It looks like a big country shed. For one savvy Aussie couple it’s their dream home – and it all makes sense when you step inside (and learn the $365k price tag)

When Claire and Brett Wells decided to start building their dream home in country Victoria, they weren’t chasing luxury. They were chasing freedom.

The Geelong couple, who have been together for 10 years and are parents to four young-adult daughters between them, were craving a simpler life – and they’ve found it in the form of a shed.

But this isn’t your average backyard tin box. The couple have transformed a humble shed structure into a stunning, architecturally inspired sanctuary nestled on five acres at the foot of the breathtaking Grampians Mountain range.

Only a two-hour drive from their current home the plot near the small town of Moyston is equal parts an off-grid retreat and modern design marvel, and astonishingly it’s entirely their own creation.

‘It’s actually our weekender at the moment,’ Claire told FEMAIL. 

‘We’ll use it on weekends and in the holidays until our lifestyle changes, with a plan to eventually relocate out there at some point.’

The couple’s journey to rural life began in 2020 during Melbourne’s harshest Covid-19 lockdowns and her husband Brett’s heartbreaking stage-three cancer diagnosis.

Claire also lost her job during the pandemic too. Stuck at home and both stripped of their usual routines, the couple were forced to rethink everything.

‘That’s what sparked this whole change and what we wanted out of life,’ she said.

‘Everyone was thinking about getting out of the city, but Melburnians couldn’t travel outside of their zone at that time. So, I think, we probably had the upper hand as there wasn’t a lot of competition for the land at the time.’

Dreaming of a quieter life, a home with space to breathe, and a way to live without being tied to a mortgage, the idea of a shed conversion was born.

‘Where can you buy a brand-new house now for $365,000, you know?’ Claire said after telling FEMAIL that the build itself cost $250,000, with the land adding to the grand total.

‘Housing affordability is getting further and further out of people’s reach, so you have to think outside of the box [with] housing. You don’t need a big home.’

The pair mapped out their new vision: fresh country air, a slower pace, financial freedom, and a house they could build themselves, from the ground up.

Four years on, their unconventional home rises like a black barn from the paddock with its bold exterior housing a surprisingly airy and light-filled interior.

The shed-like frame was a practical choice, ticking boxes for affordability, bushfire safety, and simple construction. But Claire, who led the design and project management herself, said the process was far from easy.

‘I come from the construction background, so we were originally thinking about doing a tiny home on wheels and also explored shipping container homes because we wanted something small.’

Affordability, simple design, off-grid living and a home that was ‘on the ground, so it was an actual appreciating asset,’ were all important factors for the couple.

After deciding on their concept of a large shed frame, the Wells’ quickly discovered the complexities around such a unique build as not many companies offered the service.

‘We took the portal shed frames and then the house design, and had to marry the two together. So lots of my time went into designing and working with floor plans with a draftee to help us put the formal house plans together to submit to council.’

Inside, Claire insisted on having soaring 6.3-metre ceilings to create a sense of space and calm.

The open plan living, kitchen and dining area flow seamlessly under the vaulted roofline and a bespoke spiral staircase leads to a mezzanine that doubles as a guest room and home office, with sweeping views of the surrounding bushland.

Claire and Brett did most of the building work themselves, often spending full weekends on-site before driving back to town to resume their daily lives during the week.

‘He’s not a builder or a trades person, but he’s super handy,’ Claire said of her husband Brett, who at the time was working as a teacher and chipped away on the project in his downtime.

Having grown up on building sites with his builder dad, Brett brought serious hands-on skills to the table. 

He hand-carved the timber benchtops, laid polished concrete floors, and helped install large, double-glazed windows to frame the picture-perfect landscape.

‘Even when you’re inside, it feels like you’re outside,’ said Claire. ‘It has big, high, open ceiling spaces, with big windows and by folding sliding doors, to capture all the light and surrounding bush.’

To make the most of the ever-changing views, they even added wheels to their furniture. ‘That way we can follow the sun or catch the sunset behind the peaks,’ she added.

The home is fully off-grid, powered by a small solar system that supports ultra-efficient appliances, like their camping fridge, portable induction cooktop and a Ninja multi-cooker instead of a traditional oven.

They also rely on rainwater tanks and a composting toilet, proving that living sustainably doesn’t have to mean sacrificing comfort or style.

With their daughters now grown and all leaving the nest soon, Claire and Brett are looking forward to this next chapter, just the two of them in their little piece of paradise.

They’ve even planted a mini vineyard with 200 chardonnay and shiraz grapevines, alongside an orchard of cherries, apricots, peaches and chestnuts.

‘I’m a very romantic person at heart, and I’ve always loved the idea of having my own little vineyard. So we planted it before we even built the house, while we were still in that planning phase.’

On an even brighter note and after a long battle, Brett was finally cleared of cancer last month.

‘It’s just a weight off our minds knowing that that chapter is behind us now, we can breathe a bit easier and look towards the future.’