Tradition with a twist

Ilkeston, Derbyshire [3 May 2005] Research from Ilkeston-based property developer Fairgrove Homes has revealed that if you ask prospective home purchasers what their new home wish list is, ‘location’, ‘good design’, ‘innovation’, ‘comfort’ and ‘a good place for the whole family to live’ feature in the top five.

As a result, Fairgrove has been working with technology and heating specialists to ensure that its new development at Shipley Park, Derbyshire, hits the mark.

“Although consumer requirements haven’t changed much for a long time, the products and services on the market have. So, although a fitted kitchen may have been seen as the height of innovative design in the past, it’s now a given in new home developments,” says Steve Midgley, managing director of Fairgrove Homes.
 “In fact, if you’re looking for something with a real innovative ‘wow’ factor today, you’ve got to look under the floor boards and behind the walls to discover what’s really hot.”

Ugly, functional radiators could be a thing of the past as underfloor heating becomes the must-have device for temperature control. “Since wooden floors took over from carpets in terms of popularity, home owners have had to choose between the warmth of carpets or the style of wooden floors, says Steve. “With underfloor heating, such a compromise is no longer necessary. In fact, we’re picking up on some of the best Scandinavian design techniques to bring comfortable and chic living to the home.”

Taking innovation a step further, Shipley Park features intelligent home lighting designed to capture the mood of owners. “In the course of a day, many people use their homes for a variety of functions,” says Steve. “Whether it’s serious studying, romantic evenings, watching the latest DVD, or something more creative, getting the right light – and the right atmosphere – is essential.”

“Because so many people want to use their homes for entertaining, working and living, we’ve also opted for LexCom Home technology to bring the latest in integrated home entertainment,” adds Steve. “I believe this enables us to deliver technical innovation to a traditional part of Derbyshire.”

With LexCom, television, data and phones can all be handled on the same network. This doesn’t mean lots of unsightly cables scattered around the house, as Steve explains: “The system is so flexible it can handle 100Mbit data, TV signal, telephone and fax transmissions in one single cable simultaneously. This means that entertainment can be sent from video, DVD, satellite and cable TV to every TV set in the home. And if music is more your bag, the system has been set up to enable MP3 music stored on a computer to be played through any stereo amplifier in the home.”

“We’ve designed the homes at Shipley Park to meet the needs of executives and business people in the region,” says Steve. “We’ve used traditional designs in the structure and design of the house, but we’ve gone for intelligent technology to introduce must-have gadgetry to each house without detracting from their outward appearance.”

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