The decision to down-size

When we decided to put our home on the market back in April we had so much interest in what our next 'move' was. I know it came so out of the blue for many when we told them we had decided to sell the place we've built and called home for the last six years! In reality, our dreaming & scheming began last year after spending our 10th anniversary in a eco-retreat just outside of Wanaka. So now that our house is officially sold it feels like the right time to announce our plans.

We are in the process of planning our next build! Now before I go into detail, I want to answer some of the other questions we've been asked; no we're not selling up because we're broke and can't afford our mortgage! 😂 This is purely a lifestyle choice. No we're not moving away, we're staying in Riversdale - we love it here! And contrary to many guesses we're not going "bigger and better". We're in fact going smaller.

We realised that when we built our house six years ago we had plans of having a family and establishing that kiwi quarter-acre dream. The reality is that some things in life don't go as planned. As a result our ideas and goals have transformed and changed direction. The mortgage we happily took on back then for a house with four bedrooms, two bathrooms and multiple living spaces is now oversized for just us two. Since August last year when we stayed in that eco-retreat we've fallen gradually in love with the idea of downsizing, simplifying and working towards financial freedom.

Already a few people have told us we're crazy, but most of the friends and family we've talked to get it. They can see why we're choosing to say no to the more 'conventional' lifestyle, instead picking a road less travelled. We're in a unique position where we can do this. We don't have dependants and rather than tie ourselves to another 20 years of a mortgage, we're choosing to maximise the experiences in our lives. We have come to realise that it is the experiences in life that you treasure the most, not the material things. You can't take 'stuff' with you when you go. Having financial freedom will mean we can say yes to more experiences. More travel, more adventures, more fun. And as an added bonus; we can also say yes to less stress, less pressure and less materialism.

So tell me more about this new build you say?! Our first build was a modest but well set out four bedroom home with two living areas & bathrooms. The Horton Build 2.0 will be almost one third the size of our first build. With just a master bedroom, one bathroom, a spare room and an open plan kitchen & living area that will extend out onto a deck. Unlike our first build which was a turn-key spec house, 2.0 will be custom-designed with some different building elements, aiming for a lower carbon footprint and a lot more of our personality stamped into it. And of course I'm going to be blogging this build! We've had so much interest in what we're doing already and I think it will be fun to document the build and tell our story as we go. So watch this space...