Fruit of a long-term vision

Some people move heaven and earth to find their second home. Karen Leversha and Murray Riddle just had to move the earth. They’d already found the best spot for their second home, directly in front of their first — same boundary fence, same driveway, same address.

They arrived here in 1997 with a penchant for life in the country and a vision for a long-term family home. For Murray in particular, this was about building his own home.

“To him this was a big project,” says Karen. “It was something he always wanted to do on a lifestyle block.”

Their search for the ideal site took them to Dairy Flat and Coatesville, where the options were: “Yeah, all right,” as Karen puts it. When they pulled up here, they knew they’d found their nirvana. “This was ‘Yes, we love it. We absolutely love it’.” The appeal lay in the aspect and the undulating land in two paddocks. They walked the land and stayed in their campervan to get a sense of its potential, before starting work on what they variously refer to as their “loft/garage” and “minor dwelling”.

Karen and Murray worked together to design and build that sunny first abode with one large upstairs bedroom that they believe could be turned into two bedrooms, deck, downstairs living area and carport.

“We knew what we wanted and it was important for us to get it up and running,” says Karen. It was always meant to be the first step on the ladder up to a larger home and, as families tend to do, they have woven a few milestones into the fabric of its own story along the way.

Karen and Murray were married from here in 1999 and a year later their daughter Jess was born at home. When Jess was seven months old, Karen went back to work and Murray became the stay-at-home dad while also building the main house in the spot with the best views across their land.

Home now to Jess (16), Ella (14) and Amy (12), this large four-bedroom home has grown from its original footprint to suit this family’s changing needs. Karen and Murray converted a lounge off their upstairs master bedroom into a second bedroom. Downstairs they built a deck and pushed a window out to create the adjoining media room.

Built of cedar with a coloured corrugated iron roof, the home’s roofline, dormer windows and exterior form complement its smaller counterpart. Inside, its living