Mel Kerrison and Gareth Bunston are full of the joys of spring having moved into their new terraced home at Equestrian Walk at the beginning of March.
The couple, who have been together for 12 years, are the first residents, along with their dachshund, Buddy, to move into one of the Bewley’s Garden Village Collection two-bedroom contemporary homes.
They were renting in Bracknell for eight years when they began their search to buy their first property together. They visited Equestrian Walk back in October 2020 and did not hesitate to make a reservation off-plan. Timing is everything and the couple took advantage of the Help to Buy scheme and also benefited from the Stamp Duty holiday.
Mel said: “The sales team at Bewley seemed to make everything just fall into place, so we found buying our first home stress-free and just really exciting.”
Mel is a Bid Manager for an IT systems company. Since the pandemic, she has been working from home and will continue to do so after lockdown. She has found that having generous double bedrooms of equal size in their new house has made it ideal for creating a home office area in the second bedroom, whilst still having ample space for a double bed.
Mel said: “Both our bedrooms are really well proportioned. Our master bedroom has lots of practical storage with built-in wardrobes and ensuite bathroom. The floorplate of the second bedroom is actually even bigger and means I have a great home office space but the room can still work as a bedroom. Having my office upstairs works really well as it means I can switch the laptop off, close the door, forget about work and come downstairs to relax in the living room or have a glass of wine in the kitchen/dining room and chat as we cook.”
Mel and Gareth were impressed with the amount of upgrades that were included in their purchase price, from designer Silestone worktops, integrated washer/dryer and appliances, blinds and shower screen in the bathrooms to Kardean flooring downstairs and new carpets upstairs.
Gareth added: “We have everything we need and we love the layout of this house and having the landscaping and greenery all around the development is excellent.”
Outside, the new homeowners are delighted with the safe and secure 6ft fenced private garden with doors leading from the kitchen which gives Buddy the outside space to explore. Self-employed gardener, Gareth said: “I’m going to be kept busy putting our creative garden plans into action!”
Both Mel and Gareth cannot get over how warm their new home is. Despite some chilly days and nights in early March, the couple have ‘found it so toasty’ even with the thermostat set at 18 degrees centigrade. They said: “We’ve noticed that the whole house remains warm and is also so quiet compared with our previous rented property. We think the energy-efficient construction and amount of insulation have really made a difference.”
Equestrian Walk, built on the site of a 112-year-old garrison and former veterinary hospital, blends the best of 95 acres of green open space including ponds, walking routes, cycle trails, sports pitches, outstanding local schools and amenities, with the convenience of living within easy access of the M4 and the towns of Shinfield, Wokingham and Reading with fast rail links into London.
Elaine Stratford, sales and marketing director at Bewley Homes, said: “It’s exciting to have first-time buyers like Mel and Gareth beginning a new life here. Families, professionals and downsizers are attracted to the rural aspect yet with proximity to the town centre and good links into London. Arborfield has good schools and benefits from a local store, a farm shop selling fresh local produce, lovely pubs and brings the community the best of town and country living.”