As the trend towards working from home increases, the demand for houses, already strong from families and upsizers, strengthens. Anna Bowden takes a look at some of the best deals currently on the market.
A great deal of emphasis is placed nowadays on newly-built apartments – and the low-maintenance, high-specification quality of life that they bestow – because of the continuing focus on affordability for first-time buyers. But what about the rest of the home-buying public? In our desperation to talk about the lower end of the market we forget that there are hundreds of thousands of buyers out there looking for bigger homes because they have started a family; want to work from home; need more entertaining space; or need more space for storage. New home developers cater for these buyers too – and in abundance! Here we look at some of the most interesting new houses for sale at the moment.
At Countryside Properties’ exclusive Harvard Grange development in the village of Stock, Essex, a six-bedroom house has just been sold off-plan for a record £1.6 million, believed to be the most ever paid in Essex for a house still under construction! The house is one of a collection of 21 new homes, of which four others have also been sold off-plan.
Chris Crook, managing director of Countryside Properties, comments, ’It is a rarity to find a newly built detached family home of this size in a historical, established village. The fact that we are selling houses there that haven’t even been built yet is testament to the superb location of Harvard Grange and the quality of design and finish that is evident in the show house. The exceptional layout of the houses, which range from 2,500 to 4,215 sq ft, can be seen from the designs and they will offer purchasers a finished product that is unparalleled in this part of the county.’
These outstanding four-, five- and six-bedroom houses incorporate a variety of traditional materials into the bespoke design, including hand finished clay roof tiles, renders in a selection of heritage colours, stock bricks and timber detailing. The traditional finish conceals a luxurious and contemporary interior, which is divided into generously proportioned rooms whose function can be arranged to suit the purchaser’s needs.
Prices for remaining houses at Harvard Grange start from £1,350,000. Call 01277 841935 to arrange a viewing of the show home.
Fairclough Homes has opened three new show homes at its Oakhill View development in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, showcasing the three-, four-, five- and six-bedroom homes available at the development. Larry Crook, sales and marketing director for Fairclough, says, ‘Oakhill View offers a variety of attractive styles, sizes and layouts of homes, all backed by our personal interior design service and with incentives such as five per cent deposit paid or part-exchange available. You will get more for your money at Oakhill View.’
Homes are varied in size and appeal to a number of different buyer types. For families there is a range of large, four-bedroom detached homes featuring kitchen/breakfast room, living room and separate dining room and study. At the top of the range is a collection of superb six-bedroom houses, most of which include separate family rooms as well as reception and dining rooms for more formal entertaining. Prices at Oakhill View start from £204,950 for the three-bedroom, two-bathroom Petworth semi-detached design. To find out more call the sales office, open daily from 10am to 5pm, on 0845 676 0166.
Millgate Homes is currently offering an impressive development of two substantial five-bedroom family houses within the stunning private estate of Burwood Park in Weybridge, Surrey. Offering seclusion and privacy in a tranquil woodland setting, Albury Court boasts excellent transport links, good local schools and a wide variety of shopping and leisure facilities close at hand, making it the ideal location for commuters and their families.
Specification at both houses is high: to give the properties a distinctive yet traditional appearance the developer has used subtle variations in the choice of brickwork, tile colours and elevational treatments, and the properties are both equipped by luxury appliances and sanitary ware.
Only one of these homes now remains, priced at £1.9 million. For further details or to arrange a viewing call selling agent Hamptons on 01932 859933.
KingsOak Thames Valley is seeing great success with its Trevelyan development in Windsor, Berkshire. There are now people living at the development, bringing life and vibrancy to the site and making it even more attractive to buyers.
‘Trevelyan is beginning to mature nicely,’ says sales director Bob Rutherford. ‘Already, over 50 per cent of the homes are sold so any future buyer will have new neighbours immediately and will become part of an established and mature scheme with a real community atmosphere starting to develop.’
Trevelyan is the redevelopment of the former Trevelyan School site at the junction of Imperial Road and Clarence Road and offers an unrivalled setting within a landscaped environment. There are plenty of country walks nearby and for those who want to be active there is provision for cycle parking too. Windsor itself offers everything the resident could wish for, from cobbled streets and quaint tearooms to excellent shopping facilities. Windsor Great Park is nearby, offering the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors, and local education is of the Eton variety.
Prices at Trevelyan start from £358,995 for a three-bedroom apartment. Call 01628 629922 to find out more.
Antler Homes’ West Hill Gate in Putney, west London, is a distinctive scheme of three four-bedroom detached family houses featuring private landscaped front and rear gardens, a traditional red brick façade and curved, rendered bay windows. And inside, belying the traditional exterior, is a host of fantastic high-specification and high-tech options, including a full home technology system with a cabling infrastructure that allows for computer and telephone networking as well as the ultimate in entertainment systems.
Karen Lee-Brindle, sales director of Antler Homes Southern, comments, ‘There is an increasing demand for property that has the technology to support our modern lifestyles. In fewer than three years it is estimated that over five million people will work from home. Coupled with the desire to have the very latest in home entertainment, this means that house builders have to work harder to keep up with the technological advancements of audio-visual and computer equipment. At West Hill Gate we are offering purchasers the opportunity to move into homes that already have these advanced capabilities in place.’
The homes offer high ceilings throughout, built-in plasma screen to the sitting room and a fully fitted contemporary kitchen/dining room among other features. Prices at West Hill Gate start from £1.1 million. For further information call the sales office on 020 8874 3050.
Octagon has now released Chapel Square for sale, a collection of large five-bedroom houses within its Richmond Lock development in south-west London. Tony Taylor, Octagon senior designer, says, ‘For the new homes at Richmond Lock, we have focused on the Victorian Gothic revival period, much in evidence in the big residential roads in the town centre.’
With a newly restored chapel as its focal point, the aptly named Chapel Square comprises 13 houses, each boasting over 3,000 sq ft of living space, ideal for growing Richmond families. Ground floors have been left open-plan and feature spacious kitchens with adjoining eating and sitting areas. There are separate utility rooms which house the built-in washers, dryers and valuable extra storage space for household appliances.
On the upper floors there is a large drawing room with limestone fireplace, a media/TV room, four double bedrooms (two of which have en suites), three family bathrooms and a number of bespoke built-in wardrobes.
Prices at Chapel Square start from £1.95 million. Call 020 8744 4320 to find out more or visit the show home, open daily between 10am and 5pm.
Redrow Homes is now selling De Montford Park in Ashford, Kent, a lovely collection of high-specification homes, including the three-bedroom Kendrick house type, boasting flexible living accommodation. ‘The beauty of three-storey living is that it offers virtually self contained areas that can be reserved for visiting friends and family, teenage children or an elderly parent,’ says Caron Hutchins, field sales manager for Redrow Homes (Eastern). ‘In homes such as the Kendrick, where the master bedroom and its en suite are on the first floor, Mum and Dad can enjoy the peace and quiet at this level leaving the remaining bedrooms and bathroom above for their children.’
Priced from £218,000, the Kendrick’s ground floor accommodation combines the kitchen/breakfast area with a family room and also boasts a separate dining room, a utility room and a cloakroom. The spacious lounge and master bedroom, which also offers fitted wardrobes, are located on the first floor and three further bedrooms, one with en suite, and a family bathroom make up the second floor.
Ms Hutchins adds, ‘It’s not just families that benefit from this type of living. With the family room attached to the kitchen/breakfast room, young professionals may like to use this to eat their meals, leaving the dining room free for use as a study, while spare bedrooms could find an alternative as a gym or dressing room.’
To arrange a viewing at De Montford Park call the marketing suite on 01233 612444.