WE FELL IN LOVE WITH THE HOUSE, THEN WE FELL IN LOVE WITH THE SERVICE
Selling their large family home in Burwood Park, Linda and her husband Ron were on the hunt for a two bedroom home to tide them over while they searched for the perfect plot for a self-build – and came across Octagon’s Broadoaks Park online.
“I originally found the Grade II Listed Coach House online and we really liked the look of it. We arrived for a visit with the Sales Consultant, Tai, to view and were really impressed with what we saw.”
However there was one, rather large, problem.
“We told Tai there was a third party in our household, our beloved dog Bear, a Newfypoo. He immediately said these apartments aren’t going to give you enough space, but I have another option you might like to see.”
Linda viewed East Lodge – a unique renovation located at the very front of Broadoaks Park. Set back from the main square, the lodge dates back to the 19th century along with the estate’s mansion house and coach house – all of which are also being expertly restored by Octagon’s in-house team.
Featuring a large back garden, the two bedroom Listed bungalow seemed to perfectly suit the couple – and Bear’s – needs.
But the contemporary extension to the lodge hadn’t yet been added, so timelines were looking a bit tight. Linda was put in touch with Octagon’s restoration guru Steve Dunn, who has worked for the luxury developer for over 20 years and was overseeing the build at East Lodge.
“Because it wasn’t finished, we were in the very lucky position to add a few things that we really wanted in our home, from extra storage to the all-important temperature-controlled wine fridge! In the end, we were only in temporary accommodation for three weeks – Octagon really pulled out all the stops to get us in as quickly as possible.
“The whole team made life easy for us.”
Once settled, the couple had a tour with one of Octagon’s Aftersales Managers, Laura Armstrong, who talked them through their new home and made sure they had everything they needed.
“The service again was fantastic. We had some snagging, as you do with every new home, and even the contractors that visited were brilliant, removing their shoes without being asked and really tidying up after themselves. It makes a big difference.”
Speaking about the wider Broadoaks Park development, which will consist 126 new and restored homes once complete, Linda has enjoyed settling into the quiet parkland estate.
“I’m very impressed with the upkeep of everything – considering the back of the estate is still very much a building site, there’s no noise or dust or dirt. It hasn’t bothered us at all.
“The landscaping is particularly impressive and we were delighted to move into a home with a lawn already laid. That’s how developers should leave a new build home, but it often isn’t the case.”
Still on the hunt for their perfect plot, Linda has been swayed by her experience with buying an Octagon home.
“We’ve already chatted about maybe just moving into one of the detached houses in a future phase at Broadoaks Park… but we would love to build our own home. Tai has mentioned Octagon’s Bespoke division, where they do exactly that. We’ll definitely be having a conversation with them!”
But for now, the couple and Bear are enjoying their brand new, Grade II Listed home.
“We already knew of Octagon through friends – they are well known for their high end quality homes in this part of the South East and they absolutely lived up to that reputation and more.
“We fell in love with the house, then we fell in love with the service. Octagon have really, really impressed us.”