Berkshire has a wealth of high-quality homes in very liveable locations. Johnny Turner takes a look at what’s currently on the market.
Berkshire provides everything the home-hunter needs in terms of lifestyle, amenities and transport. And when you factor in the excellent homes design currently available from some of the UK’s top builders, the result is nothing short of breathtaking.
Starting in Wokingham, Braybrook is a development of just eight one- and two-bedroom apartments on Finchampstead Road. The impressive mix of well-planned accommodation, Millgate Homes’ exceptional specification and stunning interior design has proved a winner, with 50 per cent of the apartments reserved in the first three weeks.
The open-plan living-dining room is large enough to entertain, and benefits from a bay window that will overlook the carefully landscaped area to the front of the development. Meanwhile, the fully equipped kitchen is sleek and modern. The two double bedrooms incorporate ample built-in wardrobe space, with the master bedroom featuring en-suite facilities.
Braybrook is less than half a mile from the town centre and within easy reach of with the M3, M4 and M25 motorways. Yet this convenience belies tranquil feel: the development is set well back from the road and surrounded by beautiful mature trees and a large, landscaped garden.
Only four apartments remain, ranging in price from £175,000 to £275,000. Contact selling agents Prospects on 0118 979 7775.
Bloor Homes presents The Nurseries in Shinfield, under four miles from Reading town centre and just under a mile from junction 11 of the M4. The Nurseries is ideally placed for some of Berkshire’s finest countryside as well as access to excellent shopping, restaurants and entertainment.
The five-bedroom detached homes come in four types and are priced from £525,000 to £575,500. The marketing suite is open Thursday to Monday. Call 0118 988 6343 to find out more.
Redrow Homes is offering a ‘move in for £99’ incentive at two of its Berkshire developments.
At the desirable Kennet Heath in Thatcham the incentive applies to a range of two-bedroom properties at its Kennet Heath development. Paul Moran, sales director for Redrow Homes (Southern) says, ‘We understand how difficult it can be to get the money for a deposit together, which is why we are giving new home buyers a break and offering to take the stress away by helping with the initial fees that come with buying a house.
All buyers have to do is pay £99 and Redrow will take care of the rest by paying a five per cent deposit, stamp duty and £500 towards legal fees, and free fitted carpets will be included in the purchase price. Kennet Heath offers a wealth of two-bedroom properties which will suit buyers from all backgrounds, including first-time buyers, empty nesters and those just wanting a house to escape to at the weekend. The apartments are low-maintenance – perfect for the younger buyer who has little time for home improvement.
Conveniently located just off the A4, Kennet Heath provides easy access to nearby Newbury, Basingstoke and Reading, with the M4 and M3 motorways just a short drive away. Thatcham railway station is within walking distance and offers frequent trains to Reading and Paddington. Closer to home, the breathtaking scenery of the nearby Kennet and Avon canal will thrill boating enthusiasts and walkers alike.
Prices for the two-bedroom Canterbury style home start at £183,950, while the two-bedroom apartments range from £157,950 to £169,950. Call 01635 863026.
At Poppyfields in Arborfield, Redrow will open the doors to an impressive two-and-a-half storey Lambourne show home on the weekend of 11-12 March, helping house-hunters to visualise how elevated living can fit in with their lifestyle. The Lambourne design features three bedrooms, with an en-suite to the master bedroom and open-plan living/dining room, and is priced from £276,500.
Another house style, the Canterbury terraced home, comprises of two bedrooms, including built in wardrobes to the master suite, as well as open-plan kitchen/dining room, downstairs cloakroom and double parking space. Priced from only £199,000, this home is ideal for young professionals, downsizers and first time buyers. Also, on this home the ‘move in for £99’ deal applies. Also available is the Hayward style home, which features three bedrooms, with en-suite to master bedroom and single garage, from £259,950.
Poppyfields is in prime commuter country, with Reading only a 20-minute drive away. Aborfield itself offers a wide range of local services and is only four miles from the market town of Wokingham, where trains to London can take less than an hour. The development itself also borders a wildlife heritage area which provides stunning countryside walks and breath taking views of the Berkshire countryside. Poppyfields also provides excellent access to the M3 and M4.
For further information on the homes at Poppyfields call 0118 976 1369.
Staying within the Reading area, Bovis Homes South East has a choice of current developments whose locations just outside the centre mean big savings.
A good example of this affordability can be found at Chatsworth Park in Winnersh and Warren Croft in Spencer’s Wood. Chatsworth Park is an attractive development in the village of Winnersh featuring two-, three-, four- and five-bedroom homes carefully designed to a high specification. Some homes include ‘rooms-in-the-roof’ which can be adapted to provide a bedroom, office, hobbies room, gym or playroom. The development is within easy reach of the local train station, Sainsbury’s supermarket and primary school. Prices for houses at Chatsworth Park start at £197,950. For further information call the sales manager on 0118 979 8396.
Meanwhile, Warren Croft is situated within easy reach of A33 and M4. The development is built around a spacious green with plenty of trees, play areas and public open spaces surrounded by Berkshire countryside. Two- to five-bedroom houses and two-bedroom apartments are available at Warren Croft, making it perfect for first- and second-time buyers and young families. The 16 different house types at the development feature en-suites, fitted wardrobes, open plan kitchen/dining rooms, studies, and all white goods incorporated as standard. Some properties are fitted with range cookers, and all feature either a designated parking space or garage and the chance to design the kitchen units, wall-tiles and floor coverings bespoke.
Houses at Warren’s Croft start at £204,950. For further information call 0118 988 9794. Visit bovishomes.co.uk
Bewley Homes takes great care in selecting locations for its exclusive developments and Berkshire is one of its favourite counties. In the attractive village of Sunningdale, Bewley Homes has created Willbury Lodge, a delightful development of just 15 new two-bedroom apartments set in a peaceful, tree-lined residential road and approached by remote-controlled electronic gates and a sweeping driveway.
The apartments, which include a luxurious specification, are within easy reach of the boutiques, delicatessens and cafés of Sunninghill and Ascot, as well as everything on offer in Windsor. Prices at Willbury Lodge start at £395,000. Contact Bewley Homes on 01344 627350 or Edwards & Elliott on 01344 872588.
For those who enjoy a rural lifestyle but with excellent facilities and good road and rail links, Caversham, on the edge of the rolling Chilterns and the South Oxfordshire countryside, is ideal. Here, Bewley’s Melbury Place comprises a collection of three- and four-bedroom houses, featuring warm red brickwork, tile-hangings, gables and charming dormer windows. Inside, each offers generously proportioned living space and high quality fixtures and fittings. Melbury Place has proved so popular that only two new homes remain available, priced at £365,000 and £399,950. Call the sales and marketing suite on 0118 928 2217.
Another popular Bewley Homes development is Foxwood, in Nine Mile Ride, Finchampstead, where only the show home, a four-bedroom detached home remains available. Priced at £425,000, this four-bedroom home offers an abundance of flexible living space and a superb location, on the fringes of an area of outstanding natural beauty, within easy reach of Finchampstead Ridges and Simons Wood and close to the great sporting facilities at the Royal Berkshire Club. Contact Bewley Homes on 0118 932 8737 or selling agents Martin & Pole on 0118 978 0777.
In the wake of the successful Foxwood, Bewley Homes this month launches Camelot Place, a superb development of just six five-bedroom homes with price guides from £695,000 to £795,000. And Ivens Yard, a further new development comprising six three-bedroom link-detached houses, will be launched at Emmer Green, on 11 March. For further information contact Bewley Homes 0118 970 8222 or visit bewley.co.uk.