This traditional Victorian-style residence is an inspiring example of how a home can bring the best of the past into the present.
A few years ago, young couple Lisa and Jason were becoming fed up with going to house auctions in inner Melbourne every weekend. The prices just kept going up and up and the compromises they were being expected to make were increasing. Then one weekend it hit them — they could build one of those “Harkaways” that they had long admired.
Before long they had bought a knockdown property in a great location east of Melbourne and were sitting rogether in the showroom at Harkaway Homes’ head office, feeling a bit nervous about their sudden decision.
Fast-forward to just 12 months later and they had already moved into their beautiful two-storey Gabled Victorian Traditional home in the suburb of Mont Albert North. Lisa and Jason’s house, which offers charm and comfort in abundance, is an impressive 34sqm in size with living and dining areas downstairs and four bedrooms upstairs.
“It was a great decision because the ability to completely customise the floor plan to our particular lifestyle, and select every little detail both inside and out, means we have ended up with a home with no niggles. We haven’t bought someone else’s bad renovation and we haven’t got a house where ‘one day’ we might be able to make it right for us. It is perfect today!” explains Lisa.
“It was a positive experience for several reasons,” she continues. “The big one is that we didn’t know if we were capable of being owner-builders — neither of us is from or connected to the building industry at all — but we did it and we loved it! There is a huge amount of satisfaction that comes from that. It’s amazing you can do it even with a baby on your hip the whole time.”
The team at Harkaway Homes prides itself on offering a high level of customer service, the proof of which can be seen in the company’s glowing reputation and how many new clients are generated through word-of-mouth referrals. “A great deal of the success of this project was because of the ongoing commitment to service that we received from everyone at Harkaway. There was no question too big or too small,” says Lisa. “We were fascinated by how consistently lovely and helpful everyone was, right through until the final weeks of the build.”
Lisa and Jason’s Harkaway home now sits alongside its neighbours in an established street where it looks completely settled into the landscape. Hardly a week passes when someone walking by doesn’t stop to compliment the home. “We thank Harkaway Homes for exceeding our expectations at all times and for helping us bring our beautiful home to fruition,” says Lisa. “We can’t believe what a great decision and positive experience it turned out to be.”
The highly experienced team at Harkaway Homes is just as grateful to the couple for building such a magnificent Harkaway home — and just as proud.
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