Tell us about your move.
“I lived in my previous house for nearly 30 years, it was a very large 5-bedroom family home. We built it from scratch whilst raising two young children and it took around 10-15 years to get it where we wanted. Although it was a fabulous family home, after getting divorced and retiring from my career, it was time for a change. It was also getting to the point where everything needed work. For example, the boiler needed replaced and the kitchen updated, there was a huge garden too, so it took a lot of maintaining. I wanted to enjoy life rather than spending all my time on the house.
“I wanted to downsize to somewhere low maintenance, I’d just spent years building and maintaining our previous home, so I wanted something I could just move into. I also wanted to be in Cockermouth where I was close to friends as well as my parents who need help day-to-day to be able to stay in their own home.”
“Before you get the keys you don’t really know what you’re moving into, but as soon as I opened the door, I just felt at home. I love the hallway, it’s a decent size and feels spacious. The stairs are wider than a usual house, even my old house, so the combination of the stairs and the hallway makes it feel welcoming and it doesn’t feel tight.
“I was pleasantly surprised about how my existing furniture fit in The Spencer, I have a 7ft oak kitchen table and it fits great in the dining space – there’s plenty of room. The second bedroom is a good size and I use this as a guest room whilst having the third bedroom as a home office. I like having a main bathroom, en-suite and a downstairs WC too, it feels luxurious and makes things easy.
“The other thing I really like is how the electrics are designed and laid out. I have three banks of light switches in the kitchen which works so well and provides ease. Spotlights are in the busy areas alongside normal pendant lights which is great and the media plate in the lounge is on the wall for the TV. I just think the amount of fixtures you get is generous, you can tell they’ve not scrimped at all.
“I chose to upgrade some things in the house, like the Seville oak doors and fitted wardrobes with mirrors which reflect the light and make it feel even more spacious. They’re really high-quality and I haven’t seen any wardrobes better than them.”