DJ’s spin on home plans
AFTER moving home to care for her mother, radio DJ StevieLee Defranciscis is now preparing for construction to start on the pair’s dream home.
The Power 100 host moved home to Townsville from Sydney to help her mother Lydia Defranciscis, who has a degenerative disease and is in a wheelchair.
After being unable to find a home suitable for the two of them, the pair decided they would instead build a custom home that would be wheelchair- friendly and allow them to have their own private space.
They reached a dead end with many builders not able to build a two- storey home that was wheelchair- friendly within their budget until they approached Ellis Developments, who were able to design a home perfectly suited to the duo.
The mother and daughter are now eagerly waiting for construction to start on their house at the Fairways estate in Rosslea. The two- storey home will have four to five bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, a double garage and swimming pool.
“I left home at 18 to live in Sydney but I would come home every Christmas and Mum’s disease kept getting progressively worse so it was selfish of me really to keep living away from home and I think anyone would have done the same thing,” Ms Defranciscis said.
“I like the traditional colonial Queenslander look, but they usually have stairs and Mum can’t do that and there was really nothing on the market suitable so we decided to build instead. Ellis Developments just understood what was important to us and that we really wanted that indoor/ outdoor living.”
The mother and daughter duo are hoping to move in by Christmas. The top floor of the home will be Ms Defranciscis’ oasis with walk- in- wardrobe, soaking bathtub and Hollywood dresser. The bottom level gives Ms Defranciscis’ mother her own living space, bedroom and outdoor space.
Ellis Developments CEO Stephen Ellis said they reverse engineered the house.
“With Stevie- Lee we started with a blank bit of paper and her wish list,” he said.
“Being a building designer is like being an interpreter. You have to listen to what people’s lives are and then interpret that into a layout that will allow them to live how they wish to. The trick is knowing how to do it within their budget.”
Ellis Developments worked with an occupational therapist to review the house design and floorplan to ensure things such as bench heights and kitchen and bathroom appliances were mobility- friendly.
Even the swimming pool will be wheelchair- friendly with ramp access.
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