A Devon couple used Help to Buy to upgrade their home and give themselves three times as much garden space at Taylor Wimpey's latest development in Honiton.

Phil Hoare and Heidi Ford moved to Mountbatten Mews at the start of April, having previously lived in Axminster.

They were drawn to Honiton because of the market town location and the ease of getting to their workplaces, but were also looking for more space - particularly outdoors.

With Phil placed on furlough during lockdown a larger garden became an essential criteria. The couple were able to use the Government-backed Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme to secure a three-bedroom Gosford housetype with a 5% deposit and are now making the most of the extra space.

Phil said: "Our new home is beyond what we expected. Our choice of options has given us a very high finish to the inside of the house and the garden is literally three times the size of my previous property.

"Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic Heidi has worked as normal, but I was furloughed for three months in the first lockdown. During this time we found the garden was very important to us, and it's where we spend a large portion of our time when the weather permits.

"We are particularly enjoying how quiet the site currently is after the working day has finished, although it will be nice to see the community grow as more people move in."

The couple had lived in a new build home before so knew the benefits of modern fittings and insulation. Being able to use the Help to Buy scheme made the decision to buy with Taylor Wimpey even easier, and the chance to view a showhome at the nearby Mayfield Gardens in Exeter sealed the deal for Phil and Heidi.

Phil said: "We chose Taylor Wimpey because of the Help to Buy scheme, the location of the development and the style of the house. We really liked the flow of the Gosford downstairs, with the kitchen/diner leading to the garden, good sized bedrooms and two parking spaces. Being able to see a Taylor Wimpey showhome at Mayfield Gardens was also really helpful.

"The purchasing process was relatively easy even with Covid-19 interruptions. Mandy and Carole in the sales office made all aspects easy and were very contactable throughout the process."

Mountbatten Mews is in Ottery Moor Lane, Honiton, EX14 1BG. Appointments to visit the sales office and look around the showhome are available now. Call 01404 518765, email [email protected] or visit the Taylor Wimpey website.