Perfect Home For Working And Relaxing

A Gloucestershire family have created the ideal multi-functional space for work and leisure in their brand-new home in Newent.

Joanne Lawrence and Gary Davies, along with their daughter Chloe, moved to Bellway’s Picklenash Grove development in November – and set about using the space in their new four-bedroom detached house to meet their needs as a family.

Joanne, 53, a personal assistant, and Gary, 51, who runs his own property maintenance company, specialising in floor and kitchen fitting, have already installed a fully functioning office in one of the bedrooms and arranged the garage for Gary’s business – as well as transforming their garden to make the most of their downtime.

Joanne said: “Straightaway we knew exactly what we wanted to do – we had designed everything that we needed including landscaping the back garden ourselves, extending and laying a new larger porcelain patio, setting up a summer house for the warm weather and making the garage a useable space for Gary’s business.

“I’ve been working from home throughout the pandemic and having the fourth bedroom as a modern-day office that can be used by all of us is really useful. It is a really convenient day-to-day space and has been a huge help to us since we moved in.”

The family downsized from their previous five-bedroom new build home in Longford, after Gary was made redundant just six months after buying the house there.

They have already experienced a range of benefits from their new location and have quickly settled into what is a much quieter community.

Joanne said: “Where we are now is much more peaceful and the development is a lot smaller. There is a real community feel to the place and it surprised me how much there is to do on your doorstep. There is a lovely walk along the canal with access to a nice reservoir which leads you out to open countryside. We also have a 28-mile-long cycle track which goes in all different directions. The post office is near to us and there is a lovely arboretum within a few minutes’ walk.”

The family fell in love with the views that their new detached four-bedroom home had to offer and have set their sights ahead for completing all the remaining work they want to do.

Joanne said: “The house is right at the end of a very small and quiet cul-de-sac, and it is secluded where we are and set away from the road. We are surrounded by beautiful countryside, and we were blown away by the view from our two main front bedroom windows overlooking the rolling hills when we first visited.

“We have plans for decorating the house but that won’t commence until next year. We do all our own interior design, including painting and wallpapering, which is all we really need to do to complete the house.”

As someone who has also worked in the housebuilding industry, Joanne could not fault the level of customer service she had experienced from Bellway and would recommend the development to anyone wanting to purchase a new-build house in the area. She said: “I have worked for new homes developers, and this is the fourth new home I have bought, so I have had experience from both sides of the process. I have been really happy with the level of service that the sales advisors, Holly and Sam, and the site manager, Alastair, have given to us. We were treated with a personal touch from start to finish.

“With a new property, you get a well-constructed home, and everything is brand new, including fixtures and fittings. It is easier to keep clean and maintainable and you will not have to deal with any damp. Older properties can sometimes be a money pit.

“When we had any questions in the meetings, the information was detailed, and we just had a positive experience throughout. I would recommend the developer as we are so happy with everything.”

With all homes now sold at Picklenash Grove, Bellway is building and selling new homes at its nearby Pirton Fields development in Churchdown, with prices starting from £279,995. The developer will shortly release homes for sale at its latest development, known as Sandalwood Green, in nearby Hempsted. Find out more at www.bellway.co.uk.

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