‘we gave our new-build character’

Although she was keen to avoid a bland new property, Kat couldn’t deny this place’s potential as a future family home

Kat shows us how she gave a blank canvas personality

We only viewed this property to completely rule out new-builds,’ says Kat. ‘my partner Chris and i were moving back to bristol, where we’d grown up, from east london, where we’d been living in a small flat for seven years, and i was adamant i wanted a home with character, so a brand new property was out of the question.

Work commitments meant we could only visit the area for a day at a time, so we would cram in as many viewings as possible – I think our record was nine! We arrived at the development – one of at least half a dozen viewings scheduled – determined not to like any of the properties, but we were instantly won over. The houses were built with modern living in mind, so there were none of the higgledy-piggledy layouts found in older properties. They were much more energy efficient and I liked having the comfort of the various warranties. Unexpectedly smitten with the prospect of life in a modern property, we bought one.

Settling in

Although ecstatic with our new home, we didn’t settle in right away. We’d gone from a two-bedroom flat the size of our new main bedroom to a four-bedroom house with four reception rooms, three bathrooms (including the downstairs loo) and a garden, so it took us a while to adjust to the increase in space. In fact, for the first few months we avoided sitting in the living room in favour of the den we had created in one of the spare rooms, which was similar in size to our former living room in London.

The developers recommended we resist decorating for the first six months to give the house time to dry and settle. At first, the thought of living in a white