Rachael, a classical pianist, builder and interior designer lives here with her husband Simon, an engineer, and their American staffy, Benji.
“Simon and I were newly married, fresh out of university and looking to buy a home, but couldn’t find anything in our price range that we liked,” says Rachel. “Although neither of us had any experience or any family members in the construction industry – I ran my own music school and Simon was working for Boeing – we decided to build a house.”
“We found a large block of land in the suburb in which we were renting, about 40 minutes south of Brisbane, completed an owner/builder course and nine months later our home was finished!”
The style of front door, paintwork and the climbing plants combine to extend a warm country welcome.
I’ve always loved timeless, classic homes that won’t date after 10 years – particularly American-inspired homes in the Hamptons and Cape Cod styles. And I love features like a gabled roof line, wide verandahs, glazing bars on windows and weatherboard construction – they won’t ever date.
So I sketched up a house on paper and gave it to a draughtsman to draw up. I found tradesmen through the Yellow Pages, and we did a lot of the work ourselves, with help from family and friends. This meant we were able to complete the house within our budget.
Dark solid furniture is the perfect choice for this large light room. Leather sofas and coffee table are from Freedom.
The result is a classic French-chic cottage that’s relaxed and not too formal. The top level is a loft, with half height walls and raked ceilings, which houses two guest rooms and a bathroom. The master bedroom, second bathroom, study/music room, kitchen, dining and two living areas are all on the ground floor.
Rachael loves her practical and sturdy Ikea kitchen, which she and Simon put together. The benchtop is Caesarstone in Nougat.
Little vignettes are so pretty – and in this case lead the eye to the staircase gallery.
I also prefer a “classic” style in interiors. I tend to avoid trends, and being newly married with limited finances, I had to be really frugal decorating my house. My go-to stores are Target, Kmart and Ikea – and even discount variety stores!
Striped bed linen plus wooden and textural wicker accessories bring the country look to this loft bedroom.
Naturally non-slip travertine tiles are a good choice for bathrooms and create a luxe-country look.
One of Rachel and Simon’s favourite places in the home is their pretty front verandah, which gets lovely cooling breezes in summer. “We’re very proud we built this home with our own hands,” she says. “Even now, years later, we sit outside and reminisce about the building process.”
Rachael found just the right hue for her home’s exterior by mixing colours and white until she found the perfect shade, then matched it at a paint shop.
HOW TO BECOME AN OWNER/BUILDER
The experience of designing and building her own home has ignited Rachel’s passion for construction. While continuing to run her music school, Rachael started to buy, renovate and sell old houses. “People showed interest in my work and I quickly realised construction was an industry where women could really excel.”
So she took the plunge and followed her dream, launching into construction. She’s spent the last few years honing her skills and acquiring the necessary technical qualifications, and now has a fully licensed construction company, Front Porch Properties, which designs, builds and renovates family homes. > Find out more about becoming an owner builder here.
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