Metricon customer Matt Stahl spent his school days in Kyneton, country Victoria, but the academic scene wasn't his jam. He reflects, "I struggled a bit because I'm more of a practical kind of person than academic."
He's living proof that there are different types of smarts. “When I reached Year 10, I had the opportunity to do VCAL and start a school-based apprentice apprenticeship in landscaping,” he says. “I left Year 12 and went into a full-time apprenticeship in Kyneton which I finished at 20 years old. Then I ventured out to start my own landscaping company. Fast forward seven years, and here I am."
Working hard under his own steam, doing what he loves, Matt diligently saved up and eventually purchased a block of land in Campbell's Creek, just outside of Castlemaine. Despite facing a delayed land settlement process that stretched nearly a year, Matt wasn't deterred, always keeping his eyes on the ultimate goal.
“Growing up, my dad and I looked at Metricon homes and I always knew I wanted to build a Santorini because I love the big open floorplan. I also loved the unique Aspen façade, so when it came to building my first home, I really just had Metricon in mind. I knew what I wanted.” Matt Stahl
First home dream
Matt always had his heart set on building from scratch rather than buying an existing home. "At 27, I was ready to move out and have my own space, and I wanted to be proud of that home."
It was important, then, that he was across the detail. “This being my first time, I wanted to go through the whole process, picking out colours and finishes,” he says. “I went up to Studio M in Shepparton and it was a great experience. Since it was my first home, and I wasn't sure what to expect or how to navigate it all, the staff there made it incredibly easy to choose what would match."
Clear communication was a constant throughout the build process. “If I had any questions, reaching out to someone was easy, especially before we got into construction,” Matt says. “Just being able to speak to the team and check in on progress made the entire process stress-free. Pretty much start to finish, it was a really good experience.”
Living just five minutes up the road and working in the area, Matt had fantastic access to the construction site during the build. "I loved being able to finish work and have something to look forward to, coming around to have a look and see what they'd done," he says. "I drove past every night checking on the progress."
Once the home was ready, the attention to detail was impressive. “At the end of the process, we had a couple of touch-ups to sort out, but they’ve all been done and I’m really happy with how everything’s gone,” Matt says. “I got the keys on a Friday night, and by the end of the weekend, I had everything in. It was great to cook a meal in my own home.”
Finishing touches
Naturally, as a professional landscaper, Matt wasted no time in getting the outdoor areas sorted as well. It wouldn’t be a good look for him, otherwise, he jokes. “It would be like being a chef and not being able to cook good food.”
In fact, Matt's landscaping is so impressive that Metricon dropped by to snap some photos. "I'm really proud of my house and my business that paid for it, so I wanted the landscaping to stand out," he shares. "I've created a natural ecosystem pond with a waterfall and a creek passing by the front bedroom, complete with two timber bridges spanning the stream. There's also a natural rockery in the front that lights up at night."
It was important for his home to fit into the community. “It’s a rural country town and my backyard overlooks the old train line backing onto a farm, so I wanted to keep that natural kind of country feel to the house. With the landscaping, the colours of the rocks go well with the colours of the house and the Aspen façade.”
Matt isn’t the only person in his family impressed with the Metricon experience. His sister is now building a two-storey family home with Australia’s leading home builder too. “It’s her first time as well,” he says. “Whenever she came to look at mine, she was asking heaps of questions, so she’s really excited to be building now too.”
Talk about keeping it in the family!
