<strong>Love at first sight: </strong>Kayti Denham, pictured, first came to Bali for her honeymoon in the 1980s and has been in love with the Indonesian island ever since.
Love at first sight: Kayti Denham, pictured, first came to Bali for her honeymoon in the 1980s and has been in love with the Indonesian island ever since.
Tanja Wessels
<strong>Laying the house foundations: </strong>Denham moved to Bali in 2004, eventually leasing a semi-rural piece of land in the Indonesian island's Tabanan Regency. Two years later, she traveled to central Java to find a limasan, a traditional wooden home with a millennium-old design history.
Laying the house foundations: Denham moved to Bali in 2004, eventually leasing a semi-rural piece of land in the Indonesian island's Tabanan Regency. Two years later, she traveled to central Java to find a limasan, a traditional wooden home with a millennium-old design history.
Kayti Denham
<strong>Tabanan Regency:</strong> Bali's Tabanan Regency is about 840 square kilometers and is known for its rice terraces.
Tabanan Regency: Bali's Tabanan Regency is about 840 square kilometers and is known for its rice terraces.
SONNY TUMBELAKA/AFP/AFP via Getty Images
<strong>Bare bones: </strong>Denham found her limasan in the former royal capital of Surakarta, which she purchased for $7,000. She hired artisans to disassemble the home, load it into a truck, and deliver it to Bali, which cost about $650.
Bare bones: Denham found her limasan in the former royal capital of Surakarta, which she purchased for $7,000. She hired artisans to disassemble the home, load it into a truck, and deliver it to Bali, which cost about $650.
Kayti Denham
<strong>Robi Supriyanto: </strong>Denham's close friend, musician, environmental activist and earth-positive coffee farmer Robi Supriyanto helped her acquire the land and re-assemble her home.
Robi Supriyanto: Denham's close friend, musician, environmental activist and earth-positive coffee farmer Robi Supriyanto helped her acquire the land and re-assemble her home.
Kayti Denham
<strong>Help from friends: </strong>Denham finished the house with the help of local artistan Ketut (r), seen here discussing the foundation layout with her friend, Supriyanto.
Help from friends: Denham finished the house with the help of local artistan Ketut (r), seen here discussing the foundation layout with her friend, Supriyanto.
Kayti Denham
<strong>Taking shape: </strong>When finished, the re-assembled and expanded T-shaped home measured 11 by 10 meters in front and 22 by 5 meters in the back.
Taking shape: When finished, the re-assembled and expanded T-shaped home measured 11 by 10 meters in front and 22 by 5 meters in the back.
Kayti Denham
<strong>Protecting against the elements:</strong> A tukang (artisan) mold-proofs the bedek (traditional rattan-thatch ceiling). Once the house was ready, an indoor toilet was added, and Denham began moving in furniture, bookcases and antique trunks.
Protecting against the elements: A tukang (artisan) mold-proofs the bedek (traditional rattan-thatch ceiling). Once the house was ready, an indoor toilet was added, and Denham began moving in furniture, bookcases and antique trunks.
Kayti Denham
<strong>Permablitz crew: </strong>To develop the land surrounding the house, a group of locals and expats, including a number of Denham's former international school students, organized a Permablitz, a kind of rapid-attack Permaculture event. They built bamboo outhouses and started work on an organic vegetable garden, while camping out and playing music with the locals in the evening.
Permablitz crew: To develop the land surrounding the house, a group of locals and expats, including a number of Denham's former international school students, organized a Permablitz, a kind of rapid-attack Permaculture event. They built bamboo outhouses and started work on an organic vegetable garden, while camping out and playing music with the locals in the evening.
Kayti Denham
<strong>The kitchen: </strong>In July 2018, Denham flew to Australia to take a teaching job in a remote outback town, returning to Bali over school holidays to work further on the house. She spent most of her 2019 Christmas vacation moving the remainder of her goods into her new house, before returning to Australia to resume teaching.
The kitchen: In July 2018, Denham flew to Australia to take a teaching job in a remote outback town, returning to Bali over school holidays to work further on the house. She spent most of her 2019 Christmas vacation moving the remainder of her goods into her new house, before returning to Australia to resume teaching.
Kayti Denham
<strong>Waiting to return: </strong>Denham flew back to Australia after Christmas to resume teaching, telling her Bali friends, "See you in April!." But then the pandemic struck, leaving her stranded in Australia. It's now been over a year since she's been to her home in Bali.
Waiting to return: Denham flew back to Australia after Christmas to resume teaching, telling her Bali friends, "See you in April!." But then the pandemic struck, leaving her stranded in Australia. It's now been over a year since she's been to her home in Bali.
Kayti Denham