New baby, new start for couple in Lanark

With a new baby on the way, Gayle and Alan Tait decided it was time for a new start so they swapped the hustle and bustle of Glasgow for the rural retreat of Lanark.

Redrow's Heather Lea development welcomed Gayle, 33, who works in research management at a university and Alan, 35, who is a HR manager; and shortly afterwards, the couple had a new arrival of their own - baby Carla.

Gayle said: "We moved because we liked the location of the development and thought it was a much nicer area to bring up a child. Lanark is a small town with a real sense of community and Heather Lea has a wonderful rural feel to it, but is still close enough to walk to all the local amenities such as the town centre shops and the schools."

More energy efficient, no costly upkeep, cheaper to run and kinder to the environment because of better insulation and more efficient heating systems, as well as being protected by the National House Building Council (NHBC) 10-year Buildmark Warranty, many buyers consider a new home to be a safer, more convenient investment than buying and renovating an old house.

Gayle agrees: "Having lived in a new home before, we had no doubt we wanted another one - it's low maintenance and we don't have to worry about many of the things that are often concerns with older properties such as upgrading."

The family bought a five-bedroom home in the Webburn design, which offers flexible accommodation arranged over three floors. The ground floor comprises a lounge, family room, fitted kitchen, separate dining room, utility room and cloakroom. The first floor is home to the master bedroom with en-suite bathroom, another two bedrooms and a bathroom. Two further bedrooms - one of which they use as a study and the other a guest room - and a shower room are located in the eaves.

Gayle said: "It's useful having the extra bedroom that we've gained since moving and the addition of the open plan kitchen and family room suits our new family arrangement.

"Having an extra floor is ideal as it has allowed us to have our parents stay over - we have two bedrooms and a shower room up there, so it's like a separate guest floor for them and they can have their own space whilst staying. Also, it will make an ideal space for Carla when she is a teenager and wants her own space away from her parents."

Heather Lea is set in a beautiful semi-rural area, between Glasgow and Edinburgh and features a range of properties from bungalows to five-bedroom houses. Current prices are from £185,995 for a three-bedroom detached house up to £305,000 for a five-bedroom detached home with two bathrooms, en-suite to master bedroom and a detached double garage.

There are a choice of attractive incentives from Redrow's ‘re:assure' selection for early entry.

If you want to see how three-storey living in a brand new home could benefit you, visit the Webburn show home at Heather Lea. For more information log onto Redrow.co.uk.