Space is Everything for Petersfield New Home Buyers
Space is Everything for Petersfield New Home Buyers
Alderbrook is set in Petersfield in the South Downs National Park and will comprise 82 contemporary and energy-efficient two, three and four-bedroom houses, including social housing for rent and shared ownership. The homes have underfloor heating and are fitted with photovoltaic roof panels which aim to generate at least 10% renewable energy. Completion of the development is anticipated to be in 2025. The homes range from 960 to 1974 sq ft and prices are in the region of £500,000 to £995,000.
Chris Moore and Mikala Kennedy needed more space for their family of four but thought they would need to move to a more established house out of town to meet their needs. One chance look at the Kebbell new homes on offer in the area changed their minds and they realised their dream home was a new Kebbell home. At a time when Kebbell celebrates 50 years as a housebuilder in the South Downs area, we asked Chris how it all came about.
Why were you looking to move?
“We bought our last house when it was just my wife and myself and it was small but suited us. Then our two children came along so we were driven by the need for more space. We had also changed jobs, so we had a bigger budget than before.
What were you looking for in your future home?
It boiled down to one main need, space. We were looking for a bigger sized garden, four bedrooms and ensuites. The house we put on the market was a relatively new build and whilst we did enjoy the freshness of that sort of property, we expected our next home would need to be a little more established and we would need to live further out of town to be able to afford the things we wanted, including more space. My wife then suggested we arrange a viewing at Kebbell’s Alderbrook development just to ‘take a look’. We were completely caught off guard. We never thought we would find a property that ticked all our boxes, within our budget and in our first-choice area. We also realised that a well-designed new home with a kitchen island and an ability to entertain in the kitchen, as well as efficient underfloor heating and solar panels, were too good to pass up. I kept thinking “What’s the catch?” but there hasn’t been one!
Did you find the ‘looking for a new home’ process easy?
The selling process was awful – we had two years of false starts on that front, but the buying process with Kebbell made it easier because we weren’t buying from another person where anything could happen and the sale could fall through. All we had to do was put down our reservation fee. It reduced the stress of the whole situation and all we needed to focus on was making sure our sale went through. A cash offer was placed on our house. Four days later we viewed our future Kebbell home and made an offer. Five months later we moved into our brand-new home. It was obviously meant to be!
Did you want to be in the area in particular?
We really didn’t believe we could meet all our needs in a house in Petersfield, so it has been incredible to remain here. We love living at Alderbrook because we go to town a lot with our young children, which is a fifteen-minute walk away. It is the perfect area; there is a lovely feel to it. Alderbrook is set in a wooded environment and next to playing fields, which is great for the children. We regularly take the kids swimming at the leisure centre which is three minutes down the road, and I also play football on a Tuesday there. We are right on the edge of town near the river with endless walking paths to the South Downs to take our golden retriever. There is a lovely riverside path to the edge of town and the kids can safely jump on their bikes. It is such a stress-free perfect area with so many options and we don’t have to drive everywhere.
What do you think are the best features of the house and what is the one thing you can’t live without?
My wife loves her walk-in wardrobe! The house feels like a nice, well-finished, spacious house which we can be proud of. We do a lot of entertaining now which we didn’t have the space to do in our previous home. We have created a play area at the end of the lounge which is invaluable because we can keep an eye on the children playing whilst we are cooking at the other end of the room.
How important were green credentials to you?
We are definitely eco-conscious people, so green credentials are becoming increasingly more important. Once you have a home that looks at that I suspect it is hard to go back to any other way of living. We are embracing it. I love the underfloor heating and solar energy – they are so efficient and although we are in a much bigger house our bills are lower than they would have been in an older house. We enjoy small wins like putting the washing on when the sun is out to save energy (and money). There is a car charging point for the future so maybe we will utilise that next.
How have you personalised the house?
My wife’s family were coming over from Australia to spend Christmas with us last year, which forced us to get things finished very quickly! We had never felt able to host Christmas before as the space just wasn’t there, but now that we could, we wanted the house to look great! We are very fortunate in that some of our best friends own an interior design company and they have helped us out. The house is quite contemporary and neutral although our daughter’s room is like an ice cream parlour! We have then added pops of colour where we can, for example, yellow detail on the kitchen tiles and a mustard sofa in our ‘adult-only’ lounge. As dog lovers, there are also illustrations of our various dogs from over the years scattered about the house.
Do you enjoy a sense of community?
The community at Alderbrook is just getting started. We were the first buyers, so it is so nice to be part of something where you are all coming together in the area at the same time. The community WhatsApp group has now been started and lots of people seem to be dog owners too so that’s another thing many of us have in common.
Could you make any choices about the specifications of the property?
We were happy with the Kebbell standard because everything was finished so nicely. The granite work surfaces and induction hob were already in. We were the first buyers, so we got to choose from the three completed houses and each one was slightly different, from the colour of the flooring to the cabinets. I prefer not to have had to make too many decisions both because the developers are the experts but also because, when given a choice, it is always tempting to hold back on things that you later realise are invaluable.
What has your experience with Kebbell been like?
Very good honestly. We had a very long snagging list for our last home and constantly found ourselves fighting with them to get things fixed. With Kebbell, the whole experience was slick and professional. We were invited to point out any snagging before we moved in so it could be dealt with before our arrival and we have two years to request fixes of any future snagging, so we don’t need to rush around looking for issues. They are very friendly. Katie, the sales manager comes round for a cup of tea and a chat and to ensure we are happy.”
For an appointment - 020 8901 8738 / alderbrook@kebbell.co.uk
