PAAL KIT HOMES, STEEL FRAME HOUSES IN KIT FORM FOR THE OWNER BUILDER & OWNER MANAGER
TESTIMONIALS
Tony Haines and Eva Hage built Paal's largest kit home, the Castlereagh, finding it a truly satisfying experience and saving themselves money as well.
The couple moved to a 150 acre mixed farm near Orange New South Wales after Tony retired from a career in information technology in Sydney. They graze cattle, grow hazelnuts and grapes, and make their own wine.
"We looked at a lot of kit home companies before making our choice. Many of the other homes left us unimpressed. Paal seemed to be of higher quality."
They modified their chosen plans by enlarging some living areas and fitting a double door at the main entrance.
Tony built the house with ongoing help from Eva and his 72-year-old father. Tradespeople, including a plumber, electrician, plasterer and concreter, were employed selectively. The plumber laid the roofing sheets.
"I'm a first-time homebuilder, but the experience turned out to be absolutely fine. It was a case of learning as you go. On a few occasions, we called Paal with questions, although we might have been able to nut things out for ourselves," he said.
"I found you don't have to be an extremely practical person in order to build your own Paal home, so long as you follow the instruction manual."
Among the approving reactions of neighbours was that "it's a bloody big house", although as Tony points out, putting a smaller home on the farm wouldn't have made sense.
Saving money by building it themselves was just as important as the satisfaction they enjoyed.
"For example, we were given a tradesman's quote of $39,000 in labour to fit the aerated concrete wall cladding, but we did it ourselves in two weeks, which was a huge saving." An Open House held upon completion was attended by about 70 couples. According to Tony, the response was very positive and people were impressed with the completed house.
"It's fabulous to know that we achieved it. I would definitely recommend the experience to other people."