Daniel and Lisa Williams, along with their three daughters – Ashleigh, nine, Amelia, six, and Josie, three – moved into their new Bovis Homes property at Vistry Group’s Cotterstock Meadows location in Oundle in December, having realised the energy savings they could enjoy in a modern, highly insulated brand-new home.
Previously living in a five-bedroom house in Orton Northgate, Peterborough that was nearly 20 years old, they had been looking for a more peaceful place to live for a while when they found Cotterstock Meadows.
Lisa, an account manager, said: “We originally did not want to buy a new-build home as I liked the design of older homes. However, after finding out about the energy efficiency and insulation of new homes, my opinion quickly changed.
“After living in the Birch for just over a month, we have already noticed how well-insulated the home is compared to our previous house. Due to this, we are not having to turn the heating on as much, therefore lowering our energy bills.”
When they started searching for a new house, the couple knew they wanted to keep the same amount of space for their three girls and for Daniel to work from home. They initially visited the show home at Vistry’s Judith Gardens location, in nearby Sawtry, and spoke to some of the buyers at the development.
Daniel, a programme manager, said: “We were genuinely impressed with Judith Gardens. The site was well looked after, and the buyers had only positive things to say.
“We quickly identified the Birch as the perfect-sized house for us. The home has its own office downstairs, which we have turned into a playroom for our girls, while I have transformed one of the upstairs bedrooms into an office for myself.
“Having the ability and space to change rooms around and make a playroom for our girls certainly highlighted the extra benefits that came with this house. The kitchen and dining space is ideal for entertaining, whilst the double garage also helps with storing away items that we don’t need out day to day.”
Lisa added: “I was specifically impressed with the open-plan kitchen and the bi-fold doors. It makes the home feel much more spacious. This, combined with the large windows and high ceilings, makes our home feel much bigger and brighter than our old one, even though it is a similar size.
“Our girls love the island in the kitchen. They have hours of fun running around it and playing all sorts of games. The house is great for our lifestyle. We love to entertain for our family and friends, so having a big enough space for that was a must.”
Another important factor when choosing their next house was its location, in particular its proximity to primary and secondary schools, with Ashleigh due to move up to secondary school in the next two years.
Daniel said: “There is a primary school a short walk from the site, and a secondary school very close by too. Lisa is able to drop the girls off at school on the way to work which is very suitable.
“As well as nearby schools, we also have a library just down the road, as well as a Co-op, Tesco and Waitrose all less than a five-minute drive away. We used to drive from our old house to Barnwell Country Park with the girls to feed the ducks – now it is on our doorstep, and we love visiting it on weekends.”
Lisa added: “There are also some great pubs just a few minutes’ from the site. The George Inn is just a five-minute walk from us and they do live band nights as well as having a play area for the kids.
“Beans Coffee Stop also does great milkshakes – a lovely Saturday morning treat. There is also Oundle Fitness Gym which Dan has been going to. He loves the convenience of how close it is.”
The couple were impressed by the customer service they received from the site team and sales advisors at Cotterstock Meadows.
“It was second to none,” said Lisa. “Tom and Hollie were very helpful. They set up a WhatsApp group chat with us where they kept us informed and updated with photos of the build progress.
“Hollie went out of her way to measure the back garden herself, allowing us to understand its full measurements. The team was also fantastic at making sure we were all moved in before Christmas, which with having three young children, was very important to us.
“The site team have also been very present. Pete and Chris continue to ask us how we are getting on now that we have moved in, and any issues we had were promptly fixed.
“We would highly recommend Bovis Homes properties at Cotterstock Meadows. The houses are all built to such a high standard, the staff have been very reassuring throughout, and our buying process could not have been smoother.”
