Paul Coulson first laid eyes on Woodlark Chase, Lovell’s beautiful destination at Thornton Cleveleys on the Fylde Coast, while taking his golden retriever on a walk. For Paul, who had recently sold his home and had an offer for a second-hand property fall through, it was fate.
Paul Coulson, an engineer at a local biscuit factory, is now the proud co-owner of a two and a half-storey, four-bedroom Osbourne home. He lives at the development with his family support worker wife Lisa, daughter Lily, 16, son Oliver, 13, and of course, Harry the dog.
Paul kindly spoke to us about his experience of moving into the neighbourhood:
What attracted you to the two and half storey layout of the Osbourne house type?
The fact that we could have a four-bedroom home, within our budget, and in the area that we wanted, sealed the deal for my wife and me. We like that the home is spread across two and a half storeys giving us a feeling of space to grow as a family.
In our last home, we built upwards into the attic to create an additional bedroom with an ensuite. This allowed us to have the entire footprint of the house in one space, which we loved. We couldn’t believe that we could have this again without having to carry out the work ourselves. We have added built-in wardrobes which really make the most of the space on the top floor.
We were originally looking for a detached house as I was a little concerned about noise, but neither ourselves nor our neighbours have heard anything so semi-detached has really worked for us.
We also like the garden on this property which is the perfect size. Through Lovell, we arranged to extend the patio area before we moved in, so we are already prepared to enjoy the space in the summer for barbeques and outdoor dining.
What do you like most about Thornton Cleveleys?
It is a stunning location with beautiful walks nearby. You can go just outside of the development through to adjacent fields or head five minutes to the coast and the promenade.
I love the atmosphere at Woodlark Chase; it’s very peaceful, quiet, and friendly. You could hear traffic and people walking through the estate at our last home, but here it's completely different.
My family have all settled in well and we love it here. My son goes to a secondary school which is just a ten-minute walk away and has joined a local under 15s football club, and my daughter catches a bus to sixth form just up the road.
We have all the amenities we could need while still having the luxury of the coast nearby. Cleveleys town centre is less than a five-minute drive away with plenty of shops and cafés. There are some takeaways and a corner shop that are even closer.
The neighbours are great too. We have a Woodlark Chase Facebook group we all talk n - we’re even planning a street party for The Queen’s platinum jubilee. There is a great sense of community.
How did you find the buying process with Lovell?
We found the process straightforward. We had already sold our home and our plot had already been built, it just needed a few finishing touches. In our case we were able to move in after just six weeks.
Being able to move in quickly alleviated a lot of stress, and we were able to customise some of the items in the kitchen, bedrooms, and garden in the lead-up to the move.
Did you have any reservations about buying a new build property?
There are lots of scare stories out there about new build homes, but we had nothing to worry about with Lovell. We had a couple of small snags which are to be expected but these were identified by the Lovell team and were quickly rectified without any issues.
I think anyone moving into a new build should expect some small issues to iron out – you’ll find that this is normal with any new build. But also remember that it is highly likely that you would have issues at a second-hand property too, which are often very costly to fix, and the burden is left with you. The new build process gave us greater peace of mind.
We have had excellent communication with the Lovell team, who wanted to make sure that everything was as perfect as possible. I’m looking forward to spending many happy years here together with my family.
In 2021, Lovell Homes achieved a five-star rating with the Home Builders Federation and gold for customer service with In-house Research, meaning 93 per cent of customers would recommend Lovell to family and friends.
If you want to learn more about Woodlark Chase and our remaining Osbourne properties here: https://www.lovell.co.uk/developments/woodlark-chase/
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