Turning their Houghton house into a dream-home

A Houghton-le-Spring couple with a real flair for interior design have become ‘brand ambassadors’ while legions of fellow DIY enthusiasts follow their exciting property journey online.

With hundreds of admirers already in awe of their amazing design and decoration activities, Steven Wright and Kyle Neil have decided to sell their beautiful two-year-old property at Heritage Green and move up to a larger property just two streets away.

“Our role as brand ambassadors and social media figures has come about by chance,” explained Steven. It began during lockdown as we looked for a property with some outdoor space, having been living in a top floor apartment. When we looked at Persimmon’s Heritage Green development, a house on the front of the estate caught our eye. It had three storeys and big dormer window facing an open field. We joked about how amazing it would be to own a house like that.

“Fast forward a couple of months and there we were; picking our tiles, kitchen and extras that would be in our very own home named ‘The Windermere’. We couldn’t believe it was happening and we were so excited to get the keys. The day we got our keys we couldn’t stop smiling. We started moving our furniture into the house the same night and would just walk round the empty rooms beaming with happiness that we managed to do it. That excitement continued for quite some time, with our weekends being full of DIY and projects to put our own stamp on our new-build.”

To say they have a DIY knack may be an understatement, with each room lovingly decorated and furnished to create an outstanding family home. As work progressed, Steven and Kyle shared their pictures on Instagram, quickly building up a sizeable fanbase.

As well as individual fans, several companies were so impressed that they featured the house in their own publicity, with household names such as Metro Centre, B&Q and Sofa Club joining in.

As the builder of the dream-home, we then suggested that they become ‘brand ambassadors’ – helping to show the world just what is possible with some imagination and plenty of elbow grease.

Steven added: “We couldn’t believe that such a big company wanted to show off our home. We obviously said yes and had a good time sharing our passion for our home with others.”

Now the couple are eyeing-up another challenge, just round the corner from their original masterpiece: “Over the years that we lived in our new house, we took a liking to another style of house on the estate and decided to trade up,” said Steven. Our beautiful Windermere got snapped up and here we are, about to exchange contracts on a house called The Earlswood on the same estate where it all started. We’re so excited to start this journey all over again and make our new Persimmon home, our forever home.”

On behalf of our Durham region, managing director Richard Cook said: “We are very proud of the houses we build, creating new homes throughout Durham and the UK. But I have rarely seen such a wonderful example of creativity and interior design. What these owners have done is quite exceptional and it’s no surprise that several household brands are taking such an interest in their story.

“We can only look forward to what they have in store when they settle into their new Earlswood property – but I’m sure it will be equally amazing.”

Heritage Green is a delightful collection of new homes in the small town of Newbottle, Tyne and Wear. With Newcastle city centre and the beaches of the Durham Heritage Coast all close by these fabulous new homes provide a great base for families to work, rest and play.

To find out more, visit the website.

For Steven and Kyle’s Instagram page, go to: https://www.instagram.com/the.windermere/?hl=en