“Nothing was pre-decided in our minds, but as soon as we saw the Leamington Lifestyle show home, we fell in love with it and the area,” said Tony.
“To be honest if we could have moved into that home straight away, we would have. There were no doubts about it, we wanted that house.”
It’s the first property purchased together for 62-year-old Tony, who works in project delivery for BT, and 56-year-old Amanda whose job is in education recruitment.
The couple, who have three grown-up children from previous relationships, had been living in Tony’s 1930s semi in Stretford for the last eight years.
“I’m moving towards retirement age and I had always wanted a detached in a quieter location after living in a city all my life. I’m a keen photographer and I love to walk, and Amanda is a cyclist, so somewhere more rural seemed ideal for both of us,” said Tony.
“A new property is low maintenance, you have the 10-year NHBC homebuilders’ guarantee, and they are more energy efficient. I had a 1930s house with original features that I loved like cast iron fireplaces, deep skirting boards, high ceilings and wooden floors, and I wanted something similar. Redrow’s styles gave us some of those, the high ceiling and wide skirting boards, and a traditional 1930s exterior, combined with a modern look.”
Tony and Amanda moved into a detached Leamington Lifestyle property, one of our latest innovative styles, last November. The ground floor living space is the same as that of a four-bedroom home with a kitchen, dining and family area spanning the width of the property at the rear, and a separate lounge, cloakroom and utility providing the desired comfort and convenience. But the upstairs offers three larger, and more lavish, bedrooms, each with its own en-suite and the principle bedroom also having a walk-in wardrobe.
“They’re features that really enhance our social life, with that great kitchen, dining and sitting area at the back which, to be honest is where we spend a lot of our time, and the lounge which is a more relaxing space,” said Tony.
“It was the three bedrooms upstairs which really impressed us for when family and friends come to stay; they’ve each got their own bathroom, and it makes it more homely and gives everyone privacy. The main bedroom especially is a good size and has a walk-in wardrobe and a bathroom that’s twice as big as the others with a bath and a shower. We love it. We took a lot of inspiration from the show home – there have been a lot of visits! – and have put a dining table and chairs in the kitchen area and two two-seater sofas and a TV in the sitting area. Our L-shaped sofa has just arrived for the lounge, and now all we’re wanting in there is a fireplace.”
Daresbury has proved to be the ideal location they thought it would be.
“It’s not too far outside Manchester and not too close, and we’ve discovered lots of lovely walks which are perfect for us and our Cockapoo, Daisy. We’re 10 minutes from the Bridgewater Canal and near to Daresbury Firs, a lovely woodland area. It’s also close to lots of coastal areas like the Wirral and North Wales which, as a landscape photographer, is great. We like village life and have been to the Lewis Carroll Museum in Daresbury, but we also like community life in the garden village and, as some of the first residents, it’s good to watch it grow. Future developments here include a shop and a coffee shop, so we’ll have amenities here as well as in Daresbury and places like Warrington, and that’s something to look forward to,” he added.
“We used Help to Sell – a scheme through which Redrow and their estate agent partners do a lot of the work to market and sell a would-be buyers’ current property. They arrange to have it appraised by the estate agent partner and agree a fair valuation and marketing plan to encourage a quick sale. Redrow even contribute to fees – and even though we were let down three times by buyers, we were kept up to date with all that was going on.”
Other than hiccups selling their old property, the Redrow quality was evident throughout the buying process from the build to the support from the sales team and beyond, Tony says.
“We love our new home and it’s definitely the place we can look forward to retirement in.”
Daresbury Garden Village, off Delph Lane, will eventually feature 800 three, four, and five-bedroom homes across 120 acres with open spaces and play areas.
To find out more about Daresbury Garden Village, visit our website or call
