property Darcliffe Homes adds the personal touch
Darcliffe Homes, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Country Estates Group, has an established reputation for building bespoke homes in the Thames Valley. Its latest project in Tilehurst marks a significant new phase for the company
Darcliffe Homes prides itself on doing things differently from other residential property developers. Its goals are to offer a more personal touch when dealing with homebuyers and to be uncompromising when designing unique homes that enhance their local communities.
The Reading-based company specialises in small and medium-scale developments in sought after areas in the South East. “Our aim is to make our houses superior to the rest,” said joint managing director Graham Denton.
Personal touches
Doing things differently begins at the design stage and goes all the way to the end of the building process. Denton takes great pride in each home and supports homebuyers during the process, making himself responsible for the majority of handovers. “People are surprised the boss is there to give them the keys to their new home,” he said.
With many developers, new homebuyers can usually expect to be offered a shopping list of extras, but Darcliffe takes a different stance when bringing its homes to the market. “We see ourselves as different from our competitors. Whether you are buying a one-bedroom flat or a five-bedroom house, what you see in our show homes, excluding furniture and fittings, is what you get included in the purchase price. There are no hidden extras or surprise costs to our buyers,” said Matthew Jeal, land and planning director, who brought his planning expertise to the company in 2012 to help steer development sites through the increasingly complicated planning process.
Graham Denton and Matthew Jeal
The company is proud of the steady stream of positive comments it receives from satisfied customers. “Most buyers tell us they view a lot of new-build properties and say we offer superior quality in terms of materials used, fit-out, finish and the level of workmanship,” noted Jeal.
The Ridings in Tilehurst
After several years in the strategic planning process, the company has just begun construction on its most significant project to date, a 35-home
outline planning permission for up to 39 houses at The Ridings, but once detailed layouts were produced they showed that 35 offered a better overall design solution. We have a responsibility to deliver maximum value to landowners, but we do this while creating a fitting development for the local community.”
Consultative approach
Darcliffe consulted widely during the early stages of The Ridings, including with district and parish councils, local politicians and the local community. “Taking on board local views is essential for us. We want to be seen as a good developer and neighbour. A lot of our staff live locally and our reputation is key to progressing the company,” said Denton.
Following feedback from discussions, Darcliffe changed its original proposal for the site by including two bungalows. “It was felt that more should be done to address the unmet needs of older residents. Putting in bungalows on a site of this size is almost unheard of,” said Denton.
As well as bungalows, The Ridings’ property mix includes 14 affordable homes that will be sold to a registered social landlord.
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businessmag.co.uk THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – MARCH/APRIL 2018 Quality first
The quality focus starts with the design. “Every site we build is bespoke, both internally and externally. We don’t have standard house types that we ‘drag and drop’ from site to site, and we invest a significant amount of time in the design process to ensure the homes we deliver meet our exacting standards,” said Jeal.
development in Tilehurst. The first residents are expected to receive their front door keys from Denton this autumn.
The Ridings marks Darcliffe’s step up in housing delivery, but as Denton explained, the quality of design and lifestyle of residents will remain an overarching priority: “We received
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