Our Story — Hebe Homes

Dan Rees, Co-founder

Dan's story

The conversation that started it all

It was a conversation with my Dad that first made me realise how much the UK needs better homes for life after the kids have left.

Mum and Dad are keen golfers and gardeners — still active and healthy. But in their seventies, they're looking to reduce the workload of maintaining the house and thinking practically about the next ten to twenty years.

They'd looked for — and failed to find — a home that would give them what one of their friends in America has: a beautiful, low-maintenance modern house near the golf course, with generous bedrooms, big living space, and room for all their things. When I asked whether they'd consider building it themselves, Dad chuckled. "Not at this stage. We don't need that level of stress."

So I started looking into what the UK actually offers. And the picture was bleak. The options designed for older people all felt compromised. A few looked great but came with astronomical costs. Many seemed designed for people who are ready to give up their independence. The overwhelming sense was of reinforcing being old — rather than helping people stay young and live the life they want.

I thought: we must be able to do better. And that was the genesis of Hebe Homes.

(Hebe, by the way, is the Greek goddess of youth.)

My career has taken me into the property industry several times, including working for a housebuilder, so I had the knowledge and contacts to bring the development side together. But I knew the real difference would come from thinking about the problem differently — starting with the customer, not the build.

Jason Merron, Co-founder

Jason's story

Starting with the customer

I'll be honest: when Dan first suggested Hebe to me, I was sceptical.

I wasn't hearing people talk about the problem. But I'd learned two things at customer-obsessed Amazon that stayed with me. First, start with the customer and work backwards, because your own assumptions are often wrong. Second, a problem shared by millions of people is worth solving, even if you don't yet know how to.

So I went looking for anecdotes.

I spoke to my mum's recently retired friends who bought a new-build near their favourite holiday spot. Their wish list sounded familiar: fewer rooms, generous storage, low maintenance, in a specific location, without the stress of self-build — and quietly future-proofed. They also described friction in the buying journey, like having to commission a separate builder to finish the house to their taste. Surely this could be done better?

As I interviewed more people in their 60s and 70s, a pattern emerged. Many felt their houses were too big for them and were concerned about future accessibility. But they all wanted to stay in their communities, live for the present, and maintain their independence.

That's when it became clear that the opportunity is huge. I was hooked.

What drives us

We started Hebe because people deserve better

A home that's designed around how you actually live today. That gives you the confidence to move once and not worry about having to move again. That you can shape to suit your life — without years of disruption.

We treat every customer the way we'd want our own families to be treated. And we're building homes that we want to live in ourselves — because we believe that's the only way to get it right.

Dan Rees

Co-founder

Dan has worked across the property industry, including at Landsec, giving him deep knowledge of property development and the contacts to bring it together. He started Hebe after trying to help his parents find the home they deserved — and finding nothing good enough.

Jason Merron

Co-founder

Jason brings a background in strategy consulting at Bain and customer-obsessed retail and technology at Amazon and Tesco. He was converted to Hebe after going out and listening to people — and finding the problem was even bigger than Dan thought.

Hebe draws on experience across property development, strategy consulting, retail and technology — including careers at Landsec, Bain, Amazon and Tesco.

Join us

Interested in a Hebe home?

We're building our first homes in southern England. Register your interest and we'll keep you informed.

Register your interest