The design

Designing a home is so much fun. Given we were bidding on a narrow block with an easement down one side we found an architect even before we bought the block. This gave us some comfort that we could create a great home on this block.

We based the plans on a home that he had designed previously, and then tweaked them to suit us. I played around a bit with homestyler.com to develop some plans I could play with too. It was great fun and a good way to communicate the changes we wanted. This program lets you overlay a design, copy over it and then move it around and change the size etc.

We are nearly at the stage where we have a layout that we are happy with. I am still a little concerned about the size of my wardrobe, and also about the space around the table in the family room. I'm measuring all my current spaces, so that I can get a bit of a feel for the size. It is really hard for me to imagine the room sizes without doing this. This pic is a little sneak peek of the plans.

The next stage will be adding the elevation of the land to the plans. The architect will do this once we have agreed the layout. Then we will send the plans out to some builders to get quotes. I'm really hoping that the prices will be reasonable, and that we won't need to compromise on the plans - but I think this may end up happening. I'll let you know.....

Land, land, I see the land!

The house hunting was a long and unsuccessful project. We found some lovely places above our budget, some great places (well, great for another family) and even made an offer... however, we hadn't found our dream home. 

It was only a recent decision to look for some land to build on - well, a house that could be knocked down to make way for a new era.

On 20 July 2013 we registered as bidders for the first time ever. It was an old house in an ideal location. The auction was the most stressful thing I have done, and at no stage did I ever really think we would come away with the property. But we did!!!

The place we purchased had been home to a family in Canberra for generations. They can recall a time when there was farmland across the road..now there is houses, a school and many suburbs beyond. It is time for a new era. We are going to make this our family home. 

I looked for advice and information about a new build in Canberra, but I couldn't find much out there. It is all new for me, and I am so excited. Join me on this exciting journey to create a place to call home.