May 21st, 2026To build or not to build, that was my query

As I said in the last edition, I am not for building from scratch. But one can be worn down by one’s husband – and also the promise of the new.

Let me be clear, I love the Glenlyon School. It has character, it has strength, it has charm. But it also has levels which proved challenging in a wheelchair with a broken ankle earlier this year. And it was built in 1861 so by no stretch of the imagination is it new, not even last century.
So a new build is enticing. One level – not that I am planning on any other breaks – and lots of mod cons. A walk-in pantry with a plumbed fridge. A real laundry with cupboards and drawers. A double sink. Not one but two sitting areas. Bedrooms with built-in-robes – as in all bedrooms. A huge shower in the ensuite. Call me shallow but this new home is calling me.
Anyway, as I said in the last edition we signed up with Sherridon Homes – Victoria’s leading new home builder. Just to be sure.
As of May 4 not much had happened. We had chosen colours and bits and pieces like roofing, tiles, flooring etc. And we had paid a deposit to make sure the build happened. And we double checked that there was no price increase because of this terrible war, and stupid Trump.
All good, said our sales guy Lee Dern. “We are not passing on any costs – we can afford to hold that.” Fantastic. One of the reasons we went with Sherridon – big builder. Not sure but I think this conflict/war might make it hard for some of the smaller guys to exist. And that’s sad. As I said, stupid Trump.
So, onto the past two weeks. Lee called when the article came out. I think he was pleased with all I said. I guess it is great, free advertising.
Meanwhile, Kyle tried to make a tiny change to one of the rooms – he wants to make a secret room (not so secret now) without a door. One of those Get Smart sort of doors that you push and it opens and you have this room which could be anything. I am showing my age now with that reference. I never even got Kaos and Control. I think I might have been quite a dumb child. (You probably can’t say that now…un-PC.)
But I digress. I did argue the room toss. Kyle said it could be a place to hide all our collectibles but I said we had none. He said it could be a place to hide all our wine but, you know, let’s face it, we don’t even have a wine rack. I saw a recipe for leftover wine once and laughed and laughed. Anyway, Kyle is determined to get his room – even if it is just a panic room for when we run out of wine.
But when he raised it with our building person, not Lee, another staffer, they said it had to be in the original plans and they could not be altered now. Even though nothing has been put on the block yet, not even a concrete slab. I thought that was a bit rough but perhaps that is how they keep their prices down. The price point is really good.
The staffer was also worried about the lack of mains water. We explained Glenlyon, like plenty of regional villages, does not have much in the way of services. No gas either. We feel lucky to have power.
And then she said we did not have a septic plan in place. Grrr. Kyle did all that through Ballan Plumbing, who are great, and they sent it to Hepburn Shire Council on January 30. But nothing had apparently come back. Kyle made a call to the council’s planning department and all was quickly resolved. The council did put out a recent media release saying the planning department was on top of things. Hmm.
As I said in the last edition, the jury is out for me so far. I love the idea of a new house but I don’t like the idea of having a mortgage again. We shall see. I will keep you informed. Home Watch. NB: The slab should be in by the end of the month!
Words: Donna Kelly