John and Samantha were keen to move home to give themselves more space and a place within the catchment area for the local high school and set their sights on our New Farnley based development Whitehall Grange.
“We made our first enquiry at the end of October and moved in on December 15,” says John, 39, a senior commercial manager for NHS Blood and Transplant.
“With part-exchange, Redrow bought our old house from us, so we had no sale chains, no estate agents and it was totally stress-free which, with busy jobs and two young children, was a definite bonus. It was all done and dusted so quickly; we can’t believe how easy it was. It was lovely having everything ready to just move straight in and be settled by Christmas – and the only big decision we’d had left was where to put the tree!”
John and Samantha, 38, a civil servant, have two children, Beatrice, 10, and Ted, 7. They had been living in a 1930s three-bedroom semi in Bramley, around three miles away from Whitehall Grange, which they’d renovated since buying it as their first home together in 2008.
“There were two reasons why we wanted to move. One was space. Sam works from home and, over Covid, I started working from home as well, and there just wasn’t enough room,” said John.
“Sam worked in our bedroom and I worked in the kitchen, and we wanted a better life/work balance with distinct office space for both of us. The second reason was that we will need to start applying for places at high school for Beatrice, and Whitehall Grange is within walking distance – and the catchment area – for Farnley Academy which has an outstanding rating, so it’s perfect.”
John admits that he had considered extending their old home or converting the loft.
“It was never going to be exactly the house we wanted whereas our new home is. If we’d been given a blank piece of paper and told to draw our ideal house, this is pretty much what we’d have done. It would never have been as efficient and economical as a brand-new home which has much better insulation and glazing. Before, we wouldn’t have considered a new home because we wanted a ‘character property’ but Redrow’s reputation and the fact that it was far more affordable than we’d thought was also a deciding factor. And we really liked the variety of homes on the development and the fact that they weren’t all the same; we loved the Heritage style – and the efficiencies we now know we’ll make.”
The couple purchased a Harlech four-bedroom detached property. Downstairs there’s a kitchen ad dining room with double doors leading into the garden, a spacious lounge and a second sitting room or study, as well as a handy utility and cloakroom.
Upstairs are four good-sized bedrooms, the main with en-suite, and a family bathroom.
“It was the two living rooms downstairs that sold it to us,” said John.
“We love the large kitchen which has room for a dining table, and the main lounge, as well as the family room/study which is my office. Me and Sam have the main bedroom – and having our own bathroom now is a game changer, that’s great. Bedroom two is Beatrice’s bedroom, bedroom four is Sam’s office and Ted chose the smaller bedroom at the back. I think he did that because he was at the front of the house before and, although it was a cul-de-sac, it wasn’t as quiet and peaceful as where we are now. What is nice is that we have the playing fields here and lots of green space, and we are surrounded by walks we actually found during the pandemic, so you feel like you’re in the countryside. And there’s a really nice chippy!”
Whitehall Grange, off Whitehall Road, will eventually feature 96 private sale homes and 18 affordable homes, with a collection of two, three, and four-bedroom semi-detached and detached properties currently starting from £277,000.
Situated five miles outside Leeds along the A58, the development is ideal for anyone wanting the best of both worlds, being close to the city centre and all that has to offer but having green space and woodland on the doorstep.
To find out more about Whitehall Grange and to view the show homes visit our website or call the sales team on
