Driven by the passion and dedicated workmanship of husband-and-wife team, Karl and Alice Maughan, Stronghold Homes has developed a growing reputation across Leicestershire for the quality of its houses since it was established in 2015.
“We ‘re all about creating houses where individuals, couples or families can return to at the end of the day and truly feel that they’ve arrived ‘home’; we want that to be a beautiful moment,” outlines Alice, whose background is in interior design. “As a married couple with children ourselves, we’re constantly looking at ways to improve our houses so that they meet everyone’s needs and requirements. We’ve therefore worked extremely hard to create a product that is a step above the norm, both internally and externally, and which maximises the space available.”
For his part, Karl has the task of making this vision a reality, which is where his trade background and considerable construction industry experience comes to the fore. “I became an apprentice straight from school in 2001, working my way up through the ranks to the point where I set up my own contracting business in 2009, carrying out various projects for a number of different clients,” says Karl. “After completing some custom house builds, we took the decision to push forward in this area from a commercial perspective, in the process establishing Stronghold Homes to facilitate that objective and bring it to fruition.”
Fast forward nine years and the company has chalked up five housing developments, ranging in size from a bespoke terrace of three homes through to a collection of 11 houses on a single site. These comprise a number of contemporary three and four-bedroom properties in desirable locations across Leicestershire.
Stronghold Homes tends to target a 30-minute radius of its office in Hinckley, which is providing a fertile hunting ground for the business, having overcome the challenges the wider marketplace has had to contend with in recent years.
“Brexit and the Pandemic both hit confidence within the housing sector, as did rising interest rates,” adds Alice. “Despite these factors, we’ve enjoyed strong demand for our homes and sales have been positive. This is testament to the hard work we put into our developments and the core values within the business.”
Along its journey, Stronghold Homes has built a trusted supply chain that adheres to the same high standards that the company has instilled into the business from Day One. “Our sub-contractors have worked on all our projects, so we know we can rely on them 100 per cent, and they know the standards that we expect,” explains Karl. “We’ve been very lucky in this regard. As an SME, we’re not a volume national builder, so we’re all about building relationships with our trades partners and our suppliers to produce high quality homes. They’ve been an integral part of our story.”
It’s clear that Karl and Alice’s approach to business has attracted like-minded suppliers with a shared philosophy. It is also reflected in the type of client that purchase their homes. “We’ve been fortunate that our buyers have really bought into our ethos and have recognised what Karl and I are striving to achieve with our homes,” highlights Alice. “Of course there’s always going to be the odd snag, that’s usual for any housebuilder, but we always endeavour to deal with them quickly. Building trusting relationships is so important in all areas of life and business is no exception.”
Stronghold Homes is nearing completion on its most recent development: The Kilns in Earl Shilton, which involves nine detached properties with opportunity for customisation. “Sales have been going well so far with only a couple of houses left. Looking further ahead, we’re in the final stages of planning for a development in a nearby village. It’s unfortunately taken longer than we’d hoped to get over the line, but that’s quite often the case in this industry. We’re really excited this scheme with a selection of larger and smaller homes to provide wonderful homes for all levels of the market.
“At the moment we’re building around ten homes a year, but this forthcoming scheme will involve 24 homes, so we’re looking forward to taking on a larger development. However, we’re keen to retain our SME status, as we don’t want to become so big that we lose sight of what’s made us so successful so far. We’re all about the service we offer and the quality of the homes. While we’re always on the lookout for new opportunities, we’ve no intention of becoming a large volume developer.”
Given the popularity of its properties and the buoyant sales it is enjoying, it’s safe to say that Alice and Karl have hit upon a winning formula that is sure to see Stronghold Homes continuing to flourish in the months and years ahead.