Wales’ Forever Home Revealed

The ideal ‘forever home’ for a resident in Wales is a four-bedroom,
detached house in the country, with a sea view, worth 403,866 – and
just down the road from the family, it has emerged.

A detailed study also found that we hanker after a property with a
driveway, a play room – and somewhere to hang the washing.

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 9.4 miles
from the office.

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.

The detail emerged from a study of 2,000 homeowners carried out by
Origin [1], the leading British manufacturer of bespoke aluminium
bi-folding doors, residential doors and windows.

Ben Brocklesby, Director at Origin, said: _”We wanted to find out
more about the concept of the forever home and whether it still
existed. Years ago it was not unusual for people to live in the same
house for their entire lives, but we’ve certainly seen a shift in this
trend as we now live in an average of seven homes throughout our
lifetimes. _

_”Interestingly, more than three quarters of people in the region
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._

_”We carried out the research to find out exactly what people want
from their forever homes, and if any of the features on their wish
list could be added to their existing properties. Among the most
sought after elements were a power shower, big windows, a bath and
bi-fold or sliding doors – all of which can be incorporated into any
home, without the need to move.”_

Two bathrooms, two en-suites and two reception rooms are also key
components.

On a national scale, 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.

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.

It also emerged that we dream of spending our years in a street where
we are surrounded by friendly neighbours, four of whom we are on first
name terms with.

A 1,000sq ft garden is the ideal size, according to most Brits.

With regard to amenities, our forever home would have everything we
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 we believe we’ll own our 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.” _

THE IDEAL FOREVER HOME AMONG BRITS:

* Is worth 458,000.
* Is 10.5 miles from work and has transport links.
* Has four friendly neighbours – who we are on first name terms
with.

Has the following rooms:

* Playroom x1
* Reception rooms x 2
* En-suites x 2
* Bathrooms x 2
* Bedrooms x 4

And has the following features:

* Front AND back gardens

* Driveway
* Off street parking
* Patio
* Double garage
* Flowerbeds
* Summer house
* Somewhere to hang the washing out
* Gates at the front
* Veg patch
* Open fields
* Garden 1000sqft
* View of sea view, rolling hills or field of cows

Is this far away from local amenities:

* Post office – 1 mile away
* Doctors – 1 mile away
* Dentist – 2 miles away
* Corner shop – 1 mile away
* Supermarket – 2 miles away
* Leisure centre – 3 miles away
* Newsagent off licence – 1 mile away
* Petrol station – 2 miles away
* Park – 2 miles away
* Playground – 2 miles away
* Farm shop – 2 miles away
* Pub – 1.5 miles away
* School – 2 miles away
* Clothes shop – 3 miles away
* Library – 2.5 miles away
* Cinema – 3 miles away
* Restaurant – 2 miles away
* Chemist 1.5
* Vet – 2.5 miles away

And these are the most desired views:

* Sea view – 54 per cent
* Garden – 38 per cent
* Mountains – 44 per cent
* Field of cows – 21 per cent

To find out more, visit www.origin-global.com/forever-home [2]