Clearview National September 2017 - Issue 190 | Page 46
PROUD SPONSOR OF DOORS & WINDOWS
DOORS&WINDOWS
Origin
reveals
Britain’s
‘forever
home’
The ideal ‘forever home’
for the average British
homeowner is a four-
bedroom, detached house in
the country, worth £458,000
– and just down the road
from Mum, it has emerged.
» » A DETAILED STUDY OF 2,000 UK
homeowners, carried out by Origin, the
leading British manufacturer of bespoke
aluminium bi-folding doors, residential
doors and windows, also found that
homeowners hanker after a property with a
driveway, a play room – and somewhere to
hang the washing.
Plenty of natural light was also a must-
have for homeowners, with 99 per cent
of people saying it was important. Over
half said they wanted big windows, while
bi-folding or sliding doors that lead out
to the garden were also high on the list of
features.
Other must-haves include a large kitchen
and breakfast room, an ample lounge, utility
room and dining room.
A double garage and conservatory are
also essential, as is a study and cloakroom.
Ideally, we want to live in a location just
10.5 miles from the office.
Ben Brocklesby, Director at Origin, said:
“We wanted to find out more about the
concept of the forever home, whether it still
exists and what homeowners want most
from their properties. This provides our
partners with market insights that will help
them further understand homeowners, their
customers, and what it is that they want
from their homes. This will allow them to
46 » SE P 2017 » CL EARVI E W- UK . C O M
offer an even more rounded experience when
in the showroom.
“We pride ourselves on the gold standard of
service that we offer to our partners, providing
them with the best possible opportunities
to maximise profitability, and this extra
knowledge will set them in good stead when
dealing with customers every day.
“Interestingly, more than three quarters of
people still believe in the concept of a forever
home, which shows that the clear majority
of homeowners are constantly climbing the
property ladder, striving to find a home to live
in for the rest of their lives.”
Two bathrooms, two en-suites and two
reception rooms are also key components.
Good transport links and a pub within a
mile and a half are also vital elements.
While an ambitious one in three even went
as far as to suggest their ‘forever home’ would
include a swimming pool and sauna.
Over half of people chose the sea as the
perfect view from their windows, followed
by a countryside view of either rolling hills
or a field of cows. Britain’s least chosen view
from the home was, perhaps unsurprisingly, a
football stadium.
It also emerged that homeowners dream of
spending their years in a street where they are
surrounded by friendly neighbours, four of
whom they are on first name terms with.
A 1,000sq ft. garden is the ideal size, per
most Brits.
Regarding amenities, the ideal forever
home would have everything residents needed
within a three-mile radius. The Post Office,
corner shop, newsagents and off-licence are
considered the most important to have close
by.
While a third of people are actively putting
savings aside for their forever home, a third
already reside in theirs.
The age at which most believe they will
own their forever home emerged as 53, and
four out of ten were convinced they would, at
some point, purchase their dream pad.
Eighty-four per cent of UK adults are
happy with their current home and around
eight in ten think it’s likely they will try to
improve or renovate the house they own
now.
Ben Brocklesby continued “With such a
high proportion of homeowners planning
to improve or renovate their current house,
we have some great practical advice on
our website from our experts, looking at
everything from how to make the most of a
conservatory to styling your front of house
– getting homeowners one step closer to
creating their forever home.”
www.origin-global.com/forever-home