The stunning high-gloss, egg-yolk door that greets you at the entrance of Adam and Susie’s home, like many of the striking features throughout the house, has a compelling story of collaboration and innovation behind it.

“Our painter wasn’t sure how he could achieve the finish we were after,” says Susie. “So he brought in his retired father who used a technique that hasn’t been used in years. The result was absolutely amazing, but so was the process of watching father and son work side by side as they created something completely new and different.”

It’s the interweaving of personal stories and significant meaning, combined with the suggestions of their building team along the way, that make this home so perfect for its owners. And it all started with finding the right block of land.

After falling in love with the ‘Sorrento’ design, a light-filled, energy efficient home that maximises sunlight in winter and minimises it in summer, young professionals, Adam and Susie, searched unsuccessfully for a block of land with the right north easterly aspect that would do it justice. Finally Classic Constructions stepped in with an unexpected but perfect solution.

“We were living in Woden and just assumed we’d build there”, explains Adam. “But we just couldn’t find a block that would give us the aspect we wanted.“Classic Constructions said they knew of the perfect block of land in Crace,” says Susie. “We’d never even considered it as a place to live, but we went out to have a look and bought the block that same day. It was exactly what we wanted.”From that moment on, Susie and Adam developed an intensely collaborative working relationship with the Classic Constructions team, made especially sweet with the help of Susie’s baking.“We were constantly adding things to our wish-list and asking for modifications,” smiles Susie, “so when I heard that our site-manager, Dave Ingram, had a sweet tooth, I figured the way to his heart was through baking!”

The collaborative process began with tweaks to the ‘Sorrento’ design and Adam and Susie worked with Architect, David Richards, to incorporate modifications that would better suit their lifestyle.

“The central living room and kitchen is lifted straight off the plan,” explains Adam, “but because we have large families and lots of visitors from out of town, we modified the rear wing of the home to create more of a self-contained space to accommodate guests.”

Storage was also a huge priority for the couple and because ducted heating typically uses the upstairs closets to accommodate duct boxing, they asked Classics to come up with an alternative, so that they didn’t lose any closet space.

The solution was to construct a false wall against the exterior back of the upstairs section, and run the duct though this cavity, leaving all upstairs closets free of duct boxing and allowing the downstairs space to be free of ceiling bulkheads.

“Classics also helped us create a larger walk-in pantry, a massive linen cupboard in the laundry and extended built-in-robes for each of the bedrooms,” adds Susie. “This is the first home we’ve lived in where storage is not an issue.”

But it soon became apparent that the Classics Construction team could help them with other dilemmas that extended well beyond the brief of building their home.

“I was complaining to the guys one day that I couldn’t find a dining room table to suit our space,” recalls Susie. “And they told me about this fantastic place in Canberra, Thor’s Hammer, that specialise in custom-made tables. Then they helped me measure up the space, with exact design specifications, including a request for Blackbutt timber to match our floors. Now we’ve got the perfect table which I see as a wonderful foundation for our home.”

For Adam, one of his main concerns was the idea of having to tackle the landscaping once they moved in.

“So the guys offered to do it for us,” he marvels. “Susie and I knew exactly what we wanted and came up with a design, and they constantly added value with helpful suggestions, like the garden lighting and the bench seats.”

“The bench seats have a special meaning to us,” adds Susie. “My parents have retired to the Eden area and the Classics team helped us source timber from the old Eden wharf. So now when my family come and visit and we’re sitting around the fire pit, it has a lovely significance.”

Entertaining is something the couple do a lot of, and the home’s design is perfect for their many large gatherings.

In the central living area, the steeply raked high ceiling and north-facing floor-to-ceiling windows create a warm and welcoming heart of the home, with bi-fold doors that extend the room outdoors. Minimalist lines dominate the kitchen design with a spacious butler’s pantry to hide appliances, extra power outlets tucked neatly on the underside of the stone benches, clean white joinery and sleek Bosch appliances.

A purpose-built entertainment unit on the living room wall addresses Adam’s need to be fully connected, in conjunction with the integrated sound system and ADSL2 Broadband connection. And upstairs, the couple can retreat to their spacious master bedroom with expansive views, a massive walk-in robe and a stylish and functional ensuite.

The result is a home that not only meets the lifestyle needs of its owners, but has also won several industry awards, with Classics winning the MBA Project Home of the Year Award and the HIA ACT & Southern NSW Region Project Home Award.

“I just love living here,” says Adam. “It’s comfortable and it works perfectly for us.”

“People kept telling us about the horror stories of building,” adds Susie. “But for us the whole process was a dream and we’d do it all again with Classics in a heartbeat.”

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