Beware the big bad wolf when you decide to build your fairy-tale home

The unusual shape of the house, sitting in a sea of green and with an abundance of glass, captivated me (if I had the time, I’d study design and architecture).

But then I heard something that seemed such a pity – the family is selling up, having only lived in the house for a couple of years. They represent so many of us who want to stamp our credentials on a space to call our own.

An estate agent I met recently while abroad told tales of people walking into a place and immediately figuring out how to make it bigger and better – without taking into account how long it will take or how much hassle it is to do this, and what they’ll be giving up as a result.

Most home owners fall for this – the redesigning of living space because it proffers some future financial reward and, once completed, a feel-great factor.

But gosh, if there ever was a cautionary tale about hankering after what you don’t have – and spending a fortune chasing it – the family above’s house is it. They commissioned an architect to create a space that suited how they went about their daily life. It was a blank canvas, as it was a new build. Sitting in 5.26 hectares of woodland, for many it is their idea of heaven.

Now for the hellish reality:

It took much longer to complete than planned.

The company manufacturing the sliding glass walls was taken over and new management decided to discontinue production – the house was based on this company’s spec and unique product.

Halfway through building, the husband had a heart attack. A double bypass and months off work meant work stopped on the project.

It cost significantly more than initially budgeted.

After all that drama, they only lived in it for just under three years. Their daughters are off to university, and there is nothing tying them to the area.

So, was it worth it? You tell me. Personally, I would say no. They embarked on an exciting project that seemed perfect at the time. And it would have been, had it been completed near instantaneously.

Renovations and extensions – where permitted – are huge business in the UAE.

Enterprising folk take a punt on some properties: refitting the kitchen and the bathrooms and spending on creating a nicer space than the developer did, with the hope of selling for a significant profit.

Others do it because they want to create their best home. According to some reports, these types of houses include Dh150,000 slick, handle-less kitchens in white – a “must have” for the discerning UAE resident.

They are sold as “adding value” to the property. They don’t always. But done well, they’ll be front-runner for being sold or rented.

If you are doing it for you – as a place to enjoy every day – then here are a few pointers to take on board through the tale of the house for sale:

Risk: they weren’t to know the glass the house design was based on would stop being made. One way of reducing this sort of risk is to incorporate elements that are standard fittings/sizes, so there are many more options out there. The other thing this does is reduce cost.

Future proofing: time stops for no one. We’re all ageing, and we see it most dramatically in our children. One day they will be grown and gone. Are you sinking your money, and time, into something that is a dream, but unrealistic for your lifestyle, work, children and your future?

Stop living in la la land: the more rooms you have, the less you use them. That’s what I think. When figuring out your dream home, start by working out where you spend the majority of your time.

Make that space space – the rest can take a back seat.

Stick to your budget (easier said that done). Of course we want our idea of a comfortable, cosy place to call home. And of course this is dictated by what you can afford, but note that there is a certain price threshold your property will not cross – so don’t get carried away, even if you can afford it, unless you want to write that money off as “lifestyle expense”.

Up to 10 per cent of the cost of the property is a good place to be.

Answer this: is it really worth the hassle, time and disruption?

I wonder, knowing what they do now, whether that family would trade in the gorgeous modern statement home for five years of enjoying their daughters until they went off to university. The irony is that they moved there so their daughters could enjoy their childhood outside a metropolis.

We often hanker after a fairytale future that stops us getting the best out of the present.

I know many expats who have identified a place for them to move to once their children are of a certain age. Some have bought their family home there and are busy paying it off.

I know far fewer residents who have also thought through the next stage – the single-storey bungalow for when the children have flown the coop, and the body is not as nimble.

The really smart ones have put money down on their last property – within the neighbourhood they will live in while their children are young. They know how important it is to be able to walk to a shop, a coffee house if possible, have a community and connections that will stay with them.

The idea of being in a secluded oasis appeals to many. Do you really want to live in isolation – albeit one of luxury?

Go for the smaller place that you can start living in straight away, with a happy, friendly bunch of neighbours, I say.