BIG SKY LODGE
Front exterior of Big Sky Lodge at dusk

Big Sky Lodge

A timeless family home inspired by the mountain lodges of Montana.

Long summer evenings on the macrocarpa deck. Dinner under the covered alfresco as the western sky turns gold on the horizon. Inside, exposed timber beams, Belgian brick and deep, rich colour carry the warmth of a mountain lodge. This is Big Sky Lodge, our family home high on a ridgeline above Tauranga. Now we’re helping families create a Big Sky Lodge of their own.

Build Your Own Big Sky Lodge Visit the Original

The Idea

A new home that feels like it has always been there.

Most new houses take years to feel like home. Big Sky Lodge was designed to feel that way from the day its doors opened. Cedar, Belgian brick, timber, stone, copper and deep interior colour give it warmth and character: a new house with soul.

It is where our family lives. It is also where your own Big Sky Lodge begins.

Your Own Big Sky Lodge

You don’t need our house. You need your version of it.

Your Big Sky Lodge will start from the same principles as ours: natural materials that age beautifully, rooms that draw a family together, a seamless connection to the outdoors, planning that works for real life, and interiors with genuine character.

Then it becomes yours, shaped around your land, your views, your family and your budget. Larger or smaller, on a coastal section or a rural hillside, it will carry the same warmth you feel the moment you step through our front door.

We are now inviting conversations with a small number of families who want to create a home like this.

How It Works

From first visit to front door

01
Discover

Walk through Big Sky Lodge, in person or on film, and find the spaces, materials and details that speak to you.

02
Shape

Tell us about your land, your family and how you want to live. Together we define what your Big Sky Lodge should feel like.

03
Design + Interiors

We shape the design direction for your site, with detailed design completed by qualified professionals. Interior design by Dayna is part of the build: materials, colour, cabinetry, lighting and furnishings.

04
Build

When you are ready to build, you will contract directly with an independent building partner. We are never your builder.

05
Come Home

A home with the soul of Big Sky Lodge, made entirely for your family.

The Original

Big Sky Lodge, Tauranga

Completed in 2024 and lived in every day since. This is the house that started it all, and the best way to understand what yours could be.

Entry hall with Belgian brick wall, custom cedar front door and fluted glass
5Bedrooms
3Full Bathrooms
2Living Areas + Sunroom
2024Completed

The Film

Big Sky Lodge, from first light to last

Front exterior of Big Sky Lodge by day, the cover image for the film

Open the film in a new window

Aerial view of Big Sky Lodge and its elevated site, the cover image for the aerial flyover film

Aerial Flyover

The house on its elevated site, open countryside rolling out beyond it, closing on the front elevation at dusk.

Rear elevation of Big Sky Lodge at dusk, the cover image for the evening showcase film

Evening

As the sun drops, the house begins to glow: the rear elevation, covered alfresco and garden in the last light of the day.

The Architecture

Built around warmth

Timber, brick and colour run through every room: exposed beams overhead, a Belgian brick wall rising beside the staircase, and deep colour carried across walls, doors and even ceilings. Nothing is beige. Nothing is an afterthought.

Imported Belgian brick detail with stone sill and mid bronze joinery Exposed timber truss and gable detail above the front entry

Space

Room to gather. Room to retreat.

You arrive beneath a five-metre void, framed by internal Belgian brick, native timber and a mid-bronze balustrade: a first impression that sets the tone for the whole house.

Across two and a half levels, the plan balances togetherness and privacy, with shared living at the heart of the home and quiet bedroom wings above.

Internal Belgian brick wall and timber staircase beside the entry void

Living

Life flows from the kitchen to the garden

The kitchen, dining and family living sit at the centre of the house, with a generous island, a built-in dining booth and timber beams overhead, and open straight onto the covered alfresco, deck and garden. Summer evenings spill outside. Winter nights draw everyone in.

Upstairs, five bedrooms sit across two private wings, from a primary suite with its own walk-in wardrobe to a bunk room with built-in macrocarpa bunks.

Set high on its site, the house catches morning sun and long evening light over open countryside. Your Big Sky Lodge will begin with the same question: where does the light fall, and where should you be when it does?

Kitchen island, custom cabinetry and gas cooktop beneath exposed timber beams and deep blue walls Separate lounge with Belgian brick fireplace surround and exposed timber rafters
Master suite with patterned wallpaper, exposed timber beams and upholstered headboard Primary ensuite bathroom Bedroom with custom built-in macrocarpa bunks
Rear elevation at dusk with the covered alfresco, spa patio and macrocarpa decking lit for evening
Uninterrupted rural views and a wide western sky

The Story

Where it began

It started with a feeling: a home that wraps around you the moment you step inside.

Interior designer Dayna Howell, of Raw Mood Studio, found that feeling in the mountain lodges of Montana, then reimagined it for New Zealand family life: natural materials, deep colour and rooms made for living in.

“Our home was inspired by the warmth and character of a Yellowstone lodge. I was drawn to mountain modern architecture, but wanted to move beyond the neutral palette so often associated with it.

By layering timber, Belgian brick and colour across the walls, doors and ceilings, we created interiors with depth, atmosphere and a strong sense of identity. The result is a home that feels warm, grounded and enduring.”

Floor Plan

How the original is laid out

Shared living on the lower level, with bedrooms divided between two private upper wings. Open either plan to view it full screen.

Lower Floor

Upper Floor

Plans are indicative and not to scale. Your Big Sky Lodge will be designed around your own site and brief, never copied from this plan.

Top down aerial of the site showing the fully fenced backyard, decks, covered alfresco and driveway parking

The Details

The materials that make it

  • Two and a half level layout
  • 5 metre entrance void
  • 3 metre ceiling heights to the principal lower level rooms
  • Western red cedar cladding
  • Belgian brick detailing
  • Macrocarpa soffits and decking
  • Copper exterior detailing
  • Mid bronze aluminium joinery
  • Custom cedar entrance door with fluted glass
  • Large central kitchen island
  • Stone benchtops and custom cabinetry
  • Built-in dining booth with drawer storage
  • Exposed timber beams
  • Direct connection to the covered alfresco
  • Primary suite with ensuite and walk-in wardrobe
  • Custom built-in macrocarpa bunks
  • Covered alfresco with macrocarpa decking
  • Established planting and feature trees

Interiors

Interiors by Dayna

So much of what people love about Big Sky Lodge lives in its interiors: the layered timber, the Belgian brick, the fearless use of colour. That is the work of Dayna Howell of Raw Mood Studio.

Interior design by Dayna is part of every Big Sky Lodge build. It is what gives each home its own depth, character and individuality:

  • Interior concept and direction
  • Colour
  • Materials and finishes
  • Kitchen and bathroom selections
  • Cabinetry
  • Lighting
  • Furniture and furnishings
  • Sourcing
  • Styling

From first concept to the final styled room, no two Big Sky Lodges are the same.

Crystal chandelier and bold floral wallpaper, one of Dayna Howell's interior details at Big Sky Lodge

Visit

Come and see it for yourself

Photographs only go so far. To really understand Big Sky Lodge you need to stand in it: feel the timber and brick, watch the light move through the rooms, sit where the family gathers.

Because it is our family home, visits are by private appointment only, for people seriously considering a Big Sky Lodge of their own. Request a visit below and we will be in touch to arrange a time. The address is shared once your visit is confirmed.

Request a Private Visit

Begin

Start your Big Sky Lodge

Tell us a little about your land, your family and the home you imagine. We will come back to you personally.

We will only use your details to respond to your enquiry. Read our Privacy Statement.

Prefer email? Write to us at info@bigskylodge.co.nz.