‘We’ve done it!’ Couple move 130 miles north for new life in Derbyshire

A couple who moved 130 miles north into their new home at Jones Homes’ Cavendish Park development in Bolsover were determined to get everything just as they wanted it without delay.

So, with an army of helpers and a lot of determination, as well as working through the night, Lauren and Max Barber moved in, wallpapered two rooms, decorated the rest of the house with pictures, and new furniture, and unpacked all 62 boxes in three days.

Their three-year-old son Charlie stayed with relatives while all this activity was taking place, but by the time he arrived at his new home, everything was complete. Lauren said: “Charlie walked into his new dinosaur decorated bedroom and said ‘wow’.

“By the end of that day it looked like we had been there for months. We sat down with a glass of wine and thought ‘we’ve done it!’”

Arranging the move had been a long-distance process because the couple were moving 130 miles north from Oxford to be nearer to Lauren’s family. The move to Derbyshire also meant they could have a much larger house for their money, making it easier to accommodate visitors and longer stays for Max’s family.

They purchased a four-bedroom house in Jones Homes’ Hollin design, which features a wide kitchen/family/dining room with doors leading to the garden, a utility room, study and living room, and four double bedrooms, bathroom and en suite shower room.

Now that Lauren and Max have moved in along with Charlie – and the family’s Bengal cats Percy and Penny, tortoises Phyllis and Myrtle, mice Betsy, Patty and Ginger and a fully stocked fish tank – all the effort has been worthwhile.

The couple paid tribute to the help of sales advisors Jas and Lyndsey who made it easy to progress the purchase despite them living such a long distance away.

Lauren said: “They were very supportive, and they had the attitude of ‘what can we do to make this work’.”

One of the aspects that made things easier was Jones Homes’ Agency Assist scheme, which allowed them to select the home they wanted and have the housebuilder hold it for them while through the scheme a buyer was found for their three-bedroom semi-detached house in Oxford.

Max said: “There were a lot of things to consider because we were moving a long way, but Jas and Lyndsey were helpful and supportive, and I felt they got to know us really well as a family and were interested in us. The customer service has been amazing.”

Lauren also praised site manager Carl. “He is so friendly and such a nice guy. They all work really hard on site, all the builders and plumbers, everybody. We have had such a nice experience.”

Their new house gives them much more space, and the design works well for the family. Max said: “The way this house is set out is really practical for us with a toddler.” Lauren added: “In our old house we were always looking for space saving ideas and it got to the point we couldn’t live comfortably there. But here we have more space than we know what to do with. We are not on top of each other, and we have nice breakout areas if you need quiet time, or if Charlie wants to do something loud it doesn’t disrupt the whole house.”

In fact, the couple looked at a larger five-bedroom house on the development, but decided that while they could have afforded it, the four-bedroom property was quite large enough.

They have found their new area to be very friendly, and with the Derbyshire countryside on their doorstep as well as Chesterfield and Sheffield within an easy drive, they have everything they need nearby.

Lauren said: “The nice thing about Bolsover is that within 15 minutes we can drive and be climbing the peaks or at the reservoir. Any Derbyshire landscape wouldn’t take long to reach, and Poolsbrook Country Park is perfect for Charlie.”

With family nearby too, it has all made for a very welcome change of pace. Lauren said: “We have slowed down a little bit. People are more relaxed here and having more space and less stress and more support from family, means life is much more relaxed. We don’t plan to move.”

“You feel like you’re really living up here,” said Max. “It’s really worked for us being out of the city.”

There’s currently a choice of three, four and five-bedroom houses available to reserve at Cavendish Park, with prices starting from £239,995 for a three-bedroom semi-detached house. To find out more, click here.