Home Exchange

Festive family cheer ahead as Dawn and Steve celebrate their dream Lichfield move

- 04 Dec 18

For Dawn Milner and Steve Martin, the journey to their dream home in Lichfield started on a clifftop in Cornwall.

It was there, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean on the Porthleven coast, that the couple were discussing the future and decided to Google the name of the new-build location that they had seen taking shape back in their home city.

Appropriately, given their lofty position, the development was called Roman Heights and, swiping through the web pages of the house builder Bovis Homes, they saw a property that looked perfect, so booked an appointment to view it as soon as they returned from their Easter break.

Now they are looking forward to their first Christmas there with Steve’s son Adam, 22, and their puppies Bella (a golden retriever) and Daisy (a cockerpoo) – and with visits coming from the rest of the family – including seven grandchildren ranging from six months to 12 years old – they are delighted with the extra space they have in their new home.

“I have to say this is the best and happiest time of our lives,” says Dawn. “We met and fell in love when both of us were coming from divorces and now we’ve found this beautiful home.”

And the good times keep rolling. After moving in at the end of June, Steve proposed to Dawn on her 50th birthday in July and the couple are now looking forward to being wed in August 2020.

“Life is very much perfect, which it hasn't been in the past for either of us,” says Dawn. “We still have to pinch ourselves when we look around the house, it’s like a dream.”

The family have moved into a three-bed Sheringham house design – one of Bovis Homes’ most popular – and are delighted with the support and service they have received.

That includes one of the major benefits of buying a brand-new home – the opportunity to discuss your new property with the people responsible for building it.

Dawn, Daisy, Steve and Bella at their Bovis Homes Roman Heights property in Lichfield
“This is the first time that either of us has bought a new home and it has been the least stressful house buying experience we’ve had,” says Dawn. “There have been no hidden issues and our assistant site manager Mark has been amazing, making sure that we are happy and ensuring our beautiful home is perfect.

“Then there’s Barney in the Sales team, who I call Steve’s new best friend given the amount of time he has spent in the sales office!

“Barney was, and still is, so helpful and accommodating, taking all the stress and pressure from the process. Steve used to carry his Bovis Homes blue box with all the info everywhere - myself and Barney still joke about it!”

Also helping control the stress levels was Bovis Homes’ part-exchange scheme, Home Exchange. “Because we wanted to move so quickly, Bovis bought our house, which took all the pressure out of trying to sell and ensuring we didn’t lose our dream home,” says Dawn.

Now well settled into their new way of life, the location of Roman Heights is proving ideal for Dawn’s work as Head of Departments at a special school and Steve’s job as Engineering Manager at National Express, where Adam is also an apprentice – even though their places of work are almost 40 miles apart.

“We both love Lichfield, “says Dawn. “I work in Derby and Steve works in Walsall so being close to the A38 makes it excellent for commuting – he heads south and I head north!”