Born from a vision to leave a legacy, Dunedin based development company Blackhouse Properties Ltd has seized the challenge of developing Camden Grove Estate subdivision, finding solutions where others saw barriers.
Located in the picturesque suburb of Maia, towards Port Chalmers and five minutes from the Dunedin CBD, the 1.6ha subdivision boasts uninterrupted views of the Otago Harbour, just a stone’s throw away.
When the subdivision is complete it will be comprised of 14 high quality house and land packages all overseen by Blackhouse Properties, owned and operated by Dan Weir along with life and business partner Kylie Jamieson.
“Kylie and I grew up on the opposite side of the harbour and there was slight resistance with purchasing the property at first,” explains Dan.
“But once you spend some time in Maia it doesn’t take long to acknowledge this is a beautiful location and a promising development.”
The land where the subdivision now sits had been set up for a residential development from the historic town plan since the 1800’s.
Dan says there were originally 21 sections involved, offered at £5 each by an English based company. For whatever reason, they didn’t sell and the subdivision didn’t proceed.
“It’s a challenging site to subdivide but if you can see past those challenges and come up with solutions—that’s what makes the site so good. We face the early morning sun and the sunrises are breathtaking. Every morning I get here early just to check in before the contractors start so that I can look at that sunrise and be grateful for a moment.”
He says the site is quite slopey and when he and Kylie were weighing up their options it was covered in 4 metre high gorse.
“At the age of 31 it’s quite a big step for us. The scale of what we’re doing can be overwhelming at times– but we had a handle on it from the start. I’m energetic and a problem solver and I think that was important for this sub-division.”
A registered Master Builder and licensed building practitioner, Dan founded his first construction company nine years ago, aged 22.
Starting with small renovations before moving to new builds and commercial construction, Dan made the hard decision to close the door on that successful business last year to focus on his new venture.
Project managing the development, Dan has worked closely with the surveyors, geotechnic engineers and structural engineers. Clearly, Camden Grove Estate is Dan’s baby.
Earthworks in progress at Camden Grove Estates, Maia.
Dan is now working closely with the sub-contractors involved on the project and believes having the right people around him is a key to success.
“I’m also doing all the construction work on the development – whether it’s fencing, retaining walls or road preparation – I’m even known to operate the digger.
“There will be about 500 lineal metres of retaining walls involved in the subdivision all built from box pour concrete so that when you strip off the boxing it gives that beautiful look to the concrete.”
Environmentally conscious Dan engaged an earthmoving company to rip the gorse out of the ground rather than use sprays. Half the hill area was removed to make way for roading and create the building platforms.
“We have about 6000cubic metres to move around and we want to keep as much of that on site as possible, utilizing it on the individual sections so they have a nice solid and elevated building platform.
“We look back on the property when we first purchased it, and feel we have a responsibility to replace as many plants as we can.
“Stage one has over 2000 plants, with stage two a potential 4000. All plants are locally sourced natives.”
With the large scale excavation now completed, Stage one of the project including seven sections on the upper slopes will be completed by August, rolling straight into Stage two, involving a further seven sections.
“Our vision is Camden Grove will be a highly sought after subdivision and we’ve spent extra money up front to ensure our construction is here to stay. We’re very much looking for timeless architecturally designed homes, and homes that will look good for a long time to come.”
When Dan and Kylie saw the land at Maia they saw an opportunity to leave a legacy that their children could be proud of many years into the future. What an amazing legacy for future generations.
This article was brought to you in association with the following businesses…
- Guest Carter
- Blackhouse Properties Ltd
- iPlumb NZ Ltd
- Clearwater Civil
- Terramark
- Mitre 10 Trade
