A stealth bomber house built on a picturesque lifestyle block in Loburn was always going to attract attention.

 

First, the producers of popular television show Grand Designs New Zealand decided to film the construction of the house.

Then Fiona and Garry Learmonth's unique home, which was designed by them and built by Todd Dunn, caught the attention of the Canterbury Master Builders House of the Year Regional Awards judges, who made it their Supreme House of the Year for under $1 million award winner.

That accolade has put the stealth bomber house on a flight path to achieve higher honours at the Master Builders House of the Year National Awards in Auckland on November 21.

Building the stealth bomber house was a dream project for Todd and attending the regional awards night at Christchurch’s Te Pae Convention Centre last month with his building crew, contractors and Fiona and Garry was a special night.

The judges said the core character of the stealth bomber house "sat at the heart of the home through thoughtful planning and uncompromised workmanship".

They also said the "beautiful timber work inside and out served as a defining feature delivered with real skill".

Todd's involvement with the project came by way of a lucky chance encounter.

“Fiona and Garry bought the block next door to our own liveable shed, which is now a rental property and our business work yard as we live at Waikuku Beach," he said.

They saw my company T. Dunn Builders sign out front and got in touch with me.

"We invited them over to check out a really cool man cave that we constructed using rustic building materials inside the shed house," Todd said.

"They liked the materials and our passion for building bespoke buildings and basically the relationship started there. They designed their own rustic home and brought us in from the design stage right through to completion."

The 163 square metre two-bedroom, two-bathroom home features an oversized pointed cockpit living area with wings on either side of the house, exterior cladding in 120-year old cedar and unexpected, rustic highlights in every room.

It took six months to build and having the Grand Designs film crew involved in the project was “an awesome experience", Todd said.

“It pushed me and my team well outside our comfort zone, which was nerve wracking at the start but we really enjoyed the process and it was something that we will never forget.

"The camera crew were so good to work with and it was so great to see the project on television. It really was a testament to how we operate on every project whether it is small or large."