Couple celebrate three life-changing events in just three months
04 May 2022
Cambridgeshire couple Maciej and Sandra Trudnos had a whirlwind three months in which they got married, had their first child and bought a new home. The couple, who met and fell in love in a factory in Huntingdon after they had both moved to the UK from Poland several years ago, have bought their first home together at Bovis Homes’ Judith Gardens development in Sawtry. After five years of living at Sandra’s parents’ house in Huntingdon, the couple moved into their new three-bedroom house in November. Two months later they tied the knot in Huntingdon and then on 18 February Sandra, a 26-year-old engineer, gave birth to Julia ?" their first child. “It has been an amazing few months,” said Maciej, a 30-year-old lorry driver. “It is difficult to take in just how much our lives have changed in such a short time but they have. We are both Polish and met at work after we had both moved to the UK, me in 2013 and Sandra the year after. “We were lucky enough to be able to live with Sandra’s parents which allowed us to save towards a deposit for a house so we could one day have our own home ?" and now we have our own place in the English countryside.” Maciej said that they had been looking at houses for years and had been to 15 different developments in the Cambridgeshire area. Then they found out that Sandra was pregnant. “With a baby on the way, we wanted to try to buy a house as soon as possible so we could start a new life together in our own home. We saw Judith Gardens on the internet and arranged to go along and see the site. “We went in September and were really impressed as soon as we walked onto the development. The houses looked very well made, were a variety of designs, were spaced out with good gardens and the roads were nice and wide. “The sales advisor said they had a house that was built and could be reserved. We walked in through the front door and instantly fell in love with it. “It was perfect for us. We wanted a house that was ready to move in to, had three bedrooms, had a garden and was in a quiet village location. It ticked all the boxes. We went home and within minutes contacted the sales advisor, Helen, who helped us put down a £500 deposit on the house.” The couple were aware of the Help to Buy scheme and used the initiative to purchase the £320,000 house. The scheme allows first-time buyers to purchase a new-build home with a five per cent deposit and a 75 per cent mortgage, with the remaining 20 per cent provided as an equity loan from the Government, interest free for the first five years of homeownership. New homes bought with Help to Buy must be priced under the cap set for their region ?" in Cambridgeshire, this is £407,400. Maciej said: “There was no way we could have bought this house without using Help to Buy. Without it we would not have had the right deposit for the property, but we were able to put down £16,000 as a five per cent deposit. “The sales advisors Helen and Joel were quite simply magnificent. Their professionalism and caring nature shone through and we trusted them right from the start. They helped every step of the way along the process and made everything so easy for us. We would recommend Bovis Homes to everyone ?" they were excellent.” Two months after walking into the house as viewers, the couple were strolling through the front door as owners. Their wedding, which had been due to take place in Poland but had to be postponed twice due to the coronavirus restrictions, took place in Huntingdon a couple of months later. “The first thing that I did after walking through the front door on the day we moved in was to take pictures and send them to my parents in Poland,” said Maciej. “They were very emotional and said they were proud of us because we had managed to buy such a lovely new home in England. “They could not wait to visit and did so when they came over for our wedding in January. We were glad to see them and to have Sandra’s wedding dress that they brought over from Poland. “We got married at the register office in Huntingdon but had a party afterwards in the village hall which was lovely. There is such a nice feeling in this village that we felt it was the right place to celebrate after our wedding.” Maciej said their favourite room in their new home is the large living room. “We love everything about our house but the large living room is the best place. It is a great space flooded by light from the big bay window and it’s where we can sink into the settee after hard day at work and relax and catch up as a family and watch TV together. “The fact that we have an en suite in our main bedroom is a nice touch. We have two other bedrooms, one which Julia will have as she grows up and the other as a guest room for when family and friends come over and stay the night. “When the weather gets better, we can’t wait to get out to spend time in the garden and explore the development and the whole village with Julia in her pram. We have already met some of the neighbours and they are really friendly and helpful, so we are looking forward to getting to know them better. “My parents have not met Julia face to face yet but they are making plans to come over again and visit us again in our perfect house in a charming English village.” There is currently a selection of three-bedroom homes available to reserve at Judith Gardens, with prices starting at £299,995. For more information about the new homes at Judith Gardens, visit bovishomes.co.uk.