Making way for a new home in Wembley

Suburb: Wembley

Why the old house had to go: Bonnie and Tim had been weighing up their options for more than three years when they finally took the plunge and decided to bowl over their 1930s Wembley bungalow to make way for a brand-new family home. They knew they wanted to stay in Wembley and had looked at moving, but recognised they’d have to spend more than they wanted to if they were to stay in the area. “And even then we probably wouldn’t get exactly what we wanted,” Bonnie told us. They looked at renovating too, but realised this would also mean compromising. “We kept coming back to the fact that we loved where we lived. We just needed a different house,” Bonnie said. Demolishing the old house and starting from scratch was the ideal solution. It meant the family could stay put, but in a new house designed just the way they wanted it.

The new-home wish list: The family wanted a design customised to suit their 653sqm rear access block, their love of entertaining and a teenager. And a new baby as it turns out. They also wanted to make sure that all the rooms in their new house served a genuine purpose, with no redundant areas or wasted space, and that the house had lots of storage and plenty of traditional Wembley street appeal.

The design experience:

Using the Nine, a flexible 3×3 floorplan, as the starting point, Bonnie and Tim worked with the in-house Dale Alcock Homes’ designer to create a bigger floor plan and add customised spaces to suit their family and lifestyle. This included taking inspiration from the luxury ensuite and huge kitchen and scullery in the Delano, a best-selling Dale Alcock display. “We really appreciated the fact that we could customise our design and make it our own,” Bonnie said. They also added a fourth bedroom for overseas guests, and a home office, and they made sure 14-year-old Maddie had a big bedroom with ensuite and walk-in wardrobe. “She’s already told us she’s never moving out,” Bonnie said. The intention was to use the other spare bedroom as a gym, although this didn’t quite go according to plan. “We found out half way through the build that we were having a baby so the gym quickly became the nursery and our American style mudroom was turned into the gym!” Bonnie said. “Now that’s what you call built-in flexibility to suit changing needs.” The new house makes the most of their generous block and they’ve still been able to add a 5m x 3m fibreglass pool.

The building experience:

Bonnie told us: “Dale Alcock Homes looked after everything for us, even organising demolition of our old home and seeking Council approval. Once we had made our selections we really didn’t have to do anything. In fact the hardest part of the project was having to look after the final finishing touches, such as organising the solar panels and window coverings.”

Why they love their new home:

“At first it felt quite overwhelming to have such a massive change on our block, but now we can’t imagine it any other way,” Bonnie said. “In the old house, all the rooms felt separate and we couldn’t have more than six people in the living room at the same time. Now we have so much space and so much storage. When we’re entertaining we can push all the mess into the scullery and deal with it later.” The family also love their new home’s traditional elevation with its gable roof, bullnose verandah, window awnings and fresh grey and white colour scheme. “We wanted to be able to look at the house 30 years from now and know it still looks timeless and in keeping with the local Wembley area,” Bonnie said.

Top tip:

“We hadn’t built before, let alone demolished an old house first, so dealing with a team that could look after everything was invaluable,” Bonnie said. “If you’re building for the first time it’s reassuring to be guided through each step, but don’t be surprised if your find things moving along quickly.”