Hi there,

My partner and I are interested in buying a flat at Taymount Grange. We went down in the quirky old lift and had a look around the property last week (it's on the Lower Ground floor). It looked good and is well suited to our requirements in terms of its size (and character). However, we came away with a two burning questions.

We'd be really grateful if any locally savvy people on this forum might be able to help us out. We've lodged these queries with the company that manage the block (Freshwater) and will await their response, but it would be great to hear from any current/former residents, or even from somebody who has visited Taymount Grange or knows it well.

1) It was really warm when we arrived in the flat. We're aware that the central heating is included in the service charge and this is great. However, we're slightly concerned about the pipes that run beneath the floor at this basement level. Will this plumbing mean that the flat continues to be hot when the central heating is switched off in the summer? (I'm assuming the hot water pipes also run underneath the floors). Is the temperature in the lower ground flats bearable, or do the windows have to be kept open all the year round to manage the heat?


2) The kitchen is really quite small. Does anyone know if the management company normally allows for the wall between the kitchen and the reception room to be removed in flats at Taymount? (this doesn't look like a structural wall + it's quite small) Again, this is a question we've asked Freshwater - but it's not one that they're obliged to answer definitively at this stage. We'd really like to make this alteration when we moved in - just to create a bit more breathing space.

We've lived in Forest Hill before (Sunderland Road) and we like this area. We knew about this distinctive building with its rather incongruous modernist design and like the idea of living here, but we just want to make sure that it's going to be comfortable.