Today is International Women’s Day, a global day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women.

There is still a major gender imbalance within the construction industry with women making up just 16% of the workforce. That’s why as a business, we’re committed to improving gender equality in all levels of seniority at Newett Homes to encourage women to join the construction community.

At Newett Homes we’re proud to have a higher-than-average proportion of women as part of our workforce; 33% of our staff and 40% of our site management team.

This year, the theme for International Women’s Day is to embrace equity. Getting the world talking about why equal opportunities aren’t enough. “People start from different places, so true inclusion and belonging require equitable action.”

Esther is one of our site managers here at Newett Homes. As part of International Women’s Day we interviewed her about her experience within the industry, what she enjoys the most about her job and her advice to other women considering the construction industry.

What was your first role in the property industry?

I was very lucky to start straight in as an Assistant Site Manager 9 years ago. I worked hard and was promoted to Site Manager within 5 years.

Why did you choose property and construction as a career?

I have always wanted to work within construction, and I knew Newett Homes had a positive reputation of supporting female construction workers with their development and goals. I knew Newett Homes was the company I wanted to join and they could give me the help I needed to progress my career within construction.

What are your day-to-day responsibilities here at Newett Homes?

No day is the same on-site! It can vary from. It can vary from meetings with the local council or discussing road works to customer visits, seeing their new home progressing. From making sure all the guys are safe and sound on-site to checking all the works against drawings and for quality. The list goes on and on.

What attracted you to Newett Homes?

I wanted to work for a company that built luxury into their homes and enabled you as a site manager to focus on quality. The day you hand the keys to a customer is the moment that makes all the effort and hard work as a Site Manager worthwhile. I knew Newett Homes would give me everything I need so that when it comes to a customer move-in day, I can proudly stand in front of the customer and present their beautiful new home to them and see the beaming smiles on their faces.

What do you enjoy most about your job role?

No two days are the same and there is something new to learn every single day. I also enjoy creating a safe and happy site environment where people want to come, work hard and give you their best.

Do you feel that the industry is encouraging more women to get into construction?

I think it’s about celebrating days like today and making it known that there are women within construction, it’s not a man’s world, at all. It all helps to make it a little less scary or intimidating for other women to come and give it ago.

Why would you recommend a career in construction to women?

It’s hard work but it is so rewarding. The pride I feel when I drive past a completed development I’ve worked on and tell anyone that will listen that I helped build that. It’s a priceless feeling.

What advice would you give to women who are looking at a career in construction?

Go for it. Get on-site, spend time with everyone and sponge in all their experience and knowledge from them. Have a laugh and enjoy every day.

At Newett Homes, we’re ambitious. We’ve always got plans to improve, develop and grow our business and it’s our people who help make it happen. If you’re thinking of a career in construction or taking your next step, take a look at our careers page – https://newetthomes.co.uk/careers/

For more information on International Women’s Day, visit: https://www.internationalwomensday.com/

When you buy a Newett Home, you’re given a blank canvas to decorate however you wish. You don’t have to undo all decorations from a previous owner – it’s all ready and waiting for you to get started if you so wish! 

Whether it’s right away or a few years down the line, if you’re looking to add some extra personality to your new home, we’ve got a handful of tips you might want to check out. 

Home Decor Tip 1: Research the style you want

You can begin researching before you even move in. Think about how you want each room to look and feel. Do you want a similar aesthetic throughout the house or would you like different rooms to have their own distinct style? 

Think about which rooms are connected to each other, for example, if you have an open-plan kitchen, dining room and family space, you’re likely going to want to style these areas in a similar fashion. 

You can take inspiration for your desired styles online or in magazines. Social media apps like Pinterest and Instagram are particularly useful as you can save the inspiration to come back to later and organise them into folders. Don’t forget you’ll be able to select certain fixtures and features before the house is built, so make sure these fit with your master plan.

Home Decor Tip 2:  Experiment with your furniture layout

With a new build home, you won’t have any pre-conceived ideas regarding layout from previous owners – as we said, it’s a blank canvas. As you bring your furniture into your new home, it might even be tempting to settle for a layout similar to your previous home. If that works for you, that’s great. 

However, your new Newett Home is different. For your home to feel fresh and trendy, you might need a bit of trial and error for the best arrangement, but we guarantee it’s worth it. 

Think about how you want the space to look but also how you want it to be used. It has to be practical at the same time. How many guests will you usually host? Is the layout suitable for the children? 

Start by planning around the main furniture pieces such as beds, sofas and the dining table. These are the bigger investments and the main focal points, so everything else should work around these. 

Finally, with furniture layouts, you also need to consider space. Space is just as important as the furniture itself because, without it, your home can feel smaller and more crowded. 

Home Decor Tip 3: Get the lighting right 

Lighting is crucial to every home. It could make or break your interior design, so make sure you use it to your advantage. Maximise natural lighting where possible and choose table lamps and floor lamps to complement the theme of your room or home in general. 

Make sure that your seating and dining areas are benefitting from enough light. And, if you’re opting for a snug room or home office, you can play with whatever lighting suits your style. You may want to invest in a focus light to help you work or some nice colourful lights to bring a nice cosy feel to your snug. 

Home Decor Tip 4: Hold off on painting

You’ll be made aware of this via communications from our team as you go through the process, but it can take up to 12 months for a new build home to settle from the construction process. This means we wouldn’t recommend applying new paint to the walls just yet. 

Make sure you choose a style that works with your current walls and can be adapted later. The walls will start off a neutral and bright colour, so you shouldn’t have much difficulty getting them to match your decor. 

Home Decor Tip 5: Use accessories to add colour or texture

Whilst you’re waiting to paint any feature walls, you can add some colours and textures through accessories. This can be in the form of ornaments, plants or bigger furniture like sideboards and coffee tables. 

Key accessories like this that stand out really help to add character to your home and set the tone of the space. Just remember the final plans for your interiors to ensure you don’t have to switch things up too much when you finally start to apply paint or wallpaper.   

Why you should always pick a new build

When searching for a new home people often wonder whether they should look for an existing home or choose a new build. There can be pros and cons to each and one type of home might not be what you’re looking for. But before you dismiss the idea of a new build at the outset, here’s why we think new homes are so much better. 

100% brand new

Firstly, a new home is exactly that. It may seem obvious, but everything in the new build you purchase is yours and has never been preowned. This means that it has never been lived in, unlike existing houses. It has a fresh, pristine feel as you walk through the door for the first time, that only comes when you purchase new. With a home that’s already lived in, there are always remnants of the previous homeowners lying about somewhere – potentially to your surprise or expense!

Character 

Let’s talk about character. It’s true what they say that old houses have character, but new homes do too. People might say that new homes are all built the same in the neighbourhood you’re looking at but don’t forget, this is the same on many streets across the country. 

With a brand-new build, however, there are elements you can customise or choose from to create the home you really want. Newett Homes always adds some This beats having to make do with what someone else has built before you. Customising an old build beyond the decor will mean renovation which means a lot of upheaval and additional costs.

Energy efficiency

Technology has developed since many existing homes were built. New homes have the latest technology when it comes to insulation and energy efficiency. An old home, especially one made of stone, is much harder to heat and will likely have less insulation. 

We work with the Environment Agency at the planning stage and building control throughout the build, to guarantee you a high-specification home.

No chain

A great benefit to a new build is that there’s no previous owner, therefore you’re not locked into a chain. Once you’ve reserved the house and sorted the finances, the move-in day happens when the house is complete. 

Many complications can arise when purchasing an existing house that sits within a chain. All it takes is for one thing to go wrong somewhere along the way and the whole chain could fall apart and fall through. 

A new community

Newett Home developments usually consist of a number of houses together that act like a small new neighbourhood. Just like everyone else, you’ll be moving to this new community, meaning you’ll have something in common with all of your neighbours – you’ve all got new houses! You can use this great opportunity to break the ice and make new friends who have all decided to move to your beautiful new neighbourhood. 

Warranty

As they’re brand new, newly built homes come with warranties, some extra peace of mind you won’t find with an older home. Newett Homes provide customers with a 2-year Newett Guarantee and 10-year Structural Warranty. Under this warranty, Premier Guarantee following legal completion, have defined responsibilities regarding a wide range of structural defects, should anything occur during the first 10 years after construction.

Cost

For some people, the overall cost is important to them. There’s a myth that a new home will always cost you more than an existing home, like for like, but this is not true. New homes come with many benefits including energy efficiency and warranties that can actually save you money in the long run compared to an older house. Moreover, old builds, especially those with lots of character such as Victorian or Edwardian houses can be priced around 20% over the average.  

Maintenance & existing issues

Old homes tend to require more maintenance and can be a large drain on your savings. Existing houses can be over 100 years old and aren’t built to the high standards that we have today. In addition, you don’t know exactly what you’re getting with an old home. Remnants from the previous owners such as poor plastering, old electrics etc. may exist and it’s up to you to identify them. With Newett Homes you can rest assured that everything is completed to the highest specification. 

There are often a lot of untrue myths about new homes and people don’t always see the benefits. We hope that this article gives you confidence that a brand new home could be the perfect choice for you. See here for even more information on why to buy new. 

We are delighted to announce that Newett Homes has won Residential Developer of the Year at The Yorkshires. Residential Real Estate Awards last week. We were shortlisted alongside Beal Homes and Moda Living. The event on Thursday 13th October was organised by Yorkshire Children’s Charity and a grand total of £151,693 was raised on the night by everyone involved.

We would like to extend a huge thank you to all of our team for their incredible hard work over the last year!

As we continue to grow our portfolio of residential schemes, we’re pleased to have acquired the land for our next development at Fenay Bridge. 

The site will be home to The Heath with space for 68 units. 

A short distance from Huddersfield, the Newett Homes development at Fenay Bridge is once again surrounded by beautiful countryside with amazing views and the typical and convenient amenities you’d expect, right around the corner; schools, shops, GP and transport links. 

Construction begins in 2023. Follow our socials for all the updates.

We all have a part to play in preserving our planet and protecting the environment. At Newett Homes, we build new houses fit for modern living, meaning they’re more efficient, use less energy and create fewer emissions. We’re already fitting some of our homes with air source heat pumps which are a much more efficient alternative to central heating.

Once you’ve moved into your new Newett Home, with the above benefits, you yourself can begin to implement even more sustainable practices at home.

Collect rainwater

Whilst we wouldn’t recommend drinking the rainwater, collecting it can reduce the amount of tap water you use for other purposes, such as watering plants in the garden, a bird bath or for cleaning. As an added bonus, it’s free to use!

Growing your own fruit and vegetables

Another use for that rainwater you’re now collecting. By dedicating a small space in your home or garden, you can begin to grow your own foods. Outdoors, you can grow anything from tomatoes, strawberries or even begin an apple tree. Indoors is also suitable for small plants such as chilli peppers or herbs.

Use up your leftovers

Don’t throw food away. Save up your unused and leftover food (if safe to do so) and get creative in the kitchen. If you’re a family, it’s a great way to get the children involved. You could even create a recipe book, adding a new entry each time you use the leftovers.

This not only saves food from going to waste, but it saves you money and means visiting the supermarket less often, thereby reducing the potential for carbon emissions.

Dry your clothes outside

Most people, where possible, do this already. However, nowadays, it’s extremely tempting to throw those difficult pieces of clothing straight into the dryer. If you want to be more sustainable, try avoid using the dryer if possible, even in winter.

When winter comes around you can still dry your clothes, just inside. There is a range of clothes hangers you can buy for a fraction of the cost and with fewer emissions. If you must use the dryer, ​​ensure the filter is cleaned regularly for efficiency and lower energy consumption.

Create a compost heap

Useful for gardening and growing those vegetables, a good compost heap is another sustainable way to live. By putting food waste such as fruit and vegetables into the compost heap, they’ll eventually decompose and provide your soil with nutrients. This will keep your garden healthy and avoid unnecessary landfill collections.

Upcycle furniture

Instead of buying new, you can acquire furniture second-hand and upcycle it the way you want. You can find furniture ideal for upcycling either at charity shops, from friends or even online from people who are looking to give it away.

This can be a fun and challenging experience that adds character to your home and gives you a sense of achievement. Not only that, but you’re helping to reduce waste and reducing emissions.

Don an extra layer of clothing

With great insulation, you’ll be surprised how warm your house can be in the colder months of the year. However, if you do feel the cold, always look for an extra layer of clothing first before turning the heating on. Again, this saves money, energy and the environment.

Congratulations to Grace, recently promoted to Assistant QS! 🎉 Grace joined us straight from university as a trainee QS and has made excellent progress so far. As a woman in construction, we wanted to ask her a couple of questions including what inspired her to pursue a career in construction, what her day-to-day looks like and what her aspirations are for the future.

1. What attracted you to working in construction?

From a young age the construction industry has always interested me; growing up I wanted to develop an understanding of the technical aspects of how buildings were constructed and the processes that occurred to achieve the finished product. I believe that the industry offers a lot of job satisfaction; I find it rewarding to participate in a development as it evolves from the planning and viability phases through to construction and eventual handover to the customer. Furthermore, being part of a team that makes influential decisions that impact and contribute to our society is what attracted me to working in the construction industry.

2. What does your day-to-day involve and what parts of your role do you enjoy the most?

My day-to-day role varies widely. Contracts and procurement are one part of my role; this involves liaising with internal departments including Planning, Technical, Construction and Sales plus external subcontractors and suppliers to ensure cost-efficiency and the smooth running of our live projects and overcoming any variations that may arise. I really enjoy developing and maintaining connections with our subcontractors to ensure we are all working towards the mutual goal of producing developments to the highest standard whilst maintaining cost control.

I’m also involved in pre-development work; land appraisals involve working alongside our Land and Technical team to determine whether upcoming development opportunities are viable. I enjoy this aspect of the job role because it aids to my development and understanding, and gives me the opportunity to see a development from the initial stages right through to the finished product.

3. What do you like most about working at Newett Homes?

Newett Homes is a young company that is constantly growing, with a great team that generates an all-inclusive work environment. I’m excited to be given the opportunity to be a part of its growth, and keen to be part of shaping and implementing new systems and processes as the company expands. Also, forging new relationships with subcontractors and suppliers to achieve cost-optimisation throughout our developments, whilst delivering a product that I am proud to be part of the process of!

4. What are your aspirations for the future?

My aspirations for the future are to continually develop my knowledge of all aspects of the house-building industry. After graduating from my Master’s in Quantity Surveying next year, I also hope to study for my RICS accreditation to continue my professional development within Newett Homes, to aid my ambition to become a Chartered Quantity Surveyor.

We’re extremely proud to have worked with Stonewater, Harrogate Borough Council and Beardsmore Associated Limited to deliver a fantastic commemorative stone sculpture at our development, The Meadows, in Dishforth.

The moving sculpture by Steve Roche symbolises the key role of the local RAF during both world wars with maple leaves to pay tribute to the Canadian soldiers that operated out of the base.

Poet laureate, Olivia Mulligan, developed a poem through workshops at Dishforth Village Primary and Dishforth Airfield Primary schools, which has also been engraved into the sculpture.

Read more about the unveiling here.