“Karl and Jasmine Stefanovic’s luxe Sydney dream home is inching forward to completion, as new photos of the construction site have been revealed.”, — write: www.dailymail.co.uk
The Today show co-host, 51, and his shoe designer wife, 41, are building a $4.5 million luxury mansion in Castlecrag, 9km north of Sydney’s CBD.
Dramatic aerial images of the construction site show the ambitious rebuild is well and truly powering ahead.
The photos reveal a sandstone plot that has been entirely excavated, with the initial slabs poured and the basement-level walls beginning to emerge.
A striking circular form is visible at the centre of the build, alongside towering retaining walls and neatly stacked steel ready for the next stage of construction.
There is also what appears to be a large spiral staircase being constructed to the rear of the basement level.
The upper level is beginning to take shape too, with concrete walls, including an arched recess along the back, visible in the photos.
The photos also captured numerous construction workers busily working on the build, surely a welcome sight for Karl and Jasmine after their long and challenging journey to get the project underway.
The couple had revised plans for their luxury mansion approved by the Land and Environment Court back in April.
The couple had set out to knock down the original 1960s home on the block to build a four-level sprawl with five bedrooms.
The court approved a modified design for the home which will now only feature two levels.
The couple purchased the property for $3.2 million in 2021 and finally received approval, in March this year, from Willoughby Council to move forward with their renovation after a year-long wrangle of their original development application (DA).
A modified DA was submitted by the couple in February after demolition work had already started in December.
News Corp reported the pair met with Willoughby Council in a ‘conciliation conference’ in April.
According to the report, a neighbour was concerned about ‘glare’ from the roof in the revised development.
The judgment ruled ‘the proposed modification is substantially the same as the consent as originally approved’.
Modifications to the Stefanovics’ ‘dream home’ now include four bedrooms instead of five and two levels as opposed to three.
The couple’s plans for their new pad include a pool, a spa, an al fresco dining area, and a double garage, down from a three-car space.
The decision came after Stefanovic first lodged a DA with the council in March 2023.
Neighbours responded to the couple’s plans with a series of concerns including ‘loss of views’, and reflection from solar panels.
Originally built in the 1960s, the old home, which has now been knocked down completely, had views over Castlecrag’s north escarpment.
A design sketch shows the finished property will feature a stunning contemporary design, spacious surroundings, French windows and an indoor circular staircase.
It will also boast a stylish outdoor dining terrace with adjacent stairs and a host of gorgeous architectural touches, including high ceilings and slanted windows.
Karl and Jasmine, who share daughter Harper, four, divide their time between Sydney and Queensland.
As well as Harper, Karl also has three older children—Jackson, 24, Willow, 19, and River, 17—from his marriage to Cassandra Thorburn.