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New home thrill doesn’t fade

New home handovers are fabulous – we see a client’s excitement at all the possibilities of their new home. Even better is seeing that excitement still there 18 months down the track.

Horizon Homes had the opportunity recently to visit Joe and Maria at their gorgeous double storey home in Concord, completed in March 2016.

In the time since moving in, the couple has taken the blank canvas that was the five bedroom, four bathroom house built by Horizon Homes, and stamped it with their own personalities.

Maria is still glowing in her praise of the Horizon Homes’ building process, with special mentions for the input of Horizon Homes directors Denis and Esther Carroll, and site manager, Danny. “He was brilliant. Just so patient. Quality was very important to us and we just love our finishes and the attention to detail.”

Maria says the old house was “really nice” but old and the couple wanted flexibility in the layout, to allow for the possibility of her mother moving in when she was ready, and to provide space for their two adult children to study, and have their own space.

Most importantly, they wanted a space to entertain their large family and friends. That’s exactly what they got with Horizon Homes and Maria says the spacious kitchen, dining and lounge room, with adjacent media room – which all opens onto a generous outdoor entertaining area by way of doors that slide right back – is just perfect.

“We love it. We live here, in this space,” Maria says, gesturing to the expansive open plan area. “We entertain. A lot. We built in two ovens and a steamer. We made sure we had internal music built in. We’ve had one summer here already and we used the pool a lot. We love this family room area.”

But perhaps even more than the public space, it’s her private master retreat that brings Maria the most joy. Walking into the master bedroom, it really does have a luxurious, resort vibe. The ensuite is spacious while the walk-in robe and additional wardrobe space provide Maria with plenty of storage.

“I just love the space in my room. And I love having an ensuite. It’s the best,” Maria says.

 

Esther Carroll

Esther Carroll is an integral part of Horizon Homes and a large part of the company’s success.

Esther has been in the building industry since 1998 when she started the company with her husband, Denis, so she’s been with Horizon Homes since the very beginning.

As one of the directors of the company, she wears many hats: business management and planning, financial management, human resources… but also applies her skills in colour consultancy and design. She has a great eye for detail and is just passionate about her job, about Horizon Homes and about the people she works with.

“Every home is different and unique; there’s a surprise element with very home we build,” Esther says.

“I get a real kick about seeing the smiles on clients’ faces when they see their completed home. That look on a client’s face when they stand in front of their new wine storage room and you just know they’re looking forward to filling it with wine… just priceless,” she laughs.

“I’m really proud of the team we have around us at Horizon Homes – all of the staff go the extra mile to ensure all the work is completed properly and on time.”

“If I had one piece of advice for a new client it would be to try to enjoy the process. Everyone tells you that building a new home can be stressful – but it should fun. We’ve worked hard to put processes in place to give you peace of mind. Building your new home really can be enjoyable,” Esther says.

Horizon Homes’ display home in the Homequest Display Village, 48 Bruhn Circuit Kellyville, is open every day from 10-30-4.30pm. Why not drop in today to discuss your new home project with us?

Beautiful new Chillagoe interiors

If you haven’t been out to our Kellyville display home for a while, it is worth paying us a visit just to see our luscious new interiors. We’ve updated our colour scheme… and fallen in love with the Chillagoe all over again!

There are no cookie-cutter options at Horizon Homes. Each home is custom built – tailored to your site, and your family’s needs. So think of our display home, Chillagoe 46, as an example of the quality construction and design you’ll get when you engage us to build your dream home.

We’re open seven days a week from 10.30-4.30pm. You’ll find us at the Homequest Display Village, 48 Bruhn Circuit, Kellyville.

Meet Denis Carroll

Without Denis Carroll, there would be no Horizon Homes. He started in the building industry in 1986, began the company Denbuild with his wife Esther, then started Horizon Homes 10 years ago.

Over that time, Denis (or Den as he’s known around the office) has built some extraordinary homes and takes pride in the workmanship and quality of the homes he builds.

He says the best thing about working on a new home is “watching the changes as we move through the various stages of construction”. And the worst? “Clients making changes”. (Fortunately, Denis also lists “flexibility” as one of the best things about working with Horizon Homes… so we’ve got it covered!)

You’ll find Denis is someone who pays attention to detail. It’s not uncommon to find him in the office or on site on a Sunday, just to sort out those small issues on a job.

Denis has been building for more than 20 years, and in that time, has seen just about everything under the sun.

Most unusual request? “The time a client asked to create a special spot to feed the cat within the kitchen joinery.”

Coolest custom request? “Underfloor heating in the alfresco area – that really was a great idea.”

Best piece of advice for someone wanting to build a new home? “Work together with the builder.”

With Horizon Homes, our inspired approach to building your dream home includes the builder’s input from the outset. You benefit from his insight and experience at the very beginning; and Denis hears directly from you about what is important in your new home.

Our display home in the Homequest Display Village, 48 Bruhn Circuit Kellyville, is open every day from 10-30-4.30pm. Why not drop in today to discuss your new home project with us?

Thinking outside the box for storage

One thing you can never get enough of in a family home is storage and at Horizon Homes we can help you build clever storage options into your home during construction.

Every home has its own storage challenges. It could be that you need a home office with provides storage for your paper files. You might need large cupboards to store sporting equipment out of sight. Sick of not having enough linen storage? You might need temperature controlled storage for your wine collection near the entertaining area. Or perhaps you are dreaming of a luxurious dressing room, that provides beautiful storage for your clothes.

Plan carefully. It may sound obvious but if you are creating custom storage for something special as part of your new home build, measure it. Exactly how long is that kayak? How much wine do you have for your wine racks? Will your antique vases fit in that custom display cabinet?

Consider aesthetics: Do you want to make a feature of storage with open shelving? Or do you want your possessions out of sight? Is the custom joinery a feature of your home? Or are you after a more streamlined look, with hidden storage options?

Kitchen: What appliances will you always have on your bench and what needs to be hidden away? Be mindful of your chosen combination of drawers vs cupboards. Drawers are often a more practical way to store items. Pull-out shelving can be built into narrow spaces.

Bedrooms: Your walk-in robes need a combination of hanging space, shelves, drawers and overhead storage.

Bathrooms & en suite: Under-vanity cabinetry with shelving and/or cupboards provides the bulk of your storage in the bathroom, but you could also consider additional towel rails, floating shelving and recessed open shelving.

Horizon Homes is a boutique home building company, and when you engage us you can expect quality construction, customized to suit your needs – including your storage needs! Talk to us today.

Tougher BASIX requirements

Existing homes in NSW account for about 17% of our state’s energy consumption and the government is predicting that 1.8 million new homes will be built in NSW over the next 40 years.

With those figures, it is clear that residential energy efficiency is one of the easiest ways to save energy and save money through lower utility bills.

In July, tougher Building Sustainability Index (BASIX) targets came into effect. The changes are significant, particularly in Sydney, with targets around 30% tougher.

It will shift the way that dwellings are designed and built in NSW, especially for windows, shading, ventilation, materials, insulation and thermal mass.

While this will force an increase in construction costs, by changing the BASIX energy targets, it is predicted that energy bill savings will deliver more than $2.6 billion dollars to the NSW economy – or around $155 per household – every year for the next 30 years.

At Horizon Homes, we’ve always been mindful that clever construction and design can improve the energy efficiency of your home. If you’d like more information on this, please contact us.

Making your vision a reality with Horizon Homes

Working with our clients to make their vision become a reality is one of the things we do best at Horizon Homes.

There are no cookie cutter options at Horizon Homes. Yes, we have a display home, but we consider that more of an example of the quality build we’ll provide you when we build your dream home  – rather than a template.

Take our recently completed home in Leigh Ave, Concord, for example. When Tony and Karoline came to us just over a year ago, they had a very detailed vision of what they wanted.

Upstairs they needed four bedrooms (two with en suites), a bathroom and a fully customised dressing room adjacent to the master bedroom.

Downstairs, Tony and Karoline wanted open plan living, with lots of natural light, a fireplace. Entertaining is important – and that’s reflected in the gorgeous shaker-style kitchen with breakfast bar, pantry and cellar, all located together.

High on this family’s wish list were these superb dark hardwood floorboards – and we’ve succeeded in bringing their dreams to life. Tony and Karoline say they love every part of this house, especially the floorboards!

Tony and Karoline are tackling the landscaping themselves and we can’t wait to see the finished product.

 

 

That new home feeling…

One of the greatest joys we have at Horizon Homes is when we hand over a brand new, ‘forever’ home to an excited family.

It is a point of honour for us that every detail of a new home build is absolutely perfect.

We recently handed over the keys of this gorgeous two storey family home in Concord to Tony and Karoline and their three children.

There will be plenty of space for an active family, with four bedrooms, including a generous master bedroom with a luxurious en suite and dressing room.

Downstairs there is an open plan kitchen, dining, family and lounge room, opening onto an al fresco entertaining area with outdoor kitchen, plus a library and study. And, of course, there’s a two car garage.

While this was a fairly typical build for us, Tony had a very detailed vision and it was satisfying to bring that vision to reality.