“Do you really live here?”
In the evening, you head up to the roof terrace with a glass in your hand.
Cluj stretches out in front of you, the lights coming on one by one. On the other side are wooded hills. Down in your garden, it's quiet.
That's how every day ends in this house. In peace.
I chose the plot for this view. Then I built the house around it, with care and without cutting corners, because I built it for us.
Come and let me show you around.
Where it is
The house is on a private road in the Europa neighbourhood, 90 metres from Eugen Ionesco Street. Far enough that you don't hear the cars and people only pass the gate when they have a reason to be there.
The city is still close at hand. The shops, pharmacy and bus stop are on Eugen Ionesco Street. The secondary school, shopping centres and city centre are a short drive, bus ride or even a walk away. You get the quiet of a house near the woods and everyday life in the city. You're just 4.5 km from the centre of Cluj.
The garden
From the road, you see a white house with straight lines and large windows.
Go through the gate and follow the paved path past the lawn. The hedge is tall and dense, so you can't see into the garden from outside. The road is private, so there are few people walking past the fence.
The plot is 650 m² in total, with 500 m² of open garden. At one side is a wooden pavilion with a barbecue and oven under the same roof. There is room for a long table and everyone you want to invite over on Saturday. The wood crackles, smoke rises, someone turns the meat and the children run barefoot through the grass until it's dark and time to call them in for dinner.
From the garden, you can see three terraces stacked above one another. Two face the garden and the panoramic terrace is on the top floor.
Coming home
The house is designed around the way you live, and you feel it as soon as you walk in.
There's a place to put down whatever you're carrying as soon as you walk in. A large sliding-door wardrobe in the hall holds coats, shoes and bags. There's also a bathroom with a shower a few steps away.
You don't have to carry the shopping through the whole house. Take the things you want to store straight down the stairs to the cellar. Everything else goes to the kitchen, with storage in the cabinets and a pantry right next door.
The living room
The 40 m² living room has windows on three walls. The solid wood parquet has a warm tone, and two chandeliers hang from the ceiling.
In summer it's bright and airy. Open the windows and the scent of freshly cut grass comes in. The garden feels like part of the room.
In winter, everything changes. You light the fire while snow falls on the lawn, and it feels like you're on a long holiday in your own mountain cabin. The warmth makes an ordinary evening feel like Christmas, with everyone gathered in the same room.
The kitchen
The kitchen is solid wood, with a large side-by-side fridge, a corner hob, a Franke extractor and a built-in oven. Windows above the worktop let in daylight. There's also a table for your morning coffee or for the children to do their homework while you cook.
The dining room and terrace
A few steps separate the living room from the dining room. It's a large room with a high ceiling, corner windows and long golden curtains that soften the light. There's plenty of room for the whole family at Sunday lunch. You can stay at the table all afternoon.
A glass door leads out to the covered terrace. You're outside in the fresh air, sheltered, with the garden in front of you. With coffee in the morning or a glass in the evening, it feels like a hotel stay in your own home.
The materials you touch every day
The solid wood parquet feels warm underfoot and looks better as the years go by. The doors and frames are dark wood too.
There's marble and travertine in the kitchen and bathrooms. Real stone, smooth to the touch, that ages well.
The walls are white throughout. It brings out the wood and stone and gives you a clean starting point for your own colours and style. All the walls were recently repainted.
Upstairs
The stairs, with solid wood treads, go up beside a window that lights them all day.
The main suite has a long dressing room with shelves on both sides, so you each get a half. The suite has its own bathroom with a bath directly under the window. Close the door, run the water and you have twenty minutes to yourself. And that huge bedroom? It's all yours. Close the suite door and the rest of the house goes quiet.
The second bedroom works well for a child with space to learn and grow.
The third bedroom opens onto the upstairs terrace, with views of the city over the treetops. When grandparents or friends stay overnight, they sleep here. In the morning, you may find them outside with coffee before anyone else is awake.
The second upstairs bathroom and the laundry room are on this floor too. The laundry has a sink, shelves and a rail for hangers. Clothes can be washed and dried upstairs and stay out of the living room.
Right at the top
A staircase lit by two windows leads to the top floor. There's a room with a sloped ceiling and a long windowsill that works as an office, workshop or reading spot. Put your mug on the desk and work with the city in front of you. Or work on a model or settle in with your favourite novel. It's your own penthouse.
The room opens onto a panoramic 51 m² terrace on three sides. On one side are the wooded hills. On the other, you can see all of Cluj stretching out into the distance.
During the day, sit in the sun with the city below you.
In the evening, you go up with a glass in hand and a jumper over your shoulders. The lights come on one by one and you stay longer than you planned.
It's three steps from your last meeting of the day to here.
This is where you'll bring your friends. The first time, they'll go quiet. Then someone will ask softly, “Do you really live here?”
How we built it
I built the house in 2016 to last.
The basement has 30 cm concrete walls. The ground and first floors are reinforced masonry with 30 cm Porotherm bricks and 15 cm of insulation. It stays cool in summer and warms up quickly in winter.
The Viessmann boiler has its own room in the basement, beside the cellar. The garage fits two cars.
I took care of the details and chose materials I wanted to live with. It's a solid house, built with care by someone who planned to live in it. And that's what I did for eight years.
Why we're selling
There are two of us, and the house was made for more. It needs children running around and plenty of laughter. It's ready for a big family, with room for everyone.
It's a beautiful house waiting for a family.
Call or message me on WhatsApp at 0750 433 698. Come towards evening if you can, so we can go up to the terrace as the city lights come on.
