Country life has always appealed to Leanne, ever since spending Easter holidays at her cousins’ working farm as a kid. “They live on a huge property in central NSW and I just loved the open spaces,” she says. Now, having carved out her own taste of rural life with husband Rob and their four children – Rhys, 13, Eleia, 12, Eva, nine, and Hamish, seven – Leanne couldn’t be happier.
“It suits us all,” she explains of the family’s tree change from the nearby suburbs of the Gold Coast. “Rob spends weekends puttering about on his tractor, the girls do horse riding and there’s so much space for the kids to run around and just be kids.”
The push to move to the Gold Coast hinterland came seven years ago, when the couple realised they’d outgrown their previous home. “Our family had doubled in size, so when I saw this two-hectare block for sale I thought it was the ideal place to relocate and build a spacious forever home where we’d be content,” says Leanne.
The picturesque elevated site captured the couple’s imagination and prompted Leanne to quickly compile a hefty book of inspiration filled with pictures of charming farmhouses and classic country kitchens.
The priority for Rob was a custom garage to house the beloved family caravan, with space also for a workshop. To realise their vision, the couple engaged husband-and-wife architect team Angela and Mark Jamison of Jamison Architects, who produced a design which fulfilled all their wishes and more.
“We loved it,”recalls Leanne.”It embraced the beauty and aspect of the site, and every detail was cleverly thought out to meet our needs as the kids grew.”
Designed as a long, single storey home, with a triple-gable roof and rooms opening onto shaded verandahs and pergolas, the exterior is as pretty as a picture.
Inside, a soaring raked ceiling adds to the wonderful light, bright, open-plan feel, as do abundant louvres, and a wall of glass doors to the north that creates a connection to the outdoors and views.
At nearly 800 square metres, the home’s sheer size was a mammoth project for Rob to take on as owner-builder while working full time. A lot of the work was done in the evenings and on weekends, stretching the build to 18 months, and the family lived in a caravan on the block for nine months.
“Living in the van meant less travelling back and forwards, and we were on site to answer questions from trades, but it did have its challenges,” says Leanne.
“There were a few interesting school mornings where I’d be cooking the kids’ breakfast and the power would go out, or I’d be in the shower in the van, with my hair soaped up, and the water would be switched off. It was an adventure. We had a lot of tractor rides, fire-pit barbecues and star-gazing nights.”
While Rob was absorbed with the build, Leanne enjoyed selecting finishes that imbue a contemporary country feel. With a preference for natural materials, timber and stone floors lay the foundation for a warm palette layered with vintage finds and heirloom pieces.
Although there’s ongoing finishing touches and plenty of garden projects to keep them busy on weekends, it seems the family enjoys nothing more than tinkering about at home.
“We just love being here,” says Leanne. “It’s incredibly peaceful and calm. When Rob was building the house, we really grew as a family, pulling together and working to create it, which has given all of us a deep sense of ownership and appreciation. There’s nowhere else we’d rather be.”
“My favourite spot is by the fireplace. We use it every night from Mother’s Day to Father’s Day. It makes the house cosy.” ~ Leanne