Paal is a strong alternative to architect design

Stephen and Rebecca Dalli had been planning their dream home for ten years, during which they regularly camped in a wooden shack on their property with breathtaking views of the Capertee Valley near Lithgow, NSW.

“We had a bespoke design in mind,” says Rebecca. “But when we actually priced it, bespoke was totally out of the question, so we began to look at other options.”

Affordability drew the couple to Paal, but also the fact that the company had a design, the Elizabeth, which was similar to the footprint they originally intended. With some layout and room size changes, they were able to create a home they love.

“The Paal team were incredible. They were very accommodating of the changes we wanted to make, and absolutely embraced what we wanted to do, buying into our vision for the house. They came up with great ideas too, including an alfresco area that gives us a lot of outdoor living space,” says Rebecca.

As a telecommunications engineer, Stephen knows a thing or two about building sites. While he took on the electrical work and as much of the labouring as he felt comfortable doing, he arranged for other trades to help with the build.

The home took almost twelve months to complete, largely because Stephen and Rebecca commute from Sydney and were not able give the project a full-time commitment.

“The process was pretty seamless though. If something cropped up, the Paal team was ready to help at every step of the way,” says Stephen.

The home is completely off-grid, with solar power, rain tank and bore water. It’s double-insulated to cope with the weather extremes of the high country.