• The Old Convent

    Park Crescent, Abergavenny

    Modern living in a heritage building

    Four beautifully converted share-of-freehold apartments,

    with low-cost eco-living at their core.

  • Modern living in a heritage building

    With classic Edwardian proportions, this wonderful building was a school and then a convent before we converted it into four new spacious energy-saving apartments, right in the heart of the historic market town of Abergavenny.

    Beautifully designed and finished

    with high quality new windows, kitchens, bathrooms and appliances throughout. Each of the four apartment has its own private garden, or a generous balcony.

    Minimal running costs

    Likely total energy cost of just £55 a month because of the eco features

    Shared freehold - low cost, peace of mind

    No unaccountable management company and huge service charge: you'll own the freehold with the other three owners

    Likely building maintenance and insurance total of just £26 a month because of the high build quality (ie no repairs needed for a long time).

    Everything you need

    Close to Abergavenny's famous independent shops, cafés and restaurants (eg the Walnut Tree and The Angel) - and the train station - and for nature lovers, the beautiful Black Mountains.

    Eco-friendly

    Tread lightly on the earth,

    and also future-proof yourself

    against potential government

    eco-requirements later, especially if you want to sell on or rent out.

    Perfect for every stage of life

    First-time buyers, young families, professionals, escapers-to-Wales, nature lovers and walkers, downsizers who don't want to compromise on quality

    Designed for however you work,

    and for people who just enjoy life.

    Extra bonuses

    There is also ONE single garage for sale, within the grounds: first come, first served. And one of the two garden flats has a separate home office.

  • Apartment prices:

    Upstairs apartments (with balconies): from £250,000

    Garden apartments (one with garden study / home office):

    price coming soon

    Garage also available for sale: price to be discussed

  • The detail: Everything you need to know

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    Beautifully designed and finished

    • Open Plan living for a modern, more spacious feel
    • A private balcony for each top floor apartment and a private garden for each of the ground floors.
    • High ceilings and large windows, for a feeling of light and space. (not squeezed into the eaves)
    • Beautiful views of the Blorenge, Sugar Loaf and the Skirrid throughout the apartments
    • Large kitchen/living/working area at the heart of each apartment. (not constrained by traditional period architecture in which the kitchen is small and separate)
    • High-quality, beautiful fittings that are durable and won't date
    • Unusually good "building envelope" - excellent soundproofing, no drafts, nowhere for moisture to come in
    • High quality, modern and energy saving washer-dryer, fridge-freezer, oven and hob all supplied
    • Broadband routers already installed
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    Minimal running costs - estimated just £81 a month for energy and maintenance and insurance

    Driven by the combination of:

    • the high-quality build (see above)
    • all appliances and fittings new and under guarantee, and
    • the environmentally friendly features set out below -

    We estimate that the annual energy bill could be as low as £655 a year, and the maintenance, repairs and buildings insurance as low as £315. This is astonishingly small for a spacious two-bedroom apartment: just £55 and £26 per month for each cost.

    And you'll be protected from any future government restrictions on EPC minimum requirements, gas boilers, eco-standards for home improvements etc - we've done it all for you already. This is tomorrow's standards today.

    We have looked for other flats for sale for similar prices in Abergavenny, and have estimated the following comparisons using information available on Rightmove.

    Annual energy and other charges

    The Old Convent conversion £ 970

    A conversion in a period house £ 3,405

    A conversion in a stately home £ 11,923

    Your savings could be £2,435 (or £10,953 compared with the stately home conversion) in just the first year. And in three years, this could be approximately £7k / £33k and after five years, £12k / £55k.

    We are happy to discuss our financial model with you.

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    Impeccable eco-friendly credentials

    We designed eco-credentials into the apartments from the beginning. Each one, and the whole building, is a harmonious system in which everything works together to use as little energy as possible while keeping you warm in winter and cool in summer. Features include:

    1. Solar panels for your electricity, taking full advantage of the unshaded south-facing roof
    2. Properly and thoroughly insulated with 65mm of insulation on the external walls, 60mm on the ground floors and 400mm in the attic - with the bricks treated beforehand to further retain heat.
    3. Embedded infrared ceiling heating, made from ultra-light and ultra-thin material which keeps the whole room at an even temperature, responds to your demands quickly, and requires much less energy than a traditional gas-fired boiler and radiators system
    4. Sunamp hot water technology, using Thermino heat batteries as an energy-efficient alternative to direct and indirect hot water cylinders
    5. Expertly fitted, high-quality windows resulting in an excellent air tightness testing score of less than three (2.65), which means that there are virtually no drafts, or condensation (which damages the brickwork). This is very unusual for period properties.
    6. Mechanical ventilation heat recovery system, which cleans the air and brings filtered air in and out of the house - if it's a hot summer, this can be set to purge hot air out of the house and swap for cold air - no need to run expensive fans.
    7. All the heating can be digitally controlled via HIVE thermostats or your smartphone - a warm welcome when you get home, without wasting power when you're out.

    These apartments are all electric - we've done away with gas and the inherent uncertainty of gas prices.

    We anticipate that the EPC will be Grade B.

    And finally, we even thought about the environment during the build: previous doors, bricks and timber have gone to reclamation.

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    Perfect for every stage of life

    Everyone can be happy in these apartments: first-time buyers, young families, professionals, nature-lovers, escapers-to-Wales, downsizers who refuse to compromise on quality (and why should you?)

    Designed for however you live your life

    They are designed to suit how you work - or how you just want to enjoy life. For people who want to work from home, they are perfectly set out for this without feeling cramped or surrounded by charging cables, and with beautiful views of the Black Mountains.

    For people who commute, Cardiff and Bristol are manageable drives - and the rail links are excellent. The fastest trains take just over two hours to London Paddington, changing at Newport. There are direct services to Cardiff (from 34 minutes), Shrewsbury (from 1 hour 14 minutes), Swansea (from 1 hour 30 minutes) and Manchester (from 2 hours 36 minutes).

    And for leisure time, the balconies in the upstairs apartments are surprisingly large - big enough to hold plants and a table and chairs, or to let small children get some fresh air. The private gardens in each lower apartment have been sympathetically restored, keeping what was possible from the convent and also adding new plants.

    Feeling good inside

    The air quality is much better than a standard conversion, because of the innovative ventilation technology. And the top-quality sound insulation on party walls and floors, and internal walls provides a surprisingly peaceful environment.

    Free from unaccountable, outsourced property management companies

    The four owners will form your own management company, which we will set up for you. We will then leave you in peace. You'll be in charge of all your expenses and decisions about any repairs or maintenance - no accelerating, unjustified yearly service charges.

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    Everything you need: close to town and nature

    Abergavenny was named best place to live in Wales last year by The Times. They said: "Down-to-earth but upwardly mobile, this welcoming town has a fine foodie flavour" and "What really stands out, though, is the powerful community spirit that everyone buys into".

    • The apartments are just a few minutes' flat walk to the town centre, with its famous independent shops and restaurants.
    • There is doorstep access to National Cycle Route 42 and two bus routes.
    • It's only fifteen minutes' walk to Abergavenny train station.
    • The Black Mountains are yours to explore, including the three peaks of Blorenge, Sugar Loaf and Skirrid.
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    Extras!

    There is a garage which is part of the property. This has not been allocated yet - it could be yours.

    One of the garden flats (Flat B) has a home office (or playroom or workshop, whatever you want it to be). This will be insulated, fully plastered, and wired for electricity.

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    Suppliers and tradespeople

    We've used local suppliers and trades, in order to give back to the local economy.

    Suppliers

    Trades

    • Lead Contractor on site: Ian Hartley - specialist in building structural elements and joinery
    • John Hartley - painter and decorator
    • Kavanagh Decorators - 07899 825731
    • Plumbing by Dan Robins, Crickhowell Plumbing
    • Electrician - Wayne Richards, Abergavenny
    • Carpentry - Ben Withey, Crickhowell
    • Plastering by @Smooth Moves in Crickhowell.

    Architects: Chamberlain Moss King, based in Penarth

  • Kitchens, bathrooms and appliances

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    Bathrooms by Cubico

    High-spec products at the forefront of bathroom design innovation.

    Note: image for illustration only, not exact bathroom.

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    Kitchens by LochAnna

    Built in Britain, with a 10-year guarantee.

     

    Note: image for illustration only, not exact kitchen.

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    Worktops by Minerva

    Robust and luxurious, manufactured using state-of-the-art technology. 

    Note: image for illustration only, not exact kitchen.

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    Candy electrical products

    Appliances have one year free call-out guarantee, and then nine more years if registered. Guarantee details on this spreadsheet.

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    Heronhurst windows

    Legacy vertical sash uPVC Windows, with toughened Low-e / Argon gas filled glazing, combine to deliver an outstanding energy rating of ‘A’ and u-value of 1.4W/m2K.

    You can clean the outside windows yourself, even the upstairs flats - no need to pay for a window cleaner!

  • Photos of the upstairs flats and the gardens. (garden flats photos coming soon)

  • Technical documents

    Detailed flooplans and heating plan.

  • Enquire now

    Get in touch to ask questions, or to arrange an early viewing.

    Use the form below, or simply phone or email us.

    151 Park Crescent, Abergavenny
    07931582594