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Encore is a new development by Strata in the village of Brizlincote on the south-east edge of Burton, with travel proximity to Burton and Swadlincote and a 15 mile drive from Derby and Lichfield.
Encore, DE15 Reviews
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The design of the homes and the public areas of the development is really nice, very much above average for a new-build development. The project management team and quality managers really do try to ensure that every detail of the area looks great and is of a high standard.
Parking availability on the estate is better than average although when people have visitors, you do have to navigate around cars parked on the road. The roads themselves are very narrow and will only just squeeze two cars by that are travelling in opposite directions.
Strata have also created a public area with a small football pitch and park. In my opinion, it wouldn’t have cost much more to build a larger pitch and a park with more items in it and it would have made a great difference to the people on the development.
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
Location is great and nearby to both a town with plenty of shops and also to the countryside area with great scenery. Area of the estate is recessed from any main roads and so traffic noise isn’t a huge problem. There is a road that is used often that occasionally has loud quad bikes and motorcycles travelling on it. The road outside of the development has a bus stop with good links that can get you to a train station for further travel if you don’t have a car.
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
I wished I’d have had a better idea as to what the elevation change in the garden would be like.
How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:
Home visits and calls from the project manager came straight away from moving day. It did take some time to sort out issues initially although things have since improved. We have now been passed over to Strata’s aftersales customer care team and have received communications from our point of contact who introduced herself and gave information regarding contacting her should we find further issues.
How this house in particular passed the quality inspection I will never know!
Design – brilliant
Build – poor
Sales office – excellent
Customer service – ok. Darren was brilliant the others not so.
When we moved into our new home the wrong kitchen was installed. Eight months on we are still waiting for this issue to be corrected in its entirety.
Windows – we needed six windows replacing due to scratches, cracks etc. Eight months on we are still waiting for two of these to be replaced.
Patio doors – not plumb – still awaiting correction.
Don’t get me wrong contractors have been out to replace these items but have brought more damaged items with them so no replacement could be done.
We also have a slipped tile on the roof (reported a month ago) which is still awaiting repair/replacement plus the roads are still un tarmacked on the estate some 18m after the first residents moved in.
How this house in particular passed the quality inspection I will never know!
My advice if buying it to pay out for a qualified snag check on your property as in the long run I think it will be well worth the money.
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
Location wise this property is excellent with good transport links and close to local amenities. The school catchment area suited our needs which means that our children are surrounded by their friends which make our lives a lot easier.
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
From the sales office nothing as they were excellent with us.
How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:
Very poor.
Please call me if you want to discuss. This box isn’t big enough to document everything
Great houses- I would recommend Strata to every future new build owners
I’ve kept my eye on this house for 3 years, viewed over 50 other new builds but nothing could ever compete with Strata buildings. Very modern, simple design, great size rooms, absolutely perfect layouts. The build quality is good and customer service was fantastic throughout the whole process. Property management- the first 6 weeks outstanding, after that not so great anymore. Every reported issue (there weren’t many) took a lot longer to be looked at, sometimes I had to ask multiple times for response. But overall good experience.
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
The fact that there are no pubs, restaurants and shops around in the area convinced me even more to buy the house here, I absolutely love peace and quiet. Fantastic walk paths, after 18 months of living here I have not yet managed to discovered them all (my dog loves it here too). I don’t use public transport but the buss stop is literally next to shome homes. No issues with anti- social behaviours, all neighbours are lovely. No traffic noise, however, you can hear quite few aeroplanes, as we are less than 20 miles from the airport (that doesn’t bother me at all).
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
I wish I knew that there was no top soil underneath the turf (just clay and rocks), hence why my grass went patchy and horrible. It took us weeks of hard work, and a lot of money to rip it out and replace with new one. If we had known, we would of asked for different incentive.
How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:
First 6 weeks any issue was dealt with literally the same day! After that the response time was a bit longer but still acceptable.
Lovely home but site needs improving
The design of our house is excellent, the only criticism I would make is there should have been a door from the garage to the utility room.
We have a Tesco express, chinese and hair dressers on the valley but no other facilities.
Tom and his team have done a good job on the building management and Mel who initially looked after me also did a good job. Thanks to all the staff on site and also the strata team that have looked after us recently with a few issues.
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
The development is not finished due to covid it’s running over a year behind. The estate is currently very noisy, large vehicles are still using the main entrance instead of the back entrance. We have been blocked in many times. Constant dust so our cars are always dirty and debris is blown into my garden and never picked up by the site workers.
The driveway is filthy and needs re sorting from the constant dirt, it was also never sealed so parts are coming away (which has been reported) The road is only big enough for one vehicle, I would have reconsidered this site as the narrow road and driveways are not good for a low vehicle or having any visitors.
We do love the house and the design layout and think the strata build quality is very good overall. The strata staff have been very helpful, which has been much appreciated. I would recommend a strata home but I am not sure I would recommend this site.
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
Narrow road and raised driveway.
How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:
Yes majority of my issues have been dealt with in a timely fashion.
A beautiful place to live
The designs are interesting. I think the properties with sloping gardens the ground should have been levelled before been turned making outside areas more usable and easier to manage. In properties with just one bathroom I think the they should have a bath with shower above, not just a shower cubicle. Windows have been a problem with closing and it takes a long time for company to rectify problems. Bin collection can’t be done from outside our property, we have to take the bins to the end of the road not ideal as we are in our 70’s
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
A vast variety of shops and restaurants within an easy 5 minute drive away or an easy 30 minute walk across the lovely St.Peter’s Bridge where you can gaze at the ducks and swans on the river Trent along with cows grazing in the fields. There are doctors dentist and hairdresser’s close by.
All the properties have a good sized plot and are very eco friendly. As the site is not yet complete I can’t comment on the communal areas. The only downside so far is the flimsy wooden fence in front of the houses in Brindley Close which look out onto Voilet Way, because of the style of fence people take a short cut by walking a cross the planted area and climb through the fence, this is not good for the people living in those houses. This problem could be easily solved with a solid fence or wall the same height as the existing fence.
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
Check parking carefully, what might seem a good parking area may not be so when several cars are parked up.
How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:
They have listened patiently and responded within a reasonable time frame
Defo recommend. Beautiful
Management and after care has been good although there was a change in management so has been a little slow going. Also covid didn’t help but it’s expected.
I wish we didn’t have to meander through so many builders vans every morning though. They should have allocated an area for them. Instead they block most roads.
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
Builders surrounding are a bit mucky and they clog up the roads a lot. Area is lovely though.
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
Perfect but builders vans clog up roads while building around you.
How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:
Still awaiting french doors and a few other jobs. Everything is great though overall
Great place to live
The Encore plot has a great and modern feel to it from the moment you drive into the estate. Hopefully there will soon be a play/recreation area for my children to plan and enjoy. The workers who are still on the plot are polite and respectful. We have felt at home since we moved in during March.
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
Lovely area with nice people. Hardly any disruption during the evening. I only wish the plan for my off street parking was better thought out.
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
Always take a tape measure when having your first view 🙂
How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:
Yes. However not all issues have been sorted an I await feedback from about a month ago for an issue with the kitchen flooring
A different approach to Brizlincote
Small development means that the houses are set apart from the rest of the houses in the valley and makes them very unique. Brickwork is a different colour and males them appear a more up market expensive look than other houses on the estate. The design could have had more character however such as the window surrounds on the Palermo which don’t look finished and a little cheap. These could have added more character to rhe property
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
Built in the popular and sought after location of Brizlincote means the development is nestled within an affluent area with few but adequate amenities. There is a local shop and chippy and takeaway however if you walk a bit further into town could get anything you want.
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
Where the designers were able to buy the products from the show home
How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:
Took some time to rectify some issues but when the builders were still on site then issues were sorted very quickly
Lovely little community
The houses are all lovely and very appealing from the outside, each house has a drive meaning the roads are not congested at all. It’s a very quiet area to live and feels like a lovely little community. There is a park being built on the development which is really nice to give people from the area a chance to communicate with on another and the children also.
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
The location is good for schools as one of the best primary schools is only up the road. There are 2 shops only a 10-15 minute walk away. There is an excellent Chinese and chip shop in walking distance also. There are plenty parks around for older children. There is a bus stop that takes you in to town at the bottom of the development, which is really good. My street is really great to live on, the neighbours are lovely, parking is great and it’s really not that loud considering living next to a very busy road.
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
I wish I had known maybe that there wasn’t anything for smaller children park wise in the area. Im new to the area and none of the parks seem to have a baby swing which is a shame.
How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:
If there were any issues, people came out very quickly.
Strata 5 star builder
Big garden, square rooms, good quality interior, good design, good house layout, good after sale customer service,
After 10 months any problems with house. very helpful site manager.
smoothly fast and hassle-free buying. Little bit small playground on site
Please tell us what you like and dislike about this area:
Fields around estate
Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:
very quiet and peaceful neighborhood
How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:
Very quick and nice management especially site manager
