Liv & Josh's Build Journey

Wow, the last 2 years have absolutely flown by and I still can't believe we have already spent two Christmas's and two Easter's in our new home! Josh and I are still pinching ourselves everyday that we had the privilege of building our first home and we are so grateful that we were able to do so before all of the price increases and material shortages became such an issue. We were super lucky that our build ran so smoothly and overall we found it to be a very exciting and enjoyable experience. Working in the home furnishings industry has exposed me to many new build projects that have unfortunately not progressed as smoothly as ours did. This makes me appreciate our building experience so much more! 

We absolutely love our home and have already created so many lovely memories in it with friends and family. It works perfectly for the two of us yet has the potential to be a great home for a family too (hint hint Josh...)

Of course we had a lot of help from our family and dad's little digger definitely came in handy too! Getting our side fences built was a big highlight for us as they allow for our little backyard to feel much more secure and private. We learnt a lot throughout our landscaping and think we did a pretty good job for rookies! 

I have also been practising my green-thumb skills and have a little veggie garden which has been a lot of fun! It has been super rewarding to eat our own fresh produce straight from the garden and experiment with different vegetables and herbs, and even some sunflowers!

We have also recently expanded our wee family and adopted two little fur babies, Ivy and Quinn! They are siblings and we are soooo obsessed with them. So far, they haven't caused too much destruction to the house and our beautiful Feather and Oak curtains have survived, phew! 

After living in our home for some time, we have regularly been asked the question "what would you do differently next time?" Our response to that is "not a lot at all!" We are truly very happy with the design and function of our home inside and out, and despite a few things that we would have loved to upgrade if our budget allowed it there are only a few minor things that we would change. These include things such as an extra light switch in the living area and a more accessible powerpoint in the guest bathroom. 

A great idea that Josh had after we had moved in was to wrap our gorgeous entrance wallpaper 'Selva' around the corner onto the wall that faces into the lounge/living area so that it can be seen from anywhere in the living as well as the entrance. We did look into doing this but then decided that it wouldn't make the entrance feel as special and it would merge into the living space rather than being a seperate area.

The things we got right:

- Our section choice and location - being on the edge of the subdivision and backing onto farmland is great as we don't feel too closed in.

- Increasing the size of our windows in the bathroom and ensuite to allow for more natural light.

- Having a separate laundry room rather than having it in our garage.

- Our living area has a nice flow that works well with our dining and outdoor area  (I am soooo glad we opted for an island bench in the kitchen!)

- The large wardrobe in the guest bedroom works great for extra storage.

Interior finishes that we love:

- Having double track curtains on our living and master bedroom sliders. The soft sheers are great for privacy and sun protection during the day while also adding a calming and relaxing feel to the space. 

- The sunscreen roller blinds on the road-facing windows are particularly useful for privacy while not obstructing our view or blocking out light. (They also allow us to keep an eye on all the nosy neighbours that walk past haha!) 

- We are so glad we upgraded our carpet underlay and definitely recommend doing this if you can! Even though we chose a fairly cost-effective carpet, the underlay makes it feel much better quality! 

- Introducing colour on our walls and splash back with feature paint colours and wallpaper. It adds interest and personality to the home.

No matter where we end up in life, this home is always going to hold a very special place in our hearts and we look forward to creating many more memories while we are here! 

xx Liv

Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful home with us Liv & Josh. It's been such an amazing journey to watch. We wish you all the best! Liv has not only been an amazing part of our Feather and Oak family for the last few years she is also a passionate and talented cook. You can get lots of yummy cooking inspiration from Liv over @dins.with.liv on instagram. We wish Liv all the best in her next chapter.