The cliff-top Waiheke home built in six months

Open the commanding pivot hinge front door of this cliff top Waiheke home and your eyes are immediately drawn to the ocean. To celebrate the beauty of its island locale, the open plan kitchen, lounge, and dining room features a large wall of glass panels. On a sunny day, the south western coast of the island shimmers like a jewel; come rain, one can curl up with a good book and enjoy the spectacle of a storm from the comfort of the couch.

“Located on a cliff’s edge, with stairs that lead down to a beautiful secluded beach, it was important to the client that the house fit into the landscape, with minimal impact to its stunning, unique surroundings,” says Brightline Construction’s Managing Director, Mason Pirie.

Building on the cliffs

The brief was to build a high-end home on Waiheke Island in under six months. For other construction companies, this could have been a big ask, but for Brightline it was another day in the office — achieved by intense planning prior to the start of the build, and constant updates to the planning timeline.

“Like all our projects, before we commenced we methodically went through the hypothetical stages of the build with our team leaders and in-house quantity surveyors to ensure we could not only meet, but exceed our client’s expectations,” Pirie explains.

“It was particularly helpful to work so closely with the co-owner, developer, and project manager, Sune Farrimond, on every aspect of the build. Sune is a Waiheke local and has also worked with us on previous Waiheke builds.”

The home is wrapped in vertical cedar cladding that continues across the garage door, making it virtually invisible. Beautifully juxtaposed against the light honey cedar is the kwila decking, used to create a long stepped boardwalk to the front door, and a generous deck off the open-plan living space that transitions down onto the lawn and pool area.

“All of the building materials — bar the landscaping materials which were sourced from local Waiheke suppliers — had to be brought to the island on our designated delivery trucks, and coordinated to arrive ahead of schedule as the building began to grow out of the ground. With a clear line of communication we were able to ensure everything ran according to plan,” Pirie says.

Inside, the material palette is soft and neutral, with timber floors, white walls, and elegant finishes, allowing the stunning view to take centre stage. Off to one side of the entryway is a mudroom and laundry that leads into a 1.5 car garage. The bedroom wing, stretching along the left-hand side of the home towards the cliff, contains three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a walk-in wardrobe in the primary suite.

“This project was immensely significant for Brightline Construction as we thoroughly enjoy a challenge, and love working on Waiheke Island. It also really cemented our relationship with developer Sune Farrimond as we move forward with him on two more Waiheke builds in the next 12 months,” Pirie explains.

A bright future in the residential market

Brightline ventured into the residential market in response to specific requests from their clients, motivated to extend their established trust, workforce scale, and expertise in multi-residential construction to the world of individual residential builds.

“Out the gate we successfully delivered an amazing heritage renovation at 10 Dickens Street, leading on to a renovation at 11 Chesley Place, and then over to our first new build on Waiheke,” Pirie says.

The restoration of Dickens Street saw the once slightly neglected villa transformed into a stunning, luxury home. A warm palette of timber and brick is balanced by white walls and a vaulted ceiling that opens up the space. From the open-plan living and dining area, a generous backyard can be accessed through large sliding glass doors.

The 11 Chesley Place renovation elevated the home to high-end status with a new, modern kitchen, chic bathroom upgrade, and a feature concrete-look fireplace bringing a gentle touch of industrialism to the living room.

It’s an exciting time for Brightline, who say that utilising their knowledge of programming, robust QA systems, and financial management resources have allowed them to navigate challenging builds with ease.

“With a dedicated team of 60 people, we can ensure a continuous flow from one project to the next. This operational efficiency is crucial to meet our overhead demands and cover the costs of our cutting edge systems and processes,” Pirie explains.

“Our client relationships have been established with a profound level of trust where collaborative partnerships are fostered to guarantee project success in both budget and quality.”

Learn more about Brightline Construction.