The first step was choosing the location on site. We wanted to be by the river, somewhere that felt rooted.

From there we began designing together, sketching, talking and imagining ideas. We also used AI, Midjourney, to help visualise some of those early thoughts.

Because we wanted to use as much local material as possible, we knew the process would take time. That pushed us to develop the plan layout and the design in 3D BIM. When you begin self building the process quickly becomes physical and demanding, so early clarity really helps.

Most of the timber for the house came from trees that had fallen naturally in a storm many years earlier. The timber had already dried, but it in some places had started to rot, but with help from the community we salvaged what we could and carried it by hand to the site.

Our design principles were efficiency and phased buildability. We wanted something that could give us shelter and a home relatively quickly, but also something we could then continue to refine over time.

We chose a metal roof pitched on all four sides because it gives strong protection from wind, sun and rain. The house also stands lightly on stilts, which allows rainwater to pass beneath.

We wanted the house to have two levels. For efficiency we placed the upper room within the roof itself, with large gable openings on both sides.

This created a flexible living space upstairs which later became the place where we held our wedding ceremony.

Downstairs we designed a protected bedroom at the centre of the house with an open deck around it for social gatherings.

To stabilise the timber frame we built two concrete cores these contain the kitchen and bathroom where the plumbing is needed, while also anchoring the main columns that carry the upper floor and the roof.

The house slowly became more than a shelter. It became the place where we would begin married life and celebrate with our community.