The three- and four-bedroom homes at Amytis Gardens have been dubbed "upside-down houses", for having bedrooms on the ground floor and living space on the second.

Gardens are also laid out on top of garages, to make the best use of space on the former Bolingbroke Hall site in South Shields.

Building work started in June last year and two show homes are now open in Berkley Street.

"It was clear from the outset that an entirely new and individual design would be needed," boasts the sale brochure, with developer Cussins challenging architects to come up with a design that would complement the existing street scene.

And it seems to have done the trick, with more than 250 people visiting the first show home in the first week of its opening and 120 going to see the second when it opened on Saturday.

Sales manager Sarah Jobling said: "The response has been fantastic. We had over 150 people through last Saturday, and pushing 100 since then.

"We even had a good selection on the day we were closed.

"A lot of people could not get their heads around the idea behind the upside-down house until they came in.

"Since they have visited and seen the gardens upstairs, they have been thrilled.

"A lot of South Shields people have said it is exactly what South Shields has been waiting for.

"It is a great break with tradition, while still being a twist on the terraced home."

There are five different house types to choose from, all with garages and rear raised gardens, as well as open-plan living spaces.

Ground floors include a minimum of two bedrooms, a family bathroom and plenty of storage, with the living room, kitchen and dining room upstairs.

The master bedroom is located on the second floor, with an en-suite bathroom and more storage.

"In addition to the non-traditional layout, much attention has been invested in the structural design and the specification of these unique homes," the brochure says.

"Modern construction materials, high levels of insulation, energy-efficient technology and renewable energy, for future-proofing, all combine to provide a prospective purchaser with a truly modern home."

Northumberland-based Cussins has built more than 500 homes in South Tyneside, including Grosvenor Park, Kensington Court, Grosvenor Mews, Rockcliffe, Manor Court and Market Dock.

Land director Jabin Cussins, the fourth generation of his family to be involved in the business, said its latest development has been priced to sell in a depressed market.

The cheapest three-bedroom home is £189,950 – with integrated kitchen appliances as standard.

"They are a great price," he said. "We are marketing them at the correct price to get some good sales. People are still willing to move."

The development, valued at more than £4m, is due to be completed in the next 12 months.

Chris Burchell, director of South Shields estate agent Colin Lilley, said they have been "rushed off their feet" with enquiries about the properties.

He said: "What we have been selling this year and towards the end of last year is everyone's good, normal, traditional house for knock-down prices, which is what everyone wants.

"What Cussins has got is something totally different – a traditional terraced house with a first-floor garden that gives you a lot of sky.

"They are brand new, they have got quirkiness and Cussins has raised the specification while depressing the price a little bit.

"People are going to see a house that really gives value for money. "It has got to be different for the younger market."