Tag Archives: homes

Work in London, but can’t afford to actually live there? Work out exactly which commuter town is best for you

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Work in London, but can’t afford to actually live there? Frost loves TotallyMoney.com’s brilliant new property ladder calculation tool. It lets you work out exactly in which commuter town you could own your first home…

London property, property outside London, affordable housing, where to buy, property, homes, owning

Many of us have had our dreams of actually owning a property in London firmly shattered; lack of affordable housing in the capital coupled with pay freezes and mortgage company demands for increasingly large deposits means that most people in their 20s and 30s have accepted it might never happen. In fact, recent figures show that the number of families on a modest income owning their own home there has more than halved over the last decade, falling to just 13 per cent.But London is still where most of the work is – so what’s the answer?

 

If you don’t fancy paying cripplingly huge amounts of rent to unscrupulous landlords, many people look to buy or rent just outside of the big smoke, in a town with a reasonable commute. But where do you actually start? There’s bound to be a lot of research to be done into finding out what average house prices are elsewhere, how long a particular commute would be, which towns are even desirable (and have at least one local pub) – the list is endless, and in the meantime, house prices are only going to be ticking steadily upwards…

 

Well, panic not, for help is at hand. Money comparison site TotallyMoney.com has just launched its new online tool for people who want to get onto the property ladder, and work in London, but can’t afford to buy there. In one simple process, you can set parameters to reflect the maximum time you’d be happy to spend on a commute, how much you can afford to spend on train travel, the value of the property you could afford to buy, and the amount of your disposable income. Then you’ll be presented with a selection of towns which match your criteria – meaning you can start searching for a new home in earnest.

 

TotallyMoney.com has even put together a list of the top ten best commuter towns, and High Wycombe – with a London commute time of only 30 minutes, travel costs of around £4,180, and suitable for those with a disposable income of around £23,341 – is in first place. If you’re keen to keep train time to a minimum, however, Esher, in Surrey (ranked 8th), is a mere 27 minutes away from London, with annual travel costs coming in at about £2,124. If you’re looking for a bargain in terms of property, Erith, in the London borough of Bexley is ranked at number 7, with the cheapest average property price at £238,459, and an annual travel cost of only £1,912 (although it would take a little longer, at 44 minutes).

 

# Town County House Price Season Ticket Time Average Disposable Income Per Head. Per Year
1 High Wycombe Buckinghamshire £346,197.00 £4,180.00 30 £23,341.00
2 Woking Surrey £433,235.00 £3,080.00 27 £21,437.00
3 Staines Middlesex £349,604.00 £2,484.00 35 £21,539.00
4 Amersham Buckinghamshire £542,856.00 £3,368.00 34 £23,341.00
5 Gerrards Cross Buckinghamshire £792,177.00 £3,328 28 £23,341.00
6 Walton-on-thames Surrey £524,145 £2,412 33 £21,437.00
7 Erith Outer London North & West £238,459 £1,912 44 £21,539.00
8 Esher Surrey £878,831 £2,124 27 £21,437.00
9 Redhill Surrey £338,593 £2,696 38 £21,437.00
10 Horley Surrey £340,407 £3,208 35 £21,437.00

 

 

 

Berkeley Homes’ One Tower Bridge Show Apartments Launch

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Last week I headed to One Tower Bridge to view their luxury apartments. The building is truly beautiful, even from the outside. I headed in and everyone was friendly and smartly dressed, just as you would expect. I see a model of all of One Tower Bridge and it looks very impressive.

They have 356 units in total and have already sold 309. Cambridge House has been launched and that is their flagship block. There are 36 units in total in Cambridge including 3 Duplex Penthouses.  There are private gardens, a new street, Duchess Walk, is being built which will have shops and restaurants. A boutique hotel with 70 bedrooms is also being launched

The apartments are stunning, every little detail is perfect. As I walked around, glass of champagne in hand, I wanted to become a multi-millionaire very quickly. As did every other person who saw them. They are gorgeous apartments: the ultimate in luxury.  Take a look at the pictures and see for yourself. The view is also incredible, as is the location. You are very close to the South Bank but this side of the river is quieter, more calm.

Honky and Casa Forma also did an excellent job of designing the show flats. I loved the sumptuous surroundings.

Berkeley Homes’ One Tower Bridge sales team will be welcoming prospective buyers to an onsite marketing suite for the first time.  In addition to the onsite marketing suite, Berkeley is launching two spectacular show homes, which do justice to the development’s extraordinary location on one of London’s last remaining great riverside locations, at the foot of the world-famous bridge.

The Casa Forma apartments 

1.03 Casa Forma Kitchen 1.03 Casa Forma Living Area 1.03 Casa Forma Living Area

Coinciding with the milestone of the first completions at One Tower Bridge this month, the two-bedroom show apartments, located in Cambridge House, the river-facing block, will provide the first enticing glimpse of what life could look like inside these exceptional residences.

Inspired by the distinctly British character and charm of the Thames Walk location, Berkeley Homes has commissioned acclaimed interior designers Casa Forma and Honky to each present their own London aesthetic in one of the show apartments.

The Honky Apartments

1.01 Honky Apartment EnSuite Bathroom 1.01 Honky Apartment Living Area 1.01 Honky Apartment Terrace

Just as each of the development’s nine blocks is slightly different in character – with variations in architectural styles, size and height to complement the skyline and showcase the magnificent views across the River Thames – the individual show apartments have distinctly different style sensibilities and features, yet each one has perfectly captured the energy, vibrancy and tasteful luxury that are part of living in the capital. The designers have all expressed their personal vision for One Tower Bridge using beautiful bespoke materials and furnishings and original artwork against the interior architects’ strong base palette.

Buyers can look forward to a home that anticipates all the needs and requirements of contemporary luxury living. All of the apartments are fully fitted with the finest materials and technology, including Miele integrated appliances, built-in coffee machines, wine coolers and individually designed oak cabinets for the custom-designed ergonomically planned kitchens.

Each apartment has a private balcony, terrace or roof garden, and also features the very latest in integrated Smart Home Technology, allowing residents remote access to adjust the automated blinds and switch on the underfloor heating system or air conditioning as they disembark from a long haul flight, as well as control the state-of-the-art security system. The technology hub also communicates wirelessly with the lift, automatically recognizing residents and delivering them to their floor.

Designed by internationally celebrated architects Squire and Partners, these luxurious one, two, three and four-bedroom apartments and penthouses offer an opportunity to live on the South Bank, right beside London’s iconic landmark – which is marking its 120th anniversary this year – and just a short walk from both the Tower of London and the Shard.

Harry Lewis, Managing Director at Berkeley Homes (South East London) Ltd, comments: 

“This is an extraordinary moment, as One Tower Bridge takes the next exciting step towards completion. The stylish interiors designed by Casa Forma and Honky reflect brilliantly all the values and virtues of One Tower Bridge, and will help buyers to get a sense of the complete experience of living in this one-of-a-kind development in a truly inspirational setting.”

Prices at One Tower Bridge start from £1,130,000.

 

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New Year, New You, New House! – Part 4:

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So, it seems that I’m still loving this whole “New Year, New You” series of mine – I keep thinking of more things to write about! Well, in this series (which I think is part 4 – however, I have lost count a little bit…), I’ve decided to write a little chapter for those who are deciding to build their own houses in 2013. After all, taking the decision to build your own home can be an exceptionally daunting prospect for most, so it’s always nice to have a little helping hand along the way.

Part of the problem of building your own home is actually knowing where to start; how do you know what design to choose? How do you go about choosing the best sub-contractors? How do you source the right materials for the right price? With all of these questions, it’s easy to get lost in the self-build-construction-jungle.

Well, in order to help you along a little bit, a good place to start is with the actual structure of your future home; from the bricks, to the walls, to the roof. Surely it’s just as simple as a few bricks and tiles, right? Wrong. Because, the key to a well built home lies with a strong and sturdy well built frame.

You’ve been looking at the range of options available to start with this all-important structure, but with so many choices available, you feel like you’re back at square one with all the confusing questions and decisions. However, in your desperate hunt to find one, you have come across one that sounds quite interesting; timber frames.

But, how do you know if timber frames are the right option to exactly meet the requirements the planned structure you hope to build? Well, this run-down of these benefits may just help you decide:

1. Highly Adaptable

Timber frames are the perfect option for all kinds of building design needs; whether you’re looking to self-build communal buildings, flats or housing, as they can be altered and adapted to fit any structure. As well as providing the highest quality supports for your build, they also boast high environmental performance, energy efficiency and the ability to meet top sustainability targets.

2. Reduce Building Times and Costs

Timber frames also dramatically reduce building times – in fact, timber frame construction requires 20% fewer on-site labor days than traditional methods. So, that means 20% fewer days your sub-constructors have to be on-site, and therefore, 20% less time that you have to pay them for! Sounds like a good option, right? And what’s more; timber frames also save up to 5% in building costs compared to traditional brick and block construction – so you can save your money for other aspects of your home build process.

3. Environmentally-Friendly

Another key advantage of using a timber frame, such as those available from http://www.eco-dam.com/, in a self-build project, is it’s ability to help cut onside waste into the environment. So if you’re looking to help the environment and are particularly conscious about being ec-ofriendly throughout the entirety of the construction process, then a timber frame structure will be the perfect option for you!