The couple had lived in the ‘idyllic’ cottage for four years when they decided they wanted to go back to ‘what they knew’ and started to look at new homes.
When they discovered Redrow’s Heritage Collection at Worden Gardens, they knew they’d found the best of both worlds – traditional architecture with all the benefits and energy efficiency of a new home.
“We had always lived in a new build before purchasing the cottage,” said Ian, 63.
“We were proud to own the cottage and felt very obliged to look after it. But it came with its struggles, condensation, not enough space and a lot of money to upkeep.
“We spent between £80,000 and £100,000 to replace the kitchen, two bathrooms, rewire the whole property, and add a new garage and home study. Everything that we had to spend on at the cottage we knew would already be included in a new build.
“So, we went back to what we knew. With a new Redrow home we could still put our own stamp on it, but without the price tag of replacing everything. We’d also have much more space, good insulation and all the modern tricks of the trade.”
Ian, a consultant, and Nic, an area business manager, first started house hunting in Burscough and visited a Redrow development, setting their sights on the homebuilder’s four-bedroom ‘Oxford’ style property.
“Unfortunately, there wasn’t an Oxford show home for us to view in Burscough but there was one in nearby in Leyland, so we hopped in the car and visited the Worden Gardens development,” said Ian.
“We viewed the Oxford show home and loved it. Whilst I was still chatting to one of the sales consultants Yvonne, Nic went and drove into the development and saw a half-finished Oxford. She phoned me and said we have to buy this house. She loved the development.
“For a new development it is big, has lots of green space, trees, bushes and it looked like a lot of the original land has been well looked after and maintained. It is quiet and peaceful too.
“We hadn’t even looked at Worden Gardens before that day, but we felt its rural feel instantly, whilst also not being far from civilisation!”
But it wasn’t all plain sailing, and soon the couple found themselves in a chain with six other buyers.
“It got a little stressful and only a matter of weeks before completion our buyers pulled out. Luckily for us we had Redrow to support us, Yvonne was so very helpful and kept me in the loop throughout the process as well as keeping me calm! We used Redrow’s recommended estate agents who were great and also used Redrow’s Help to Sell agents – Home Solutions. Gina and the team were fantastic.”
Redrow’s Help to Sell scheme has been set up to support buyers with a home to sell. The scheme makes the process of selling an existing property simple, as Redrow will work with agency partners to manage much of the process on the customer’s behalf.
A few months later the couple completed their sale and made the move to Worden Gardens, located on Leyland Lane. Set amid open countryside, residents are able to enjoy the best of both worlds with easy access to nearby towns and cities plus Worden Park right on the doorstep.
Leyland has excellent commuter links, just six minutes to Preston by train, and both Liverpool and Manchester can be reached by direct trains in 45 minutes from Leyland Station or 30 miles by road.
The development features a range of three and four-bedroom properties all from Redrow’s traditionally styled Heritage Collection. Including Ian and Nic’s property The Oxford.
The property boasts an open plan kitchen / diner area, a separate lounge, cloakroom and utility. Upstairs there are four bedrooms, the main bedroom has its own en-suite and there is also a family bathroom. Prices currently start from £392,000.
“We were drawn to the Oxford for number of reasons, we wanted a four-bedroom house, as we needed a study each and we also wanted a spare room. We love the kitchen/dining area which opens out into our south facing garden.”
Just a few months after moving into their new home Ian found an unexpected purpose for the kitchen/ dining area.
“I broke my leg playing football so found myself living in the kitchen/dining area,” said Ian.
“I had the space for a king size bed and was able to use the downstairs toilet and utility area. It was great to have this space downstairs to recuperate.
“We love our home; we fell for it as soon as we saw it. We’ve had the best service from Redrow from start to finish. I can’t recommend the team enough.”
To find out more about Worden Gardens call the team on 01257 581698 or visit www.redrow.co.uk/wordengardens