Land check, house check... sort of

Now we had a house in mind and potential land in sight, we were eager to get the ball rolling. Title release of Stage 1 land was due Sept and we were already in Aug. This meant we did not have to wait nearly as long as those who purchased when land was first released, or so we thought... more on that later.

After receiving confirmation from both Metricon and The Range (Australand) that the Metricon house we intended to build would fit on the lot we were interested in, we signed on the dotted line with Australand on 22nd Aug 2009. It was both exciting and daunting. We had committed to the build process and new debt. The thought was mind boggling.

Why Metricon?

Once we actually decided that building our new home was the best option for us, we researched the various builders. With the financial crisis that left many small enterprises belly up just behind us, I was reluctant to consider a small builder. For security and peace of mind, we narrowed it down to the top reputable builders in Victoria and started our display home inspections. It was an exciting few weeks as we explored the possibilities.

Of all the builders, Metricon had the house closest to our needs and expectations in design and quality. Though in the back of my mind, I knew that floor boards don't stay polished on their own and interior decorating is an art in itself.

The Tribeca is a stunning double storey home with all the space we needed. Plus a few minor alterations, it would be just perfect. We were sold and within a month of looking at builders, we had convinced ourselves that our search was over. Metricon had impressed yet another happy customer.

Search for our dream home

With a growing family in mind, a bigger home in 2 years time seemed like a good plan. So, from mid 2009, we began our search for our dream home. Our needs were simple we thought, room for 2 kids, 2 dogs, 2 studies, and room to house our gorgeous pool table which we received as a wedding gift. The latter was a little problematic as it meant basically another living area.

Our search continued for a few months. Auctions were depressing and it seemed our dream home did not exist. It was at this point, we considered building it ourselves. The search for land in our original areas of interest close to the city proved fruitless with ridiculously high prices for old property which we'd have to demolish before construction. As we could not justify the added expense, we set our sights on location further out.

At some point, we came across The Range in Croydon, a new estate that used to be the site of a beautiful golf course. Unlike other estates which are typically barren and flat, The Range is hilly and green. The plans showed the retention of boundary foliage as well as dedicated areas of protection to maintain the leafy feel of the golf course. We were immediately attracted to the site and visited the information centre. The estate was selling fast but still at Stage 1 of 5 to come. To our surprise there were 2 lots remaining that would fit the home we had in mind. We were excited to say the least. Hence, began our dream home at The Range.