It’s no secret that the housing market is tough to get in to. Property investors continue to expand their portfolios while the required deposit for first time buyers continues to soar. Problems not likely to ease any time soon thanks to the issue of supply in major cities. But these challenges didn’t stop one young woman from achieving her home ownership dream.
Elsa had been living with her younger sister in a property they had inherited after their parents died in a sailing incident. After a disagreement at a party Elsa realised it was time to move out of her childhood home and get her own place.
“My parent’s place was nice but there were also a lot of bad memories tied up in it. I didn’t exactly have a great childhood and I just realised that I needed to let it go”.
The home was not the only help that Elsa’s late parents had left her – the inheritance also included land. In fact the entire kingdom of Arendelle was technically hers by birthright.
Seeking a chance to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city Elsa decided to build in the mountains. “It’s funny how some distance makes everything seem small”.
“It’s an area that doesn’t appeal to a lot of people because winters can get pretty cold, but the cold never bothered me anyway.”
With a block of land sorted Elsa’s next challenge was the build itself. Elsa opted for an environmentally friendly solution that was cheaper than you might expect.
“I was born with magical ice powers. I’d never really pushed what I was capable of but the thought of trying to project manage trades for such a complicated build was terrifying. I just told myself that I was one with the wind and sky and before I knew it the place was really taking shape”.
As the rightful queen of Arendelle Elsa was also able to avoid the standard building approvals processes. “I mean I still had to test the structural limits and make sure I wasn’t going to break through the floor. But generally it was a case of no rules for me. It was very freeing”.
The end result is a stunning one bedroom ice castle with grand staircase and a balcony that overlooks the entire kingdom of Arendelle.
For Elsa the grandness of the design was an important act of self expression “It was my way of saying that perfect girl is gone, and here I stand as a successful woman who isn’t afraid to show the world who she is.”
After living in the home for a few months Elsa decided to leap into the unknown world of property investing. She currently rents the property to a young snow monster. With no mortgage the rental income provides a passive income that has allowed Elsa to pursue a tree change.
This set is a bit of a weird one for me because the end result is honestly stunning to look at, and it’s a must have for Frozen fans, but… It isn’t the most interesting build. It’s not a bad build I just found it not super exciting to work with such a limited colour palate. It’s also more complicated than a lot of the other Disney sets, so a younger fan might get bored with this before they finish it. As I said though, the finished model is an absolutely stunning Frozen dollhouse with plenty of playability. I do think you have to balance those factors out when making a call on this set.
The decision making process might be made easier by the fact that this set is currently cheap. Original RRP is $349, but Big W has it for $199, Target for $199.20 and and Amazon around $206. Honestly for $200 this is a steal.
This set was sent to me by LEGO at my request. Opinions are my own. Prices accurate at time of publication.
Yes I agree about the colour palette.