Home. Made Story - Customised at Catherine Hill Bay
The Shereb family have recently completed their building journey of their gorgeous new Saxonvale home at Catherine Hill Bay, and they were kind enough to share their experience and advice for others looking to build.
What inspired you to choose this home design?
We fell in love with the floor plan of the Saxonvale after visiting the display home at Homeworld Warnervale. It suited our block size and allowed us space on either side of the house. Also, being a two-storey home, it gave us plenty of room for a large backyard. We can also take advantage of our views of the bushland surrounding our block from the front veranda and balcony.
How did you ensure that your home reflected your personal style?
We have always loved traditional homes with lots of character. We were keen to replicate that in the front façade of our home. We wanted to create a first impression from the street. We adjusted the front façade to give the house a more traditional feel.
We chose to use full cladding and painted timber posts rather than brick render and columns; we also added more detail with corbelling to the Hebel between the two stories. We also combined the Saxonvale 40 façade with the 33 façade on display at Box Hill to include a gable, giving the façade a more custom design feel.
Extending our balcony and verandah out an additional one metre gave us more room for entertaining and allowed us to add our cute porch swing to the verandah. We added sliding doors to the upstairs family room and the balcony to enable a better flow from inside to outside when entertaining in this area and increased our alfresco area. This enabled us to connect our deck and pool area to the home. This direct connection is perfect for entertaining and everyday family life. 
Which part of your home do you spend the most time in, and why is it special to you?
Our central area with the kitchen/dining/family. We love spending time here because it is multifunctional. Someone can be cooking/cleaning up, watching sport/TV, eating or online shopping, doing study etc. We all tend to catch up here, and there is lots of space. It's great to open all the sliders and connect the alfresco area.
What is your favourite home feature?
We have created two spaces at the front of the house. The balcony is a great spot to have a drink and relax, and enjoy the view. The front veranda with our swing is a good spot to lay down with a book and listen to the birds chirping across the street.
How has this changed the way you and your family live day-to-day?
These spaces have given us areas to relax and unwind. Especially in winter when we get sun on the front of the house all day.
What was a key milestone for you during the building process?
We loved watching all of the build, but the cladding installation was the moment we could really start to see what our dream home was going to look like.
We were pleasantly surprised how accommodating McDonald Jones were in regard to making adaptions to the standard layout to suit our needs.
How did working with us impact the outcome of your home?
We were pleasantly surprised by how accommodating McDonald Jones was in regard to making adaptions to the standard layout to suit our needs. The sales team had great advice but also listened to what we wanted for our home. Our Site Supervisor (Braden) was very professional and hardworking during the build. We appreciated the weekly updates and the time he gave us throughout the build. He is an absolute credit to your business.
Having the ability to customize the home to our requirements, our previous builds with Domaine and Allworth weren’t anywhere near as flexible as McDonald Jones.
What did you like most about building with McDonald Jones?
First and foremost, having the ability to customize the home to our requirements, our previous builds with Domaine and Allworth weren’t anywhere near as flexible as McDonald Jones. We built during the dreaded COVID time, so we didn’t get the studio experience, unfortunately, but we had a fantastic Colour Consultant who helped with some tough decisions via video phone. The build process from when our Site Supervisor took over was truly amazing; Braden was so organised with his trades, and our build time was better than expected. His weekly communication was the standout; it gave us peace of mind knowing where the build was heading each week.
What advice would you give someone building their own home for the first time?
1. Be prepared before selecting the home or builder you want to go with.
2. Understand your land size, the land's slope, and what home you want to fit onto it. Single or double-storey home design to best suit the orientation of your block; street presence is a big one as this is what will sell your house down the track.
3. Do your research on your choice of builder; this is extremely important. Can they build on your block if there is a slope to it, how much extra for site costs and potentially drop edge beams or step-downs in the slab? What is their contract period, how long do they estimate it will take to build your home, and what is their build quality like? Check their display homes for build quality, ask friends and family if they have any experience with the builder, and check a few builds out in progress near you.
4. Be strict with your budget and understand what your contract price is and what it includes. Every builder is different in terms of their standard inclusions. Allow for the extras you want with upgrades, again this comes down to being prepared before signing up. Do a cost estimate for these extras, and don’t ignore the costs at the end of your build, like driveway, landscaping, fencing, curtains, flooring, etc.
5. Ask your sales consultant a thousand questions if you aren’t sure of what exactly you are and aren’t getting for your contract price and what it might potentially cost for the major components for upgrades to kitchens, bathrooms etc.
To get started with your home build, contact your nearest Building and Design Consultant here.
