Our Lake House clients describe how their new home works for their young family, now and into the future.

Photo by Lajos Varga

Our clients moved into their new forever home – the Lake House in Wembley – early in 2025.

MDC Architects designed this custom house project with a great collaborative team. We responded to our clients’ brief, budget, site and context to create a home that would adapt and change as their young kids grow up.

In this short Q&A, our clients share some insights about the design process, and how we collaborated to bring their vision to life.

Q. What were your goals and aspirations when commencing the project?

LHW clients: We wanted to create our “forever home” – a house that could adapt as our children grow (perhaps even a space they would feel independence in, even into their 20s).

The priority was a house that felt lived-in rather than precious, environmentally considered, and suited to an easy Australian way of living. Strong indoor–outdoor connection and a sense of space were non-negotiables.

Q. How did you find the design process?

LHW clients: Straightforward and genuinely enjoyable. The process felt collaborative and intuitive, rather than forced.

Q. Tell us a bit about the outcome and how it works for your family…

LHW clients: The house functions exactly as intended. It’s spacious without feeling oversized, practical day-to-day, and works equally well for family life and having people over.

Q. What are some surprising or special moments that you’ve experienced since you moving in, that you hadn’t anticipated?

LHW clients: People consistently comment on how calm and relaxed the house feels.

The way light, shadows, and breezes move through the space during the day has been a pleasant surprise. The only real downside is that it makes us far less inclined to go out. It’s simply a very good place to be.

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We’re grateful to our clients for taking this journey with us, and for sharing how the process of creating their “forever home” has enhanced their daily lives.

Are you ready to create a new home for your family?

If you’re keen to build a super-sustainable family home, we invite you to explore our New House Plans. You can view the range of single and two storey homes – available as 3-bedroom and 4-bedroom options – here.

Or if you’d like to chat with us about a new custom house project, visit the Contact page and fill in the submission form, and we’ll be in touch.