Just like many other young couples dreaming of one day building their own home, Michael and Amanda Huggins would spend weekends wandering through display homes, imagining creating a special space for themselves and their fur baby, Ollie. After finishing a major renovation on their first home together, most people would understand if the pair had wanted to sit back and admire the results of their hard work, rather than dive headfirst into a new building project. But for Amanda and Michael, a chance visit to a friend’s new home in Waterford, Chisolm, sparked a desire to jump back into the building industry again –this time, constructing a new home from the ground up.
Embarking on a new project, especially building a house, requires a lot of planning and research and Michael believes they learned a great deal from their renovation experience. “After we were married, we bought what was literally the worst house on the best street. It was one of the original homes of Wallsend that had amazing features like ornate cornices and ceiling roses,” says Michael. Amanda, however, is quick to remind him that renovating their first home was a lot of work. “The house was bright yellow! Yellow walls, yellow roof, yellow floors…. So, we spent six months gutting the place and re-building it to make it more modern and liveable,” says Amanda.
“We bought what was literally the worst house on the best street… The house was bright yellow! Yellow walls, yellow roof, yellow floors.”
With a newfound appreciation of the hard work and time that it takes to give a home a makeover, the Newcastle couple decided to sell their completed project post-Covid when the housing market was hot and move on to something new. “The renovation showed us the effort that goes into creating a lovely home. It also reminded me that there were jobs that I hoped I would never have to do again – plastering and roof insulating being some of them!” says Michael.
“When we sold our Wallsend home, we knew we wanted to build something new and fresh that was a blank canvas, but we just didn’t know where.”
A trip out Maitland way to visit friends who were also building their own home, provided the unexpected inspiration for Michael and Amanda to move from Newcastle. “We no longer heard all the sirens and traffic of living in the city. Instead there were cows and birds – we just knew that this was the place that we wanted to be,” remembers Michael.
That place was the up-and-coming suburb of Chisolm, a stone’s throw from history-soaked Maitland on one side and the cafès and antique shops of Morpeth on the other. Michael and Amanda expressed their interest in a block of land that overlooked paddocks and a dam, nestled in a developing community where they could settle and feel a sense of belonging.
“When we sold our Wallsend home, we knew we wanted to build something new and fresh that was a blank canvas.”
When it came to choosing a builder, Michael wanted a firm buffer between him and the tools this time around. “Straight away, we went down the path of MOJO Homes because we wanted to go with a trusted builder that used architectural home designs that were open and modern with plenty of light and space,” says Michael. “We knew what to expect and how the process would work,” added Amanda because we had friends and family who had built with MOJO Homes and McDonald Jones Homes.”
Michael and Amanda designed their relaxed, open-planned house with the help of the MOJO Homes design team, opting for what Amanda describes as a coastal look, but without the seashells.
“We love clean lines, fresh whites and beiges with hints of greenery, but we didn’t want any seashells or aquatic references!” says Amanda. “It was a straightforward process when it came to the building side of things. We knew the cost up front and we had the option of adding on different packages to customise our home. We upgraded everything except the carpet – because of our dog Ollie who basically runs the house!” Michael and Amanda documented the thirty-eight-week build on their Instagram page, @our_oasis_on_petaltail, as a way to give others an insight into the building process and to counteract many of the horror stories floating around concerning building from the ground up. “We had a positive experience from start to finish watching our house come to life and that’s not always the case when you start from scratch,” commented Michael.
“We came to the process having done a lot of research. We were open about what we wanted and we had good communication across the board. That’s what I think made our house build such a positive experience.”
“We came to the process having done a lot of research. We were open about what we wanted and we had good communication across the board. That’s what I think made our house build such a positive experience. We hope others can learn from what worked for us so they have a similar outcome.” Already they have settled into the new community with Friday afternoon neighbourhood catchups and Amanda says Ollie loves his new home as much as they do. It’s the easy access to kilometres of walking tracks in and around their village that’s the real drawcard for him. “He sits in the front window so people have come to know him. When he’s out and about on a walk, everyone recognises him like he’s famous and it’s really lovely,” says Amanda. “Landscaping the block is next and we’re hoping for a pool one day too but we’re just so grateful to have finished our build and have our forever home.”
So, are Michael and Amanda finally ready to take a break from the screws, gyprock, and paintbrushes? “If you’re asking if we would ever build again, I guess the answer is yes! We enjoyed the process and it worked for us thanks to all the research, time, and effort we put into the initial stages of designing the house,” responds Michael. “But we love our new suburb, we’re surrounded by great neighbours and we have this amazing new house that’s ours so we won’t be taking on a new project anytime soon!”
As seen in Swell Issue 20. Grab your copy here
