean properties is always light. People often say they couldn’t live underground because it would be too dark but this is lighter than most above ground homes.
Marble lines the floor and walls of the other en suite bathrooms. The room has a white bath, sink and toilet, with dark grey storage
There are two alcoves above the bath to store toiletries or act as a display for ornaments. The room has multiple smaller lights, instead of one central, glaring fixture
‘Each individual space has got its own light source and the rooms also have higher ceilings which give you this feeling of volume.
‘We have had involvement with high profile footballers and we are smack bang in the middle of the footballer area so it is a logical conclusion that a footballer would be interested in this property.
‘But I think it could also be a portfolio house for someone of even higher net worth who has a main home and a house in the city and this is their entertaining home.
‘We’ve set the bar high with interior design and styling and I’m really pleased with how it looks.
‘Most properties in a half-acre plot you would lose that space when you build the house, with this you have still got a half-acre garden.’
The house is on the market with Jackson Stops.
The outdoor terrace is accessible off the third bedroom and has ‘living’ walls filled with plants. The courtyard is big enough to fit a table and chairs
The house’s floorplan shows off additional features, including the sunken spa with a hot tub, and car lift that brings the driver underground
