A Step Up The Ladder In Time For Christmas

The Casey/Malone family; mum Dawn, dad Jamie and sons Jamie, 10, and Thomas, 4, along with two-year-old Jack Russell Duggee, were already no strangers to a Barratt home.

The family has been living at the housebuilder’s ‘The Strand’ development in Portobello for the past three years in a three-bedroom apartment a stone’s throw from Edinburgh’s only beach.

After initially being drawn to The Strand from Barratt Homes because of the location, the beach, surrounding amenities and great schools, after moving in, it was the sense of community within the development that cemented the family’s desire to really make a home there after forming a close-knit group of friends and socialising at the communal green space.

However, when the pandemic hit, so too did the desire for a garden space for the active family to call their own. After falling in love with the location and the quality finish of their apartment, they didn’t want to compromise or move away from The Strand, so, having already built a great relationship with the Barratt sales advisors, Dawn looked into what larger properties were becoming available in new phases. Dawn and Jamie quickly fell in love with the ‘Coull’; a stylish three-bedroom home with the coveted private garden space.

Due to the huge popularity of the development, Dawn had the sales team “on speed dial” and luckily managed to reserve a plot amid high competition – with Barratt even helping them find a rental apartment to move into while their new build completed. Dawn described the whole experience as “smooth, with great communication with the sales team who are always on hand to answer any questions and accommodating with any last-minute changes we made to our upgrades.”

The great thing about a new home is not only the peace of mind of a 10-year National House Building Council (NHBC) warranty, which provides decade-long protection for the building and foundations, but also that the fixtures and features are completely customisable as well as being covered under a two-year warranty. Just some of the additions Dawn and her family made were upgrading the kitchen to include a dishwasher and fridge freezer, tiling, mirrors and towel heaters in the bathroom and cloakroom, flooring throughout the home and the addition of an outside light fitting and tap.

And it’s been a Christmas gift come early, as the move-in date was brought forward from February 2022 to the end of November, and the family were able to enjoy their new home and additional space over the festive season. In the new year, Jamie has already set his sights on adding a bar at the bottom of the garden where he can enjoy summer cocktails with friends and family parties.

A range of two-bedroom homes with a bespoke design for Portobello are currently available at The Strand, and the two-bedroom ‘Ness’ show apartment is available to view by appointment. Prices start at £281,995.

Find out more about The Strand from Barratt Homes

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