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B R O U G H T TO YO U BY H I L L
FIVE-STAR HOMES Hill is a multi-award winning housebuilder, as these testimonials prove
TRADING IN 19TH-CENTURY CHARACTER FOR 21ST-CENTURY STYLE
village we moved from, but the children have a lot more freedom here and are able to cycle to school. “The whole family loves the open-plan kitchen/living area, especially my wife Nicola, who is a chef. It is where we spend all of our time and has become the hub of the house. The kids also love the studio. We had intended for it to become a guest room for visitors, but they have taken it over and are already hosting sleepovers and after-school get-togethers.” “THE WHOLE FAMILY LOVES THE OPEN-PLAN KITCHEN/LIVING AREA, ESPECIALLY MY WIFE, WHO IS A CHEF. IT'S WHERE WE SPEND MOST OF OUR TIME“
The Staples family’s move from their 1850s period house in the village of Willingham was a difficult decision, but one that improved their quality of life. Being closer to the children’s schools and reducing their commutes were the main drivers for Chris and Nicola Staples. However, with stiff competition for family homes and house prices in Cambridge often equalling those of London, the family’s search was turning into a nightmare – until they came across Hill’s Ninewells development on Babraham Road. ”After living in our previous house for 12 years, we were reluctant to move,” says Chris, “but we really needed to create more of a work-life balance. Our children, Isabella and George, are now 14 and 13, so they need to be close to the city centre amenities and we also wanted them to be near to their schools. We looked at a
number of options, but were priced out of a lot of properties in the locations we wanted, so we were really struggling to find anything that ticked all the boxes. “Having always lived in older properties, we had never considered a newly built home, but we were really impressed with what we saw,” he continues. “It was a total surprise compared to what we expected.” The Staples bought a three- storey, four-bedroom mews house at Ninewells, with a studio above the garage. Chris continues: “The main difference I have noticed between this house and our older property is the insulation. We’ve never had the heating on, and the noise doesn’t travel at all, which is amazing considering how open plan it is (and much needed when you have two teenagers!). The development itself is surrounded by countryside, so it really reminds us of the
JULY 2019
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