Past masters

By Jane Slade
Posted: 2010/03/16

Forget square boxes in steel and glass and Legoland villages, home buyers want houses that reflect traditional values

AT LAST a house builder is reacting to what customers want and building the kind of homes we want to live in: ones with brick w windows. In other words houses that have character and individuality; the kind of homes we grew up in.

"The average British home buyer has conservative tastes with a small c, " says Stuart Norton, director of design for Redrow, which has just unveiled its New Heritage Collection, a set of 34 different brick and render homes inspired by great architects of the past like Sir Edwin Lutyens and Richard Norman Shaw.

"These customers don't want modern, statement-making architecture that could look dated in just a few short years, " he says.

"They have seen how original character homes have stayed in demand, held their value over the years and want the same reassurance in their own homes."

Redrow has planning consent for developments in Elmet, North Y orkshire; Chorley, Lancashire; Ty Newydd, Wrexham; Caerphilly and Liverpool. Plans are to build more houses in Bristol, Berkshire, Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire and Scotland.

So confident is Redrow of its old-fashioned brand that half of all the homes it is building this year will be from its New Heritage Collection.

"When asked to pinpoint homes that appealed to consumers most, they chose those from the middle 1800s to early 1900s or properties from the Twenties and Thirties inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement, " says Mr Norton.

"It is a style that has proved to be popular and enduring, creating properties that are practical, homely and with the overriding impression that they are built to last."

It is not just older home buyers looking for a nod to the past.

Younger buyers such as Joy and David Edmunds, both 37, want a traditional style house, too.

They have swapped their 125-year-old terraced house in Liverpool for a three-bedroomed detached home at Cressington Heath near Garston that comes with bay windows, larch lap boarding and leaded windows.

The big difference with their Redrow roost is the modern spacious, bright interior, contemporary kitchen and modern bathrooms and much-improved insulation.

"Not only is our new home very affordable it should also be cost effective in the long run, " says Joy, who is a John Lewis sales assistant.
"There were no nasty surprises in the shape of unexpected repair bills and all the benefits of modern insulation and energy efficiency to help keep fuel bills in check."

HOWEVER, the reason they bought it was its design. "It's got so much character for a new home, " Joy says.

The couple wanted a traditional-style home that didn't cost as much to maintain as their century-old property.

"We have saved people the trouble of buying an original character home and spending a fortune ripping it to pieces to create a modern interior, " says Mr Norton.

Joy and her husband David, a medical courier, bought their £161,494 home, which has a garage and garden, off-plan and are moving in on March 19.

"It really is our dream home, " says David. "Even the garage is too nice to keep my car in!"

MORE INFORMATION:
Redrow's Heritage Collection is a set of 34 different homes ranging from £161,495 for a three-bedroomed to £269,995 for a four-bedroomed family home being built on sites in England, Scotland and Wales.

For more information visit redrow.co.uk or call 0845 676 0400.