David and Candice Warner have been working on building their dream Maroubra home since 2016 – bu it’s still nowhere near completely.
New aerial images of the house show there’s still extensive work to be done – and the couple’s plans for the build have dramatically changed.
The pair demolished the existing home in 2017, then completed excavation works to prepare the site for their brand new, five-level mansion complete with a gym and pool.
Long way to go! David and Candice Warner have been working on building their dream Maroubra home since 2016 – and it’s still in a shambles. Both pictured
The original estimate on the build cost was just over $4 million – however it appears that budget has blown out.
A new Development Application to Randwick council was lodged in February 2020, requests amendments to the original plans.
The architect’s submission claimed: ‘The client’s needs have changed in the years since the approval of the original DA.
Long way: The home is pictured in 2018, one year after the rebuild began in 2017
A lot to do: The house is pictured in May 2020 – with extensive work still needed
Still going! The house is pictured in 2021, and it appears to have barely changed
‘To accommodate the increased space requirements for the now three children as well as to optimise their enjoyment of the stunning location the following layout changes have been made in this application to modify the original DA’.
Those changes are as follows, according to the document: ‘The master bedroom has been relocated from Level 4 (garden level) to the same position on Level 3 in order to be closer to the children’s Bedrooms as the clients have a new baby.
‘The rumpus room has therefore been relocated from Level 3 to the same location on Level 4. The bath, WC, laundry and plant room on Level 3 have been reconfigured accordingly.
New ideas: In new aerial images, it’s evident there is still a lot to be done – and the couple’s plans for the build have dramatically changed
Costly: The original estimate on the build cost was just over $4 million – however it appears that budget has blown out
‘A pantry and toilet have been added in lieu of the sauna on pool Level 2. The Kitchen has been reconfigured on level 2. The sauna has been relocated to Level 3.
‘Some windows have been added underground to allow appreciation of the stunning rock formations that were unearthed during the excavation,’ the document reads.
The glamorous couple still have a long way to go before their dream mansion is complete, with new images of the property indicating that little progress has been made to the knockdown rebuild.
Update: A new Development Application to Randwick council was lodged in February 2020, requests amendments to the original plans
Those changes are as follows, according to the document: ‘The master bedroom has been relocated from Level 4 (garden level) to the same position on Level 3 in order to be closer to the children’s bedrooms as the clients have a new baby’
It continues: ‘The rumpus room has therefore been relocated from Level 3 to the same location on Level 4. The bath, WC, laundry and plant room on Level 3 have been reconfigured’
The build had originally been estimated to cost $4.035million, but it’s likely the new plans will significantly increase the Warners’ budget.
The estimated cost of the project has since gone up to over $4.2 million – and could be even more.
According to a report published by News Corp in 2018, construction of the Warners’ property has ‘infuriated neighbours as the development has been so slow moving’.
One neighbour was quoted as saying: ‘Trucks have been coming and going for months, but then we don’t see anything for a couple of weeks. We expected this to be built by now — he bought the place ages ago and it’s not pretty to look at.’
Views: ‘Some windows have been added underground to allow appreciation of the stunning rock formations that were unearthed during the excavation,’ it goes on
Changes: ‘A pantry and toilet have been added in lieu of the sauna on pool Level 2. The Kitchen has been reconfigured on level 2. The sauna has been relocated to Level 3’ the document reads
‘I pity the neighbours who live right next door, as they’ve had to live next to a building site. If I were him, I’d make it extra secure, as I can’t see people welcoming him with open arms, even before all the recent drama,’ they continued.
Some neighbours have been complaining about the noise, and works have also led to limited street access and ‘restricted parking’ at times.
Discussing the build with Daily Mail Australia that same year, Elvis Mardini, the owner of Mardini Constructions, said that locals had been ‘calling the council every day’.
Angry: According to a report published by News Corp construction of the Warners’ property has ‘infuriated neighbours as the development has been so slow moving’
One neighbour was quoted as saying: ‘Trucks have been coming and going for months, but then we don’t see anything for a couple of weeks. We expected this to be built by now — he bought the place ages ago and it’s not pretty to look at’
‘The neighbours think it’s going to take away from their view but it won’t. I think they’ve got an issue with David and Candice, but they don’t know them,’ he said.
At the time, Mardini predicted the property would be finished by December 2019, two years after construction first began in 2017.
Materials and supplies were airlifted from a truck down onto the grand property, with building sounds echoing through the rock alcove and street below.
Family: David and Candice are parents to daughters Ivy Mae, six, and Indi Rae, five, and welcomed daughter Isla Rose, one, in June 2019. All pictured
‘It can get quite noisy during the day,’ said one neighbour, with another adding that the build is ‘annoying’ and ‘dragging on now’.
At the time, school children were prevented from passing and had to take a different path for their safety around the trucks and workers.
‘It can be difficult to get through or park and there’s always trucks on the street,’ said another neighbour, who asked to remain anonymous.
David and Candice, who married in 2015, are parents to daughters Ivy Mae, six, and Indi Rae, five, and welcomed daughter Isla Rose, one, in June 2019.
Loved up: Candice and David married in April 2015 in a stunning ceremony at Terrara House Estate on the South Coast of NSW