Heritage is a powerful thing. In the Adelaide Hills, it's shaped entire towns through stone buildings, many of which were built by the first wave of German immigrants. It was this heritage that drew a couple with Italian blood - web designer Louise Sergie and psychologist husband Steve Hardwick and their three kids - to this pocket of history. They bought a block with stone outhouses and an established English garden, a mix of styles that influences their thinking about their own grand design. Being an owner/builder is stressful for the most experienced, but more so if you're new to the game. The couple are passionate about creating a stone home and want to blend a Tuscan feel with a modern look, using 160 tonnes of locally quarried stone to create castle-thick walls, recycled timbers for internal joinery, and a cutting-edge bridge linking the upstairs rooms with a dynamic glass box, will ensure that this will be a style that defies categorisation.