- Bella Castello, a Mediterranean-inspired estate featured on Grand Designs New Zealand, is for sale.
- The property in Sefton, Canterbury, has five bedrooms, five bathrooms, and spans four levels.
- Other Grand Designs homes for sale include Te Arai Lodge and a Waiheke Island beach home.
Bella Castello, the “post-modern castle” that made a star appearance on Grand Designs New Zealand in 2022, has hit the market for sale with its sights set on a buyer with around $6 million to spend.
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The Mediterranean-inspired estate at 30 McLeods Road, in Sefton, Canterbury, is the work of builder Phil Metaxas and architect Philip Kennedy and is one of several Grand Designs homes up for grabs around New Zealand.
Metaxas tried to sell the property as a work in progress several years ago, but after failing to get buyers to the price he wanted, he switched tack and finished the project.
New Zealand Sotheby's International Realty listing agent Matthew Rayner told OneRoof that Metaxas had done a quality job.
"You can see he has spent a lot of money on it. I never saw [the property] when it was listed last time. But now it's finished - all painted, all floored, all glazed."
Phil Metaxas, left, with then Grand Designs NZ host Tom Webster outside his post-modernist castle. Metaxas told OneRoof in 2023 that the total renovation would cost "in excess of $1 million". Photo / TVNZ
There are multiple living areas in the sprawling 1170sqm mansion with unique windows that look out to the property's 4.3 hectares of land. Photo / Supplied
He said there was so much to enjoy in the property. "I don't know if I could pick one [favourite feature]. Because you've got the Mediterranean look, then you have the spiral staircase and the towers. There's just a lot to it."
Co-listing agent Lillie Rayner is also a fan of the home. "There's nothing really like it around Canterbury. You can see the time and effort that's been put into it."
She said she liked the entranceway best: "It is pretty grand. It really shows off the style of the home. The separate formal lounges are also nice. You've got the nice big chandelier; the sunlight flows right through it."
Rayner thought there was a good pool of local buyers for properties like Bella Castello. "There's so much opportunity," she said, adding that Sotheby's had strong links to national and international buyers as well.
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Metaxas told OneRoof in 2023 that the build project would end up costing “in excess of $1 million” and that replacement costs were around $12m.
Bella Castello has five bedrooms, five bathrooms, multiple living areas, an internal courtyard, a generous kitchen and a formal dining room. There is also a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment. The 1170sqm floor plan runs over four levels from the wine cellar in the basement to the top tower.
Fans of Grand Designs New Zealand have other options, though.
An Italian-style villa that appeared on the fourth series of Grand Designs New Zealand hit the market in October and is still available to buy.
Te Arai Lodge has an RV of just $4m but the owners and their listing agent, New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty’s Greg Dennerly, are aiming for a buyer willing to spend much more than that, with the six-bedroom mansion currently one of the more expensive homes for sale on OneRoof.
Te Arai Lodge made a star appearance on Grand Designs New Zealand in 2018. At the time it was the show’s most expensive build. Photo / Supplied
41D Tiri View Road, in Palm Beach, Waiheke Island, is billed as a first-class ticket. Photo / Supplied
Vendors Vince and Kathy Moores battled spiralling costs and mental health woes during their mammoth project, which was one of the biggest and costliest to feature on Grand Designs NZ.
The ambitious build, on 2ha in Te Arai, near the Tara Iti and Te Arai Links golf courses, even had then TV host Chris Moller worried: “I just hope they get to enjoy it, and [they] don’t end up living in the shed.”
Dennerly’s listing on OneRoof highlights the luxury and tranquillity the estate offers. “Elevated on five acres within 20 acres of protected native forest, the property enjoys breath-taking panoramic views over rolling countryside to the Pacific Ocean and the white-sand beaches of the Mangawhai coast.”
On Waiheke, the stunning beach home that opened last year’s Grand Designs New Zealand is also up for grabs - two years after the vendors tried to offload it in an unfinished state.
Dale and Maria Gray’s four-bedroom architectural wonder at 41D Tiri View Road, in Palm Beach, is billed by New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty listing agents Chris Jones and Francine Sweet as a “first-class ticket”.
Spread over three floors, the house comes with a plunge pool and spa, a vehicle turntable and stacked garaging for two cars, sophisticated electronics controlled by a phone, and a clear view of the Hauraki Gulf.
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