Secret Design Studio would like to introduce Tara Vandeligt of Building Dreams Group, arguably the Mornington Peninsula most popular renovation & building community. www.Buildingdreamsgroup.com

Tara, thank you for chatting today with Secret Design Studio.

Photo 1: Secret Design Studio would like to introduce Tara Vandeligt of Building Dreams Group, arguably the Mornington Peninsula most popular renovation & building community.

I’m honoured to be on the Secret Design Studio blog! I’ve been a long-time fan of your quirky and interesting mid-century write ups!

Q1) How long have you lived on the beautiful Mornington Peninsula?

I was a seachanger to the Mornington Peninsula about 6 years ago. I fell in love with an architecturally designed, mid-century home, that was perfect for us! We had been researching and dreaming about the move for years, and so when the right home came up in Mt Eliza, I knew it was once in a lifetime opportunity. 

Photo 2: One of Mt Eliza’s many mid-century homes that has been renovated and still retains its mid-century charms

Photo 3: One of Mt Eliza’s many mid-century homes that has been renovated and still retains its mid-century charms

Before this we were living in Edithvale, in townhouses that I had developed. I’m from a Communication Design background, and my husband works in IT. Creating beautiful homes has been a side passion for us since we bought our first home when I was 21. We love homes, and we can’t help ourselves, we’re always dreaming about the next project.

Photo 4: One of Mt Eliza’s many mid-century homes that has been renovated and still retains its mid-century charms

Photo 5: One of Mt Eliza’s many mid-century homes that has been renovated and still retains its mid-century charms

Q2) Have you got a favourite part of the Mornington Peninsula to visit? And to own a home?

Photo 6: St Andrews Beach on the Mornington Peninsula is one of the quiter places to visit during the busy summer season.

Yes, I definitely like the quieter parts, like St Andrews Beach and Sorrento Back Beach. It can get a bit hectic in tourist season everywhere else.

At the moment we live in Mt Eliza, in the Woodlands area. It’s a beautiful bush setting on large lifestyle blocks, only 5mins drive to the beach. It’s especially family friendly for schools and access to the city, both of which serves us perfectly for now while our kids are 5, 9, & 11.

Photo 7: Coppins Rotunda overlooking Sorrento Back Beach. Photo by Secret Design Studio

Q3) Do you have you got a favourite style, or architect?

I love all styles of architecture, I truly do! And gardens as well, but Mid-century has always held a strong place in my heart because the spaces are so creative! Growing up, an architect family friend lived in an amazing one, on a steep site, with an amazing sunken lounge and loft bedrooms. I used to love exploring that property, it was one of my happiest childhood memories.

Photo 8: A jaw-dropping, curvilinear dream build – Flinders House designed by Woods Marsh Architecture is  in Flinders on the Mornington Pensinsula

Photo 9: Another jaw-dropping dream build, also in Flinders, on the Mornington Peninsula

Q4) If somebody wanted to live in a mid-century modern home, but couldn’t afford one in Melbourne, will they find one on the Mornington Peninsula? Where should they look?

There are definitely some absolutely affordable gems on the Mornington Peninsula. For mid-century homes I would look at Rye, Tootgarook, and the inland parts of Rosebud, where you’ll find lots of circa 70’s beach homes. You can get some nice original ones starting around $650k, but note, they do get snapped up fast!

I particularly love watching young couples in our Facebook Group renovate these, and bring them back to life. They have so many creative ideas, and beautiful seeing their young families enjoy the spaces they’ve created.

Photo 10: Original mid-century homes on the Mornington Peninsula are a lot more affordable than in Melbourne but do get snapped up fast according to Tara Vandeligt.

Photo 11: Original mid-century homes on the Mornington Peninsula are a lot more affordable than in Melbourne but do get snapped up fast according to Tara Vandeligt.

Photo 12: Original mid-century homes on the Mornington Peninsula are a lot more affordable than in Melbourne but do get snapped up fast according to Tara Vandeligt.

Q5) What is Building Dreams Group? And how did it start?

We are a community of 5000+ locals, renovating and building on the Mornington Peninsula.  The community started in 2016 as a ‘renovating mums group’, but we quickly expanded to include all locals and industry as they offer such useful information and support.

Our goal is to support our locals in their renovation & building journeys, whilst promoting the unique and special qualities of the Mornington Peninsula building, trades and design industry at the same time. We do this through local events, a popular Facebook Group where members share ideas and recommendations, and our Trade Directory website: www.buildingdreamsgroup.com.au

Photo 13: The Building Dreams Group’s goal is to support our locals in their renovation & building journeys, whilst promoting the unique and special qualities of the Mornington Peninsula building, trades and design industry at the same time.

Q6) What have you learnt about building, people and life since the Building Dreams community started?

That local knowledge is KING! Our facebook group (www.facebook.com/groups/buildingdreamsgroup) is a hive of useful information and local knowledge that you would struggle to source elsewhere. It’s of great benefit to the local industry and customers alike, and it’s become a safe space to solve so many building curveballs, and saved a lot of project grief.

I’m greatly proud of the homes that get created or improved as a result of our community support.

Photo 14: The Building Dreams Group’s goal is to support our locals in their renovation & building journeys, whilst promoting the unique and special qualities of the Mornington Peninsula building, trades and design industry at the same time.

Q7) How many Facebook members, and how many Trade members are there? Is there a limit?

We have 5000+ members to our active Facebook group (www.facebook.com/groups/buildingdreamsgroup), and 92 Trade Directory Business Members.

Photo 15: Trade members and Facebook members networking at one of the pre-Covid functions organised by the Building Dreams Group. at Casa de Playa, Mornington in 2019  https://casadeplaya.com.au/

Q8) The Building Dreams Trade Directory sounds like a handy local guide to finding builders and trades. How do you curate the list?

We use local ‘word of mouth’ from our Facebook group to manage the quality of our Trade Directory: www.buildingdreamsgroup.com.au.  Locals share genuine recommendations, and we then approach those businesses to see if they would like to become an official part of our community. We look for, personable customer service, an established reputation, accountability to our customer feedback and businesses who are local, or committed to working locally.  Businesses in our Trade Directory can enjoy a steady stream of work from our community as it’s often our members first port of call when selecting builders of trades.

Photo 16: Trade members and Facebook members networking at one of the pre-Covid functions organised by the Building Dreams Group. at Casa de Playa, Mornington in 2019 https://casadeplaya.com.au/

Q9) With membership increasing so much what have you got planned for the future for Mornington Peninsula’s Building Dream Community?

More local building and design content! The subject of creating ones your own home will never get old. I would love to see us publish a book at some stage, documenting the evolution of the Mornington Peninsula dream home, past, and present. And video series… why not 😉?

Photo 17: Mt Eliza is home to many mid-century, architect-designed homes such as this one by Chancellor and Patrick which was built in 1954

Thanks for your time today, and thank you for establishing and running such a valuable community for the residents of the Mornington Peninsula.