Celebrating 100 years of Building Brilliance

2023 marks 100 years since P D Cavanna and his younger brother Ray travelled from Watford to Torbay with £200 of Philip’s lifesavings to launch a house building business with the slogan, ‘Buildings of Repute’.

It was a bold decision, but by the time the post-war housing boom hit, Cavanna Homes was fast gaining a reputation as one the area’s foremost names in construction. The company went from strength-to-strength and has now been owned and successfully run by three generations of the Cavanna family.

The original slogan, voicing a commitment to expertise and excellence, still resonates as we plan for the next 100 years of trading, and as we transition from a family-owned and run business, to family-owned and run by a team of housebuilding professionals with a family ethos firmly at the heart of what we do.

Quality and safety are our overarching objectives in the year ahead, with an ever-increasing focus on how we can build more sustainably and reduce our carbon footprint to improve the efficiency of our homes.

We will also continue making signification community contributions in the areas in which we build through Section 106 payments and work with Housing Associations to bring forward much needed, good quality affordable housing stock for local people.

2022 was another busy year for Cavanna Homes with all properties at Equinox I in Exeter and Cales Reach in Wincanton sold.

Equinox II, Equinox III and Cavanna @ Elm Park in Exeter continue to prove popular amongst buyers seeking an easy-to-maintain home with great connections to the city centre.

Forty new energy-efficient homes at Oak Mount in the Mid Devon village of Hemyock went on sale last year, each fitted with an air source heat pump to provide low carbon heating and the show home opened in the autumn for prospective buyers to visit.

In North Devon, we released the final 19 homes for sale at Market Place in Holsworthy and across the border in North Cornwall, we are now selling the second phase of homes at Bellevue in Stratton, near Bude – a sought after development close to beaches, local amenities, primary and secondary schools.

Last year we also acquired land for development on Totnes Road in Collaton St Mary, near Paignton, on North Road in Holsworthy and secured planning permission for 100 new homes in Beaminster, Dorset of which 35% will be allocated as affordable housing for local people.

2023 could mark a second celebration as we are through to the finals of the LABC Building Excellence Awards for our Kings Orchard development in Stoke Gabriel, near Totnes and we look forward to attending the awards ceremony at the end of this month in London.

If you’re on the lookout for your very own Westcountry home, begin your search here.