Tom Webster presents the New Zealand version of the architecture programme that features fascinating stories of ambitious and innovative homeowners who are trying to create the house of their dreams.
After twenty years of renting their poorly insulated, repurposed school house John and Bridget Preece are finally in a position to tackle the massive challenge of building a new home. And that’s no underestimation, they’re building on the Chatham Islands – the remote archipelago 800 kilometres east of New Zealand with a population of just 600.
John, a commercial fisherman of Moriori descent, has deep connections with the land as his family have lived there for generations, while Bridget grew up in Australia and New Zealand. They have a blended family of four children and, because there’s no secondary education on the island, Bridget moved to New Zealand for their children’s education while John stayed on the Chathams and ran the business.
Now, with the children off their hands, the time is right to dedicate money and energy to building their own home.
Shipping costs aren’t the only thing that need to be factored into their build budget, they also have the added cost of flying in, housing and feeding their Queenstown-based builders who will be doing three weeks at a time.
With a projected budget of around 950 thousand dollars, and building timetables dictated by the weather and shipping schedules, will John and Bridget’s home be the happy ever after they so deserve, or will it test them at every turn?
