Case Study
The Beaches, Johnshaven
A change in Mike’s job sparked the process of moving for the couple and they decided that a midway point between Mike’s office locations in Aberdeen and Dundee would be a perfect place to call home. Both Caroline and Mike weren’t overly particular about the location, they were more focused on choosing a house builder with high quality homes and specifications. “In the end we chose the house rather than choosing the village. Johnshaven was a bonus!”
Caroline and Mike began their process of looking for a new home by researching online. Having previously purchased new build homes that were bespoke, being able to make changes and customise the design was a must for their next home. During their research they came across Fotheringhams Homes’ website and they immediately noticed that they were willing to amend or adapt the property compared to some of the larger building companies they had looked at. The couple then spoke to a few people that lived locally and discovered that Fotheringhams had a really good reputation.
Happy with their decision, the couple started their buying process with Fotheringham Homes. Their first initial contact with Gillian was a positive experience and they met Michael Fotheringham when being given a tour of the site and homes. Mike said “It’s really good that you get to meet the senior people of the company – the decision makers – so that they can immediately answer any questions we had”. Caroline added “There were things we wanted to change or add on as extras and Michael was able to confirm straight away if it was something they could do.” The couple confirmed that being able to customise the home was a huge selling point for them, especially the kitchen and bathroom design. Stating that if they were told they could only choose between two sets of tiles or doors, it would have been a no. Thankfully that isn’t the case with Fotheringham Homes.
Mike, The Beaches resident
Although the couple chose the house quality over where it was located, we asked the couple what they think of the village now that they have settled in Johnshaven. Both Caroline and Mike are impressed with everything that Johnshaven has to offer and said that their new style of living gave them an opportunity to add their dog Alfie to the family. “Our last house was a steading conversion in the middle of nowhere, so moving to Johnshaven, although it is a small town, it has some lovely amenities – lovely local shops, the local pub that we go to once a week for a nice meal, and the cafe is great for sandwiches and cakes” Caroline added that they love walking around the village and chatting to the local residents. “For such a small place it’s got some fantastic annual events including the Music and Fish festivals. There are so many great things about Johnshaven.”
From choosing light switches to designing their kitchen, we asked the couple if they enjoyed being involved throughout the process of the build. Caroline laughed and said “Oh yeah, we were down every week! Michael doesn’t know that though! Once we had signed on the dotted line, we wanted to come down and see it. The team were great and let us in to look at the progress…they even apologised that they hadn’t swept up for us!”
Caroline and Mike said they had a vision of how they wanted the house to look and knew exactly what colour schemes and kitchen style they wanted so by the time they sat down with Tracey they had everything planned out. “We were able to choose the colours of the sockets and switches that we wanted, we also wanted the TV put up on the wall and they were happy to do this for us. They even put up the lights that we had purchased”. Even when some of the couple’s vision wasn’t part of the standard finishes, the team at Fotheringham always try to accommodate changes – “We wanted brass switches and handles in some of the rooms instead of the silver ones and Tracey managed to source them for us – she went over and above just to make sure it turned out exactly how we wanted it to look. She was really great.” said Mike.
When asked how their overall buying experience was with Fotheringham Homes, Mike said “From the beginning - coming to see the site and throughout the whole process Michael, Gillian and Tracey were great to deal with. I was always emailing as there were things I wanted to change or things I had forgotten about - like where we were putting the electric sockets for the TV, but as soon as I emailed I always got a swift response. Everything was just done in a really nice process and they made it so easy - there was no hassle.” Caroline added “Nothing was an inconvenience for the team. Even before we moved in, they let our blind supplier in to fit the blinds and Michael said if we had any issues with storage before moving-in day we could store boxes in the garage. One of the best house builders we’ve dealt with.”
The couple said that one of the main reasons they decided to purchase from Fotheringham Homes was the quality of the build and the ability to customise the home to fit in with their vision. “That’s what sold us on using Fotheringham Homes, from the start they were really accommodating and flexible. They have excellent customer service and communication and they’ve given us a really great house.”
Caroline and Mike are thrilled with their new home “We love the fact that it feels like home - we’re really happy”. Caroline mentioned that all their friends and family love the house and keep asking when they can next visit “Every time they come to visit the sun is always shining - it’s always Costa Del Johnshaven!”. The couple love spending time in their new home that when they started planning their next vacation they quickly realised that there was no need to leave their home to have a holiday. “We just love it. We were looking at holidays and maybe doing a staycation somewhere and then we thought why would we do that, we have everything we need here! The house is beautiful, we’ve got the hot tub in the garden, the sea, and the lovely walks so let's just enjoy all this.” said Caroline.
Caroline, The Beaches resident
“
That’s what sold us on using Fotheringham Homes, from the start they were really accommodating and flexible.
They have excellent customer service and communication and they’ve given us a really great house.
”
Mike, The Beaches resident
