Bright and spacious 2-bedroom with terrific views of surrounding countryside. In need of some renovation.
Though I shouldn't be, I am truly amazed at what some people think can pass for a bedroom in London, in particular a second bedroom. I went to view a so-called 2-bedroom apartment today in the heart of Maida Vale - which is genuinely a lovely area of London- only to find myself standing in an overpriced (okay that's all London real estate) studio that had been not so cunningly converted into a monstrosity; an architectural and interior design abomination.
The so called master bedroom was master of all things miniscule. Only if you stood absolutely still could you be in there at all. Moving was an extra not included in the purchase price. It appeared you would have to leave the room in order to open the wardrobe (which I assume you did with a hook from the hallway). To actually dress you'd have to move the whole operation to the front room.
The second bedroom - and by this, it is generally understood that it will (as if it were a legal requirement) be somewhat smaller than the 'master' - was indeed smaller (unbelievable but true). That there could actually be a smaller bedroom than the one we had all just stood on eachother's shoulders to view, was hard to believe but there it almost was... smaller.
It felt like peering into a room in a dollhouse except this one was not one you could find for £12.99 in Toys R Us. No. I would have laughed out loud but there wasn't enough room.
I was therefore very intrigued to see the roof terrace since they had been so absurdly liberal with the description of the flat in the first place, the viewing had now taken a fairground attraction tinge. Well, let's see. If putting chairs on a precariously balanced thickish piece of overhanging tarpaulin suspended by threadbare rope-type thingys (in flagrant breach of all the safety and building laws of the land) so close to the neighbours BBQ it was a wonder they hadn't singed off years ago - then yes - this was indeed a kooky little roof terrace worthy of a feature in ‘House and Garden’. Sorry, did I say House and Garden? I meant Viz.
I pulled The Lish in fearful that the whole structure would collapse from the strain of all 15 kilos of her. I literally covered my eyes when The Silverback gingerly stepped onto it relieved only that his fall would be somewhat broken by the neighbour's BBQ.
Well, now I was intrigued. They hadn't actually mentioned a kitchen in the instruction. It was immediately apparent why. See, technically there was no kitchen. Sticking a hob and fridge in the corner of the front room does not a kitchen make. I wouldn't mind but the appliances looked like something that had been salvaged from a skip during The Blitz. No but I needed to really take this all in because they wanted ....please brace yourselves: £475,000 for it. The lease was shorter than my inside leg measurement and the ground rent, well, let's just say that if I could save that much a year, we’d be buying the place with cash.
Of course, we’re not buying the place. We did have fun though. And to celebrate we went to THE most delicious South East Asian restaurant located next door to Maida Vale tube, called Street Hawker.
Finger lickin' good and truly (unlike the flat we had just viewed) money well spent.
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