- 6/1/2025
Grand Designs New Zealand Season 9 Episode 6
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00:01Life can be a bit of a balancing act, can't it?
00:05Built of all the critical elements that make it enriching, worthwhile.
00:12Demanding jobs, demanding kids, and your partner.
00:19Making sure that you're giving them the right care and attention.
00:25Looking after your own health.
00:30Time for family and friends.
00:34A hobby you enjoy.
00:39Maybe even a side hustle.
00:44What else?
00:47How about a bespoke architectural build?
00:56Beautiful.
01:00But, what happens if one of those elements goes awry?
01:05The Kiwi Dream and the beach go hand in hand.
01:36Like sand and sea.
01:38Kids and cricket.
01:39Fish and chips.
01:41As the summer days roll on and on.
01:4545 minutes drive from busy, built-up Wellington.
01:49This is Paraparaumu Beach on the Carpeti Coast.
01:52Offering the promise of a new life for families like Bridget and Graham Clark and their three girls.
01:58Go, go, go, beat, beat, go.
02:01Right, where are we going?
02:02Uh, to Los Angeles.
02:04An attractor?
02:05Yeah, an attractor.
02:06Oh, good.
02:07This is a place we've quite often come to and not far up from where we live.
02:10Beat, beat, beat.
02:12The boat's broken down.
02:13We've really enjoyed the climate.
02:15We've really enjoyed the beach atmosphere and it's got a friendly vibe to it and everything.
02:20The Clarks live in Wellington where Bridget is a partner at a busy recruitment consultancy.
02:25And Graham is part owner of a nationwide cleaning company.
02:28The Hustle's pretty busy.
02:31We have quite demanding children.
02:34No, I mean, yes!
02:36We get there.
02:37Yeah, we do.
02:37We're pretty good at it.
02:38Yeah, and we try to have some fun along the way.
02:40Yeah, yeah, yeah.
02:41They built what they intended to be their forever home in 2017 on a typically steep Wellington hillside.
02:49But soon discovered that magnificent harbour views came at quite a price.
02:54We definitely caught the wind a little bit here.
02:56We woke up one morning and noticed the spa cover was about 100 metres down the bank there.
03:02Part of our couch is over there somewhere.
03:05No backyard or beach cricket for the three girls here.
03:08Their playground is a cold concrete driveway.
03:12Bridget and Graham want more for their kids and themselves.
03:15So the decision has been made.
03:17They're moving to Paraparaumu.
03:20I think the aim is that we want to feel a bit more connected.
03:22We'll embrace the community and get amongst it and enjoy it.
03:26So we're building our forever home again, aren't we?
03:29A forever, forever home.
03:30This will be our forever home.
03:31We're done.
03:32I'm done.
03:33We're done.
03:33Now, this may look like a pretty typical suburban street, but hiding somewhere here behind these
03:44bushes is one of the more unusual building sites you'll see.
03:48It's just, uh, I don't know how to get there.
03:51Maybe down here.
03:52Tom, hi.
04:04Hi.
04:05Nice to meet you.
04:05Bridget, right?
04:06Hi, yes.
04:07Graham.
04:08Graham, nice to meet you.
04:09You too.
04:09So you bought a tennis court?
04:10Yes, we have.
04:11Not a particularly green tennis court, and a bit difficult to have a game of tennis, but
04:16yes, we have.
04:17And there is a swimming pool over the back there, too.
04:18Oh, right, okay.
04:20So why did you buy this?
04:21It's a very good question.
04:23I do ask myself that sometimes.
04:26Lifestyle?
04:27Lifestyle.
04:27By the beach, you know, by the park.
04:29On the flat.
04:30On the flat.
04:30You can walk to the cafes, you can walk to the park.
04:32Plus, you've got a great nice little view to the golf course.
04:35Correct, and Graham is a golfer, so I'm sure he'll be there.
04:37I'm an amateur golfer.
04:38I'll play a bit more, I'm sure, when I'm here.
04:40With the kids on the back of the buggy.
04:42We'll see.
04:43We'll see.
04:43Yeah.
04:44Okay, so, where's the house going to be?
04:46Are we going to be in the service?
04:47Somewhere along here.
04:48Court?
04:49Somewhere here?
04:49Yeah.
04:50The build actually goes from the road and it runs along kind of this side of the section
04:55and down to the pool area.
04:58The pool was a big draw for the clerks, but at the moment, it's more of a draw for local
05:03amphibians.
05:05Well, it's quite a fixture, isn't it?
05:07It is.
05:08Yeah.
05:08So you already have the pool.
05:11You're just hoping that it's in a good condition.
05:14Yeah, we don't know if it works at the moment, but we'll give it a crack, yeah.
05:18The water looks a bit green.
05:20It needs to get a tidy up.
05:21Yeah.
05:21Clean up.
05:22Give it a clean, get the frogs out.
05:24This is where we'll be a lot of the time.
05:26So that's the lifestyle, that's the dream.
05:27Dream big?
05:28Yes.
05:28Absolutely, yeah.
05:29Unless you're playing golf.
05:30At least I'm playing golf by myself.
05:32With the children.
05:34Yeah.
05:34There's some different opinion there.
05:36Yeah.
05:36No golf for a while, though, and no tennis either, with the court ripped up for a concrete
05:43pad that pretty much fills a section between the elevated road and what will be the renovated
05:49pool.
05:50On the ground floor, a guest suite, three bedrooms for the girls, a media room, bathroom and
05:55laundry all run off a long hallway that ends in a high-stud dining room and galley-style
06:00kitchen with walk-in pantry and, tucked in behind, a lounge that opens out to the deck and pool.
06:07Up internal stairs to the top floor, where the master bedroom gets the morning sun.
06:12There's also a walk-in wardrobe, en suite, home office and a two-car garage.
06:18Walk around to the front door on a covered gantry, glimpsing the garden below through the timber
06:23rain screen, providing subtle privacy.
06:26The girls have their cherished backyard play space, while family and friends can all enjoy
06:32the covered outdoor entertaining area and the pool with the original rubble stone wall.
06:36This large, long, modernist home occupies most of the site, while making good use of the
06:43outdoor space that is available, giving the clerks the lifestyle they seek and their long-awaited
06:49forever home.
06:50When do you start?
06:55Next week, hopefully.
06:56Yeah, all going well.
06:57Diggers will be here next week.
06:59And then you finish when?
07:0112 months.
07:02October 24th.
07:0312 months to build a house, 360 square meters.
07:06It'll be busy 12 months.
07:08It will be.
07:09For the builders.
07:10Yeah.
07:10Yeah.
07:11You've done this before, you've built before, but do you go into this with enthusiasm and
07:14excitement, or do you go into this with some experience and a little bit concerned?
07:20Yeah, apprehension.
07:20Yeah, yeah.
07:21About what?
07:23About everything.
07:24About the cost.
07:24I think it's the cost.
07:26And how much do you have to spend?
07:28It's a very good question.
07:292.1.
07:29We have 2.1 to build this.
07:31And how much was the section?
07:33We paid 915,000 for it.
07:36So 3 million-ish all in.
07:39I can see why you have a level of anxiety.
07:41This is really the dream, and this is what we want.
07:44So now or never.
07:44We've really got to find a way.
07:47And that's involving what?
07:48You sell the current house?
07:50Yeah.
07:50Current house goes on the market February 2024.
07:54Hope for a good price.
07:55You're all in then.
07:56Yeah.
07:57But it is the forever home, second time around.
07:59Yes, correct.
08:00Second time.
08:00Second forever.
08:01Yep.
08:06So, what have we got here?
08:08Well, maybe the world's most expensive tennis court outside of Wimbledon.
08:12But that's not the biggest cost.
08:14There's another $2.1 million to spend on top of that, and a house to sell, all within
08:19this condensed 12-month period.
08:22Now, that's a high-stakes game in anybody's book.
08:26But, with high stakes come great rewards.
08:31Hopefully.
08:37However, the challenges here are not just financial.
08:41The long low site and the old swimming pool are constraints that any design will have to
08:45take into account, a conundrum for architectural designer Mike Holmes to sort out.
08:53They had a high expectation of what they wanted for their home.
08:57It has five bedrooms, multiple living spaces, its own study.
09:02So, with the constraints of the site, it was a bit like Tetris that sort of fit all those
09:07things in in a logical way.
09:08One of Mike's first decisions was putting the garage on the top level, next to the master bedroom.
09:13We couldn't have an easy turning circle, so we tried to make that as efficient as possible
09:19by having it up at street level, and then all the spaces sort of flowed on from there.
09:24But, with the garage at one end and the pool at the other, this house has to stretch almost the entire length of the section.
09:33So, not much room for the garden the clerks also want.
09:37It's a bold architectural response to the constraints of the site, and the test will be whether the house
09:44feels bound by those boundaries, or sits gracefully within them.
09:53Just two weeks after my first visit, and its action stations.
10:02Today's a big day.
10:03The diggers are rolling in.
10:04We hand over to the builders to do their part, and deliver us a house in, hopefully, 12 months.
10:12However, this is a day that came perilously close to not happening at all.
10:17Since the clerks bought their section in 2021, there's been a seismic shift in the New Zealand housing landscape.
10:24These sharply increasing costs of building materials, and higher interest rates, cause the market to slump.
10:31That put Graham and Bridget in a very tight spot indeed.
10:34We looked at selling the section, we looked at redesigning the house, making it smaller.
10:41We were in no man's land for a while there.
10:45We got consent on hold, the bank wasn't giving us the finance.
10:50Yeah, there was a good few months where we were really unsure.
10:52Yeah.
10:52And then we decided to press go, and build the house that we wanted.
10:56And here we are today.
10:59Full commitment seems to be a quality that characterises the clerks.
11:04The digger's here, so there is no turning back.
11:07We're away.
11:07Beginning a project with a budget already stretched so fine is a daunting proposition.
11:14If only that was all this couple had to worry about.
11:17This is Bridget and Graham's Wellington investment property, 15 months after it was hit by a landslide.
11:28Such a mess.
11:29I hate coming here.
11:31This is what keeps me up at night at the moment.
11:33Trying to figure out a way.
11:38They had hoped to get the repairs done before they started building Paraparaumu.
11:43But the difficult logistics of this very awkward job left those plans stuck in the mud.
11:50No one wants to run to a construction project at one time.
11:52What we got paid for insurance, you know, it's been a year now.
11:58Costs have gone up, you know, to do this kind of work.
12:01You know, so that could blow out as well.
12:04And quite frankly, we probably don't have the money for it, you know.
12:10It's financially crippling.
12:12Right.
12:13There's now finally a plan to start repair work.
12:16But there's still a big question mark over how long that could take and how much it could cost.
12:22You haven't seen us from all that.
12:25Don't worry about wiping your feet.
12:28I come here a bit, Bridget.
12:29I'm trying to avoid it.
12:32Yeah, it's tough.
12:33Yeah, I'm just kidding.
12:35Yeah, we're lucky that it's not our family.
12:38Clearly, the clerks thrive when taking on challenges.
12:41But come on.
12:43Two building projects, two demanding jobs, three demanding kids, and a budget already stretched to the limit.
12:50This game has only just started, and they're already at break point.
12:55Just one month after breaking ground at Paraparaumu, Graham and Bridget's tennis court is a distant memory,
13:13replaced by a chaos of reinforcing steel and dirt.
13:17It's the day of the main concrete pour.
13:22On schedule.
13:24Impressive progress.
13:26Truckers drop on one of you guys' trucks.
13:28Maybe grab a couple more.
13:29Yeah.
13:29Will Mowbray is the lead builder, aiming for completion in just 12 months.
13:36And he's not short of confidence.
13:39There are too many challenges on this job.
13:41Well, that would be famous last words on TV, wouldn't it?
13:44And, of course, the first challenge is not too far away.
13:52Yeah.
13:53Hey, Tracy.
13:55Yeah, sorry.
13:56I was just going to say, yeah, it is stuck.
13:59Yeah.
14:00In trying to avoid falling down a big hill, the truck fell down a smaller one.
14:07Go, you've got to have fun.
14:09The house is also a leap of faith for the clerks.
14:23Paraparaumu is a completely new adventure, but the possibilities and opportunities here resonate deeply in Graham's memory.
14:32I grew up very similar to this, and so everything was flat.
14:36It was accessible, BMX track down the road, farms not far away.
14:41Yeah, and the weather was good as well, so it's just freedom.
14:43We just had freedom, and that's what we want for the girls.
14:51It's becoming very clear they won't achieve that by staying in Wellington.
14:59We have to drive everywhere, don't we?
15:00Yeah, we have to pretty much drive everywhere, and there's a hill directly outside our house, and you can't...
15:08It puts the kids off.
15:08Yeah, it puts the kids off.
15:10Hopefully that is more outdoors.
15:11Just get them out of the house, get them doing things.
15:14Get them all active, they're all young.
15:16Get them off TV.
15:17What are you guys looking forward to about moving up here?
15:27Getting a dog, obviously.
15:30What about the beach?
15:31I'm really looking forward to the beach, and do we like that we can go on so many more back rides, yeah?
15:36And we can play outside much more because of the weather, you know?
15:40Have a day for breakfast, Jenny.
15:41Can you take us some fish?
15:42Yeah, could do some fishing.
15:44How does that sound?
15:44Um, we could go bodyboarding.
15:47Oh, yay, I love bodyboarding.
15:49Maybe those will play golf when they leave out?
15:51I think I want to start junior golf, yes.
15:53Oh, great.
15:54Okay, you could go out with Dad.
15:55Dad could take all three girls out for golf every other day.
15:59I'll tell you what half will do.
16:00Half will just knock it through the holes.
16:06Into the new year, the build continues at a fast clip.
16:10At this rate, the 12-month deadline feels very achievable.
16:15The ground floor block work and framing is pretty much done.
16:19And today, steel portals are going up, completing the basic shape of the house and letting Bridget and Graham imagine the good times ahead.
16:27The island will go here, roundabout.
16:32Yeah.
16:33But nice new windows there, eh?
16:35This will be the heart of the home.
16:37This is where we'll spend the most time.
16:38Having the doors here to get out to the pool.
16:42Or better yet, to be outside with friends around the barbecue and the outdoor fire.
16:46Kitchen bench.
16:48Graham will be spending a lot of time here prepping food.
16:50There's been great progress here.
16:59No question.
17:00But the financial situation is a different story.
17:04Money, well, money's going out.
17:06Out.
17:07It's where it's going.
17:07Money's going out.
17:09And the interest is going up.
17:11Yeah.
17:12Yeah.
17:12Yeah, we're watching it closely.
17:14We've got our spreadsheet at home.
17:17But, you know, the next few months is probably going to be the challenge, I think.
17:20The clerks' finances are stacked up like a house of cards.
17:32The foundation those cards are stacked on is the sale of their current home.
17:37Today, it's going under the hammer.
17:39And they've bravely allowed me to eavesdrop at the option.
17:43Right now, I'm feeling nervous.
17:46I've been feeling nervous all week.
17:47And what do you want to get for the house?
17:50Two.
17:52I don't think we're going to get it.
17:54Two million.
17:55So you're not hopeful?
17:57No.
17:57And what does that mean?
17:59Do you need to?
18:00We could probably go settle for a little bit less.
18:03Not too much less.
18:04We've got to walk away, I guess.
18:06So let's see what the agent can do.
18:09Well, good luck.
18:10Thanks, Tom.
18:11Cheers.
18:11It's a simple equation.
18:15Every dollar below that hope for two million is another dollar they'll owe to the bank.
18:20But with a housing slump nationwide and no sign of interest rates coming down, this is a bad time to sell.
18:26Bid me away, start me away.
18:28I'm going to have any bids and I'll be off work.
18:30We're going to be safe, go on.
18:31Here we go.
18:32At a million 450,000, if you kick all that is off, and underway buyers, of course, happy for a mere 100,000 on top buyers.
18:38At a million 450,000 buyers once, buyers twice.
18:44So that was it?
18:59Yeah.
19:00Yeah.
19:01Okay.
19:02I'm no auctioneer, but that did sound like a very short bidding war.
19:07We're well off at the moment.
19:08Yeah, so what was the bid?
19:10One, four, five.
19:11Yeah.
19:12Here we go.
19:14I don't think you have this conversation.
19:16Okay, we've got to turn this off, mate.
19:18Okay.
19:18We'll have to leave it complete.
19:20Yes, understood.
19:21All right.
19:22Okay.
19:22Thanks, mate.
19:23See you.
19:23Bye.
19:23See you.
19:24Bye.
19:26Well, goodness.
19:29I mean, that is not the starting point, is it?
19:31That's not what you want.
19:32They're more than half a million dollars away from what they wanted.
19:37Let's hope this agent is a good negotiator.
19:44A few days after the auction of Bridget and Graham's Wellington home, I wonder how the chips
19:55have fallen, so to speak.
19:56I'm anticipating a fairly sombre welcome.
20:00Hello.
20:00Hello.
20:01Come on in.
20:01Welcome.
20:03Pleasantries aside, there's only one question on my mind.
20:07What happens to the auction?
20:09Well, we sold.
20:10Yeah, we sold.
20:12Under pressure.
20:13Yeah.
20:13But, yeah, we got close to our minimum, so we're happy enough with that.
20:18So what was the figure, Graham?
20:201.755.
20:22And you wanted 2 million, didn't you, Bridget?
20:24Yes.
20:25Minimum was 1.8.
20:26So we were close.
20:27We were close enough.
20:29Yeah, we're hoping that we can still have the outdoor kitchen finished.
20:33I can still have my fireplace in the lounge.
20:35I think there's bits and pieces I can do as well, and so over the next couple of months
20:39I'll chip in and...
20:41Do the deck.
20:41Do the deck.
20:42The pool.
20:43Empty the pool, paint the pool.
20:45There's this growing list now for Graham.
20:47There is.
20:48The to-do list has got longer.
20:49Yeah.
20:50How do you feel about that, Graham?
20:51I find it quite stressful at times.
20:54There's definitely been times where I've had a bit of a meltdown here and there and,
20:58you know, get a bit anxious about things, but really I've just got to get on with it.
21:03And we're in a fortunate position to be doing this, right?
21:07To be able to build a home, so we can never lose sight of that.
21:17Well, there's certainly a huge number of working parts at play here, and just one of those going
21:23wrong leads to a chain reaction, doesn't it?
21:25Fortunately, at the moment, the most important part, the build, is tracking okay.
21:30But, gosh, don't they just need it to carry on like that?
21:38The good news is, it's doing just that.
21:41Two months later, and the first floor framing is finished.
21:47Pre-cladding works have started, and there's even a roof.
21:54But today's focus is on the great outdoors, where Graham and Bridget want their girls to
21:59spend so much of their time.
22:01It was like a little secret garden, wasn't it, before?
22:06You had to squeeze under a hedge to get in.
22:07I know, I know.
22:09Rebecca Wilson is the landscape architect charged with delivering the dream.
22:15When I come onto a site and I look at a plan, I'm always going, how can I make people love
22:20being outside?
22:22How can I make them live outside?
22:24It's not just something for me that people look at.
22:27There has to be magic outside.
22:28However, so much of that depends on the site, and especially the sun, and that's where the
22:36problems lie.
22:38The road is on the western side.
22:40You've got to have a driveway and a garage on the western side, three and a half metres
22:46above floor.
22:46So it's a perfect storm for a bad afternoon scene in the garden.
22:54And then to add to the confusion, you'd never normally put a pool on the eastern side of
22:58a house, because it only gets morning sun, afternoon when everyone comes home from work.
23:02It's very difficult.
23:04There's no easy solution.
23:06And it's a series of compromises in a way, and wriggling to make it work.
23:10With no afternoon sun in what's proposed to be the main garden area, Rebecca has cast her
23:19expert eye elsewhere, and found a spot that's potential has been overlooked.
23:23This was going to be the service yard.
23:29The architects had a toilet here, and a door going into the laundry, and there was a screen
23:34coming out here, and a few gas bottles.
23:36Yeah, there was a bit of a reshuffle required.
23:39So now we've turned it into a very valuable, I think, courtyard space, which gets all the
23:44afternoon sun.
23:45You know, north is over there, so from two or three o'clock onwards, till about six or
23:49seven o'clock, this is going to be a really lovely little space for the family to come out
23:53and enjoy the afternoon sun.
23:54So we got rid of the clothesline, we got rid of that screen, and what a super solution
23:59it is.
23:59Your influence is feeling its way, creeping into the house like a vine or something.
24:04I'm looking at more, they are able to creep out.
24:08I mean, it doesn't look like much at the moment, but watch this space.
24:12Yeah, right.
24:14Rebecca's challenge now is to transform this previously unloved little space into a magical
24:20outdoor experience.
24:21No pressure, then.
24:24It can be done, of course.
24:26And here, at one of the country's most famous gardens, it's been achieved on a grand scale.
24:31This is Airlie's at Whitford in East Auckland, where owner and gardener Beverly McConnell and
24:36architect Jeff Newman have created a house and garden that are a perfect match.
24:42So what makes this place and the interaction between the architecture and nature so successful?
24:47My focus is instantly drawn to that window.
24:50So I want to explore, engage out the door and down into a space that's perfect for morning coffee.
25:01East-facing, semi-enclosed.
25:04If this was west-facing, I'd be in shadow.
25:08I wouldn't want to be here.
25:10There is vitality and views in all directions.
25:13And I'm drawn onwards to the sunny northern elevation, where the pool connects seamlessly with the home itself.
25:21East-facing, semi-enclosed.
25:22East-facing, semi-enclosed.
25:23So what do we have here?
25:25Well, we have carefully considered static architectural space, but meeting dynamic nature.
25:34and the two talking to each other empowering each other but there's a
25:40final ingredient here there's a touch of magic
25:46Ellie's is a long-established garden on a magnificent site something Rebecca can
25:52only dream of but despite having limited space and limited Sun she knows every
25:58opportunity to create viable outdoor living areas must be taken the chill of
26:08winter in Paraparaumu might be in the air but progress on this build is red-hot the
26:16roof is on and the ceiling framing is almost complete today the windows go in
26:25a great milestone that means the builders can work in a completely enclosed
26:29building
26:35it's a big step forward but back in Wellington there's been a big step
26:43backwards the repair of Graham and Bridget's rental property was finally
26:48underway until disaster struck again last night we got a lot of rain in
26:54Wellington and yeah that's obviously caused all this loose soil to head
26:59downhill into the holes that were drawn drilled 55 tons of earth that came down
27:06in the original landside had been carried away now all that hard work has been
27:11buried heartbreaking the other day when I came down here this was all a paved
27:18courtyard that we used to have and it was all clear so I was under there somewhere
27:23so yeah this will happen in the last 24 hours it's not ideal the cost of
27:31salvaging this rental property will almost certainly have financial repercussions
27:35for Bridget and Graham's new build this continuing disaster is the last thing they
27:40need and has the potential to bury all of their dreams
27:47it's a cold winter's day in para para umu but Bridget and Graham's forever forever home has a snug new jacket it's now clad with sleek black metal and
28:02textured black timber interior linings are moving along to be a nice space eh yeah it will be I'm looking forward to seeing the wallpaper
28:09they're on the home stretch daring to dream of a finished home
28:16this will be all learned in wood yeah right oh yeah true yeah really decent size eh yeah it is yeah and I like this out here this door that we had economy conversations about yes so Graham wanted this shut off but I really wanted
28:29oh yeah true yeah really decent size yeah it is yeah and i like this out here this door that we
28:37had many conversations about yes yes so graham wanted this shut off but i really wanted to be
28:44able to be in the kitchen and feel connected to the outside whereas you didn't get that at all
28:51no i don't know why and even the architect wanted to close yeah the architect wanted
28:57clothes as well yeah i'll give her this one i'll take it this time yeah so i can tell the kids from
29:03in here to stop jumping off off the brick wall they're not going to jump off the brick wall
29:10in contrast to the light and open entertainment area the hallway is long and a little moody
29:18it is a long dark hallway but but i think a bit of color on the walls yeah i think i think we'll
29:25be fine it'll be all right i just want to be done i just want to be in i just want to be done
29:34fatigue certainly seems to be setting in for bridget and graham is also feeling the combined
29:39effect of managing the budget overspend the rental property rebuild and a nationwide cleaning business
29:46as well as taking on a lot of diy to save money on the new build
29:50it is a little bit stressful the debt levels are high higher than it we probably anticipated i think
30:00it's just there'll be a few things that we will may have to do ourselves i think and may not be able
30:05to do right now yeah and may not be able to do right now which is which is okay i think we just face facts
30:10and we don't we might not have the cash for it so reality there is no turning back on what we've done
30:18now so we just need to be confident that we've made the right decision
30:22the house is now transforming into its final form but the garden is feeling pretty boxed in between
30:40the boundary the outdoor living area and the bank that was once the vehicle access it's under threat
30:46of being overwhelmed but fortunately it has a champion in the form of rebecca who i find in the
30:53middle of it all rising to the challenges such as the plastic water tanks that are going to double as
31:00a fence that's what we're dealing with and um what a disaster the water tank fence will run the length
31:11of the whole garden beautiful no but clever yes the alternative to having to bury a large round water
31:18tank you don't like those then they're the most hideous fence that i have ever seen okay don't mince
31:25your words good yeah yeah they told me that those fence that was going to look like a fence right it
31:34does not look like a fence no it looks like an ugly plastic gray thing with holes in it the other
31:40problem is the house itself its width covers a lot of what is already a narrow site the house is
31:48coming at us quite a lot it is black we've got a bit of a conflict here they want maximum space for
31:55lawn for the children to play on and yet there's a huge need to soften the building the boundaries
32:01the wall um and create some atmosphere down here without taking up too much space
32:07i mean the easy thing is to whack a deck along there and then put a pot in each corner but i'm not that
32:11kind of person okay for inspiration rebecca has turned to an old favorite of hers gardens from a long
32:19time ago and a long way away i've always loved the um paradise garden the persian islamic all those
32:29gardens which were developed in a very inhospitable climate they may have deserts they may have
32:36sandstorms they may have marauding bunches of crusaders whatever but their little paradise garden
32:42was their little enclave and i really thought we could do something like that here and create that
32:48little feeling of being a totally different world so we're not going for anything particularly local here
32:56this is a little bit of a sort of an escape from that you've looked at the challenges and and the
33:01problems and sort of turn them on their heads so they become an opportunity uh yes well that's
33:06always what we have to do isn't it really well i think that's where designers work best yes rebecca's
33:14got her work cut out for her turning carpeti coastal water tanks and black aluminium into a persian
33:21inspired garden can't wait to see the results just a few short weeks later and i'm back again and aside
33:32from wooden linings on a few feature walls this house is tantalizingly close to completion
33:40painting has begun into the white white walls everywhere there's just six weeks to go before the move-in date
33:49time to catch up with bridget and graham if i can find them keeps going on
34:02hey hey how are you busy yep always busy mate always the frog pond has been drained
34:10to be turned into a princely pool i'll give you a mop nice to see you well yeah yeah sure well there's not
34:16much left to do is there there's a bit more involved than uh painting and pool than than i
34:20thought yeah yeah it's not the biggest sander in the world is it look at that i mean this is my 40
34:25dollar sander that i brought yesterday so i'll be here till midnight the time consuming task of
34:32repainting the fiberglass is just one of a growing list of jobs so six weeks yeah six busy weeks six busy
34:41weeks yeah a bit of carpet to lay a bit of carpet to lay yeah to pull the paint pull the paint does
34:47that feel good to to be able to be hands-on yeah yeah i like it i like doing things like this but
34:53yeah it also saves us money at the in the long run right i i sort of wonder whether you're putting
34:58in a bid for new zealand's next great walk which is the walk up your corridor you know you really feel
35:03the length of this building here you've got some ideas uh indoor cricket don't you yeah perfect yeah
35:10yeah the structure 100 meter race yeah yeah yeah you visibly you're sort of giving off the vibes that
35:16gosh come on when does this finish but amongst all of that what are the things that really
35:20you know really worry you oh it's money so it's having to make sacrifices i don't want to move in
35:27and think i don't like this no you don't i don't want that yeah i do feel like there's there is
35:32lights there i do feel like close that we're close and we can breathe afterwards yeah i don't know
35:37what's next because i'm sure there's something that bridget has no we'll just be relaxing yeah summer
35:43summer is what's next that's a good thing to do yeah yeah summer in the pool
35:51bridget and graham have taken on an almost unbelievable workload and a budget stretched to
35:56the limit and actually it seems like they might just pull through on schedule i just hope that they
36:04end up with a house of their dreams and not a bank balance of their nightmares
36:17so here we are then about to lift the lid on graham and bridget's new lifestyle here on the coast
36:23and the basic ingredients were good weren't they a romantic old tennis court with a swimming pool
36:29near a golf course near the sea but very quickly those elements met resistance a long skinny sunken
36:38section facing the wrong way with the swimming pool in the wrong place
36:42and a big house that pretty much filled that section leaving very little space for that long
36:48for outdoor engagement quite a few design issues then have they been solved
37:07a mysterious black box very neatly finished black blacks around black roof but here look
37:20i'm enjoying this shadow play through the fine slatted timber screen
37:25and pops of emerald green below hey hey tom how are you going i'm very good how are you yeah good
37:33thanks welcome good to have you here nice to see you you're looking very vibrant oh thank you trying
37:38to match the outside oh it's working come on and have a look exterior dark cladding on the inside yes yeah it's
37:50quite a bold move but we're happy with that yeah bringing some of the outside in and that must be
37:55the best piece of artwork you could ever have yeah straight to the hills stunning
38:02oh i love this staircase side lit guiding us down
38:07ah it's a great space well i think it's the first time i've seen the pool with water that's not
38:20green and for the frogs and it's glorious yes yeah no it looks very different to last time you were here
38:26yeah it's so inviting this feels very calm here i think it's the blonde timber here
38:33and that's stone the brass yeah no we're really happy with how it looks there's a cohesion here
38:40and really beautifully finished everywhere
38:47come on out
38:52well you finished this place just in time didn't you summer by the pool what could be better yeah it's
38:56pretty cool we're very lucky the kids love it they're in there multiple times a day brilliant and that
39:02is all part of the dream isn't it that connection with the outside that you're missing back in the
39:07other house yeah we've got it here yeah if you told me that this pool existed before the house
39:13i'd say are you sure because actually it just feels right everything has come together
39:19quite deliberately graham and bridget have their master bedroom and ensuite upstairs separated from the
39:29hubbub of the rest of the house there's also a quiet private home office up here
39:37downstairs behind the kitchen this strong tile choice in the lounge makes a statement
39:42and next door the girls have their own media room
39:46this opens out to the green courtyard using leftover space originally designated for bins and clothes lines
39:54past the media room the long hallway now seems shorter hung with colorful artwork and family photos
40:00the girls bedrooms are identically sized but individually customized
40:04and the family bathroom features twin sinks and not perhaps to teenage years ahead
40:12and they're right at the end here the gift suite lucky guests yeah
40:20the bedrooms all open onto their own decks and the garden playground graham and bridget was so motivated to
40:26create this is genuinely a surprising experience it feels huge yeah yeah pretty good space yeah it's great great space
40:40now there was a point where there was a concern here that you know this this is going to be a bit
40:44dominating but actually now it's softened and these timber slats screening is so effective it's great
40:53composition great architecture i don't know if you realize but this for me is brilliant yeah that's
40:59yeah we've done a good job you've set the bar high for these kids yeah we have they're pretty lucky yeah
41:12i like that you're sitting underneath a road trip picture it sort of suggests that you're always on a
41:18journey have you arrived is this now the forever home yeah thanks yeah yeah definitely yes i think um we're
41:28done and we're happy yeah you know seeing the girls in the pool and running around in the section in the
41:34house and that's the lifestyle yeah you know and yeah it's uh yeah it's making us pretty happy i think yeah
41:41you had this sort of financial quadruple whammy didn't you increased construction costs increased
41:53interest rates that kept going up a housing market that slumped so your house you were selling was
41:58worth less and you had that rental property which uh was a disaster we didn't need was it worth it
42:05uh yeah absolutely it was but there were definitely times through the build that was
42:14pretty intense pretty stressful but yeah absolutely worth it it's um yeah it's amazing yeah
42:24budget then three million dollars land and the house how did you end up
42:29uh we were probably about a hundred to 150k over yeah about five percent yeah five percent sounds nicer
42:38but that's 150 is the reality yeah yeah i just we stopped counting but just the bills were coming
42:45thick and fast and it was tough we got yeah we did yeah we had to go back to the bank for some more money
42:52uh-huh uh-huh bigger mortgage than you thought a mortgage at all yeah definitely yeah which kind of
42:58actually roots you here doesn't it yeah it does yeah i don't know what more i would want good to
43:04be at this point now great to be at this point it is so good to be at this point yeah it's definitely
43:10changed our lives and for the better
43:12now i may have had concerns that this section and its restrictions would lead to a compromised
43:24building but that's not the feeling here this house transports you from generic suburbia down into a
43:32delightful world of waterfalls secret gardens courtyards spaces for play and partying
43:40and those things have come about precisely because of this intimate marriage of architecture and
43:46landscape that has worked with those apparent challenges and overcome them so successfully
43:53and so graham and bridget and their family have been left with not only a change of location
43:59but a complete life transformation
44:12so
44:29so
44:36so
44:38so
44:40so
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