NHBC Pride In The Job Award

We are beyond proud to announce that two of our site managers have been recognised in this year’s NHBC Pride in the Job Quality awards – the competition that all site managers want to win and the award that showcases the best practice and rewards excellence.

Congratulations to Carolyn Bradley-Winnet, our site manager at The Brooklands, Thurlstone.

Andrew Clarke, Head of Construction – “This award is testament to Caz’s leadership on site with her team at The Brooklands. Her desire and commitment to quality with the added personal touch has now been recognised. Well done, Caz, you smashed it!”

Carolyn Bradley-Winnet – “Words cant explain how happy and excited I am to have won this award. I am extremely proud of my team and everyone who has been committed to making sure we produce fantastic quality homes for our buyers. I want to thank every single person who has supported and believed in me.”

Newett Homes announces charity of the year

Newett Homes is proud to announce its partnership with The Sick Children’s Trust as its official Charity of the Year for 2023. The collaboration aims to support the vital work of The Sick Children’s Trust in providing ‘home from home’ accommodation and emotional support for families with critically ill children receiving treatment at hospitals across the country.

With ten homes located near major paediatric hospitals, the charity ensures that families can stay together during their child’s treatment, providing them with a comforting and supportive environment just moments away from their child’s bedside.

Through this partnership, Newett Homes will actively participate in various fundraising initiatives, community events, and volunteer activities to raise vital funds and awareness for The Sick Children’s Trust, ensuring that more families can benefit from its invaluable services.

“We are absolutely thrilled that Newett Homes has named The Sick Children’s Trust as their charity partner.” Said Charlotte Webster, Corporate Partnerships Manager at The Sick Children’s Trust .

“Our staff, not only at our Eckersley House ‘Home from Home’ in Leeds but across the whole charity, are delighted. We are really looking forward to working with them to raise both awareness and funds for our charity, allowing us to continue supporting families with a seriously ill child in hospital with a warm and welcoming place to stay, alleviating their financial worries and helping their mental wellbeing. A big thank you to everyone at Newett Homes for supporting us.”

To kickstart the partnership, some of the Newett Homes team visited Eckersley House in Leeds, one of the ten homes managed by the charity, to see first-hand the care and support they provide the families of children receiving intensive care from Leeds Children’s Hospital.

The Newett Homes team cooked up a storm, preparing some delicious baked goods for the families to enjoy when they returned home from the hospital, and donating Tupperware to the home to enable families to return to the ward with their food, allowing them to be at their child’s bedside.

 

Michael Cheng, Design Manager at Newett Homes knows first-hand the impact The Sick Children’s Trust have on families.

On a personal level, I am delighted Newett Homes have chosen the The Sick Children’s Trust to support in 2023, as it is a charity that have supported my family this year through some very challenging times.

We were delighted to be invited to Eckersley House by The Sick Children’s Trust to bake some goodies for the families currently living in the accommodation. The baking was a success, and we hope it went a little way to make the day easier for the families. It was also fantastic to meet the wonderful staff who do amazing things to support the families and ensure they have home away from home.”

Newett Homes next fundraising event will be held on Friday 21st July at Cookridge Hall Golf Club where eighteen teams will compete for the winning title.

 

Newett Homes secures £10m investment from BGF

We are pleased to announce, we have secured a £10m growth capital investment from BGF to support us in our plans to build more than 400 homes annually across the region.

Over the past 18 months, Newett Homes has laid solid foundations for growth and has built up a substantial landbank of more than 3,000 homes, this investment will continue to support our ambitious but robust growth strategy.

Will Newett, Chief Executive said: “Our focus is creating luxurious forever homes built to the highest of standards and we have ambitions to significantly expand our footprint across the North of England.

To deliver our strategy, we wanted a minority investment partner that recognised the potential of Newett Homes and had strong credentials in helping housebuilders to scale. We can’t wait to see what our business can achieve with BGF’s backing.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at Newett Homes for their continued hard work.”

Newly appointed Managing Director Paul Oldridge added: “Our land pipeline coupled with  the strength of the management team and the support of BGF gives the business the potential to really makes it’s mark on the residential sector.”

Chris Boyes will join Newett Homes board as non-executive director following the deal lead by investors in BGF’s Yorkshire team

“This is a great opportunity for BGF to invest in a business that has a strong pedigree in housebuilding and is well primed for growth. Newett Homes has built up an impressive reputation for delivering homes in quality locations.”

Women in Construction: Interview with Esther

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/

Top decor tips for your Newett Home

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.   

 

New homes vs old homes 

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.