The couple are putting the finishing touches on a purpose-designed four-bedroom home in Cedar Woods’ Ellendale masterplanned community in Upper Kedron, just 12 kilometres from the Brisbane CBD, which they will move into later this year.
While they won’t qualify for the Queensland Government’s $15,000 First Home Owners’ Grant, which is only available for properties valued under $750,000, they say their focus was on building a home that would suit for years to come and that reflected their individual personalities.
Cedar Woods Development Director Peter Starr said they weren’t alone, with more than a quarter of the 46 lots sold in Ellendale from September to October secured by first-home buyers, most of which wouldn’t be able to access the grant.
The homesites sold for an average of $525,000 with many of the buyers designing bespoke homes to suit their individual lot and to maximise the stunning location, which neighbours the South D’Aguilar National Park.
“Many of our first-home buyers are young professionals and they love the fact all they need is close by including expansive green space, recreational areas, schools, shopping centres and the train station,” he said.
“While the majority don’t qualify for the First Home Owners’ Grant because they will exceed the $750,000 limit to build their homes, their interest is on creating the right design for them, considering their needs both now and into the future.
“Many have told us they looked at what was on the market and decided the best option was to build a new home in a highly desirable location that ticked all their boxes, and that Ellendale was ideal.”
Ms Hensen and Mr Patterson agreed, saying building at Ellendale enabled them to create a bespoke sanctuary among the trees on a unique ‘split-level’ homesite.
Ms Hensen, who lives in Moreton Bay, has been overseeing the build in person, while Mr Patterson is posted in Victoria with the Australian Army and due to COVID19 related border closures has had to watch the progress through videos and photographs.
“The First Home Owners’ grant would have been nice but in the end, it was more important to get exactly the sort of home we wanted,” said Mr Patterson.
“We looked at quite a few established homes but struggled to find anything we loved within our price range.
“While there were many we could afford, they weren’t the design we wanted and so we turned our focus to building a home that was unique to us.
“We have gone with an L-shaped home, which combined with the unique shape and style of the block of land, gives us a lot of yard that is effectively cut off from the rest of the world, making it feel like it is our own private little sanctuary.”
Mr Patterson said the four-bedroom, three-bathroom design includes the main living area, kitchen and bedrooms on the upper level.
Connected by a suspended walkway to the main house is the garage on the lower level and a rumpus room and guest suite on the upper level.
Mr Starr said, alongside first-home buyers, Ellendale was drawing families looking to upgrade to a new home and downsizers wanting to ‘right size’.
While Brisbane buyers dominate, about 14 per cent of recent sales were to interstate buyers, mostly from Melbourne and Sydney.
“We’ve definitely noticed more interstate buyers have jumped at the rare opportunity to secure land in Ellendale, which offers homeowners a ‘green change’ and laid-back lifestyle just 12 kilometres from the CBD,” he said.
“Our emphasis on the environment sets Ellendale apart, with 40 per cent of the community, about 91 hectares, dedicated to green open space, natural bushland corridors and tree-lined streets, which complement the expansive national park at our doorstep.
“C&K Upper Kedron Childcare Centre opened in the community recently and construction has commenced on the neighbourhood shopping village, which will feature a supermarket and specialty shops, adding further convenience for residents.”
For more information or to register your interest, please visit the Ellendale Sales Centre, open Saturday to Wednesday from 11am to 4pm at 324 Canvey Road in Upper Kedron, head to ellendale.com.au or call 1300 720 858.