Sometimes good friends can inspire you to go on holiday with them. Or splash out on tickets to a huge event. Or simply buy the same kind of barbeque they have. In the case of Michael and Katy Armstrong, and John and Elvina Florenca, their close friendship inspired them all to take a major step forward and build their own homes.
“We had an investment property in a lovely street in South Perth,” said Katy Armstrong. “Our dear friends, the Florencas, were about to start building their dream home with Webb & Brown-Neaves and we were inspired. We decided to take the plunge: demolish our investment property and build our new home in South Perth.”
The Florencas owned a block of land in South Fremantle, where they had both grown up, and were equally inspired by their friends Katy and Michael. “As we started to bounce ideas off each other and went to look at display homes, we all got excited about the prospect of building,” said John Florenca.
“We had built a house before and swore we’d never do it again – but Webb & Brown-Neaves were very professional and very well organised. They have a good range of display homes and an excellent reputation as a builder over many years,” said Elvina Florenca.
Both homes are now complete. “We loved the modern design and the high quality finish of the display homes we looked at and after we met with Cleve Riches, our sales consultant and designer, we knew we had found our builder,” said Michael Armstrong. “Cleve has helped us so much throughout the whole building process. Building our home has been an amazing journey. We love the feeling of space and light all around and we can’t wait to move in. Our lives are so busy but we plan to stop and smell a few more roses once our new home is completed.”
Top tips from the Armstrongs and Florencas
• Do your research. Talk to friends, colleagues and even strangers about their experiences with builders and building.
• Take your time with your design. Think about how you live and what you want from your home.
• If you find a display home you love, go for it. Otherwise, choose a consultant with a flair for design and experience to match.