The most difficult Grand Designs NZ build ever?

  • 03/10/2017

Sky Mason had long dreamed of living in the place he calls paradise with his two young children.

But building on the un-serviced island meant the building team had to cross the dangerous Tairua sandbar in sometimes rough weather, while all building materials and tools - from timber to large equipment, like diggers - had to travel from the mainland by barge.

Tonight's episode of Grand Designs NZ showcases the construction of a home on the remote Slipper Island in what may be the most challenging build the show has ever seen.

"The biggest challenge is the weather," says Mr Mason.

"When the big systems move in and create large waves, they can make the island inaccessible or when the winter storms come in. That held things up.

"Sometimes, the wind was also so strong, we couldn't drop materials from the helicopter.

"We put the builders and tradies up in chalets that are available down at the Slipper Island Lodge. Then, having to extend rents on that really made an impact on the budget as well." 

Sky Mason builds his Island Hideaway on Slipper Island for Grand Designs NZ.
MediaWorks

Despite the delays and the budget blow-out, Mr Mason says he went into construction with his eyes open, not expecting everything to run smoothly.

Building on the picturesque island is his dream-come-true, after he first saw it in the distance as a child and wished he could go there.

"When I was a child on the mainland, I didn't have the ability to navigate and explore what I call our backyard," says Mr Mason, referring to several islands off the Coromandel Peninsula coast.

"As I grew up I got access to it, firstly by crawling around the rocks, then I got a small dinghy and a kayak, and was able to explore a lot more."

Now that he lives there, that magic he once saw from afar hasn't waned.

"Every time you go there, it feels like the first time," says Mr Mason. "It doesn't matter how many years have gone by, I still feel the same way.

"There's just a feeling of being in paradise."

The full 'Island Hideaway' episode of Grand Designs NZ (season three) screens tonight on Three at 7:30pm.

Newshub.