Anne and Eric Decker had been living in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire for many years but upon reaching retirement were keen to move closer to their daughter and son-in-law in Witney, Oxfordshire.

Anne comments, “We always liked the idea of retiring to the Cotswolds, and with our daughter living in Witney, it made perfect sense to move closer to them. We put an offer in for a converted barn in Ascot-under-Wychwood but at the last minute it fell through. As we still had a buyer for our home, we decided to move into rented accommodation to give us more time to find exactly what we wanted.

“We rented a property in the neighbouring village, Milton-under-Wychwood and continued to look around. We had always had our hearts set on an older property but nothing was really appealing to us. Then one afternoon we were out for a walk and passed Deanfield Homes’ development in Shipton-under-Wychwood.”

Eric continues, “We had seen the development being built, but were adamant we didn’t want a new-built home. Then on our walk Anne suggested we just go and have a look around out of interest, so we did.”

“We were totally taken by surprise,” says Anne. “We expected new builds to be boxy and small with lots of homes in one development, but Deanfield Grange was totally different. We viewed the show home and couldn’t get over the quality of the build and the fixtures and how beautifully it was laid out. We had never expected it to be so nice.

“We looked at the plans and got really excited. We both wanted a house that had a fireplace with a wood burning stove, which was included in the design and we wanted a home facing in a good direction to make the most of the garden. We both said, it has to be this particular plot and a few days later we had reserved it.”

Eric and Anne reserved a four bedroom Fitzroy at Deanfield Grange in December 2019.

“Although we were both keen on an older property, the traditional-style Cotswold stone the homes have been built in really adds some character and we love the way the development has been laid out. The rooms are a really nice size, particularly the living room and the advantage of it being new build is that there will be less maintenance in years to come. As we reserved so early in the build programme we were also able to make a few changes to the kitchen to accommodate our American fridge freezer and our diner set.” Said Eric who is originally from USA.

Anne continues, “Our daughter had our first grandchild last year so it is wonderful to now be living close by and able to enjoy him growing up. We have already converted one of the bedrooms into his room and can’t wait for them to be coming over more often.

“We are extremely impressed with our experience through Deanfield Homes. Despite the obvious delays and restrictions through Covid-19, they kept us fully informed along the way, sending us photographs of the house on a regular basis as we weren’t able to physically visit and have been so helpful and professional.

“Before moving I told Eric that I still wanted to be able to hear the owls at night in our new home, and on our first night it was a wonderful surprise to hear them. We are so happy to have made this move.”

Located on the edge of the sought-after Cotswolds village of Shipton-Under-Wychwood, in an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, features a stunning collection of three-, four- and five-bedroom family homes, built using local materials to create attractive street scenes. All the homes are now sold.

Deanfield Homes launched its show home at its latest development, Deanfield Place at the start of March, in Cholsey, Oxfordshire where just one four bedroom home remains available. Deanfield Place features a collection of sixteen quality homes which are ideal for young families, first time buyers and downsizers alike.

In Marsh Gibbon in Buckinghamshire, work is underway at Deanfield View which will feature 10 new homes as well as a brand new village shop to serve the local community. Deanfield View sits in the heart of the picturesque village of Marsh Gibbon, which is approximately four miles east of Bicester and 11 miles north west of Aylesbury. Register your interest today as we are already 50% reserved. The homes will be ready for occupation from Autumn 2021.