CASE STUDY • 30TH AUGUST 2024
Shania & Lance
We were obsessed with our journey.
More than a home
Building a home for Shania and Lance was bigger than just being their first home, it was a place for their family to grow and a space to be shared with their community and extended families. They often spent their weekends attending markets shopping for flowers, enjoying quality time with their families and supporting others.
Lance previously lived in a double storey townhouse in Lynbrook, while Shania, due to her family’s cultural traditions, was unable to move out of home until she was married. They would spend their dates visiting display homes, discussing what their future would look like. “We knew that the first thing that we wanted to do as a married couple was build a house together,” said Shania.
Considering their strong connections with others, it was a priority for them that this was also an important part of their journey when building. “We were looking for the best people and connections, we wanted to feel cared for and considered” said Lance.
Late 2022 the pair got married, and for Shania and Lance their building journey could begin.
THEIR JOURNEY
The couple’s vision
Early on in their journey, Shania and Lance were online seeking information, putting their focus on the location to find the right block of land. Submitting an enquiry through the Fairhaven Homes website, they reached out to a New Home Consultant for land assistance in Clyde.
Shania talked positively about their Sales experience which led them to putting down a deposit on their land, “Sam didn’t dismiss us when she found out we were looking for land. Every week she had new land for us to go have a look at, she helped us out and had our best interest at heart”.
For their must-haves, Shania and Lance considered their current circumstances, with them both working for the same company there was the need for two home offices, and for their future, a baby’s room. For Lance, his vision wasn’t just structural, “Four bedrooms, huge living space and to look bougie”.
With their non-negotiables identified, it was the Merimbula in the end that stole their hearts, and they committed to building their first ever home in August 2022.
Studio appointment excitement
Soon enough it time for their studio appointment, a core memory for the pair. Describing their day as a “fun day”, they took videos, and joked that if they finished their appointment early, they would drag it out, just so they could spend more time enjoying that part of the building process. “I remember watching the reel, we spent the whole week just re-watching that video, we were obsessed with our journey,” said Lance.
During their first year of marriage, Lance bought Shania a fresh bouquet of flowers each month. With their dream kitchen including a white stone island benchtop, Shania recalls “One thing that I couldn’t wait for was our benchtop, I was dreaming of a nice white stone benchtop. I pictured a big bouquet of flowers in the kitchen”.
You should go to Fairhaven next time, literally that was our conversation with all of our friends.
Meaningful moments during construction
Finally, their land titled, taking 7.14 weeks for the job to start onsite. For the pair, family is everything and sharing the journey’s moments with them was important, “We went with our whole family at frame stage and wrote some scriptures and messages on the frame”.
During construction, Shania reflected on a change they had made to their kitchen cabinetry, “They had installed the cupboards to the rear of our kitchen island and Lance starts crying, then mum starts crying. We had extended the island benchtop to get extra storage behind it and that was my mum’s dream, to have extra storage behind her benchtop, so that just got him”.
Pregnancy announcement
“We found out we were pregnant,” said Shania. Calculating the months advised for construction, they would be in their new home around August.
Telling their Site Supervisor Brent their happy news, they hoped for a smooth build so they could be settled in, in time for the arrival of their daughter. Shania was due in July and said, “Brent didn’t promise a month, he said he’ll do what he can and for us. If that meant July we could get in, then we’d be happy”.
Lance developed an obsession in driving past the site, “Every day after work he wanted to go check it out and every single day there was progress to the house, we were so shocked,” said Shania.
Moving in earlier than anticipated
Construction took 4.7 months, allowing Shania and Lance to move in 136 days ahead of schedule, and for them it was more than a monetary saving, “It was a miracle for us when we moved, I had three months to nest and enjoy the house, take it all in and have moments together,” said Shania.
Though appreciating an empty new home while they could, the day following handover they filled it with family. “We had all our family come over, we just wanted to celebrate. My brother brought his coffee machine, it was just family and food. It was just so beautiful to have all that,” said Lance.
Fairhaven Homes has CONSISTENTLY surpassed our expectations.
Quality and genuine care
Feeling cared for throughout, the pair spoke highly of their strong relationship with their Site Supervisor Brent, “His dedication to our home and genuine care for our needs have been nothing short of remarkable. His effective communication and approachable demeanor made the entire process smooth and anxiety free”.
Having not built before, the pair opted for a private inspector, “The quality of the home is good. We opted for a third-party inspector and the report we received was minimal and all easy to fix. It was such a relief because we were really shocked about how quick the build was. One thing that was important for me was the integrity of the home and that’s why I thought we needed the third-party, it was a peace of mind thing”.
Lasting impressions
For these First Home Buyers, they speak highly of their experience with Fairhaven Homes, reciting “we were obsessed with our journey” on various occasions.
So where are they now? Since starting their journey with Fairhaven Homes, the happy couple have welcomed a beautiful baby girl Selah into the world. The couple regularly go into Melbourne and envisons a future where they gradually move closer to the city, upsizing in the process. “Clyde is a great place, it’s amazing and we’re loving it there, but I personally would love to move closer to the city”.
For Shania and Lance, their home building journey captured their dream of building a home together, strong connections and feeling cared for.
GALLERY
