new home helps family give disabled son better quality of life

New homes designed with residents’ needs and energy efficiency in mind have more than hit the brief, including for the parents of a disabled boy who were among the first people to move in.  

Ryan and Louise Gray say their new home, rented from housing association believe housing, is exactly what they need to “live our lives as a family”.  

The couple wanted a new place to raise children Ava, five, and four-year-old Toby, who has cerebral palsy and epilepsy, is non-verbal and cannot walk or crawl.  

Toby’s parents were finding it increasingly difficult to look after him in the three-storey townhouse they were in, struggling to carry him to the top floor bathroom and with limited space.   

“It felt like we were failing him,” said Louise.  

But the accessible dormer bungalow they moved into this summer, at St Helen Auckland, in County Durham, has everything Toby needs on the ground floor.  

The spacious layout enables the family to spend more time together and the thoughtful design, which includes features such as wide doorways, a wet room, and a power supply for hoists, can be adapted to accommodate any specialist equipment Toby might need in the future.  

Louise said: “This house is about him having a good quality of life.  

“We have come here and seen such a big change; he’s doing things that before he would never ever do.”  

Ryan added: “We don’t need to think about moving now, we can just be here forever and that makes me happy.  

“Everything is in place now so we can just live our lives as a family.”  

The Grays’ home is one of 23 affordable rent bungalows and dormers built for believe housing at Tintern Road, by RE:GEN Group, to help meet local demand for accessible homes particularly from older people and families with accessibility needs.  

It is the housing association’s second ‘Future Homes’ development; fully off-gas and with state-of-the-art energy efficiency measures including an Air Source Heat Pump, solar panels and increased insultation built into the fabric of the building.   

Every home achieved an EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) A rating, and they have an average SAP score of 101. This means they should produce more energy than needed for heating, hot water, ventilation, and lighting so customers only pay for personal energy use and can save on their energy bills.  

Initial energy usage and performance information shows that customers at Tintern Road are saving about 1,130kWh of energy and between £80 and £103 per month, compared to when living with a traditional heating system in a traditionally constructed home.  

This is possible because the Air Source Heat Pump is around three times more efficient than a traditional gas boiler and the homes have a 3.6kWh PV panel to generate free electricity using solar energy, which contributes to the home’s energy usage.  

Kate Abson, Director of Development at believe housing, said: “We work hard to deliver healthy homes which meet people’s needs and aspirations, and benefit communities, so we are exceptionally proud of this development.  

“Seeing the difference these homes are making to customers, like Ryan and Louise’s family, is hugely poignant and cements why we are here, evidencing how the team bring our “life without barriers” vision to life through our new build development programme.  

“The energy performance results are also exceptional, making the homes comfortable to live in, affordable to heat, and environmentally friendly.”