Do you cook? - August 03

The role, style and construction of the family fitted kitchen has changed out of all recognition in the last few decades says Portford Homes who is currently offering a choice of new homes at Chantry Square in Wakefield.
Busy people have both less time and less inclination to cook, often preferring ready-made meals or other convenience foods. Breakfast in the kitchen has been a common practice for a long time. Many families now have their evening meal in the kitchen too or invite friends around to dinner. In consequence kitchen design has tended to become more stylish and prestigeous in-keeping with their increased social importance. Kitchens have to 'look good' as well as provide functional convenience.
Whether you are a serious cook or not the layout of the fitted kitchen needs to be labour saving and convenient for today's time pressed families, with the sink close to the oven, fridge within easy distance of the work-top and plenty of good storage.
"Every aspect of a brand new home should be designed to suit your tastes and preferences, to ensure you can enjoy the home you imagined from the day you move in," says David Mackintosh, Sales and Marketing Director of Portford Homes.
And with the internal layout of a property, as well as standard of finish, becoming an increasingly important factor on the priority list of home buyers' purchasing decisions, the housebuilder is doing all it can to meet buyers changing needs.
Portford Homes takes pride in the fact that it only sources materials and interior advise from the very best suppliers when it comes to the finishing touches of your new home.
David Mackintosh explains, "The location and price of a home have always been the main factors influencing home buyers' decisions, but we are seeing from our homebuyer feedback that not only the volume of space inside a home but each property's interior specification are becoming increasingly important to people.
David continues, "We learn a lot from our customers and the feedback we get from visitors is invaluable. For instance, along with many of our buyers we believe the kitchen to be of utmost importance in your home. A well designed fitted kitchen should combine style with practicality thus enabling it to be functional yet welcoming.
"The kitchen is undoubtedly the most popular and widely used room in the house, and the various functions the kitchen of today is asked to perform, requires accurate planning and good design.
"We aim to design you a quality kitchen that meets the demands of your lifestyle, compliments your taste, and yet is cost conscious. Our established links with well-regarded kitchen suppliers ensures our designs are up to the minute and enables us to offer our customers real choice in fitted kitchen design, style, colour, materials and appliances."
Portford Homes is incorporating feedback from both purchasers and prospective purchasers to ensure that the designs of their future properties reflect what house buyers really want.
To find out more about Portford Homes and current developments log onto www.portford.co.uk