Taking the Leap; How Michelle and Ryan Made Their First Home Dreams a Reality

Hailing from the Gold Coast, the newlyweds have spent the last couple of months settling into their newly-built Kakadu 22, with their furry friends Gus and Santa.

While Michelle had always dreamed of building her future home, Ryan took a little bit more convincing, but ended up being easily swayed away from buying an existing property.

After settling in, their most memorable moment so far has been the very first night they moved in. With outdoor furniture still en route, they were eating dinner on the ground on the alfresco, and they turned to each other and just still couldn’t believe it was their home; “it was such a proud moment for us to look at each other and say; this is our house, we designed this,” Michelle says.

During the early days of their journey, they visited countless displays and asked a lot of questions, which led them to comparing a list of builders in the area. Their big decision eventually came down to finding a home builder who could deliver the floor plan they were looking for, while still being within their budget, and this ultimately led them to Simonds.

It wasn’t until they spoke with New Home Specialists, Neil and Robin, at the Simonds Display Centre in Rochedale, that Michelle and Ryan came across the best-selling Kakadu 22 home design.

After listening to their needs and must-haves, Robin recommended they walk-through the Kakadu 22 display in Spring Mountain. A 30-min car drive later, and the rest they say is history.

With a spacious master bedroom at the rear and an open plan kitchen, living and dining leading out to the alfresco, it’s not hard to see why the Kakadu 22 is one of the most popular floor plans in sunny Queensland.

One of the most important considerations for Michelle and Ryan with their future home was having a decently sized backyard. This eventually meant choosing a corner block, which came with its own set of challenges.

They had to balance the bigger block with the covenant setbacks in place to find a suitably sized floor plan that met their needs, and the Kakadu 22 ended up being a winner. A few design upgrades later, like a double vanity to their master ensuite, and they were able to go from planning to seeing all of their big decisions come to life.

After exploring hundreds of display homes in the area, Michelle and Ryan knew that a Hamptons inspired look was the right fit for their home.

They did their research, narrowed down what they were drawn to and what they didn’t like, which meant they could go into their Gallery appointment with a clear vision of what they wanted.

And if there’s any room in their home that embodies the relaxed yet polished Hamptons feel, it would be their open plan kitchen, which just so happens to be their favourite space in the home.

Their fresh and contemporary take includes a Caesarstone Deluxe benchtop in Alpine Mist, and Laminex FormWrap Settler cabinetry in Polar White and Oyster Grey as a nod to the long-adored shaker style cabinetry found in traditional Hamptons homes.

As first home owners, Michelle and Ryan had a lot of questions about the building process, but say that the Simonds Team were always on hand to answer them all, even the ‘silly ones’, Michelle says.

Building during Covid-19 didn’t come without its challenges, namely hurdles with supplies or external suppliers, but Michelle says these were quickly resolved and their Site Supervisor “was always on top of everything.”

Since moving in, the next big step for Michelle and Ryan is to finish the landscaping and then host a big housewarming for friends and family to show off their beautiful home.

And at the end of the day, their parting words of wisdom for anyone looking to build their first home is; “you won’t regret it!...My biggest piece of advice is don’t settle for anything less than what you want. It’s your dream home, you can make it happen!”