Using Pinterest as inspiration, she worked closely with great people and businesses, including Round 2 Timbers, designer Shanae Slattery and builder Jason Fragar, to create a Canadian lodge/Australian farmhouse with a mid-century skillion roof.

Gary is from Canada, where the two originally met.

"My children are older now, eventually it will just be my husband and I, so I wanted a home that felt homely and welcoming," she says.

They found the land unexpectedly while taking their daughter for a driving lesson.

They were blown away by the 30-acre property with grazing cattle and kangaroos.

Sandie had never built before, but she knew she wanted the house to blend in with the natural environment.

The couple bought the land four years ago and started the home design process.

The four-bedroom, two-bathroom home with open living areas took about a year to build.

Sandie was thrilled with Slattery's design and Fragar's work.

"It was a hard build because the roof in the lounge room is over three metres high, but we have the exposed beams and glass," she says.

She was concerned that the home would be cold.

But, thanks to good design and insulation, it's always comfortable inside

"I really wanted to use recycled products as much as we possibly could, and I knew I wanted to use a lot of timber," she says.

"I had no idea where to source it, and my daughter found Round 2 Timbers in Newcastle."

All of the timber ended up coming from the Hamilton North business.

"Mic from Round 2 Timbers was extremely patient. I must have gone down there five times to work out what I wanted on the floor in comparison to what I wanted on the roof and vanity," she says.

The team at Round 2 Timbers were very pleased with the "stunning" results.

"Our team was super excited to collaborate on this beautiful new build," owner Mic Ritter says.

"We supplied a huge amount of locally sourced, recycled, Australian hardwood products, including flooring, decking, lining boards, a fireplace mantle, and vanities that feature bespoke character and design and really complement the stunning natural surrounds of the Hunter Valley."

Red timbers are used outside on the veranda, and the interior floors feature a mix of brown boards. All the imperfections are still visible.

"You can still see the nail marks and saw marks of the original wood. I absolutely love it, no piece of timber is the same," Sandie says.

They used recycled bricks from The Brick Pit in Sydney for the kitchen and fireplace.

"They have the most amazing recycled brick, the wood and the combination of the two was just fantastic," she says.

Sandie loves the history that comes with using reclaimed materials.

"On the fireplace we had an old sleeper from an old bridge that has not been refined, the big bolshie nails. I love it," she says.

Buying recycled wasn't cheap, but she doesn't regret spending the money.

"I love the bathroom. Our vanities are absolutely exquisite, so was the kitchen bench top. You wipe it over and look at it and think 'what's the story from where you were before?' We still look at knots in this wood," she says.

Dekton was used for the ensuite surfaces.

"It's silvery. It reminded me of when I was a child, you'd see an old Australian shed, old and oxidising, it's got that beautiful bronze and grey; it's amazing," she says.

Now the house is built, every day she and her husband think about how lucky they are.

"I think my favourite room is probably the kitchen and the sunken lounge room that looks out," she says.

"The first winter was amazing with our fireplace, so snug."

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