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Taking that first “long overdue” step onto the property ladder has enabled one family to massively increase their living space while shrinking their energy bills.
Ayoola Owolabi and his wife Ololade had been saving up to buy their first house ever since moving to the UK from Nigeria in 2022.
After four years living in rented accommodation, they finally achieved their dream when they purchased a 3-bedroom semi-detached home at Bellway’s Holbrook Park development in Chellaston, on the edge of Derby. The couple moved into the property with their two-year-old daughter Kiki in July this year.
As well as giving them the certainty and security of owning their own home, the purchase has also provided the couple with vastly more living space and privacy than they enjoyed in their previous house, a two-bedroom property in Derby. And the impressive energy efficiency of their new Bellway home has helped them to reduce their electricity bill by more than half.
Ayoola, 38, and Ololade, 33, began the search for their new home in March this year after deciding they had saved enough to cover the deposit on a new property.
“We had been thinking about it and saving up for a long time. We wanted the confidence and freedom that comes with owning your own house – being able to do whatever you like in terms of decorating. It was also about planning for our retirement and being in a position where we owned our own home and didn’t have to think about paying rent.”
The couple decided they wanted a new-build property from the outset – partly because of the financial incentives available and also because they would be buying a place which wouldn’t require a lot of work.
“If you are buying a new house everything is new,” said Ayoola. “It has new technology and it is energy efficient.”
Ayoola and Ololade are already seeing the benefits of their new home’s energy efficiency in their bills. At their old place, the couple were paying around £170 each month for electricity. Now, they are paying just £40 and that should come down even further when the solar panels on their roof are fully operational. “It’s a massive difference,” said Ayoola.
It’s definitely worth it. We are so much happier here."– Ayoola
While the couple looked at other new-build developments in the area, they said Holbrook Park stood out because of its location and the design of the homes.
Ayoola, who works as a residential children’s support worker in Chaddesden, about a 15-minute drive away, said: “It’s not too far from my workplace and it is close to local shops. We don’t have many reasons to go into the city but when we do it only takes 15 minutes.”
Ayoola and Ololade, a business analyst who works from home, bought a three-bedroom semi-detached house in Bellway’s Spinner design. The three-storey layout, with the main bedroom taking up the entire top floor, was a big attraction for the couple – as was the fact all three bedrooms have an en suite and there’s a downstairs cloakroom.
Ayoola says their daughter also prefers her new surroundings. “She has a bigger bedroom here. She’s not sleeping in there yet but she knows it’s going to be her bedroom as that’s where her toys are.”
Downstairs, the couple have more kitchen space than before, with an open-plan kitchen-dining-living area with French doors leading out to the back garden – where they have installed a flower box and shed, and plan to add garden furniture.
“We didn’t have a garden at the last house, just a backyard,” said Ayoola. “We are already enjoying the garden but when it is finished we will be enjoying it even more.”
