Daisy Hill homeowner Deane and his wife built a 672sq m house for their three children — and somehow kept it secret from them until the reveal.
The house at 25 Lynette Way now has five bedrooms, five bathrooms, room for five cars, a swimming pool and its own Batcave.
But in 2015, it was an empty 1499sqm block hidden at the end of a private driveway.
Deane said the couple visited Metricon display villages and found themselves torn between two houses.
“We found one where the upstairs really suited us … and we found the downstairs in another one that suited us,” he said.
“We went to them and said, ‘Can we get the upstairs of one and the downstairs of another and make it into one home?’”
The result was a custom house designed around the couple and their three children.
Four upstairs bedrooms each have an ensuite and walk-in wardrobe, while a fifth bedroom downstairs has access to a two-way bathroom.
“We wanted to make sure that all the kids had their own ensuite,” Deane said.
The house also includes a study, media room, multiple living spaces and indoor and outdoor entertaining areas.
But one room is unmistakably Deane’s.
The den became a Batman-themed retreat, filled with comics, collectables and a full-sized bust of Christian Bale’s Batman.
“I had a nickname called Batman when I was younger, and my kids bought me Batman presents for as long as I can remember,” he said.
The house itself came as a surprise to the children.
“We never told them we were building the place,” Deane said.
“We just walked them up the drive one day.”
“I remember our little girls started crying and all laughing and running around going crazy.
“It’s always been for our children.”
The family went on to spend about a decade in the home, which would fill with treasured memories.
“It’s the memories you know,” Deane said.
“Our kids finished their schooling while in this house.
“They found their jobs while in this house. They found their boyfriends, their girlfriends while in this house.”
Selling agent Johnson Teo also has a long connection to the property, having sold the vacant block to Deane and his wife when they became his first buyers in real estate.
The house sits in The Sanctuary estate, close to Daisy Hill Conservation Park.
Deane said the family had seen echidnas, kangaroos and colourful birds around the property.
After a decade of family life there, he said leaving would be difficult.
“I think the memories of the place are what we’re going to miss the most,” he said.
The property is scheduled to go to auction at 11am on Saturday 18 July.
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