Our Nest: A recipe for a forever home in Sarah and Jonathan’s Bellway Addingham

In the latest edition of Our Nest, we introduce you to Sarah and Jonathan, who found their perfect ‘forever home’ with Bellway that had all the space they needed for their family to grow – both inside, and outside. Their Bellway Addingham home has earned well-deserved attention on social media for its fabulous outdoor kitchen, which is even more impressive when you consider that the couple built it by themselves!

Sarah and Jonathan’s Bellway home journey began in 2019, having realised that they’d outgrown their first home and needed more space for their family to expand into. Having renovated a property as first-time buyers, the couple were hesitant to take on another project, but a new build home wasn’t at the top of their wishlist – until they visited a new Bellway development in Yorkshire just a short distance from where they were living, and realised that a brand-new property had everything they wanted, plus more.

“We wanted a big family garden, ample off-road parking, and enough space for a family of four,” recalls Sarah. “After a few months of viewings in our local area, exploring different types of homes, we decided to book an appointment with Bellway.

“Jonathan and I discussed the advantages of buying a new build home over an existing home: a new roof, windows and doors, fixing pointing, replacing the driveway, and updating wiring and heating systems were all additional costs that would need to be factored in with the older properties we had looked at. Not to mention the costs of heating an older home, which are typically less energy efficient.”

The couple set their hearts on a 4-bedroom Bellway Addingham, which boasts an open-plan kitchen and dining area with an adjoining utility room, plus a separate living room, three double bedrooms including one with an en suite, and an integral garage. 

For Sarah and Jonathan, it offered everything they needed for their growing family; in addition to its “spacious and modern layout”, Sarah also loved that their energy-efficient Bellway home came complete with high-quality fixtures and fittings, and that they had options and a choice of Additions to tailor elements of their kitchen and bathrooms to suit their individual tastes.

Taking time to create the perfect family home

After moving into their Bellway home in January 2020, Sarah and Jonathan prioritised tackling practical elements of their home interior, including laying floor tiling in the bathrooms and eye-catching herringbone style flooring throughout the downstairs space.

Rather than hurrying to personalise the blank canvas of their new home, the couple have taken the time to build up their interior style, later adding features such as wall panelling to add new depth to their décor.

“I would say my interior aesthetic is more traditional, but I also like to combine modern and contemporary styles,” says Sarah.

“I’m constantly searching for new inspiration and experimenting different layouts, styling and décor. Much of my inspiration comes from Instagram and Pinterest, but I also love to get creative with my own personal style.”

Getting ahead of the wall panelling trend, the couple decided to go DIY with their project, watching online videos to learn the skills needed for a professional-looking finish.

“We opted for a beaded style with our panelling, which needed practice and patience, and hours of searching for YouTube tutorials. Our hard work paid off and we are incredibly pleased with the result; this is definitely the detail I’m most proud of in our home.”

Cooking up the perfect outdoor kitchen space

After two years of enjoying their new Bellway home, Sarah and Jonathan turned their attention to their garden. Once again, the couple decided to test their DIY skills to build an outdoor kitchen, with incredible results on an impressively small budget.

“For the first couple of years after moving in, our garden remained untouched because we have other priorities with regards to time and finances, although we used this time to plan how we would fill the space,” says Sarah.

“We made additions one by one; first we added a patio, then a pergola, before finally designing and building the outdoor kitchen. This is one of our favourite additions to our home and definitely the hardest project so far!”

As with the interior panelling project, Sarah and Jonathan turned to the internet for tips and inspiration, which helped them to save money whilst achieving the look they hoped for.

“We had no clue on how to design or build our outdoor kitchen!” Sarah remembers. “Jonathan and I searched Pinterest for months before we combined our favourite ideas to produce an L-shaped outdoor kitchen that incorporated a bar, dedicated worktop space for a pizza oven, and a BBQ.

“The whole project was done as cheaply as possible without compromising on quality. We found built-in BBQs quite expensive, so instead we bought a more affordable trolley BBQ and simply chopped off the legs to the exact measurements we required. Our cupboard doors, which we added later, were made out of pallet wood that we sourced for free.

“The garden is now an extension of our house, and we love nothing more than to sit out there as a family making pizza or cooking on the BBQ. Just as on the inside, we’ve added details to the garden to add character, such as solar lights and lanterns, patio furniture, and an outdoor mirror.”

Reflecting on the process of decorating their new build home both inside and out, Sarah has some great advice for homeowners at the beginning of their interior design journey:

“Really think about what you want, and don’t make hasty decisions. If you’ve got the time and patience, do all the decorating yourself; there will always be challenges and mistakes made along the way, but it all helps to create a higher level of satisfaction with the end result.”

You can see more of Sarah and Jonathan’s Bellway Addingham home on Instagram at @mynorthernabode, including a full house tour video, and five ways that they have added character to their new build home. For more inspiration from real Bellway homeowners, take a look at some of our previous Our Nest features – such as Emma and Dom’s New York industrial-inspired Bellway Tailor, and Amy and Jake’s Bellway Chandler love story.

If you’d like the chance to be featured in a future edition of Our Nest, share your interior style with us @bellwayhomes using our dedicated hashtag #mybeautifulbellway.