Lindsey and Helen

Caerlee Mill, Innerleithen – 2020

Lindsey and her partner Helen, along with their handsome Labradoodle Woody, had been looking to make the move from Skipton in Yorkshire to Scotland for some time. They wanted a place that offered them the same community feel they were used to in Skipton, as well as a remote and tranquil location. Lindsey’s Scottish roots had been calling her closer to home for quite some time and when the couple visited Innerleithen on holiday, they discovered their perfect location.

Having fallen in love with the area, a key deciding factor was discovering their wide circle of friends often travel down from Edinburgh and Glasgow to enjoy the nearby outdoor playground of Glentress, which offers some of the best mountain bike trails, forest walks and outdoor activities in Scotland, as Lindsey explains: “We absolutely love the outdoors and we’re often meeting up with friends to go cycling, mountain biking, running, or swimming. Moving to Innerleithen means that we have so much to do on our doorstep, and it’s brilliant that our friends already know and visit the area lots so we’ve felt really at home really quickly.”

Originally, Lindsey and Helen wanted to build their our own home and they were searching for a plot of land in Innerleithen. Through their local research they discovered the plans for Caerlee Mill and, incredibly, the proposed designs for the houses matched what they had scribbled out with an architect. It felt as though they had found their perfect solution as Lindsey adds:

We liked everything we read about Whiteburn, and it was quite clear from our research they were emotionally invested in the development, not just financially involved!
Even though we didn’t know the exact timescales of how long it would take for the development to come to fruition, from late 2017 we patiently followed its journey through the planning process. We had the feeling these were the right houses in the right place and we felt the prices would be within our budget.

Buying their dream home was really easy, and the couple couldn’t wait to buy their first home together as Lindsey points out: “The actual sales process has been really easy for us. Within an hour of receiving the first marketing brochure and then having a detailed chat with Eve to discuss some of the adaptations that I needed – such as a lower hob, and more ‘below counter’ storage in the kitchen rather than upper where I can’t reach it – we reserved!

“Whiteburn have just been great at listening and getting it right for our particular circumstances. They’ve embraced some of our more unusual ideas, such as having our washing machine upstairs because that’s just easier for me. We have also benefitted from their experience when our requests have been perhaps a bit unusual. So, when we asked for a water filter and they said ‘you don’t need a water filter in Scotland’, we took their advice and now agree that Scottish water from the tap is brilliant.

“Right from the start we loved the idea and concept of this development because we would have a real mix of neighbours, and it was clear Caerlee Mill would appeal to a wide range of people, not just one particular demographic. What is lovely, is there is already a diverse community of people that have moved into Caerlee Mill and we love that.”

The couple were renting in Yorkshire, so this is their first property purchase together. But their step onto the property ladder was caught up in the ongoing health emergency. Despite some incredible challenges, Lindsey and Helen moved in the day the UK went into lockdown and the team at Caerlee Mill were just brilliant as Lindsey explains: “Although the initial prospect of moving home was super exciting, it was clear very quickly that our transaction would get caught up in the timing of the UK lockdown, and we were naturally a bit anxious and stressed.

“We knew the Land Registry was closing, that our solicitor was working from home, that my essential medical supplies were in storage and I was also expecting a critical delivery of equipment from the NHS on our planned move-in date, but the team at Whiteburn were just fantastic. They reassured us every step of the way, and Eve was brilliant. She simply said to us that they would ’make it happen’ and do ‘whatever we need to do to get you in’.

“In those few days everything felt a bit weird and overwhelming, but from my experience of the team at Whiteburn throughout our whole buying process, I knew that everyone would do what they could to get us moved in safely. Looking back, we’re so grateful that everyone took such care. Our experience of buying here has been great – Toria and Charlie at the development have been super helpful – in fact, we haven’t met anyone that we wouldn’t invite into our home for a cup of tea.

Finally getting the keys was so exciting because we had never seen the inside of our house. Everything was just a bit better and bigger than we had imagined that it would be.” adds Lindsey.
“In terms of standout features, we love the use of space, the use of natural light is amazing, and the practicality of the layout means every space is maximised. This house is a good home to live in – I’m disabled, and my future health needs have an unknown trajectory, but this house is so ready for that and that gives me peace of mind.

“Our house was immaculate and simply brilliant and while it was a relief to finally move-in, it was such a strange day that was so extraordinarily challenging for the whole country. There have been five families here during lockdown and in coping with such an unprecedented situation, we have already formed a lovely bond.

“It already feels like home and it did within the first week despite the pandemic!”