For Michael Rozanski and Adam Whitney three-storey living suits their lifestyle perfectly.
So much so, that when they decided to relocate to live a quieter life close to green open spaces, they moved from one three-storey home to another.
The couple are now loving life together in their new home at Bellway’s Rhiwlas at Plasdŵr development in Radyr, on the outskirts of Cardiff.
And they say that living in their new spacious four-bedroom house is like staying in a five-star hotel.
Michael and Adam, who are both civil servants, were living in a new-build home in the popular seaside resort of Barry Island when they decided it was time to move somewhere quieter.
“In the summer months, when we went to the supermarket to get the weekly shop it would take us 45 minutes to drive the mile and a half home due to the queue of traffic coming onto the island,” said Michael. “It was all getting too much and the place was just so busy a lot of the time.
“Besides, we both grew up in quiet, rural communities and both wanted to be close to open spaces where we could go for long walks in the countryside and destress.”
The couple sold Adam’s house within a day and bought their new Bellway house – a three-storey four-bedroom Whitecroft type home.
“This house is absolutely perfect for us,” said Michael. “The whole of the top floor is given over to the main bedroom which has an en suite and views out of both ends of the house. It’s such a luxurious feel, it’s like living in a five-star hotel.
“This is our favourite room in the house and is our escape from the world when we need it. There is so much space it is truly wonderful and such a relaxing room. it would make a great sanctuary for parents if a family wanted to buy one of these three-storey homes.
“With the bedroom being on the top floor, it means that if one of us gets up before the other, there’s no danger of disturbing the other as there are two floors between us, not one. That also applies when we have guests over. They can potter about on the ground floor without bothering us. It’s fabulous.
“What is also brilliant about the three-floor layout is that one of the three bedrooms on the first floor has an ensuite so guests who stay can have their own privacy. This also means that the family bathroom doesn’t get used.
“While the en suite bedroom on the first floor is the dedicated guest room, one of the others is being converted into a gym for Adam and the third has a single bed in and we both share it as a home office. We alternate our working from home days so that when Adam is at the office I am at home and vice versa. The reason for this is that everyone needs their own space and working from home together all the time would be too much of a strain. Familiarity breeds contempt, while absence makes the heart grow fonder.”
Michael, who spent 12 years as part of a design team helping to create room settings in home sections of department stores, has enjoyed putting his stamp on the house they moved into in November 2021.
“I know black is all the rage now but I have always loved it and always used it in interior design,” he said. “A lot of people are scared of black and they shouldn’t be. It is so versatile. It can be used on one wall or part of a wall to create mood or to make a statement.
“The first floor and top floor are fully fitted in black velvet carpet while the ground floor has black wood-effect luxury vinyl, which looks like parquet. What we don’t want to be is dull, so I have used furniture, lighting and paint to create visually striking rooms which are also welcoming and functional.”
The couple, who have a 10-year-old French bulldog called Lily, have been exploring the countryside near the development.
“One of the reasons we chose to live here was the fact that 40 per cent of the land here will be given over to green space, some of it retained as heritage woodland. This is exactly what we wanted – open space on our doorstep.
“Now we bring Lily out for a little walk and when she has had enough, we pop her back home to recover and go out exploring. Within five or 10 minutes of stepping out of our front door we are in open fields and looking out across the splendour of the Vale of Glamorgan. It’s lovely.
“We’ve got everything we want here. We have glorious countryside nearby, Cardiff just down the road and the flexibility of living on three floors in a beautiful new home.
“As far as we are concerned three-storey living is the way forward. Why have only two floors when you can have three?”
To find out more about Rhiwlas at Plasdŵr, call 029 2060 8479 or visit https://www.bellway.co.uk/new-homes/wales/rhiwlas-at-plasdŵr.
