A couple in their 80s have opened up about life in their new-build home where 'everything sparkles'. Over the summer, Robert and Gloria Gee purchased a new two-bedroom bungalow in The Vale development by Bellway in Bottesford, just over the Nottinghamshire border.
The couple decided to downsize from their previous home in Whatton in the Vale, near Bingham. Their previous property was an extended 1960s bungalow that was larger than they needed and had a large garden that required a lot of work to maintain.
The pair has looked at a range of older and new build homes but were put off properties that weren't to the right standard or had things they would need to alter. Robert and Gloria decided on The Vale development as it was only five miles away from where they lived previously, and decided a new home meant they didn't have to worry about all the maintenance that an older house needs.
Read More: Price of boiling a kettle will rise next month as cost of living crisis continues
Gloria said: "It’s like taking on a new life. Everything sparkles and everything works."
The couple first looked around a show home at The Vale to get a feel for the quality and style of the properties Bellway is building at The Vale, and then examined the plans for the type of home they wanted and the layout of the development. Gloria said: “We saw the layout and the position of the property, and we just started looking at it and thought ‘oh yes!’”
She explained: “We wanted to stay in the area we know. It was a small development, and we liked the position of it, it’s still got a village feel to it.
"We have one or two friends that live in the village. There’s a lot to do here. It has a bus service; it has shops, and we are within walking distance of a shop.”
The pair were helped by sales advisor Vivien, who Robert said "couldn't have been any better." He added: “Bellway were brilliant, they did their job magnificently and everything came together very well."
A few weeks into living in their new home, Robert and Gloria are still impressed with the property. Gloria said: "It was better than we expected, and feels larger than we expected.
"Everything been so well finished. It’s been handed over in as-good-as-it-can-be condition. We couldn’t have designed anything better than it is.”
Gloria explained that the downstairs room that had been designated as a study could easily become a bedroom if required and that it had a toilet and shower room next to it.
They also noted that the staircase is straight up from the front door, so if a stairlift was ever needed, it wouldn’t be a problem to fit one. Gloria said their favourite room in the house was the "light and airy" kitchen.
She added: "It’s the whole width of the back of the house with a nicely fitted kitchen and a dining and seating area with French windows." Robert and Gloria have been getting out to explore the local area, and will be exploring walking routes with nearby friends.
They have also been getting to know their new neighbours, and like how the range of properties nearby means there is a mixture of people moving into the area. Gloria added: "It’s rather nice to be among younger people. People are always friendly and keen to speak.
"We get up each morning and think ‘ooh, we’ve got a new house!’ To come somewhere like this is brilliant.”
Robert added: "Everything is taken care of. Everything is new, there’s no thinking ‘this doesn’t work’ or ‘we have to paint that’. In an old house there’s always something you want to alter, but here we have no problems, nothing to worry about. It’s all taken care of.”
Read Next:
