Family in ‘Seven’ heaven

Wide eyes scan her surroundings — a pile of bricks, spirals of wires rendering the fenceline, and, in the centre of it all, there it stands — the bones of the house she will call home very soon.

It’s been a long time coming for the family to call Seven Creeks Estate home, but they know it will be worth the wait.

Mitch and Cayla have been told their move-in date will be the end of May to the start of June, but after becoming experts in the waiting game, Cayla is happy for it to be the latter.

“I’m telling myself June, if it’s any earlier it would be fabulous,” she said.

“We purchased the lot before COVID and of course that pushed the timeline back.”

The couple said they went into settlement in June 2022 and waited in the wings in anticipation until October to begin the build.

Between their speedy advancement and simple process, the work by Development Edge, combined with Gagliardi Scott Real Estate, exceeded Mitch and Cayla’s expectations.

“I was really impressed. One of my friends has had an experience with a block of land that’s been sitting there for 12 months and still hasn’t been titled,” Mitch said.

“Whereas with us, when papers were finalised, it was titled straight away.”

Since then, progress has accelerated and will continue to do so until it reaches the family’s fully realised heavenly abode.

At present, the house is borderline bare, but it opens up a window of opportunity, or it will when all the windows are firmly secured.

“One of the main features is the ‘cove’ in the middle. You can use it for a courtyard, but we’ve envisioned a pool for the area. That way, the house is based around it and you have the view of the water, something pretty to look at, from the bedrooms and the main area as well,” Cayla said.

The couple said they went “full throttle” with the build, unafraid to make it their own notwithstanding tradition.

“The two smaller bedrooms are at the front of the house instead of the master suite,” Mitch said.

“Our master suite is positioned towards the back of the house, which confuses a lot of people because typically it’d be the opposite.”

The 3.2m ceilings in the dining area make the space feel expansive, opening out to the aforementioned swimming pool on one side and the alfresco area on the other.

The couple’s backyard is up in the air, factoring in a mischievous puppy that may dig up the ground.

The word ‘puppy’ may be a slight understatement though — Cayla said it must be a backyard fit for their “size-of-a-horse” groodle.

Maybe grass? The couple agrees.

As for the front, “It’ll be brick, rendered and painted the same colour, with the rest weatherboard,” Mitch said.

Their block takes in views of serene parkland on one side and neighbouring estates on the other, and the proximity to Kialla’s Emerald Bank will prove advantageous for future breakfast dates and holiday activities.

“I don’t see us going anywhere,” Cayla said.

“There’s no place like Sevens.”

Poppy looks up at her little brother Diesel, nestled in Cayla’s arms with only a tiny coo or caa escaping his lips.

She’s ready to get in the car now, to drive past the playground her and her brother will have great use of I’m sure and come to the intersection of the Goulburn Valley Hwy.

They’ll leave the Hollywood-esque sign spelling SEVENS in the rear-view mirror for now, but it will be her calling card to home in no time.