This is us, Project Firefly in the valley

01

Our home On the inside

36 windows that would have gone to waste became 'the' thing we designed our entire house around. They say one man's trash is another's treasure. That's been such a guiding principle during this build for us. The cross laminated timber panels are locally sourced. The cork floor tiling? Surplus that fit exactly to our floor surface. Table top? Found at a junkyard and upcycled. The fireplace? Hours of searching led us to this second hand beauty. The list goes on.

Living room with a blue velvet sofa, wood stove and a wall of windows onto the forest — Our view to the forest

Double-height interior with tall glass looking onto greenery — 4 meter tall ceilings, lots of light

Dining nook seen past a timber bookshelf — Shot from the kids' playroom

Timber bedroom with exposed rafters and two square windows onto the orchard — Our gorgeous mahogany bed, made with local carpenter friend, Chris

Dining nook with a grey armchair and timber bookshelves filled with books and jars — Shot from the kitchen and a peek toward the mezzanine

Wide view of the bathroom with black fittings and a window onto the trees — A view to the forest while showering... it's pretty nice!

02

And the Outside

We both have always loved Japanese craft. Like Yakisugi, an old Japanese method: char the timber and it protects itself, no (chemical) paints, no upkeep (we hope!). And bonus: the house changes colour through the day, holding leaf shadow in the morning and going soft and warm by evening.

A man wiping down a smoking charred beam in a cloud of smoke — Diego and lots of smoke

Charred black cladding planks leaning against an old stone ruin in the sun — All our cladding is burned, brushed and linseed oiled

Charred yakisugi cladding with a window catching the sun — We love the contrast of the black cladding and natural wood window frames

Leaf shadows across charred black yakisugi cladding — Leaf shadows across our yakisugi cladding

03

How we Made it

Nearly three years of building and literally countless photos we still need to sort through. Every bit of this house passed through our hands, and through the hands of family and friends who showed up with drills, patience and lunch. Kicking off in the middle of winter (November 2023), mud, temporary covers leaking, walls being raised by just three people, our daughter picking up a drill at 1.5 years old, our son at 1, everything taking longer than planned while learning how to parent two little humans. It was harder than we imagined. And still, we'd do it all again. A little different!

A man crouching on the roof rafters with a tape measure against a blue sky — Diego on the open roof (so grateful for winter sun!)

A toddler in a spotted coat using a cordless drill on the floor deck — Our daughter, also the smallest carpenter

A person in a plaid shirt working on timber framing seen through the trees — Carpenter grandpa cutting the foundational beams

A man cutting a large pine counter top with a jigsaw outdoors — Diego made us a butcher's block / kitchen counter top! So pretty!!

A woman oiling timber cabinets outdoors — Wendy oiling the kitchen cabinets at 8 months pregnant

A small girl leaning on a new window sill with a tape measure — Our daughter confirming measures

A woman seen through the bathroom window sealing the frame from outside — Sealing the bathroom window

04

The garden We're growing

When we arrived to this forest land it had been neglected for over 30 years. We were told the farmers in this valley mostly grew wine and citrus species. The nearly 1 hectares are covered with old oaks, countless fig trees, plums, wild olives.. Lots of them were being suffocated by invasive species when we first found them. Freeing the trees has been an on-going task. That, and building the orchard, improving it after year 2, installing and growing our green roof and general landscaping on the terrace our home sits on.

Two children sorting a table full of berries and tomatoes in the sunlight — A great harvest day: blueberries, strawberries, physalis, tons of tomatoes!

Cherry tomatoes ripening on the vine in the sun — Tomatoes on the vine

A woman and a small child spraying a hose on the green roof garden above the forest — Watering the roof garden!

A woman and a child planting in the vegetable beds among leeks and kale — Harvesting with our daughter

Flowering lavender and sage with purple blooms in the roof garden — Lavender everywhere

A bowl of just-pulled carrots and beetroot with their leafy tops, lit by low sun — Beets and carrots!

05

A bit of our lives In the valley

Our 'window-wall' is our TV. It puts on a different show every single day. Our home is known by friends as the warmest and driest in winter (our area is known for humid homes) and fireplace days are amongst our favourites. So are long summer days out on our deck overlooking the valley. We love springtime, too. The flowers, the colours, it's something else. Mud-walks and puddle-jumping on rainy days make for great fun too. Most days are pretty special, really.

Two children wrapped in blankets watching the wood stove burn — Our kids enjoying the fire

Two children drumming on a cardboard box on the rug in the timber living room — Cardboard box drums, best toy in the house

A smiling baby pulling himself up at the playroom window — Cosmo in the playroom

A man and his two children by the tall timber window wall, eating fruit — Our window, and a snack

A woman helping a small boy climb a ladder under the trees — Cosmo climbing ladders

A small child picking a strawberry from a raised bed at dusk — First strawberry of the season

Two children walking down a wet forest track under a red umbrella — Rainy days, red umbrella

Four pairs of muddy wellington boots lined up on a timber deck in the woods — Mud on our boots

A man and a small girl waving from inside a rain-covered car window — In the car on a rainy day

A pregnant woman in a floral dress and boots holding her daughter's hand on the bare earth site — At the land, pregnant with Cosmo

Two children standing on the bonnet of the old car under the willow — Ophie and Cosmo on the hood of our pickup

A girl biting into a grilled corn cob in the evening light — Corn off the barbecue