Dream Home Relocating For Daughter’s Education
A couple have relocated 100 miles from Nottingham to Gloucester so that their daughter can attend one of the well-regarded state grammar schools in the area – and they are delighted with the new home they purchased.
Shalini Gowda and Pradeep Prabhu bought a four-bedroom detached house on the Ashberry Homes at Pirton Fields development in the village of Churchdown – and they say it is the best thing they have ever done.
The pair, who are both software engineers, were keen for nine-year-old Pratyusha to have a grammar school education – something that wouldn’t be possible in Nottingham, where there are no state-funded grammar schools.
After researching schools all over the country – and having set their hearts on buying a new build property – Shalini, 37, and Pradeep, 40, found that Pirton Fields fitted the bill perfectly.
Shalini said: “Last January, we talked about Pratyusha’s secondary education as she was getting to the age where we had to set out a plan for her. We decided that a grammar school would be the best fit for her and give her the best chance to set her up for her future.
“We did our research and discovered that there are four state grammar schools within easy reach of Gloucester and Cheltenham, so we looked at that area for new build homes. Quite quickly, we saw that Ashberry Homes was building in Gloucester and that the development was actually between the city and Cheltenham. This was perfect because it brought both places into range for a school.”
The couple had been renting a new build property in Nottingham and decided very early on that they wanted to buy new too.
Shalini said: “We know how energy efficient new build homes are and that is an important consideration these days with the price of electricity and gas. We also wanted a home that would be low maintenance.”
Shalini and Pradeep also decided they needed a four-bedroom house as they both work from home and each wanted a dedicated home office – a luxury they didn’t enjoy in their three-bedroom semi-detached house in Nottingham. They booked an appointment to view the four-bedroom ‘Ophelia’ show home at Pirton Fields and instantly knew it was the perfect home for them.
“We spoke to Jo, the sales advisor, and told her we wanted to reserve an ‘Ophelia’ on the site. Jo was brilliant and just took control of the whole house-buying process and made things incredibly easy and straightforward for us. We were both busy with work and were only able to travel down once to see how the housebuilding programme was going but Jo kept us informed on every step of the journey. She used to send us regular photo updates and even went into our house when it was nearly finished to FaceTime us as she walked through the house. It was very exciting.”
Moving in
Shalini, Pradeep and Pratyusha moved into their new home in November.
“This is the first house we have bought and because we got to choose things like the flooring and tiles and kitchen cupboards and worktops, it really feels like our home, with our stamp on it already. When we got the keys for the first time and walked through the hall into the kitchen, I could scarcely believe my eyes. It looked so beautiful and absolutely perfect. As we walked around the rest of the house we just kept smiling to each other. The house far exceeded our expectations. We were blown away.”
Shalini loves her new kitchen/dining area which gives her the ideal space to entertain friends and relatives. “It is my favourite part of the house,” she said. “The kitchen/diner is incredibly spacious. There’s a breakfast bar and a table and chairs and the whole room is filled with lots of natural light from the window and the huge French doors that lead out into the back garden. What I also love is that fact that we have a utility room which allows us to do the washing without it impinging on what is happening in the kitchen.
“Pradeep is happy that we both now have our own dedicated office space at home. This means we can have the privacy and quiet we need to work but we can also shut the doors at the end of the working day and switch to our family life.
“At the old house, Pradeep used the spare bedroom as a home office while I had to set up a table and laptop in my daughter’s bedroom. It was far from ideal for both of us and it is lovely that she now has her own bedroom all to herself and does not have to share her space with me.
“Pratyusha is delighted with her new bedroom and it is wonderful to see. Everything is new and she spends hours up there, relaxing, playing and looking out of her window. There are some children her age on the development and she has already made friends with them and they play together.”
The couple say they are looking forward to exploring the area around their new home: “Gloucester and Cheltenham are both charming and we have found some lovely restaurants already but we also enjoy wandering around the development and the surrounding countryside. A cycle track is being built which will link all the way from Cheltenham to Gloucester and will be just minutes away from our house. That will be fantastic as it means we can explore both places and get lots of exercise into the bargain.
“This move is the best thing we have ever done as we are in our dream home, in a lovely part of the country, with a number of grammar schools within easy reach. Everything is perfect.”
There’s currently a choice of two-, three- and four-bedroom homes available to reserve at Pirton Fields, with prices starting at £267,995. Find out more at /www.ashberryhomes.co.uk.
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