Newlyweds choose Eccleston as the perfect place to start their family
NEWLYWEDS Megan and James Butterworth traded in their first home for more space and a peaceful village setting—just in time to welcome their daughter, due in February.
Megan, 29 and James, 31 made the move from a dormer bungalow near Wigan to a four-bedroom house at Redrow’s new development, Woodland Chase, in Eccleston, Chorley.
“We knew of Redrow’s reputation and how they are a leader when it comes to the quality, character and finish of their homes. Redrow offer things like larger skirting boards and higher ceilings as standard, which makes the houses feel so much more luxurious,” said Megan, a key account manager.
“James grew up in a Redrow home and some of our family members currently live in Redrow properties, so we know the customer service and longevity of the homes is second to none.
“As for this specific development, we have always loved Eccleston and looked at houses in the area back in 2020 before we purchased our first house. We like how close the development is to the village and there are plenty of walks for our Labrador, Coco. We are also only 10 minutes away from our families.”
Located off Doctors Lane opposite Eccleston Cricket Club, Redrow’s Woodland Chase development will eventually consist of 65 homes from the homebuilder’s sought after Heritage Collection.
The development will offer residents the ‘best of both worlds’ with local amenities in the village of Eccleston and nearby towns of Chorley and Leyland as well as access to local green spaces and the surrounding countryside on the doorstep.
“We initially fell in love with the Marlow but did consider the Oxford and Overton as they have slightly bigger kitchens. However, we always came back to the Marlow, it ticked all our boxes, with a larger lounge and utility room, which is useful for the dog,” said Megan.
“All the bedrooms are a great size, and we loved the window at the top of the landing, which brings in loads of natural light. We could instantly picture ourselves living there.”
The Marlow boasts an open plan kitchen/dining area, with a separate lounge, utility and cloakroom. The first floor comprises four double bedrooms, an en-suite to the main bedroom and a family bathroom. Prices start from £470,000.
“James’ favourite room in the house is the lounge; he loves how spacious it feels and how big the window is. It also perfectly fits all our furniture from our old house, which is a bonus.” said Megan.
“My favourite is the utility. I love a functional space and organising things. The cupboard in there is massive and I can’t wait to fill it with clever storage solutions; very sad I know!
“I also love the landing, it’s so open, spacious and well thought out. Nothing feels like it’s been compromised in the Marlow. We’re so pleased with the layout of the whole house.”
The couple have already seen a reduction in their energy bills, which they have admitted was ‘a shock’.
“Our energy bills are a lot cheaper, which shocked us as our previous home was much smaller. We both work from home too, so electricity is being used all day,” said Megan.
“We love the underfloor heating (as does the dog), it releases a nice ambient heat through the house rather than the floor just feeling hot. We were a bit sceptical about the air source heat pump at first as we’d heard they can be noisy, but we’ve been pleasantly surprised, we’ve forgotten it’s even there now.”
The couple purchased their property ‘off plan’ before building works began at the development. Which meant they were able to visit their home during different stages of the build.
“We met with Andy the site manager and Wayne and Sam the deputy site manager who were so transparent about the build,” said Megan.
“They encouraged us to take pictures and videos and ask any questions. It was so interesting to see the bones of the house and again just proved to us to how reputable Redrow are as a builder.
“Our completion date was actually moved forward twice, which was great as we were so excited and eager to move in.”
And it was at this point the couple found out they were to be the very first residents to move into Woodland Chase.
“It’s been lovely being the first residents here and welcoming our neighbours onto the development,” said Megan.
“It was really strange at first, the area is so peaceful at night, so it took some getting used to. We’ve bumped into a few people whilst they’ve been looking around the development and it’s nice to answer any questions they have and offer our experience.
“People may think we’ve been planted here, as we only have nice things to say about Redrow!”
The homebuilder has developed and enhanced existing habitats across the across 7.5-acre site, including a pond, while trees and hedgerows have been retained where possible, including the large oak tree at the site entrance.
“There are always stressful parts to moving house but Redrow were, and still are, so welcoming and helpful,” said Megan.
“Jess from the sales team was an absolute joy to work with, she made everything so special, we received balloons and a welcome sign at our choosing appointment and were regularly sent over updates and pictures of the build progress.
“Since being in the house everyone on site is equally as helpful and friendly, they even know our dog by name and she’s welcomed the regular attention she’s getting,” added Megan.
“Leonie from the customer service team looked after us once we moved in and sorted out any snags for us, she even pointed out things that we missed, again showing how transparent Redrow are and how they genuinely want the best for their customers. Lastly, an honourable mention to Kieran the forklift driver, who is the friendliest person on site (and Coco’s favourite)!”
For further information on Woodland Chase visit www.redrow.co.uk/developments/woodland-chase-112830or call the team on 01257 581698.