- Gabi Bondor and Zoltan Kaman moved to Bali from New York City seven years ago with their teenage sons.
- During the pandemic, they built an eclectic six-bedroom home for their family.
- Now that they're a married couple and have finished raising their children, they've sold their Canggu villa for $1.895 million.
Seven years ago, Gabi Bondor and Zoltan Kaman packed up their lives and moved from New York City to Bali with their two teenage sons.
The idea was born out of a conversation with a friend over coffee on a cold winter's morning.
The friend mentioned her plans to enroll her daughters in the Green School, an eco-friendly bamboo building known for its sustainability-focused curriculum for kindergarten through high school, also in Ubud, near the center of the Indonesian island, more than 10,000 miles from New York.
“I'd traveled to places like India, Vietnam and China, but I'd never been to Indonesia, so I said, 'Bali, it looks really warm. Tell me about it,'” Bondor told Business Insider.
Upon returning home, they began researching what life was like in Bali.
“I looked at the school and it was the opposite of what was happening to my kids who went to high school in New York. When they came home that day, I said, 'Guys, we're going to Bali for spring break,'” Bondor said.
After their spring break visit, the couple wanted to experience what island life was like for a longer period of time.
In the end, they sold their kids on the idea of a year-long vacation to Bali as a chance to get away from stressful city life and see the rest of Asia.
“We told them, 'One suitcase per person, keep the rest because you'll be coming back in a year,'” Bondor added, “but they were allowed to bring their Xboxes on board.”
But after a year in Bali, the couple realized they didn't want to leave, so they returned to the U.S. to pack up their storage unit and have no plans to return.
The friend who introduced her to Bali didn't end up moving, she added.
Bali Building
Like many expats, the couple rented several houses in Bali before finally building their own during the pandemic.
“When COVID-19 hit, land prices were much more affordable than they are now, so we decided to buy some land in a location where we could create space for our family,” Bondor said.
Kaman, co-founder of a digital payments app, told BI that one of the reasons he chose to build his own properties, rather than buying unfinished ones or continuing to rent, was to ensure the quality of the construction.
“There's always been some kind of problem with the houses, whether it's pumps or air conditioning, but the homeowners don't necessarily care,” Kaman says. “We thought, 'Why not just build something ourselves and at least have control and make sure everything works the way we want it to?'”
Plus, they had experience renovating their own home while in the U.S. It also helped that they had a team of talented builders recommended by friends to rely on.
“We love the process,” Bondor said. “We have fun. I think we're a great team. If he's feeling down or upset, I encourage him and vice versa.”
They wanted to stay near Canggu, known for its beaches and vibrant food scene.
“We live in the neighborhood and we're always scouting the area. A lot of us like the rice field views, but some people like the beach views. We're social people, so we like coffee shops,” Bondor said.
When the couple first saw the property, at the end of a narrow street branching off the main road, they immediately fell in love.
“It was very quiet and peaceful. There was basically nothing there except seven big mango trees and lots of dense vegetation. It was like a little jungle,” Kaman said.
The lot area was approximately 8,200 square feet. Foreigners cannot own land In Bali, the land they own is on a 30-year lease.
The entire construction project took just over a year to complete, with the couple living in a rented house nearby so they could be on-site at all times.
The biggest challenge they faced was having to work during Bali's rainy season, which usually lasts from November to March.
“We started digging the pool during the rainy season, but all we did was dig into the dirt,” Bondor said. “We didn't see the excavator come out of the dirt for weeks. It seemed like nothing was happening.”
Cozy eclectic home
The couple's six-bedroom home is on a cul-de-sac, next to a rice field that has been converted into a cucumber-growing plot.
The two-storey building, which comes with an attached dwelling unit the couple calls the “teenager's room,” has a red-and-grey exterior that stands out against the greenery surrounding it.
Once through the gate, you are greeted by a long walkway surrounded by two koi ponds that leads to the main building.
“I want to say it has a lot of European charm, like Paris and New York dancing the tango. I also wanted to incorporate a lot of Balinese elements,” Bondor said.
The furniture is handcrafted in Indonesia and the terracotta tiles on the building's exterior were also made by local families, she added.
Most importantly, A home designed with your lifestyle in mind.
“I think everything from the kitchen layout to the lighting is based on how we spend our daily lives,” Bondor said.
A couple who have finished raising their children
But the couple decided that now was the time. They are saying goodbye to their home and have put the villa on the market for $1.895 million.
With their eldest son already studying abroad and their youngest soon to be attending university, the couple plans to move to a smaller house.
“He just graduated this past weekend, and it's just such a shock that he'll soon be leaving us with this big, empty house all to ourselves,” Kaman said.
Additionally, the couple plans to travel a bit more now that their children are independent, and a house of this size cannot be left vacant for long periods in a tropical climate.
“There are no seasons, it's always raining, the sun is always strong, it damages the materials,” Bondor said. “There are animals too. If a little gecko dies here and nobody cleans for a day or two, the ants come.”
“This house requires a lot of care and maintenance, so if we're not here for months at a time, it's not going to work,” Kaman added.
But Bali will always be their home base.
The slow pace of island life allows us to stop and appreciate the little things in our day, like working out in the morning or eating a delicious lunch together.
That aside, Bali is a melting pot of different cultures and its people are always an inspiration.
“We have a very unique expat community that comes to Bali and I think our friends have a very similar mindset to us,” Bondor said.
The couple has one piece of advice for anyone wanting to build a home in Bali: don't cut corners.
“Do it the right way and always respect your team,” Bondor said. “Don't use cheap materials because this weather will damage everything. If the roof is not built properly, the rain will get in.”
Kaman added that it may not be wise for someone without experience to take on such an ambitious project.
“If you don't have experience building houses, don't start in Bali,” he says. “Just choose the right contractor.”
Have you recently built or renovated your dream home? If you have a story you'd like to share, contact me. Agof.
