Tour of Donnington Ridge

Architect Rebecca Caldwell learned about renovating her own off-grid cabin in Maleny, in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, from the client side, changing the experience of how she understands an approach to any build.

Caldwell and her partner bought the property in 2020 and took on a small, dated 48 square metre cabin as a weekender and future holiday rental, working through an all-hands DIY renovation.

Keeping sight of the bigger picture stopped small frustrations, such as a wrongly hung door or an uneven concrete pour, from overshadowing the finished result. Building with materials on hand, including leftover ply, a secondhand fireplace and on-site concrete benchtops cuts cost and produces a more authentic and sustainable outcome rather than chasing a trend.

Caldwell also says living with genuinely finite water and power has made her far more conscious of resource use, both at the cabin and back home in the city, and noted that the polished, Instagram version of a build always skips the mould, the mice and the mud that come with it.

During Sunshine Coast Open House, you're invited to take a tour of the property and bring your own picnic blanket and stick around, to soak up the surroundings!