{"id":311793,"date":"2025-11-27T08:28:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-27T08:28:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/311793\/"},"modified":"2025-11-27T08:28:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-27T08:28:10","slug":"jamie-duries-move-to-byron-revealed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/311793\/","title":{"rendered":"Jamie Durie’s move to Byron revealed"},"content":{"rendered":"

He\u2019s just listed his $33m mega-mansion in Sydney\u2019s Northern Beaches, and now award-winning landscape architect Jamie Durie is embarking on his next homebuilding project, creating Australia\u2019s second 3D printed concrete home on his dairy farm in Bangalow, northern NSW.<\/p>\n

Durie says he hopes to step into an off-grid lifestyle 16km from Byron Bay with fianc\u00e9 singer\/songwriter Ameka Jane and their two children Beau, 4 and Nash, 2 before they start school.<\/p>\n

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Durie takes part in the innovative building experiment during the new TV series, Jamie Durie\u2019s Future Houses. Picture: Supplied<\/p>\n

As well as hosting the new reality TV show \u2013 Jamie Durie\u2019s Future House \u2013 he and Ameka are also one of three couples tasked with building a sustainable home in three months.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe threw a hat into the ring to really experiment with new and modern methods of construction,\u201d Durie told realcommercial.com.au.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the housing crisis in full swing in Australia, and the pressure to build 1.2 million houses in the next five years, we\u2019re probably 300,000 trades short of achieving that target, so it made sense to step up and find a solution.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo have to create something in a quick turnaround that makes economic sense is challenging but fun, all while trying to find a way to solve the housing crisis along,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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The family are selling up in Sydney and building a new home in the Byron shire. Picture: Supplied<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not every day you get to 3D print your own home either; and so far, Durie is loving the experiment; but it has come with some hiccups.<\/p>\n

\u201cTransporting a concrete 3D printing machine from Sydney to the Hinterlands was interesting; it\u2019s about making sure that it fits in between the slabs and that the equipment isn\u2019t getting in the way of the workers and everything else,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had some teething battles to be honest, but that\u2019s what pioneering new methods is all about. It\u2019s about ensuring we find better ways to build faster. Especially if we are short on trade, we need to ensure that some of our building industry adopts automation,\u201d said Durie who explained that the 3D printer can spit out cement like toothpaste; a constant stream at a large scale to build a home quickly.<\/p>\n

The move to Byron Bay<\/p>\n

Durie has had a long association with Byron Bay. He\u2019s been visiting since he was a child aged eight, and started surfing up there aged 12. He recalls taking his eldest daughter Taylor up to Byron Bay when she was born to spend holidays together.<\/p>\n

Durie bought his dairy farm in 2023 \u2013 paying $3 million dollars to reacquaint with the Hinterland region of NSW.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love the beach, being able to grow my own vegetables without chemicals and seeing the look on our kid\u2019s faces when they run through the fields here without a worry,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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The family will build a 3D printed home in just three months. Picture: Supplied<\/p>\n

While Durie is used to handling the stress of building \u2013 having done it many times before, he\u2019s now sharing the load with his fianc\u00e9. He\u2019s all about getting the built form and structure in place, while Ameka is tasked with interior and furniture choices.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s done a great job with the interiors of our Avalon place, and she\u2019ll do a great job here as well. At the moment I\u2019m bouncing back between Sydney and here, just getting as much of the structure in place as I can quickly,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The couple knocked down the Caretakers Cottage on the farm to start the new build.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe demolished the cottage, and we\u2019re building a new one in its place. We\u2019re using 10-star energy efficient appliances, double glazed windows, and we\u2019re the first house in Australia to use double glazed louver windows,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The Hinterlands has been their favourite weekend escape for a few years now. They have ducks, geese and hens laying 20 eggs a day which keeps the kids amused.<\/p>\n

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The mega-mansion in Sydney\u2019s Avalon hit the market in October. Picture: realestate.com.au<\/p>\n

The Avalon home in Sydney has garnered lots of interest, but they have not secured a buyer as of yet.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got a lovely house and had a lot of interest in it because of its sustainability footprint,\u201d Durie said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe geothermal technology in the Avalon home is what is outstanding. To build a house of that size and still have it the off grid was a huge accomplishment for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for Byron Bay and its surrounding towns, Durie is drawn to the community spirit he has found there. So far there\u2019s been zero objections to his planning permit applications, whereas in Avalon he had to deal with 60 to create his perfect home.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love the community support that we find up here in this part of NSW,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a breath of fresh air and a sense that everyone is getting on with what they\u2019re doing. They have been supportive of our environmental building practices too, and that\u2019s made the experience for me all the more enjoyable,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The new home is being constructed using 70% reduced carbon concrete, slabs that incorporate recycled plastic,\u00a0and every inch of steel is made from 100% recycled scrap metal. The glass tiles from Beaumont are made from recycled TV and PC screens while all bench tops are carbon and silica free.<\/p>\n

Where they eat and shop locally<\/p>\n

1. The Eltham Pub in Eltham, NSW.<\/p>\n

Home to the \u201cbest parmigianas in town,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a beautiful old Australian pub, not much has changed and it\u2019s very homely. They have lots of local live music and we love the vibe here,\u201d Durie said.<\/p>\n

2. Doma in Federal, NSW is their favourite Japanese restaurant where you \u201ccan\u2019t go wrong\u201d.<\/p>\n

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Doma cafe in Federal began as a stall at the Mullumbimby farmers market. Picture: realestate.com.au<\/p>\n

3. Two Ravens Vintage Furniture in Lismore.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have become good mates and we love going to get vintage furniture from here,\u201d Durie said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe idea of bringing something old into something new is quite charming. Giving furniture a second life is important -it\u2019s a cradle-to-cradle philosophy and circular economy thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"He\u2019s just listed his $33m mega-mansion in Sydney\u2019s Northern Beaches, and now award-winning landscape architect Jamie Durie is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":311794,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[449,458,459,64,63,460,134],"class_list":{"0":"post-311793","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-au","12":"tag-australia","13":"tag-design","14":"tag-entertainment"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/311793","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=311793"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/311793\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/311794"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=311793"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=311793"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=311793"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}