University lecturer Stuart Finnerty put his professional skills into practice to analyse space and costs before buying a property from Castle Green Homes at Bridgewater View.
Built using a timber frame, with generous insultation, and highly efficient central heating, it’s so cosy he’s had to buy a thinner duvet
“Energy efficiency was a factor at the outset from a financial point of view as I had the confidence that while I was taking on a new mortgage, I wouldn’t have really high energy bills. It stays warm so easily it’s phenomenal. I’ve had to get a thinner duvet,” Stuart, 50, explained.
“One of the advantages is that there are solar panels on the roof, which contribute to the environmentally friendliness and should help keep my electricity bills down.”
Father-of-two Stuart previously lived in Warrington, around 10 minutes’ drive from Bridgewater View and started looking for a new home after a change in circumstances.
“My priority was finding a house that had space for the children to visit and room so I could work from home,” Stuart recalled.
“Location was important in terms of proximity to the children’s school and where I lived before. I also wanted to live somewhere with walks nearby and accessible transport links to Warrington and Manchester.”
He added: “I also wanted to be able to put my own stamp on the property and have the reassurance of knowing that it’s fundamentally sound, without the need for lots of repairs and renovations.”
Stuart looked at a range of homes including new builds and older properties before deciding to buy at Bridgewater View.
“I had spreadsheets analysing space,” Stuart said.
“What impressed me with Castle Green was the value they offered in terms of space, specification and quality.”
He initially planned to buy one of the show homes on phase one of the development, but he missed out when the sale of his property fell through.
“The experience I’d had with Castle Green made me want to go on and buy another house from them,” Stuart said.
Digital resources on the Castle Green website helped him decide exactly which home he wanted to buy.
“The Castle Green website’s great as you can effectively walk around the development and the individual homes, look at the specification details and test them out and measuring up to see where to put wardrobes,” Stuart added.
“It’s really accessible even down to the chat box out of hours. It’s really slick.”
Stuart’s new home is a four-bedroom detached Wentworth.
“There’s space for the children to have a bedroom each and for me to work from home. The utility means there’s a dedicated space for the washing machine and dryer freeing up plenty of space in the kitchen,” he explained.
“The garden is a good size without being too big.
“I’m very fortunate that the house is higher up, overlooking the countryside so I can look out at the sunset and fields.”
Stuart said being able to log minor snags on Willow, Castle Green’s virtual new homes assistant, and see progress updates gave him comfort.
“The team have been so responsive. I have confidence that any minor issues I’ve encountered have been dealt with,” he added.
Stuart said the new neighbourhood has a “nice, relaxed, community feel” and are already helping each other out with simple things like reminders about bin day.
Current prices at Bridgwater View start from £175,178 using the First Homes Scheme or from £344,995 on the open market.
Show homes are open daily from 10am to 5pm.