Bella Brodie gets the lowdown on a fantastic residential park home from Fairway Park & Leisure Homes – the Preston…

Fairway have been ones to watch as they continue to consolidate their position in the marketplace, and we hear nothing but good reports about their work. That’s hardly surprising, as they have a wealth of industry expertise on board, and a personable, friendly approach with all of their customers.

That customer journey is all important, and with every passing year they are looking more and more polished, with a widening range and the ability to bespoke homes to buyers’ needs in a way that has produced many a glowing review of the way they work already. Their website is well worth a visit, as it’s a good insight into the many styles of interior they have worked on to give bespoke customers a bit of inspiration and a starting point to work from.

● The lounge is plenty large enough, even with space off it for the study

The result is that more parks are getting them on board as a supplier, and we are expecting to see more new models for review this year.

INTRODUCING THE PRESTON
The Preston has style and innovation at its heart, with a superb layout that offers a separate lounge for those cosy evenings, and an open-plan kitchen/diner which is perfect for entertaining family and friends.

The vaulted ceilings and large windows create an open spacious environment in which to live, complemented by the interior design which offers a contemporary fitted kitchen, including centre island in larger layouts, separate utility room, study, and stylish furnishings throughout.

EXTERNAL APPOINTMENT
Externally, the home has impressive kerb appeal, with a mix of render and maintenance-free cladding, distributed in a striking way. The front door sits under a side apex, with a full-height window to one side, matching the tall strip windows to the main living and dining areas.

This is a home built to impress, with a classy yet modern appearance that any owner will be proud of for many years to come. Just to recap the maintenance plus point, for anyone wanting to keep an eye on future costs, that’s worth noting.

● The contemporary fitted kitchen is a real stand out feature

INTERNAL SPECIFICATION
The model shown here has been personalised by a customer, and it serves as a perfect demonstration of how this model can be bespoke to any park or potential homeowners’ requirements and budget. The living areas are vaulted and clad in white with inset lighting, giving a clean, modern look and feel, and internal doors are in light oak, with glazed panels in places to let light through where needed connecting living spaces.

LAYOUT AND ACCOMMODATION
The model shown here is built to a 45ft x 20 footprint, and an innovative layout that allows for a study off the lounge, with a utility and lobby between that and the back door, so the utility area is also close to both the rear entrance and kitchen. Opposite the kitchen is a large dining space, and the front door.

To the rear of the home there is a hallway that is almost square, wasting very little space while giving access to the family bathroom and bedrooms, and also incorporating a useful linen cupboard. Other sizes and layouts are available, with the utility room still, but with or without the study.

KITCHEN/DINER
The kitchen is really striking in the Preston, with a central island breakfast bar and stools, and the dining area opposite. We love the combination of cabinet colour, tiles and worktop used, and the burnt orange in the dressing really pops beautifully.

There’s LED lighting under the cabinets at two levels and the space easily hosts a solid array of appliances – in this example that is the fridge freezer, wine cooler, dishwasher, gas hob and double oven. Visually, this is the powerhouse of the Preston, and it has plenty of ‘wow factor’ built in.

The door to one side leads to the rear door lobby and utility room. Plush, padded tub chairs add a nice kick to the breakfast bar area, and the table and chairs in the kitchen match the coffee table in the lounge, with black framework adding another element that is continued throughout the home.

UTILITY ROOM
The utility room is pretty spacious, with room for a separate washer and dryer, a tall unit and further wall and base units. There’s also ample work surface and room for an ironing board set up – useful as everything can be done in one place!

We can also see that this might work well as a pet’s bedroom or feeding station zone if needed.

LOUNGE
One of the first things you notice in the lounge is the oak-effect flooring, which matches the coffee table. A coal-effect fire hangs on a papered internal feature wall, with space for the TV above, and the long windows to two elevations let light flood in in abundance.

The owners have chosen a three-piece suite, which works well in this space. Behind the sofa is another designer radiator, and as you look up there’s a feature beam in white over the centre of the room, highlighting its ample enough proportions.

STUDY
The study is tucked away from the lounge behind a door with glass panelling to the top half, drawing ligh through from the lounge windows. There’s a feature wall to one end, and desk from one side to the other, giving plenty of worktop space.

● Plenty of storage capacity in both bedrooms

BEDROOMS AND BATHROOMS
The bathrooms are a real feature in this home. The family bathroom is accessed by the inner hallway although its close proximity to one of the bedrooms will make it feel like a second en-suite. The specification in the bathrooms is high. In the main bathroom that includes an upgraded back to wall p-shaped bath, with rain head shower above and splash screen, fully tiled walls, heated towel rail and LVT flooring, back to wall WC and vanity units and mirrored LED lit cabinet. In the en-suite to the master bedroom, there’s a large, walk-in shower room with rain head shower above and black trim, and heated towel rail to match, with second back to wall WC, vanity unit and mirrored LED lit cabinet.

Again, in this room the orange in the dressing contrasts beautifully although other colours are obviously also available!

Practicality is well served in the bedrooms, with further ceiling cladding creating a feeling of light and space, and a feature wall offering an opportunity for buyers to add a wallpaper design of their own choice from the wide range Fairway will be able to offer.

Sliding wardrobes in oak offer masses of storage, and the mirrored panel bounces light back in and removes the need for a separate full length mirror elsewhere in the room. The result is two warm, inviting and practical double bedrooms, each of fairly equal proportion, so this is another home which will accommodate guests well or offer the opportunity for couples to head for separate beds if preferred for any reason.

OUR VERDICT
What a beautiful home! The Preston has an interesting layout, and it’s lovely to see a manufacturer do something a little differently. It demonstrates how space can be created for an office and utility room without really detracting from the lounge, which is still airy and spacious enough, and the specification and design is stunning throughout. While this isn’t a traditional or predictable room flow, it’s lovely to see a new layout come to market that works as well as this. For that reason, we think some of the bigger park home groups could do well to offer this within their available homes range, as it will feel a little more modern, unique and luxurious than many contemporary models at a similar price point.
Another winner from Fairway!