From a conversation around a kitchen worktop to one of the largest homebuilders in the North West, the Genesis Homes journey has certainly been an interesting one.
With more than a decade of experience working and growing his parents’ groundworks and civil engineering business, our Managing Director and Founder Nicky Gordon was itching to start his own housebuilding business when he relocated from Manchester to Cumbria in 2016.
His initial goal was to build new homes on land he had acquired in Wigton and Brigham, near Cockermouth, and Genesis Homes was born in January 2017.
Endless hours were poured in by Nicky and his small team managing construction and forward programming during the day and selling homes off-plan in the evenings and weekend, but it all paid off when all 28 homes at the St Cuthbert’s development in Wigton were sold in the first phase by November 2017.
The success of the first phase resulted in a further two phases at Wigton – 74 new homes in total – and Nicky had been bitten by the bug.
The Genesis Homes brand and products had become an instant hit and the company grew at a rapid pace.
Construction continued at apace and developments have been completed at Brigham (St Bridget’s), Armathwaite (Sanders Brow), Cumwhinton (Quentin Park), Burgh-by-Sands (The Orchards), Hackthorpe (Lonsdale Park) and Rheda North Park (Beckstones).
One of the most major milestones in the Genesis Homes journey was the acquisition of well-established housebuilder Russell Armer Homes in 2021 which had recently celebrated its 60th anniversary.
It may have been deemed as a risk to acquire a company during Covid-19 lockdown, but Nicky’s bold decision to add Russell Armer’s portfolio to Genesis Homes proved a brilliant one as it brought together two of the largest homebuilders in the region.
The deal saw Genesis spread its expertise into South Lakeland and Lancashire, with new developments currently under construction in Kendal (Meadow Rigg), Kirkby Lonsdale (Lunesdale Rise) and Halton (Bowland Fold).
These new developments will complement the homes being built at Lazonby (Wakefield Gardens), Calthwaite (Pennine View), Carleton (Eamont Chase) and Stainburn (Farries Field), with plans in the pipeline for Carlisle, Seaton, Etterby and Burgh by Sands.
To cater for the expansion of the team, the company moved into a new £250,000 bespoke office following the major renovation of a 6,000 square foot building on Penrith’s Gilwilly Industrial Estate in April 2023.
Genesis Homes has received accolades along the way with recognition in the in-Cumbria Awards 2020 (Nicky as young entrepreneur of the year and Genesis Homes as best new business), Cowgills North West Homebuilder Awards 2023 (Homebuilder of the Year, Sustainability Impact for Pennine View development and Rising Star of the Year for John Blue) and Insider Media North West Residential Property Awards 2024 (Large housing development of the year for Wakefield Gardens).
Our journey is evidence of the famous proverb that ‘Mighty oaks from little acorns grow’ and we are excited about further branching out in the coming weeks, months and years.