This case study covers Matterport 3D virtual tours and supporting photography for two Allison Homes show homes on a new build development. The primary deliverable was the Matterport tours: a permanent digital record of each show home interior design scheme, for use in VR headsets at pop-up marketing events and for remote buyers to explore online. Still photography was produced alongside the scans for portal listings, brochures, and digital marketing. The two homes, the Lyndale and the Oakdale, feature distinct interior design schemes. Matterport virtual tours and show home photography packages are available for developers and housebuilders nationwide.
01The Brief
Allison Homes is one of the UK's largest privately owned housebuilders, with developments across the UK. The brief for this project was Matterport 3D virtual tours of two show homes on a new development in North Devon. The tours needed to serve a specific purpose: creating a permanent digital record of each show home's interior design scheme, for use in 3D headsets at pop-up marketing locations and for remote buyers to explore online.
The idea is straightforward but powerful. Once a show home is eventually sold or the development reaches a certain stage, the physical space is gone. A Matterport scan preserves it permanently. Prospective buyers at a pop-up event in a shopping centre, or sitting at home hundreds of miles away, can put on a headset or open a browser and walk through the home as it looked when it was fully dressed and styled. That is a fundamentally different proposition from a brochure or a set of photographs.
I also took a set of supporting still images during the same visit, to give the sales team photography for portals, brochures, and digital marketing. But the tours were the primary deliverable.
02The Matterport Tours
The development features two distinct show homes, each with its own interior design scheme. Allison Homes names their home types, and the two scanned here are the Lyndale and the Oakdale. Each home was scanned in full, room by room, with the Matterport Pro 3 camera positioned at multiple points in each space to ensure complete coverage without gaps or stitching errors.
The Lyndale — explore the full show home in 3D below. Navigate room by room, zoom into details, and get a genuine sense of the layout and flow.
The Oakdale — explore the second show home below.
03Why Matterport for Show Homes
A show home is one of the most valuable assets a developer has, and also one of the most temporary. It exists to sell the development, and once that job is done, it is either sold as a property or stripped back. The interior design, the styling, the carefully chosen finishes, all of that disappears.
A Matterport scan changes that. The tour becomes a permanent record of the show home at its best, and it can be used long after the physical space is gone. For pop-up marketing events, a 3D headset loaded with the tour gives visitors an immersive experience that no brochure or photograph can match. For buyers who cannot visit in person, whether because of distance, work commitments, or accessibility, the tour gives them a genuine sense of the home rather than a curated selection of still images.
The tours also have practical value for the sales team. Buyers can share the link with family members who weren't at the viewing. Solicitors and mortgage advisers can see the property. The tour works as a sales tool throughout the entire sales cycle, not just at the point of first contact.
| Use case | Still photography | Matterport 3D tour |
|---|---|---|
| Portal listings | Primary use | Supplementary embed |
| Brochures and print | Yes | No |
| 3D headset at pop-up events | No | Yes |
| Remote buyer exploration | Limited | Full room-by-room navigation |
| Layout and flow understanding | Partial | Complete |
| Permanent record after sale | No | Yes |
| Shareable link for family and advisers | No | Yes |
04Supporting Photography
Alongside the Matterport scans, I produced a set of still images covering both homes. These are used for portal listings, brochures, and digital marketing.
05Working with Developers
Projects like this one are among the most interesting I take on. The homes are professionally styled and the brief is clear, but the Matterport element adds a layer of technical work that goes beyond a standard photography shoot. Getting complete coverage of every room, managing the scan positions to avoid gaps, and ensuring the final tour flows naturally from space to space takes time and care.
For Allison Homes, the combined package meant the development launched with a complete suite of marketing assets: still images for portals and brochures, and interactive tours for the website, digital campaigns, and pop-up marketing events.
If you're a developer or housebuilder looking for Matterport virtual tours and photography for your show homes, get in touch. I work with developers of all sizes across the South West and nationwide, and I'm happy to discuss multi-site packages and ongoing arrangements.
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