Celebrating 35 Years Of Building New Homes

Story Homes’s founding chairman, Fred Story, and CEO, Colin Wood, tell us what lies in store over the next 10 years.

Firstly, congratulations on 35 years of Story Homes, how does it feel?

Fred Story (FS): It’s of course something I’m very proud of. It’s gone by in the blink of an eye and when you look at the business we’ve built today it’s hard to believe it all started from my kitchen table.

Fred, you first founded Story Construction from your home in Carlisle, can you tell us how it all began?

FS: Although I founded Story Construction in 1987, it really started eight years earlier after l graduated from university. I got married and built an extension on our family home, for which I received a £4,000 ‘housing improvement’ grant from the government. I used this money to buy a small, terraced house which I renovated at nights and weekends and sold for £11,000. I then bought another house for £11,000, renovated this one and sold it on for £54,000. I then bought a farmstead – I converted the barn into a house and within the grounds I built four houses. This gave me the cash and the confidence to start Story Construction and to start building new houses, as well as getting onto tender lists to carry out civil engineering contracting. During this period, we got married and had our three small children, and the reason I was able to be 100% focused on my work was because of my wife. Whilst I was working all hours of the day renovating homes and building the business, she was taking care of the family and everything at home – I couldn’t have done it all without her support.

Fred Story in the company's early days

Story Homes was launched in 2001, was it always your plan to move into building homes?

FS: We were building houses before we became a contracting business, so it was always our plan to become a housebuilder – it’s what we did from the very beginning but we gave it the stand alone Story Homes brand name in 2001.

Colin, you have a long association with Story Homes and were appointed as CEO in 2021. Where do you see the company 35 years from now?

Colin Wood (CW): I think 35 years is really too long of a period to predict. Certainly, for the next 10 years our aim is to grow the business to deliver over 2,000 homes a year. We see customers advertise their property on the second-hand market as ‘Story built’ because our brand is synonymous with quality – I would really like to see us retain this reputation as the business continues to expand. We’re a family-owned business and we pride ourselves on our great relationships with suppliers, contractors and landowners and as the business grows this will only get stronger.

Story Homes builds new homes in the north of England and in Scotland; how have those areas been performing recently?

CW: Three years ago we created a new portfolio of house types based around the kitchen/family/dining area being at the heart of the home, with features like kitchen island units and access to the garden via bi-fold doors which extend the inside of the home to outside. When the pandemic hit and customers re-examined what they wanted from a home, demand for our product rocketed and while the wider market may have fluctuated slightly over time, our homes are still selling off plan and the business has not carried any stock units for the last 24 months.

You offer a range of schemes for buyers: Home Move scheme, Part Exchange, Early Bird and Help to Buy; which ones are proving particularly popular at the moment?

CW: When it was announced that Help to Buy was ending, like other builders, we had concerns about the impact on our business. But while the mortgage market has been good and interest rates have been low, people haven’t really needed to make use of Help to Buy or our other purchasing schemes. The market will change over time and we may find that the schemes grow in popularity again, so it’s good to have them as an option for our customers who want to make use of them.

You’re proud that 97% of your buyers say they’d recommend Story Homes, why do you think this is?

CW: Our people are key to this. Our homes are beautifully designed with high-quality materials, but when you read the reviews and feedback from our customers, it’s largely about their positive experience with our staff. We recruit, retain and recognise people with our core business values of Quality, Passion and Customer Focus and One Team and if they don’t show these values, they’re not the right fit for Story Homes. Because of the scale of our business our leadership is hands on, and we have a strong relationship with all members of staff; this has created a business that we’re all highly invested in and very proud of.

Can you tell us a little about the schemes you’re marketing, currently?

FS: We have around 30 live developments plus a strong land pipeline which includes exciting opportunities in new areas for us, such as Wilmslow. One of our key priorities has always been to reinvest the profits we make back into the business, and we do this by acquiring new land to secure our long-term growth plans. We’re seen as a trusted partner to landowners and land agents, and this is key to helping us create a sustainable business for the next 10, 20, 35-years.

Fred, what are you most proud of about the Story Homes story?

FS: I’m really proud that after 35 years of continuous growth, we still have the opportunity, team and drive to continue this. I’m more confident of our future growth and success than I’ve ever been. We build 1,000 homes a year and the quality of these homes is as good now as it was when we were building just five homes 35 years ago. We have a strong brand and a good reputation with employees, landowners and customers – how could l not be proud of that.

And finally, do you have advice for young buyers in the current market?

CW: People often grow out of their first home very quickly so when choosing a home my advice would be to really think about how you want to live once you’ve moved in. Does the home offer the flexible opportunity for you to grow and change the space within the home as your personal life develops? Does it offer space to start a family, work from home or entertain friends? Hopefully a Story home can!

Find out more at www.storyhomes.co.uk.