Couple buy Wellingborough new-build instead of paying £82,000 for renovations to old Rushden house

Tracey and Mark Earwaker knew it was time to move when they were given a £82,000 estimate to finish renovations at their home.

Instead of having the work done at their old three-bedroom home in Rushden, they sold the property and moved into a new four-bedroom Pargeter home at Bellway’s Chestnut Vale development at Stanton Cross in Wellingborough.

Tracey, a 56-year-old hairdresser, said: “We wanted to extend the kitchen out, update the en suite, the main bathroom and the downstairs loo and were given a quote of £40,000 before the Covid lockdown.

"We put the idea on hold for bit but when we asked again, after the restrictions had been lifted, the cost had spiralled to £82,000.

“We wanted to live in a home which looked more modern and had more space but thought we would never get our money back on the huge investment in the renovations. That was the catalyst for us to make the decision to look for a new-build home instead.”

Tracey and Mark, a 54-year-old engineer, sold their former home in just 12 hours and started to search online for a new place to live.

They liked the look of a house at Bellway’s Hawthorn Place development at Stanton Cross but the site of the plot was not ideal.

They went on a 10-day holiday to Greece to think about things, and by the time they got back they were told that a few homes had come onto the market at nearby Chestnut Vale.

Tracey said: “We went along and spoke to the sales advisor in the Bellway sales office who said the houses had been released for sale just two days earlier.

"We loved the look of the four-bedroom Parteger, the plot where it was situated, and were pleasantly surprised at the price.

“The thought of living in a brand-new house was really exciting.

"We made an appointment to see the sales advisor again two days later and we reserved the house.

"It all felt like it was meant to be.

"She took control of the situation and she, and her sales colleague Rob, made the whole house-buying experience very smooth and incredibly easy for us.

"The site manager Martin and his team were also wonderful and went the extra mile for us.”

The couple, their seven-year-old miniature Maltese dog called Daisy and Tracey’s daughter’s 12-year-old Bichon Frise cross called Dory moved into their new home in January 2023.

Tracey said: “We absolutely love our new house.

“The space really works for us.

"Having four bedrooms means that I can take one of the spare bedrooms and use it as a dressing room.

"Even though I have done that we still have two spare bedrooms for guests to stay over.

“My favourite space is the huge kitchen/dining area which has French doors out into the garden.

"It was my birthday recently and we had the family over and we had 10 people sitting down to Sunday lunch in there and it did not feel cramped at all.

"It was wonderful and we can’t wait to do it all again in the summer with the doors open to the garden.

"Having bought off-plan we were able to put our own stamp on the look of the house.

"I know what I like and Bellway was brilliant in making that happen.

"I chose all the carpets and the flooring, I updated the kitchen appliances and worktops, upgraded the tiling in the en suite and the bathrooms and asked them to put a shower in the family bathroom.

"It really feels like this place has been designed just for us. It’s fabulous.”

As the couple have only moved five miles from their old home, they are in familiar territory and have stayed close to family and friends.

Tracey said: “One real advantage of moving here is that we can walk to the train station in 10 minutes and catch a train to St Pancras in London.

“This means we can go and see my son Jordan, who lives in Richmond, and we can organise a lot more trips to the West End to enjoy a meal and see a show.

“I have to pinch myself some days just to make sure that this is real.

"We have gone from the prospect of spending a fortune on renovations and having to exist in a building site at our old house to living in our own dream home.”

There is currently a selection of two, three and four-bedroom new homes available to reserve at Chestnut Vale, with prices starting at £250,000.

For more information about Chestnut Vale, visit https://www.bellway.co.uk/new-homes/northern-home-counties/chestnut-vale or call the sales team on 01933 558215.