Before Ben Gritt lost his sight at six years old, he was a budding artist who loved to paint and draw. “Then, for about 20 years, I just didn’t have the capacity to express myself in that way,” he recalls. “It was only through sheer luck that I met a local artist doing a pottery workshop at the place I was volunteering, so I joined the class and I haven’t looked back since.”
These days, he’s turned his passion for pottery into a career. “Because I’ve got a visual impairment, it’s really hard to find full-time employment, which only became a possibility when I started my own small business, running seven to eight ceramic workshops a week.”
Which is why when he and his wife Rose and their daughter Frances decided to build a home with Metricon In Lucknow in East Gippsland, Victoria, the design team collaborated with Ben to make an all-important adjustment to the floorplan of their Freedom by Metricon Amira 25 design; the addition of a pottery room with a sink, so he can work from home and provide one-on-one lessons, too.
The family had been renting but began exploring blocks of land, stumbling upon one they adored in an area that resonated with them. "The thing we found most impressive in that first meeting with Metricon is that Bien considered my needs, being legally blind, and the needs of our little person, making us aware of the possible downfalls of the block we had selected," Ben says.
"We were so caught up in the daydream of owning a property that we overlooked the fact that the severe slope at the rear of the property could potentially present safety concerns," he adds. "Bien could have just sold us the build and moved on, but in that moment, he showed us that he had our best interests at heart and that really sold Metricon to us as our future builder."
Keeping in touch, Bien worked with Ben and Rose to figure out what home design would work best for them while the hunt for a suitable block continued. “Our story is of opposites attract,” Ben says. “I’m more on the creative side of things, but Rose is a chemical engineer and she’s very mathematical and straight to the point. She likes modern, clean designs, whereas I like older features like timber. So we had to find something that could encompass both our tastes to a degree, where we could grow together as a family and Frances would have her own space.”
The Amira 25 fit the bill, and pretty soon a more suitable block was located, close enough to town that both Ben and Rose could easily get to work, and Frances to school.
Ben felt supported through the Studio M process, choosing the fixtures and finishes. “That was probably the most exciting and terrifying experience,” Ben laughs. “There are so many choices and there was a lot of verbal description so I could visualise everything, trying to figure out how they’re all going to go together in a single sitting. It was quite daunting, but the team were amazing. Looking back, I think we must have asked every question at least twice. But they patiently guided us through to eventually signing the build contract.”
Despite a short delay on timber and bricks, their home is now taking shape. “It’s all been going pretty smoothly, and the site managers are always in touch with us, keeping us up to date with each step,” Ben says. “Because we don’t know the building process, there’s some understandable stress, but any questions we’ve had, they’ve been answered straight away. I’d recommend Metricon to anyone, and if we ever build again, we’d come straight back.”
He can hardly believe how smooth it’s been. “It’s a bizarre feeling,” Ben says. “Owning our own home has been a dream for so long. Even during the process, it feels a bit like it’s happening to someone else. But now that it’s taking shape and becoming a house, reality is kicking in and excitement’s starting to build. I just can’t wait to get in there and start living as a family and enjoy that pottery room.”
