When they bought their starter home — a two-bedroom flat with no outdoor space in West Putney — Amy and Alexander Vickery felt like they were set for life.
But after five years, and with their family expanding fast, the couple began to realise they were going to need more space sooner rather than later.
“We bought our first home together in 2020,” says Amy, a 35-year-old geologist. “It was perfect for just the two of us. We then adopted our whippet Arlo in 2021, and welcomed our first daughter in 2023. As we started thinking about baby number two we knew we’d outgrown our apartment.”
Amy and Alexander, 33, an engineer, decided that Haslemere, on the Surrey-Sussex border, was a perfect option thanks to its good commuter links to London and began house hunting late last year.
“ We loved Putney, but we couldn’t have afforded the same-sized house there. And after having lived in a terrace with neighbours either side and below, our priority was a detached property. There are not many of these available in and around Putney, and they come at a premium,” says Amy, who is expecting her second child, another daughter, any day now. “Aside from this, I grew up in the countryside, and I felt quite strongly that if we were moving out of Putney I didn’t want to move to another suburb.”
Although they both like period properties they quickly realised that they would struggle to find a place which they could move straight into without doing expensive renovation work. “The options either needed too much work or were simply overpriced,” says Alexander. “With a young family, we just didn’t have the capacity to take on a big renovation.”
When they widened their search to include new homes they came across the Coppice Meadow development (www.eliviahomes.co.uk), and went to have a look around. They loved the idea of living close to the South Downs and the fact that the town centre and station are within a mile of the site.
“We also loved the idea of being able to move straight in and focus on building our life here,” says Amy.
In February of this year they sold their London flat for £812,500, went to stay with Alex’s parents in Surrey, and in March paid £1,325,000 for a four-bedroom house with a south-facing garden.
At almost 1900 sq ft the house is almost twice the size of their London flat.
“So far, it’s been wonderful,” says Amy. “There are so many beautiful walks on our doorstep, and the village has such a welcoming feel. We’re really enjoying building our life here.”
