THIRD PAAL HOME
Once wasn’t enough. Twice wasn’t enough. Owner-builder Brook Armstrong has completed his third home, enjoying the building process and saving money for both himself and his family
Brook built his own Paal home 10 years ago on his acres at O’Connell, between Bathurst and Oberon. After purchasing an adjoining block of land, he built for his sister, and has now finished a third Paal home for his mother and father on the same property.
“They’re all excellent and look great. When we tell people they are ‘kit homes’ they find it hard to believe, as the houses all look as if they were built by a project home company or builder,” he said.
Brook works as an international pilot, which means he gets consecutive days off after a trip overseas – ideal for a concerted effort on his building projects.
“I wanted to owner-build my first home as I was not earning much money at that time, and needed to save as much as I could. Doing a lot of the construction work myself, it turned out to be a feasible and economical option. The skills I picked up on that project were useful when building the next two.”
He employed some trades help, including a bricklayer, renderer and a roofer – and of course licensed electricians and plumbers.
“My homes have all come together very well. They are properly engineered. If something doesn’t seem to fit, it means I haven’t read the manual correctly!
“Paal’s support has been fantastic on all three projects. Nothing has been a problem for them. Operations manager John Noye, in particular, has been very good.”
Brook said he would recommend Paal to other intending owner-builders. “You can do as much as you want to and keep control of costs. The final sum is far less than if you employ a builder to project manage and construct the house.”
He is proud of the appearance of all his homes and said that a neighbour who has watched them go up is now looking at building one himself.
Undaunted after completing three, Brook added, “I can truthfully say that I would build with Paal a fourth time.”