“We rented a traditional two-bedroom cottage just outside of Kendal, with low ceilings and surrounded by farmland,” said Gareth Irwin.
“The cottage had oil filled heaters and no mains water, which regularly left us with brown water. And the fields were part of a busy, working farm, with lots of cows and sheep. It became less than idyllic.”
After eight years of renting Gareth, 41 and his partner Charles Officer, 43, decided it was time to get on to the property ladder and purchase their first home.
“We started researching places to live. We often travel to St Anne’s, Blackpool, Manchester and Liverpool so we decided to focus on Preston which was a good middle ground and also where my work had not long opened an office,” said Gareth, who works in customer services for Lakeland.
“We had never thought of purchasing a new build property, so we hadn’t looked into developers, but we liked the idea of having a more energy efficient home where everything had been done for us. So, I started looking at properties instead which is when I saw the Oxford Lifestyle online. It was a three-bedroom detached property with a garage and an en-suite in each room. I hadn’t seen anything else like it on the market.”
Built on the footprint of what would normally be a four-bedroom detached property, instead, our Heritage Lifestyle properties have three larger bedrooms, each with their own en-suite. They were originally created with downsizers in mind, or people who wanted fewer bedrooms but did not want to sacrifice style or space downstairs. However, these properties are now appealing to families who want larger bedrooms with separate bathrooms, potentially with multiple generations living under one roof, and couples who like to have space for visitors
The Oxford Lifestyle boasts open plan living with a large kitchen and dining area at the back of the property plus a separate lounge, utility and cloakroom. Upstairs are three double bedrooms, each with its own en-suite.
“Once we had found our property, I started researching Redrow, Fulwood and Tabley Green and saw that it had won a best development award. So, we made a plan to visit Tabley Green, as well other developers in the area too.”
The award-winning development Tabley Green is home to some of our larger house styles and is located less than four miles from Preston.
The development offers generously sized detached homes, all with spacious private gardens, and surrounded by green open space, mature trees and wetland areas, so homeowners can enjoy nature on their doorstep.
Whilst Preston is accessible from a number of major motorway networks and has rail links to places like Manchester, Liverpool, London, Edinburgh, and The Lake District, so it’s easy to connect with the wider area.
“We visited Tabley Green first where we met Redrow sales consultant Sofia Delgado. We took our dog Alfie with us for the viewings and Sofia let Alfie join us, and we carried him around with us on the tour of the show homes. Unfortunately, other developers wouldn’t let us bring Alfie in, that’s when we knew Redrow were the developers for us,” said Gareth.
“There was an Oxford Lifestyle on the development, which hadn’t been completed but had been reserved by another homebuyer. The plot was perfect, it was south facing and located in a cul-de-sac and after having a peak through the window I posted the kitchen, it was perfect!
“It had everything that I would’ve chosen myself to include from the quartz worktops to the tiled floor, the kitchen island and all the finishes. It ticked all the boxes.
“A few months later we had a call to say the homebuyer wasn’t going ahead with the sale and Sofia asked if we were still interested in the property. We asked to reserve there and then. The contracts were signed in June, and we moved in on August 9.”
The couple bought their new property with the help of a deposit contribution and support from our recommended solicitors.
“We hadn’t bought a house before so didn’t know anything about the buying process and we didn’t have our own solicitors,” said Gareth.
“So, we opted to use Redrow’s recommended solicitors, which was the easiest option as they knew the process and how Redrow handled a sale.
“I am so happy with our home, we have so much more space and when Charles is working from home, we now have office space rather than working from the kitchen table.
“I do have two favourite rooms, the first is our bedroom I love the size of it, we have a walk-in wardrobe and a big bathroom. I also love our kitchen; the sun comes shining through the windows, it’s so bright. We open up the doors into the garden and it’s so lovely.
“Thank you to all the team at Redrow, including Sofia and Leonie who were so lovely and helpful,” he added.
The final homes are now on sale at Tabley Green, located on Lightfoot Lane, with a mix of three, four and five-bedroom homes currently starting from £330,000.
To find out more about the final homes at Tabley Green or to book an appointment with our sales team, visit Tabley Green.
