There's a house on a main road into a popular Welsh town that has become somewhat of a local, and then national, well-known property. Empty for over a decade, the property called Overdale in Chepstow gained notoriety for being an abandoned house that still had plenty of personal items and furniture left inside it.
That made it intriguing, but what really sent the house into another layer of uniqueness was the fact it had a vintage car hiding in the dilapidated garage, vintage MG sports car. But that's not the most bizarre thing left behind that made this house totally unique.
Until it was removed some years ago, the house also had a random bus parked on the driveway that led to the locals giving it the name 'house with the bus'.
The house has had a rollercoaster history that started steadily as a well-loved family home for many decades since its construction in 1934, but sped up over the last decade as the house hurtled towards dereliction.
Empty for many years, broken into by trespassers numerous times, over-run by creatures and damp, and then put on the market for the first time in its life in 2021 for offers in excess of £300,000 - was this then the end of the ride for Overdale?
At that time, the internal photographs of items left strewn and unloved inside, the dark and dingy rooms, and damp and foliage encroaching on the outside and inside of the property all contributed to the eerie atmosphere at the house. Surely this would put off most buyers and only intrepid developers and builders would not turn and run?
At the time of the sale the estate agent selling the overgrown house, Dominic Little from estate agent KJT Residential in Cinderford, told Wales Online: "It's been owned by the same family since it was built in 1934. After the parents passed away the son lived in it for a few years and then moved away, we think it's been empty for about 12 years."
In 2021 when the 'for sale' sign went up in the garden of the house Dominic was inundated by interested local people desperate to know what all the sudden activity was all about and what was about to happen to the 'house with the bus'.
He said: "The house is definitely well known in the area, I've had a lot of local interest while onsite. Everyone who passes knows it's been empty for years and wants to know what's going on with it, and if you mention it locally as the house with the bus, everyone seems to know it."
From the outside the home's facade was sinking under the weight of climbing foliage and inside the two reception rooms, three bedrooms and a bathroom were all in a state so bad it might have taken more money than it was worth to renovate it.
According to KJT Residential's website states that the house sold but the amount spent to secure it is not disclosed, if indeed it did change owners.
So with an unclear future, was the rollercoaster ride for this period property about to stop to be replaced by a plan of positive action or be derailed completely?
The dust has settled and Overdale is back on the market and this time it comes with planning permission - not to extend the property into a five bed dream home but to squash it and replace it with two new homes within the very large plot. It would appear it is the final stop for the 'house with the bus'.
The agent selling the property this time, Hills Property Consultants, have listed the site for sale for £750,000 and although some work has been done to cut back the garden front and back, and remove the rickety rear lean-to and garage, the site is largely unchanged - most of the work has been done at a desk.
The planning application on Monmouthshire County Council's planning portal states the application was submitted on October 12, 2021 was for 'demolition of existing dwelling and erection of a replacement dwelling and an additional dwelling'. It also states the application was approved on Wednesday August, 17, 2022.
After some amendments, although inspection of the approved planning application must be done by a potential new buyer of the site under reference DM/2021/01693, the plans appear to show the additional dwelling at the end of the garden is a detached four bed.
It appears to offer a kitchen diner, utility room, cloakroom and separate living room on the ground floor and four bedrooms on the first floor. The master bedroom has an ensuite and there is a separate bathroom.
The replacement dwelling, according to the plans, is still called Overdale - the phoenix 'house with bus' property will arise from the ashes of its former self to offer an open-plan kitchen diner lounge, open to the garden via two sets of bi-fold doors.
The ground floor will also have a shower room, utility room, separate lounge and a home office. Upstairs there are four bedrooms where the master bedroom has an ensuite plus a dressing room. A fantastic surprise is that the second bedroom looks like it also gets a dressing room as well as an ensuite.
Outside, both properties have front and back gardens and there are three dedicated car parking spaces for each house - but definitely no room to park a bus.
The Overdale site is on the market for offers in the region of £750,000 with Hills Property Consultants, Newham, call them on 01594 801261 to find out more. And don't miss the best dream homes in Wales, auction properties, renovation stories, and interiors - join the Amazing Welsh Homes newsletter, sent to your inbox twice a week.
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