MODERN COUNTRY

WITH SPACE FOR HORSES, DIRT BIKES AND AN EXPANDING MENAGERIE, THIS FAMILY FOUND AN IDYLLIC BLOCK AND BUILT THEIR FOREVER HOME

- KYLIE JACKES

Old homes can have a certain charm, yet there were few redeeming features in the house Brisbane couple Kristy and Mark bought just over two years ago. “It was brick and asbestos, there were holes in the walls, exposed wiring and it was riddled with spiders,” says Kristy. “It was also split-level, but the downstairs was uninhabitable. We squeezed into the upstairs bedrooms and used the downstairs for storage, only to discover it flooded when it rained.”

Yet none of that mattered. When they bought the house, the plan was to knock down and rebuild. Mark and Kristy had looked to buy in this area for years, and it was all about the land – a one-hectare block where their children, Joshua, now 10, Ruby, nine, Lachlan, six, and Stella, four, could enjoy a rural lifestyle complete with their own dirt bikes, and endless grass for horses Rivi and Teddy to graze. “We needed to stay in Brisbane for work and family, yet this area had a country feel so it was perfect,” says Kristy of the idyllic spot just 13km from the CBD.

After three months in the original house, the family were ready to move out and design their forever home, orientated to follow the lay of the land and overlook the surrounding bushland. Kristy immediately hit it off with builder Rachael Turner of Front Porch Properties, who ran the 18-month design and build. “We wanted a home that was classic, cosy and comfortable, and Rachael said yes to almost every crazy idea we had and thought outside the box to make it happen,” says Kristy.