Wow. It’s been a big lead-up to get to this point! There’s been a lot of hard work and sacrifice but here we are, ready to complete the finishing touches on our family home.
Originally we had the pool a lot closer to the house – next to the rumpus room – and it just didn’t feel right. Our landscape designer came in with fresh eyes and suggested a move to the corner of the yard, off the back of the studio. This immediately opened up the whole yard and allowed for a sitting/lounge area off the kitchen and rumpus.
As with the rest of the home, our style is ‘Australian coastal meets Mediterranean villa’ and we really wanted to create that vibe from the very first impression. The curved rendered walls of the garage certainly help with this and we’ve created a similar curved blockwork wall to create the private guest house courtyard on the other side of the block. This studio also acts as a way to create a ‘villa’ style yard for the main house, creating plenty of privacy from the front.
With my overall vision in mind, the roof is always my first big colour decision. We’re within 200m of breaking surf, and I was also conscious of the colour palette I wanted inside which always helps guide my decision for the exterior (and vice versa) to ensure I maintain consistent flow from the outside to the inside. The blush undertones of COLORBOND® Steel Dune® works well with warm colours such as sandstone, sand dunes and coastal tones – perfect for our project.
Powered by the sun
One thing we’ve been thinking a lot about over the last few years is a switch to a renewable energy source. The main reason for this being the environmental impact, but also for the cost savings. We’ve looked into a few companies over the past few years, however we made the decision to use a Clipsal Solar system for a number of reasons. Clipsal Solar is part of a trusted Australian brand that offers service beyond installation (we’ve used Clipsal electrical products throughout many of our renovations over the the years – including this one)
We were also impressed with the process and their approach to the system that was right for our home. It wasn’t a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach, but tailored to our home, budget and lifestyle. As part of the installation process, they’ve installed sensors in our home as part of their Clipsal Cortex Analytics Kit, which essentially enables us to track our electricity consumption habits via the Clipsal Cortex app on our phones. Clipsal Solar will then provide support to ensure we reduce our energy bills and support long-term solar savings.
A good example of this was yesterday when Kyal was on the phone to the Clipsal Solar Customer Success team discussing what was using up the majority of energy on our system since we’ve moved in. I’m keen to continue to learn about our energy expenditure and subsequently make changes for the better, so watch this space!
Money doesn’t grow on trees
As we enter the final stage of the build, it’s been good to review the budget – as we have at all major stages of this build – and take note of what’s left for landscaping! It’s amazing how quickly things can add up, and if you’re not logging expenses on a regular basis, spending can really get ahead of you. This can be especially important when unexpected expenses have arisen over the build.
Final planting has been a family affair over the last few weeks and it’s been really nice to get this kids involved in this. Vada is a little but young still, but I feel as though Ziya has really taken on board some of the principals we’ve taught him around planting trees and making sure they’re well-watered. Vada was not even one year old when we started this build, and it’s so special to know we’ll be able to watch all these trees grow alongside our kids. We’re beyond grateful to have been able to complete this beautiful build and we’re so looking forward to creating plenty of memories here with our family and friends. Now, excuse us while we go and sleep for a whole week!
Check out the final reveal video below!
All 8 episodes of Blue Lagoon Build are available to take you on the journey, on the Clipsal Solar Vimeo channel here: