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An nicely decorated underground building.

Going underground: The stunning subterranean mansion with a £4m price tag.

18 Mar 2022 | 3 min
  • Property developer unveils three-bed underground house complete with bar and DJ booth.
  • Subterranean home ‘Perdu’ designed to offer perfect privacy for footballers, influencers or celebrities.
  • One of the North of England’s ‘most innovative’ properties, the Cheshire mansion funded by development finance from specialist lender Together.

A property developer has provided the first sneak peek inside a luxurious secret mansion – built deep below ground.

The 4,000 sq ft home - known as ‘Perdu’ meaning ‘lost’ in French because it’s hidden below the earth - is nearing completion but has already attracted speculative offers of up to £4m.

Set in the grounds of a converted Victorian mansion house in Bowden, near Altrincham, Cheshire, it features an underground car park, accessed from the surface by a gated car lift, and a games room, bar and DJ booth.

Chris Oakes, of property developer Huntsmere, said: “We’ve built plenty of luxury homes above ground with deep basements but this is the first time we’ve built an entire property underground.

“All our houses are built around a large open plan kitchen, living, dining area and Perdu is a turbo-boosted version of that. The living area is 2,000 sq ft of opulent space with super high ceilings and with the elements you’d expect in a ‘normal’ house - but on steroids!

“The development has only just been completed and still needs some final landscaping work above ground but we’ve already had expressions of interest around the £4m mark. We’re still deciding whether to sell Perdu or retain it as a rental property. It would be desirable for footballers, celebrities or influencers, or high net worth investors who may want to add it to their portfolios.”

Residents and visitors walk in through a fingerprint recognition door in an unassuming stone and glass folly entrance – the only part of the property visible from ground level – and down a spiral staircase to a luxury open-plan kitchen, dining and living space.

Meanwhile, the hydraulic car lift takes vehicles down to a secure underground garage with feature lighting and decor, which is ‘like your own personal car showroom’, said Mr Oakes.

The wedge-shaped master bedroom comes complete with a dressing room and spacious en-suite bath and shower room, and two further bedrooms, with en-suite bathrooms and integrated wardrobes. Outside, two eight metre long light wells have been dug into the earth to provide natural light around the edges of the building, while huge frosted glass panels in the roof provide even more light inside.

The innovative subterranean home was built after the developers were previously refused planning permission for any building above ground that would spoil the character of the neighbouring 19th century mansion, which was converted into ten flats and extended in 2005. However, following new proposals by architects and discussions with planning chiefs and other experts, the underground development was given the go-ahead.

However, the initial development wasn’t all plain sailing. The build started in Spring 2020, just after the first lockdown was announced, causing supply chain issues, which added extra time and cost to the project, said Mr Oakes.

However, he was backed by Manchester-based specialist lender, Together, which provided a development finance facility allowing him to complete the project.

Mr Oakes said: “We were brave to develop such an innovative property and Together was brave to give us their support throughout this major build.”

Chris Baguley, corporate managing director at Together, said: “We were blown away with the vision for Perdu as soon as we saw the designs. It has to be one of the most innovative homes in the North of England, if not the country. We’re proud to have provided the finance to help Chris Oakes and his team achieve their ambitions, despite the many challenges of successive Covid-related lockdowns.”

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