Alan and Marion

Viewforth, Kirkcaldy – 2023

Taking early retirement and upsizing from a traditional period property they lived in for around 20 years together in Kirkcaldy to a modern and energy-efficient four bedroom detached home at Viewforth has worked out perfectly for Alan, a former purchasing manager, and Marion who worked in the chemical industry. They laterally worked together, for a vaccine manufacturing company, on their Covid vaccine project.

The couple wanted more space to be able to accommodate their three sons and four grandchildren, as well as friends when they come to visit. So, intending to futureproof their lifestyle, the couple has recently moved into the impressive four bedroom detached Oliphant at Viewforth in Kirkcaldy and they are loving life at the development as Marion explains:
“When we decided to move, we thought that we fancied a period property with character and so we looked at a few. We realised fairly quickly that with our plans to retire early, many of the properties we looked at needed lots of work so futureproofing our move was key. Put simply we didn’t want to spend lots of time and money on DIY and a project.”

The couple decided to explore what a new build property could offer them as Alan adds: “We looked at a few of the volume builders but their developments were too big for us, and they didn’t suit what we were looking for.”

Many of the show homes that we visited or the floorplans that we looked at felt compromised in one way or another. Some would be great downstairs but upstairs just didn’t work or sometimes it was the reverse. Other builders seem to compromise living space and the kitchen/diner whereas in our opinion, Whiteburn gets that balance perfectly.

“I knew about Whiteburn and its plans for Viewforth following some research work I did for a bathroom and kitchen supplier. We happened to drive past the show home, and we spotted there was an open day in a few days, so we went back. We saw the property on the Sunday and by the Tuesday of the following week, we had reserved our new home. From there everything moved quite quickly to get our old house on the market, but the team at Viewforth was so helpful and everything went smoothly.”

The space, flooded with natural light that the Oliphant offers, won Marion over straightaway as she adds: “I instantly loved the house when I walked in. The high ceilings replicated what we’d had in the old house and layout and the light flooding in from the various windows is lovely. The proportions of the rooms are great too and it was obvious the designers at Whiteburn had carefully thought about how you would live in the house.

We love it here– the development is perfectly located for us next to Ravenscraig Park, we are right on the coastal path, and we have a view of the Firth of Forth. Our visit to Viewforth was the last viewing we did – after that, we knew we had found our ideal home in the perfect spot for us.

“It was quite an emotive decision in the end,” explains Alan. “Instantly we both felt that we could live here. The feeling of space is great – there’s a large area at the top of the hall and the double doors into bedroom four are a lovely feature and it makes that room feel so big.”

We were also reassured by the quality of the build; we could see that all the fixtures and fittings were of a good standard and there’s a high-end finish in our home. I’d say that Whiteburn’s standard finish is set at a far higher level than other properties we have seen. It’s night/day waking up here as opposed to our old flat. It’s lovely and warm and cosy here, there’s solar panels and that helps with energy efficiency and our bills are less plus there’s no DIY to do.

The couple enjoyed a smooth and stress-free move-in day, and they appreciated the time and care that Mark (Site Manager) and Toria (Sales Manager) took to make their day special. Marion adds: “The whole process of buying, selling, and moving in has exceeded our expectations. Everyone has been so helpful and reassuring. Our move-in day went well, and we all enjoyed the prosecco they gave us. And in terms of aftercare, anything that you notice is sorted quickly, and that’s been great. Although we are pleased because we’ve not had to call on the team for much at all.”

We still see Toria every day and all the tradespeople at the development are lovely too. The development itself is impressive – we are so happy with our decision to move here. The landscaping is to a very high standard and it’s obvious that Whiteburn is working very closely with how it builds the houses, alongside providing the landscaping – it’s a very tidy development so you don’t feel as though you are living on a building site.

For other prospective buyers, Alan has this advice:

Come and have a look at the whole package from Whiteburn. Everything is top quality, the houses are great and what you see is what you get, there are no gimmicks. In our view, they are a good honest builder.