Real reno: Building the Haus of Cruze

Fresh off the back of watching YOU on Netflix I have something to admit. There were elements of Joe’s stalking behaviours that really resonated with me. The live example is my current social media stalking of Az and Jamie of Haus of Cruze. Take one look at their feed and a handful of Insta stories and you’ll understand where I’m coming from.

These guys are the epitome of style with a home worthy of a magazine spread. It’s all fresh and new and styled to complete perfection. There is so much light and space with an array of greenery nearly everywhere you turn. The good and healthy vibes in their home are endless.

So this is a new build story that I just had to get my mitts on. I wanted to hear from this uber cool duo what was involved in bring this house porn to life. I wanted to know how much elbow grease they put in because I’ve seen their Insta stories and I know they can DIY like a boss. And I HAD to know who they crush on in the design world – because I tell you something for nothing…. I’m going to go all stalk files on them too.

Here’s the story of the Haus of Cruze….

Tell me more about how Haus of Cruze came about.

After living and loving being a South East Suburbian renter for almost a decade, Jamie and I decided to take the dive into home owner territory by locking down a patch of dirt in January of 2016 in a new estate that was to be developed in Tarneit. Our plan was to build a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom with a study using Boutique Homes.

Work in progress.

The finished product!

How did you decide to build rather than a renovation project?

We decided to build rather than renovate as we grew accustomed to, and fell in love that “new home smell” after what felt like a billion display homes we had visited.

How did you select Boutique Homes for your build? Were any others in the running?

We settled on Boutique Homes as we thought they out rivalled their competitors in finishes and design (and for the most part because Jamie had a man crush on the sales rep). Once we had chosen we strapped ourselves in for the build journey ahead.

Walk in pantry goals 🙌.

How involved were you in the project?

We were both equally involved in all aspects of the build journey; from the financials and conveyancing to the colour selections appointment. Not only did we place importance on the value of understanding the logistics of financially owning a mortgage and the legalities surrounding the never ending contractual agreements, we wanted to completely understand and harness our design concepts to ensure what we had envisioned in our minds would eventuate to a welcomed reality beyond the bricks and mortar of what would be our first home.

Beautifully designed bathroom? Tick!

How long did the build take from first plans until move in?

The build itself from site start to handover took a little over 16 weeks which for a single storey 22 sqm home was a fantastic timeline. We have to commend our builder for placing emphasis and importance around open communication and ensuring deadlines were met.

Styled to pure perfection.

What did you find most challenging during the building process?

The most challenging part of the entire process was understanding value. Value of how your home will be placed in the area you have chosen to build in. We were an absolute shocker in this regard and over capitalised on our fixtures and fittings by a mammoth amount of $50K. This was a very unwelcomed surprised when the bank came back with the valuation – ultimately meaning that the kitty we had set aside to fit-out our home with furnishings and pay for trades to add all the additions to our home post-handover would be spent bridging the shortfall with the bank. Little did we know that this bump in the road would teach us all about the famed acronym DIY.

Every addition you see in our home, whether it be wall paneling, feature walls, landscaping, irrigation, outdoor entertaining areas, paving or garden beds, we did ourselves through the power of Youtube and pure determination (and fuelled by a very limiting bank account balance).

The hard work certainly paid off.

What was your biggest investment?

Our biggest investment was our flooring which was a very important decision for us when selecting our fixtures and fittings with our builder. I always loved the look of timber flooring but Jamie always worried about the durability and longevity of timber floors and has always been more a fan of porcelain tiles. So, we found a compromise and settled with timber-look porcelain tiles which came at a very hefty price – BUT the benefits 100% outweigh the financial outlay. We are able to wash them down, they’re super durable and they feel amazing underfoot (they are textured to even feel like natural timber).

Stunning flooring. And Moss Wall from @easygreeninterior.

Let’s talk about your signature style. I’m loving it…. A lot of neutral with a big pop of green. Is this something you’ve refined over time? And how would you describe the style?

If you were to pigeon hole us into a particular style, it would be fair to say we have a very Nordic inspired aesthetic however, Jamie and I are very much into evoking a feeling rather than paying homage to a particular design trend or style. We are all about feeling calm, relaxed and inspired and we’re both so chuffed to have been able to achieve this by blurring the lines between outside and in with our greenery. By focusing on using materials that are raw, organic and full of texture and character we add an element of depth and interest to our selections.

“Nordic inspired”

Who do you crush on in the design world?

We found inspiration for our own build and our style through many mediums. Nature, magazines and of course social media. There are so many designers and stylists to call out when it comes to who inspired us, but the stand-outs would have to be the wonderful Ania & Kasia from @zephyr_and_stone, Catherine Heraghty from @the_stables and the amazing Henrik Nero @henriknero. Our top three Instagram superstars of design and style.

Bringing the outside in.

What are your fave stores to deck out your home… from materials and décor to furniture?

There are so so so many local Aussie businesses we love to visit frequently and would love to call them all out but here are just a few: Our go-to framers are Kara & Nick from @formapictureframing, Saskia and Michael from @mubu_home are our go to for quality handmade bedroom furniture, we have collaborated and released our own limited edition pieces with the team at @nordikliving, and we absolutely love Country Road! But who doesn’t?

Bathroom goals.

What is your fave feature of your new home?

Our favourite feature of our home would have to be the amount of gorgeous natural light we receive throughout the whole day. Orientation of our lot was very important to us when we initially started looking for land. We wanted to utilise the path of the sun as efficiently as possible. All of our main entertaining and living areas in our home are north facing so we are spoilt throughout the day for natural light. We also had three skylights installed in the south facing rooms of our home to inject more light into these dead pockets. It’s amazing how natural light can dramatically change then mood and feeling of a space.

Natural light a plenty.

Did you access any training or resources to help you in your build that you would recommend?

Jamie and I did a hell of a lot of research prior to building our first home and it really helped us understand the process end to end when it came to crunch time. We joined many FB Groups geared around First Home Builders and joined online forums where we learnt valuable gems like engaging a building inspector throughout the build as an additional security measure for peace of mind. This gave us reassurance that our builder was building a quality home to code. We tell all of our friends that engaging a build inspector (we went with Darbecca) was the smartest investment we decided upon. Just the feeling of confidence by getting each stage of the build signed off to code by our own independent inspector was so reassuring.

Samsung TV frame surrounded by good green vibes.

If you built again, what would you do differently?

If we were to build our “first” home ever again, we would take the emotion out of the journey and build to get into the real estate market and not build like it was our “forever home” and end up over capitalising on the build.

A stunningly simple kitchen.

What’s one thing you’d tell a friend doing a new build?

Our advice to first home builders is, do your research. Know your builder inside out, read the reviews, join forums and FB groups for FHB to get tips and valuable information from people who have just gone through the entire process. Invest in an independent inspector especially at slab and frame stages.

And finally… How would you describe your building project in one word?

#Scandibutch

If that’s Scandi Butch… then I want me some!

And finally, I just want to close out with some of the most divine bedroom inspo pics. Why? ‘Cause these guys are the bidnez when it comes to styling a bedroom. Drool all over these…..