Barrett homes are in my top tier of builders. I’ve lived in several new-build houses and viewed many more, so I’ve seen my fair share of dysfunctional ones.
The design is very modern and the layout practical, creating a very good flow. The house has been expertly built to utilise every inch of space making even the smaller homes feel roomy.
There are both front and rear hallways, eliminating drafts from external doors and providing privacy for cloakrooms.
(No one wants open the cloakroom door directly into a lounge full of people watching television, whilst the letterbox rattles. It’s also no fun to have leaves/mud/snow blow onto the sofa when you answer the front door)
The kitchen, if not built in, has space for full sized appliances (no struggling with a tiny dishwasher!) and the under-stairs cupboard is big enough for all your “chore supplies” or as a pantry. There’s also room for a table or breakfast bar.
There’s a well placed alcove in the main bedroom next to one of the windows which is perfect as a dressing area and an over stairs cupboard offers extra storage. The smallest bedroom is big enough for a double bed and still leaving plenty of space for other furniture and movement around it all, and again there’s a storage cupboard.
There are windows in the main bathroom of almost all houses, so less chance of dampness and odours; those that don’t, like some en-suites or cloaks, have up-to-date extraction fans that do the job just as efficiently. As for the built in shower, it’s my favourite feature. Barrett’s made THE best choice installing this particular type. They are so good that I’d put them on par with having a relaxing bath.
The garden comes ready turfed with a shed and rotary washing line. Whilst not vast in size the lawn is adequate and manageable. There’s enough room for summer parties and every home has access via a rear gate, this is very useful given current restrictions on meeting inside.
Naturally the homes come with the 10 year NHBC guarantee but I do not forsee any major issues given Barrett’s stellar reputation and from my current 14 month experience. All homes will have minor snags and with the builders still on site, these are dealt with efficiently.
Overall, I would, and already have recommended this development to others, 9 out of 10!
Please note: There are different styles of home so some features may not be relevant to all houses. e.g. the smallest room of a 5-bed house may be a study and only big enough for a single bed.
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
This is a lovely, quiet residential estate. I’m not aware of any A.S.B. so far and my neighbours are all very friendly and house-proud. This makes Henbrook Gardens a peaceful, pleasant and pretty area to live.
There’s average parking, as expected on newer designed housing developments.
The only noises you tend to hear are from the builders as they finish construction. This was delayed due to Covid-19, so hopefully it’ll end soon. At the moment it’s a bit annoying cleaning your car or windows because they are dirty with 24 hours. Thank goodness it’s temporary, especially in the summer as that “dust” gets inside the house too.
Not all roads are “tarmacced” or finished yet so be very cautious if you want to avoid tyre damage. Again, this is just a temporary issue.
Most delivery services can find the estate, so groceries, takeaways and online shopping is fine. The only downside is that a well-known taxi service cannot pick you up unless you wait at the local pub. Firstly, their maps are not up to date so they cannot locate any addresses here, and secondly, it means their food delivery service isn’t available here yet either.
It would help if name signs were put up on all streets here. There are name signs where there are no houses built yet and then nothing on streets where the houses have been occupied for over a year.
Bin collections are fine, the street lights work, there are TWO pubs within 200m (yay!) and a local shop/post office can be found within about 1-1.5 miles (north or south)
Unfortunately the bus service is not quite frequent enough for commuting or to the train stations and town centres of Bromsgrove or Droitwich. Hopefully this will improve now there’s increased demand.
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
There’s a fly problem during the summer months. With a bit of trial and error, my neighbours and I have found an effective way to deal with this but knowing the root cause would be useful so we can find a permanent solution.
