Please can you tell us about your family and the kind of home you wanted to build?

We’re retired and had been living in the Noosa hinterland. We wanted to be more central and be able to walk to shops, cafes or the Noosa River.

I love gardening so we wanted a house with good indoor/outdoor flow that really brought the outside in.

What’s the location like and why did you choose it?

We found a lot in Noosa North Rise which is behind Noosa Waters. It was a perfect flat site and the area has a beautiful greenbelt running through it with birds and wildlife which is unusual for Noosa Waters.

There’s another Suncity home opposite us. They seem to be particularly good with corner blocks. All the best houses in this area have been built by Suncity Homes.

Did you have any concerns about building?

Initially, we didn’t want to build at all. I’m a visual person so I need to see things but we just couldn’t find an established building I liked. Many of the houses in Noosa Waters are very dated now and I really wanted to live in a modern, well-designed house.

We’d also heard so many terrible building stories but we haven’t had that experience at all.

What persuaded you to build despite those concerns?

Having lived in the Noosa area for a while I’d heard about Suncity’s good reputation and that attracted me initially. Then I looked at some of their designs and that got me even more interested as I could see from the plans that the finished home would be beautiful.

I also looked round one of Suncity’s homes before I signed on the dotted line and loved it. So that gave me a lot of confidence. For someone who finds it hard to visualise, being able to see a house and walk around it was the big clincher.

Did you consider other builders?

Yes, before speaking with Suncity we’d spoken to a lot of builders but I’d never seen any designs I liked. Suncity’s houses are all individual and that appealed to me.

In general, I think a lot of people go to a builder and get a house built on their block that doesn’t suit the position or orientation. Suncity Homes don’t do that. They really consider the individual elements of the lot and design and build a house to suit it.

Otherwise, some people go to an architect first but that can get very expensive.

Did you have any concerns about working with Suncity Homes?

Initially, we were concerned about approaching Suncity Homes as we thought their homes would be out of our budget but they were confident they could build something within our budget that we’d like.

What happened during the planning process?

We didn’t have plans so Suncity helped us find an architect. We only had two meetings with him and he nailed the brief straight away which saved money.

We met him once on the block so he could see the orientation and once in his office. The whole process was much faster than expected which saved time and helped make sure the project didn’t blow out pricewise.

What was the brief you gave Suncity Homes?

We wanted a lot of glass and a garden view from every room. Our block is north-east facing and I wanted it to take advantage of the light and have a warm al fresco area we could use in winter.

We didn’t want a huge home and preferred to minimise the house size in favour of having a lovely garden. We basically wanted a well-designed house suited to Queensland living with a garden outlook.

What’s your finished home like?

It’s designed for the climate so it’s cool in summer and warm in winter.

There are three bedrooms which is plenty for us and no unnecessary rooms for me to keep clean.

We’ve got a large master bedroom with big ensuite bathroom plus two extra bedrooms for guests.

There are also two living areas and one has a hidden office so the computer can be kept out of sight.

From the front door, you can see through to the outdoor courtyard area where we can enjoy the winter sun.

The kitchen, lounge, and dining open to the main outdoor living area which has a deck and pool. It’s very open plan but the dining room has some privacy which I like.

We had so many genuinely positive comments before the house was even finished.

What was it like working with Suncity Homes?

No headaches. Even choosing tile and other house fittings was easy as they seemed to appreciate what we wanted and found it for us.

They’re also happy to work with any budget which suited us.

From what I understand, a lot of architects only work with massive budgets so we feel that we got great value for money because our home has been architecturally designed to suit our budget.

For us, building was a great experience. I know many people who’ve worked with different builders and aren’t happy with the results and that’s sad.

Even when we were still at the building stage, people walking by would comment on how good the house looked.

What did you enjoy most about working with Suncity Homes?

The whole team are nice to deal with. That includes everyone they recommended we see to choose tiles or pick colour schemes.

You want to deal with someone you trust and some of builders or construction salespeople don’t seem to have your best interests at heart. We felt that the Suncity Homes team did.

Ben, the building manager, was also nice and available for contact at any time during the building process, as was Diane.

How would you sum up the building experience?

Relatively easy. Both of us were happy with it. I’d definitely build with Suncity Homes again. I’d have no hesitation.

How would you sum up the finished building?

Quality building and design with understated elegance.