Leeds Man Becomes New Home Convert After 20 years

A new homes development in North Yorkshire has transformed a committed ‘do-er upper’ into a new build convert.

61-year-old Phil Witcomb, a semi-retired photographer from Leeds, has been buying old farmhouses, doing them up and selling them on for over 20 years.

When he started looking for a new project 18 months ago, he didn’t imagine for a moment that he’d be investing in a brand-new property instead. Yet his new house – a four-bedroom detached home at Bishop’s Glade, a luxury Harron Homes development in rural Ripon – has ticked all his boxes.

“When I was looking for a new house this time, I was on the hunt for another run-down farmhouse to do up – but despite searching, I just couldn’t find what I was looking for,” says Phil.

And when he developed health issues that would prevent him undertaking any major projects, Phil was forced to reconsider his project. “My other half told me to look at new build properties as they’re low maintenance, but I wasn’t convinced at all.”

But then Phil found his home at Bishop’s Glade. He said, “I’ve wanted to move to North Yorkshire for a while – I love it up here. It’s so peaceful. My house is detached with its own drive and plenty of space for my office, my photography work and for storage. It ticked all my boxes, so it ended up being a no brainer. The garden is gorgeous and very private, and the house is finished to a beautiful standard.

“I had reservations about newly built houses, but the quality is excellent; it’s a great quality home. I’ve had no issues – even with the pandemic – Harron has been so quick to remedy any little issues.

“It’s strange that I only initially wanted to move for the project – I used to get so much satisfaction from fixing up houses. I’ve been doing it for 20 years. And now I’m in a brand-new house! That’s not to say I won’t be making tweaks to it here and there – I’m so looking forward to doing up the house. I’m semi-retired now, and this will keep me occupied for 18 months!

“I’ll have so much more space in this new house, and it’s more of a place to relax in. When you’ve done everything you want to do, you just want to relax. I love the peace and quiet and I love to potter. I lost my dad before he had a chance to retire and it made me realise that as soon as you can, you should make time to relax and enjoy your life.”

Bishop’s Glade has a mix of three, four and five bedroom homes available for sale priced from £382,995. Appointments can be made by calling the development or by visiting www.harronhomes.co.uk