DH Painter & Decorator covers Southfields, the planned estate between Talavera Way and Billing Lane, about 4 miles north-east of Northampton town centre. Dean takes on interior and exterior painting, wallpapering, woodwork, fence staining and commercial work across the estate's terraces, semis and detached houses.
Southfields at a glance
Southfields sits on the north-east edge of Northampton in the NN3 5 postcode sector and the Talavera ward of West Northamptonshire. It lies between Talavera Way and Billing Lane, with Round Spinney to the west, Lings and Thorplands to the south and farmland running north towards Overstone. Northampton was designated a New Town in 1968, and the Development Corporation’s early eastern estates went up at Lumbertubs, Moulton Park and Round Spinney next door. No build date specific to Southfields has been confirmed, but the construction recorded on energy certificates fits that new-town period.
Its plan is a pattern of closes and pedestrian squares threaded around linear open spaces and woodland belts, served by one small parade and The Gallery pub on Farmhill Road. There is no conservation area and no listed buildings are recorded on OpenStreetMap, which makes Southfields quite different to decorate from the stone villages and Victorian terraces elsewhere in the town.
The houses, and what each type asks of a decorator
The energy certificate register gives a clear picture of how varied the stock is within one small suburb:
- Timber-frame terraces on Micklewell Lane and Brackenfield Square, of about 79-116 sq m, arranged in courts and squares.
- Small cavity-wall terraces and terraced bungalows on Barley Hill Road, of about 44-45 sq m and 34 sq m.
- Semi-detached houses of about 49-99 sq m on Gallery Close, Little Gull Close, Farmhill Road and Ludlow Close, cavity-walled and fully double glazed.
- Detached houses on Ludlow Close and Brittons Drive, up to about 121 sq m.
- Terraces with filled cavity walls at Middlemore.
The timber-frame houses are the ones that need the most thought. Their inner walls are plasterboard on a frame that moves with the seasons, so cracks at board joints and corners come back if they are filled with hard filler. We bridge them with tape and flexible filler before repainting. Outside, these terraces often carry timber or tile-hung cladding panels, which need microporous wood finishes rather than masonry paint.
The cavity-wall semis and detached houses are mostly fair-faced brick with uPVC double glazing. The brick should be left bare, so exterior work on them centres on front doors, any timber fascias, soffits and bargeboards still in place, and garden timber. Inside, they are straightforward to repaint, and extensions, loft conversions and garage conversions bring fresh plaster that needs a mist coat. Our interior painting page explains how we prepare and paint rooms of every size.
The smallest homes, the Barley Hill Road bungalows and terraces, can be redecorated throughout in a short booking. There is little spare floor space, so furniture is moved around inside each room rather than out of it.
Trees, shade and damp timber
Tree cover is the estate’s defining outdoor feature. Mature broadleaved belts run through Pine Ridge, Brittons Drive and Watermeadow Drive open spaces and along Osmund Drive, next to the housing and backing onto gardens, with ponds and a basin in the open space on the north edge. Neighbouring Round Spinney is recorded at about 94 m, relatively high ground for Northampton.
The trees shape a lot of the outside work. Fences, sheds and north-facing woodwork backing onto the belts stay damp longer, collect leaf litter and grow green algae. Before any stain or paint goes on, those surfaces need cleaning and a fungicidal wash, and the work needs a run of dry weather. Breathable, water-based stains suit fences that are rarely fully dry. Timber fascias and bargeboards under overhanging branches get the same treatment, along with clearing debris before sanding. See our fence and gate staining and fascia and soffit painting pages for how those jobs are done.
Indoors, the shade matters too. Back rooms facing the woodland get weak, slightly green light for much of the year, which affects how paint colours read. That is a common reason to ask for colour advice here.
Access around the closes and squares
The estate is reached from Talavera Way and Billing Lane onto Farmhill Road, and most residential streets are cul-de-sacs. A distinctive feature is the pedestrian squares, including Brackenfield, Barnhill, Foxwell, Moorfield, Saddlers, Tower Field, Merrydale and Long Marsh Squares. Some front doors face footpaths rather than roads, so ladders, sheets and paint are carried in from the nearest parking. On interior jobs that just means loading in once. On exterior work it affects how a scaffold tower is moved and how long setting up takes, and we plan the day around it when we quote.
Rented, shared-ownership and owner-occupied homes
Crystal Roof data for Gallery Close puts owner-occupation at roughly 80%, split evenly between owned outright and mortgaged. Most decorating here is therefore homeowners updating rooms, woodwork and exteriors in their own time. Around 15-17% of homes are privately rented, mostly compact terraces and semis, and those need quick changeover repaints in hard-wearing neutral emulsion between tenancies. Landlords and agents can read about that on our landlord decorating page.
Shared ownership, at about 2.7% against 0.9% regionally, is higher than average. Shared-ownership leases can include terms on exterior alterations, so a change of front door or cladding colour should be checked with the housing provider first. For everyone else, with no conservation area or Article 4 direction, exterior colours are an open choice.
Shops, the care home and Round Spinney
Southfields has a local parade rather than a high street. The Farmhill Road units are Southfields Supermarket, Southfield Grill & Pizza and The Gallery, grouped around a public car park; at Prentice Court on the southern edge there is a Nisa with a Post Office and a takeaway. Shop fascias, signage boards and shutters there can be repainted at times agreed with the business. Southfields House care home on Farmhill Road needs low-odour, quick-drying, washable paints, with work phased room by room around residents.
Next door, Round Spinney Industrial Estate has steel-clad and block-built units with metal doors, railings and fencing that need commercial metal primers and coatings. Our commercial painting page covers how we plan work around a business that stays open.
Getting a quote
We cover Southfields from our Northampton base, about 4 miles away, along with neighbouring Lings, Thorplands, Boothville, Moulton Leys and Round Spinney. Dean visits to look at the surfaces before giving a written quote. For a sense of how decorating jobs are priced, read our painter and decorator cost guide. We are fully insured, and you can call Dean on 07539 779 036 to arrange a visit.
Last updated by Dean, DH Painter & Decorator.
