Our first home is half the cost of rent and a hundred times more luxurious Our first home is half the cost of rent and a hundred times more luxurious

It’s the simple things in life that bring the greatest pleasure. Two 23 year-olds sitting on their
new silver-grey sofa, a Monopoly board spread out before them. He with a cold beer and she with white wine in a pretty glass, ready for an evening in together. Bliss.

Three months ago, college sweethearts Katie Lendrum, an architectural technician, and
Dan, a qualified plumber, left their family homes and moved in together. “A lot of people said we were too young to be buying and settling down,” says Katie. “But we had saved, saved, saved, largely thanks to Covid keeping us in. We had the deposit, and it is what we both wanted. We did not want to rent, and we did not want all the hassle of having to do up an old house.”

Katie, who confesses to having a “Rightmove obsession”, adds: “I had been studying areas and homes for sale and there were two properties I wanted to see, both near each other. The one we’re in now had everything we wanted and more. We knew what we could afford, so we bought it.”

For all her bravado then, she admits now that she was terrified. But with the help of the sales team at developer Weston Homes’ Gun Hill Park development in Aldershot, Hampshire, Katie and Dan went through the paperwork. The couple found a 4% mortgage for their £315,000 purchase and realised they would be paying £1,100 a month. “Between the two of us that’s fine, and way below the sort of money we would have had to pay in rent for something not half as lovely as this,” says Katie.

With her fresh, direct manner, there is an impressive maturity about this organised young woman. Considering neither she nor Dan had lived away from their family homes before, they applied a solid common-sense approach, utilising their professional skills, when it came to choosing their first property together.

They went for a two-bedroom apartment at Gun Hill Park, part of the magnificent conversion of the former Cambridge Military Hospital. The famous Victorian Grade II-listed hospital, originally built with wide corridors and high ceilings on the advice of heroic nurse Florence Nightingale, stands on a hill looking down over Aldershot and the Hampshire countryside beyond. Bob Weston, chairman of family-run Weston Homes, was the brave man with the vision to turn the stunning landmark into 140 new apartments and houses in 12 landscaped acres.

Built in Italianate neoclassical style and opened in 1879, Cambridge Military Hospital received injured troops from the Boer War and First World War, right up until the Gulf War (1990-91). The site also served as a community maternity unit until its closure in 1996, and unlocks memories for many local people who see its transformation into £60million Gun Hill Park. “When we got there it looked familiar to me and to Dan, too, who remembered playing here with his friends as a boy when it was derelict,” says Katie. “And it turns out his grandfather worked here when it was an Army hospital.”

Apartments in the main former hospital building were all sold. However, Katie and Dan were happy with a smaller new-build apartment block tucked between some fine old red-brick buildings, all part of this intriguing estate. With Katie’s surveyor and architectural expertise, and Dan’s construction and plumbing knowledge, they were well equipped to get what they wanted in their new home. Low bills were high on the list and Weston Homes’ passion for insulation and sustainability pleased them. “We have not had the heating on once since we moved in,” Katie beams.

They knew they wanted to overlook the woods rather than the car park when the sun comes up, and they particularly loved their new home’s big, spacious hallway. “I knew we were gaining interior space by not having a balcony – but we both agreed the interior was more important,” adds Katie. The main bedroom is light and large with a deluxe en suite, and the second bedroom has its own swish bathroom, which Katie has commandeered. “We feel very lucky,” she says. “My mum was amazed. They never had things like this. We have a very high-quality home with a glossy grey kitchen, all our units, hi-tech taps in the bathrooms, our incredible shower. And this is all included in the price.”

Had they bought earlier, they knew they would have had the opportunity to create their own interior styling from the wide variety of Weston Homes colour charts and accessories on offer. “But I think I would have gone for what we have here.” Katie is a committed monochrome fan. The entire flat shines with waves of creamy whites and shades of grey, offset by the deep mahogany doors and an ingenious wall of virtually black, slatted acoustic panelling. The TV is set into this feature wall. It’s neat and inconspicuous. “Dan worked on this with his friends…having skilled friends saves us lots of money.” Katie hosted a bunch of them recently during the European Football Championship: “I love entertaining in our home.”

As you would expect, Katie had a list – “a ridiculously long list” – of items she wanted for their new home: “I swapped clothes-buying for homeware-buying and it was just as much fun.” But on the day they were due to complete, this organised couple were taken by surprise. “We were
given a date and also a time, which was in the afternoon, so we thought we would just sign and wait until the following day. But we were called at 9am and soon we had our keys.”

It was pouring with rain that day, Katie recalls. By nightfall, “we’d got our keys, so we brought our new mattress with us. We both love Lego, so we sat on the floor, ordered a pizza and chose a favourite. ‘I’d like to say they built a house but – they already had one.’