As grounds manager for Stoke City Football Club, Andy Jackson is an undoubted expert in looking after the green, green grass of home
And now he will have some important new turf of his own to tend, having just bought a brand-new house at one of Stoke’s most successful new housing developments.
Andy moved into his three-bedroom house at Weston Heights in Weston Coyney after seeing the development – built by Lovell Homes for Compendium Living and now in its fourth and final phase - take shape over the past few years. “My daughters Freya, ten, and seven-year-old Alexis go to school within a mile of the development so I’ve watched it mature and always thought it was a pleasant place,” says Andy.
“There are a lot of new-build homes in Stoke but here you are right on the edge of the city, while at the same time just five miles from the centre. I look out of my bedroom window on to a pond and fields. I wanted the children to be able to go out and play with friends and they can do that here as we have a nice park nearby. We came to look round just a couple of weeks before completing on the sale and it felt right straight away. It’s just felt like home from the off.”
As well as the location, for Andy, the space offered by his new home – which he identified and bought off-plan with the help of the Compendium sales team - was a big factor.
“Now I’ve moved in, I really love the house, particularly the size of the bedrooms. When it came to choosing a home, it was important to have space so that both Freya and Alexis could each have their own room – and, to keep both girls happy, the bedrooms needed to be the same size! Often with a three-bedroom house, the third room is just a box room but here all three bedrooms are a good size.
“The master bedroom is one of my favourite rooms, with an en-suite and has a double aspect as it runs the full width of the house so it’s a really big space and is very light and airy. The kitchen is a decent size too and is really modern.”
Andy bought his home through the Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme, the Government-backed initiative which allows purchasers to get more for their money by securing their home with a 75 per cent mortgage and a deposit of five per cent. “I wasn’t sure whether to use Help to Buy but it’s enabled me to get the home I really wanted and which is slightly bigger.”
As for his garden, unsurprisingly the man in charge of keeping the Potters’ pitch immaculate, has decided to turf it himself. “The sales team offered to turf it for free and couldn’t understand it when I turned them down – I kept them guessing for a bit but then told them what I do for a living and we had a laugh about it.”
Andy has worked for the football club for 21 years, joining the staff as an apprentice and working his way up to his current role with the Premiership side, looking after the Bet365 Stadium and the club’s training ground. With such a demanding job, he is grateful for the support he received from sales executive Diane Mappin and her team when buying his home. “It’s not a nine-to-five job and I bought the house at a very busy time for me work-wise. Di and her team were fantastic from the start; I felt I could trust them. They did pretty much everything for me and took a lot of the stress away, making sure everything went smoothly.”
Now, he just has to ensure his lawn meets his own and his children’s exacting standards: “They want the grass to look as good as Stoke’s pitch although I’m not sure I want to come home from a day’s work and have to do the same thing here. I might pay someone else to do it!”
Final countdown for Weston Heights
Strong sales at Weston Heights have left just two three-bedroom homes available at the landmark development. Both are the three-bedroom semi-detached Northwood house style – with garage – and each is priced a £182,950 (£146,360 after a Help to Buy: Equity Loan). The Northwood is the same house style bought by Andy. To find out more, or book an appointment with the sales team, please call 01782 484 721.
