Louis Massarella talks personal service, perfectionism and a passion for excellence at every stage of house building...
Please tell us a bit about your role and what a typical day at work looks like for you.
I joined the business back in 1996 after studying for a Quantity Surveyor degree and working in sales for three years at Connells. While I had a passion for property, I didn’t have much hands-on experience, so, when my father invited me to come and work at Cadeby Homes, I became a ‘Jack of all trades’ and learnt a lot of skills on the job. As MD, the ability to be able to switch seamlessly from one task to the next is crucial, particularly in a smaller business.
The only part of my day that really remains the same is that I’m up early. I’m a hobby farmer, so, every morning, I’m up at 4.30am to get through my jobs on the farm. Then, from around 7am, I’m in the office at Cadeby Homes. Other than having some meetings in the diary, I never really know what I’m walking in to. One day I could be focussing on land acquisition and visiting potential new sites, and the next I could be setting the pricing structure for a new scheme, working on designs with the architects, or on-site helping to oversee the build process. This is the beauty of being part of a smaller company; you’re able to be part of every stage of the housebuilding process.
We only build between 25 and 35 new homes per year and I’m incredibly proud to say that I’ve met nearly every person that has purchased a Cadeby home since I’ve been MD. It’s this personal service that I believe makes such a difference and allows us stand out against larger housebuilders that aren’t able to do this. I’m a bit of a perfectionist so, for me, being able to show people round homes that I’ve lived and breathed for two years or more is my favourite part of the job.
Cadeby Homes is a family-run business, can you tell us about how the company got started?
My father started the company in 1984 and it has remained a family-run business ever since. We’re a family of farmers so my father was always very confident on the buying and selling side of the business. It was this, along with a passion for property, that made him first consider a venture into housebuilding. Similar to myself though, he didn’t have the hands-on experience of actually building houses. He therefore teamed up with a friend and it’s from there that Cadeby Homes grew.
Far from shying away from the hard graft, dad was there shovelling trenches for the homes on his first site; a group of three bungalows in Thringstone, north-west Leicestershire. A lot was learnt by working with the tradesman on site and it was only as the company began to grow that my father took on more of an office role.
35 years later and we’re currently submitting plans for our next development while still retaining our commitment to top quality and design. Since our inception, we’ve promised to put the same effort into our starter homes as our larger, luxury properties and we will continue to do this for as long as we’re building houses.
Do you think buyers benefit from purchasing from a local family who have grown up in the area?
Absolutely. We only take on sites that are located within 20 miles from our office in Cadeby. This means that we are guaranteed to know the areas in which we’re building, allowing us to choose prime sites as well as designing the right homes to suit the local community.
I know that every housebuilder will say their reputation is important but, when you’re only building on your own doorstep, it really is. I don’t want to walk into our local town and hear someone say that we’re not living up to our promises. We design and build our homes as if we are moving into them ourselves. In fact, I learnt a lesson very early on when I showed someone round and they finished the tour by saying they loved the home but there was nowhere to put their Hoover. She was right. Things have changed a lot since then and, if anything, now I’m a bit fastidious about ensuring all the finer details that make a place liveable are checked off – from places to put your Hoover, to including USB chargers by the beds and future-proofing technology. At each of our developments we learn from the last one and make changes that we know will meet the needs of our future homeowners.
You are launching an exciting new scheme of exclusive new homes in the coming weeks, can you tell us more?
I can tell you that we’ve never built anything like this before! The Bull in the Oak is a bit of a legacy project of ours. Located just outside the village of Market Bosworth in Western Leicestershire, the barn-style homes have a beautiful rural setting and have been designed to give a real wow factor – including curved roofs on our two largest properties.
We’ve taken the time to consider each home as an individual, resulting in unique characteristics that ensure each house offers something different, whilst retaining design qualities of traditional farm outbuildings. I particularly like the open plan kitchen and living area in the view home that we’re launching on 11 October. Having bi-fold doors on both sides of the room makes it an incredibly bright and open space, giving the home a contemporary and luxurious feel. I think people will fall in love with the window in the master bedroom too which covers the entire wall facing out to the fields; it really is rather spectacular.
The Bull in the Oak is something completely different for us and I’m really excited that we’re now nearing the stage where people can see the first completed home for themselves.
Why did you decide to go with the innovative Dutch barn design for these houses?
We wanted to create a talking point. There are a lot of good builders out there but we wanted to deliver something that really stood out.
So why choose Dutch barns to do this? Prior to us building on the site, there were some old farm outbuildings there, including a Dutch barn. We considered transforming the original buildings but the conversion wouldn’t have had the same effect as building something new so we worked with HSSP architects to design something that we believed would offer a truly luxurious and special home. There are very few Dutch barns in the UK and I think there’s only one other in Leicestershire so these really are pretty unusual.
Barns are also synonymous with having big open spaces and we have retained this feature in the layout of all our homes. Each property has a signature open plan kitchen with bi-fold doors helping to open the house up onto the surrounding countryside. On a practical level, the curved metal roof on two of the properties has caused some headaches but it’s such a stand-out feature that the challenges we’ve overcome have been worth it. It would be very hard to walk round the house and fail to be impressed.
Who do you think these houses will appeal to?
To be honest, they appeal to lots of different people. The size of them is perfect for families as there’s plenty of space, whether you have younger children who need a playroom or teenagers who want some privacy. We’ve also had interest from downsizers who are moving from large manor houses and want the convenience and maintenance that a new build home offers. They tick the box for anyone looking for a rural home but with easy transport links to Birmingham too. Like I say, they really do appeal to lots of different people.
When you build houses are you mindful of how they will be integrated into the local community?
It’s certainly important when we’re designing new homes. At The Bull in The Oak for instance, we had to make sure that the new homes were in-keeping with a rural setting. To help keep the integrity of the countryside setting, each property benefits from views over 10 acres of farmland which we have no intention of building upon, and clients have the option of purchasing more land if they wish.
As a company, are you conscious of the environmental impact of your new build properties?
We’ve always been conscious of the environmental impact of our developments. In recent years, it’s become more of a focus for our homeowners too. All of our homes are designed to include the latest technology which ensures that the properties run more efficiently and therefore reduce their impact on the environment, with the latest insulation techniques and products.
What is the most important piece of advice you could offer to somebody looking to buy a new build property?
Buy a house from Cadeby Homes! In all seriousness I’d advise you to shop around; it’s the best way to see what separates one housebuilder from another. Visit a few developments and try to imagine your day-to-day life. Does the house you’re looking round work for you on a practical level? You want to buy from a builder who takes real pride in their work and can answer all your questions about the property. Don’t be scared to ask questions.
And lastly, what’s next for Cadeby Homes?
We’ve got two new sites that we’re currently working on. The first is adjacent to our office in Hugglescote and consists of 49 homes in a mix of two-, three- and four-bedroom designs. The other is a smaller scheme of just four, four-bedroom detached homes in Stanton-under-Bardon. We’re currently working on the plans for both schemes with a view to launch them next year.