Bringing a dream home to life
Needing more space for their growing family, Clinton and Melissa Camilleri purchased 5.5 acres in Belimbla Park with a vision of building their new home and
Paal was able to help make it happen.
“I was looking at different builders, but I wanted to be more involved in the build”, says Clinton. “Originally, I wasn’t interested in kit homes, then had a conversation with Michael Christie and we customised everything to what we wanted - and I had complete control of the building process”. says Clinton.
With three children under their wing, the couple, chose the Franklin design with some modifications to suit their lifestyle. “We opened everything up and stretched it all out”, says Clinton. “And we put a mud room between the garage and house”.
The couple also flipped the property 180 degrees. “When we got our BAL report, we needed to move the house as it was too close to neighbouring bush”, says Melissa. “But I think we’re better off in the way it has come together”.
As an Olympic swimming coach, Clinton had little building experience, however decided to go owner builder and complete the work himself.“Outside of plumbing, electrical and air conditioning, I either did everything myself, or laboured for a trade who did it”, he says.The build went incredibly smoothly, and Clinton completed the home in 12 months. There were no dramas at all”, he says. “It was mapped well and was easy to follow; the only thing that was a little difficult was that the frame of the house was quite big, so I had to take my time as I opened 10 palettes of framing”.
When it came to the interiors, the couple knew what they wanted. “We had renovated our previous house before we moved”, says Melissa. “So, we picked our own flooring, we had a Paal kitchen but chose our own benchtops, tapware and sink ware”.
Overall, the couple was thrilled with Paal’s process and what they achieved. “Michael was very accommodating”, says Clinton “We effectively got a one-off customised house”.
And now, a year later, the family couldn’t be happier. “It’s beautiful”, says Clinton. “Peaceful and comfortable - and the kids love the space, their own room, and their own toy room that will turn into a teenage retreat”.
“It’s our dream of what we wanted”, says Melissa. “We absolutely love it”.
