Retired Couple Achieve Self-build Dream – After 45 Years!

Aug. 21, 2012 - PRLog -- A retired couple in Peterborough have achieved their lifelong ambition to build their own home.

Frank and Edwina Davies first talked about building their ‘dream’ home before they were married. Now, more than 45 years later, they’ve finally done it – and are the proud owners of a magnificent four-bedroom detached house in Hampton, Peterborough, one of the most sought-after locations in East Anglia.

Thirteen self-build plots, each over a quarter of an acre, have been provided by land owner and developer O&H Hampton along a winding lane named Winsor Crescent (www.ohland.co.uk) in Hampton Vale. Five plots have been sold and the Davies’s are one of two land purchasers who have already completed building work and moved into their stunning new homes.

“It may seem a madcap idea for a couple of our age but because we knew the location was right we bit the bullet and went for it,” said Edwina. “We’ve moved several times in our search for the ideal home. We’ve always wanted to build own our place so it was a case of now or never.”

Space was always an issue in their previous homes. Now they have four bedrooms (two with en suite facilities), a beautiful lounge, dining room, state-of-the-art kitchen, an office and various other areas which provide all the space they need to entertain friends and family.

The plots earmarked for self-build purchase overlook a nature reserve – home to Europe’s largest colony of great crested newts – on the northern edge of Hampton Vale West, three miles to the south of Peterborough.

All 13 plots come with the key services, including foul and service water drainage, already installed along with utility connections for drinking water, gas, electricity and telecommunications. A waste bin and utilities store are also supplied and each plot has a gated private driveway.
The thriving Hampton community has been built on a former brownfield site and offers residents the perfect balance of living, working, retail and open space. It is one of the safest and most environmentally-sustainable locations throughout Eastern England.

Roger Tallowin, general manager at developer O&H Hampton, said: “We have a long-term vision of development through providing the essential infrastructure that turns a development into a thriving, sustainable community. We see self-build homes as an integral part of that community.”

Frank and Edwina were among the 100,000 people in the UK who each year search online for plots of land to build their home. The Winsor Crescent plots are available for around £160,000 and are sold with outline planning permission.

Plot purchasers in Winsor Crescent are required to meet a design code drawn up by O&H Hampton and Peterborough City Council. This still offers them scope to create a unique style and the freedom to express their personalities in every aspect of their self-build projects.

After buying their plot, Frank and Edwina sold their property in Bedfordshire and moved into rented accommodation while their new home was being built.

They used a specialist design company to transform their ideas into detailed plans and then to manage each phase of the construction programme to ensure that materials were ordered and delivered on time.

The couple, both in their 60s, removed much of the debris and waste material by car, making hundreds of journeys to a local authority refuse tip. Frank said: “Despite the cost of petrol it was cheaper than hiring umpteen numbers of skips!”

They are delighted with their new home and Edwina added: “We’re proud of what we have achieved. Our friends thought we were too old to do this but we focused on what we would have at the end of all the hard work.

“Above all, we didn’t want to have kept saying in our dotage ‘we really wanted to build our house’. Now we don’t have to because we’ve done it!”

Roger Tallowin said: “I’m delighted that they have the property they’ve always wanted – a wonderful home designed and built to a large extent by themselves.

“We are delighted to welcome Frank and Edwina to Hampton. They are helping us to create a community which offers a range of housing to suit a range of needs.

“The plots in Winsor Crescent are ideal for people looking at opportunities to fulfill their ambitions in the self-build market who want to create something unique to reflect their own individual design, style and personality.”
For information about the availability of plots in Winsor Crescent visit  www.ohland.co.uk or call O&H Hampton on 01733 293220.