Grand Designs NZ (2025) S09E08
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00One of the great perks of being in the trades is having the skills to work on your own projects.
00:08Brickies can build their own walls, plumbers can fit out their own bathrooms, and builders
00:14can build their own entire houses. Okay so the work takes time and energy but there's
00:23a genuine satisfaction in doing the job yourself. If it goes well you can give
00:28yourself a pat on the back. Not so well and you don't have to look very far for the
00:32person responsible. But there's something else going on here isn't there? There's
00:37work and there's life. So what happens to that work-life balance that we all know
00:42is so important when the professional becomes personal? Does that make the job
00:47easier or harder? Is it a blessing or is it a curse?
00:51The Manuatu-Fanganui region covers a large part of the southwest of New Zealand's North Island. Watched over by the majestic Mount
01:20Taranaki. The beautiful coastal plains and rolling hill country support a range of farming
01:26activities for people living a rural way of life. I'm going to get the sheep in and take
01:31that ram out today then I'll put them all in the hillock with the windmill. People like Dave and Jan
01:37Poppy who have a 40 hectare farm about 30 minutes drive from Whanganui city.
01:42It's a maize planter. Plants a maize seed. This is a bit of a pastime for me really. This is just an enjoyment.
01:53Dave who's actually a bricklayer by trade has owned the land here for about 30 years.
01:59He and Jan got married in 2006 although they go back a lot further than that.
02:05I noticed Jan right from the start. He lived pretty much next door to our family farm.
02:11I used to wander down the road didn't I and see your father and we'd talk about tractors.
02:15I've been on the scene since forever really haven't I? Yeah.
02:19You just didn't even notice me. No, certainly didn't.
02:23It was pretty sad. No, not really.
02:24Dave and Jan describe themselves as small time farmers and agricultural contractors
02:35but they've got their fingers in a lot of pies.
02:40This is our dump truck. There's probably quite a few women out there driving big machinery. Definitely
02:48probably not around here but definitely somewhere in New Zealand I'm sure.
02:55Their main business now is their limestone quarry providing shell rock base course used in
03:00roading, construction and general landscaping. Most of this is by accident. Unravelled in front of us
03:07and we saw an opportunity and we thought oh well give it a go. What have we got to lose other than
03:14everything? Yeah. Dave's life improved immeasurably when Jan moved in. For one thing she took the
03:24garage where he was living and transformed it into a cosy farm cottage. I can't believe you're still
03:31needing that. That's why I'm the cook and you're not. Well it's good that you do something right in
03:37the house. What? Years. Don't quite know what to say really. No. But despite working hard all their
03:47lives and putting their money into the farm and their businesses, Dave and Jan haven't got the one
03:53thing they really want. A proper house of their own. It would be nice to get out of here that's for sure.
03:58All the years that I've been building houses for everybody else, I've always said I don't
04:03ever build one. Yeah I know. So let's just get on do it eh? Yeah. As long as I'm in there before I'm 60.
04:10You'll always be 25 to me. Yeah or whatever.
04:21Although Dave and Jan have their choice of building sites all over the farm,
04:25they've given me directions here to the very top. There's a giant pile of mud over there so I know
04:32I'm in the right place. Hello. G'day. G'day. Jan, Dave. Nice to meet you. And Jo. What a location.
04:42It was tantalizing. I can see this great site access road and presumably something beautiful over there.
04:49Yeah. It's certainly better on top. Well can we go and see that? Absolutely.
04:53It's fairly still up here today. But that's deceptive. This site is exposed and the house will catch the wind
05:02from all directions. But that's the price you pay for the views of course. Oh and look there's the Grand
05:08Canyon. Yep there's that quarry. Look at that. The view is immense. Yes. Yep. Even on a grey day like this.
05:17Mm. What a spot. But what about a house proper? What are you going to build? Well it's sort of from the desert like it or...
05:27From the desert? Yay! The desert. Which desert? American? You could say it was American maybe?
05:36Jen's sort of a bit more cottagey aren't you? You're sort of... I'm more old villa. Yeah yeah yeah.
05:41Whereas I'm square lines. Which this is totally not going to be. No no. This is all about Dave.
05:47This is all about Dave. You seem to be standing slightly further apart now. So you persuaded
05:52Jan to build your house. It was the only house we both agreed on. Yeah yeah yeah. We've been looking for
05:57four or five years. We did a few drawings. Yeah we didn't want what other people have got. Okay. No.
06:02We wanted something different. That makes a statement. This site certainly makes a statement.
06:07So the house has plenty to live up to. This will be a multi-tier building formed on the solid base
06:13of a double garage and what Dave calls his man room. Something Jan wants to keep at arm's length from
06:19the main house. Into the entrance and up to a glass-lined hallway. Guest bedrooms, bathroom and laundry.
06:25Turn left into a whopping 4.5 meter high living and dining space. The great room. In Dave and Jan's
06:34language. The kitchen sits here. Contained in its own niche. Behind a large island unit and connecting
06:39to a hidden scullery. Light floods in through high clear story windows and sliding doors below.
06:45which open onto a broad patio complete with spa and views forever. Beyond the great room there's a
06:51separate formal lounge and on the other side Dave and Jan's bedroom with ensuite and walk-in wardrobe.
06:57Warming the great room is a large fireplace set into an imposing schist-clad wall that flows
07:03uninterrupted to the outside and steps down to provide shelter for another patio and a lap pool with
07:08infinity edge that creates a waterfall cascading beside the main entrance.
07:16Slim profile bricks wrap the exterior while the cantilevered steel roof line is interrupted by a
07:22pop-top tier that accommodates the great room. A distinctively modern design. So how will it all
07:28come together on this rural Whanganui Hill?
07:31It's a big undertaking here on top of the hill. I've seen this house for years but it's just put
07:41it on paper yeah you know. And Dave are you heavily involved? I'll be planning it as it goes and trying
07:49to build as much as I can because there's a lot of concrete work and stuff like that in it so yeah
07:54I'll do the outside Jan will do the inside. That's how we're sort of hoping it's going to go.
07:59And when will you finish? Jan's saying that it's going to take a long time where I don't want it
08:04to be a long time. I'd like to think 12 months but in today's times I don't know. I really just
08:11don't know and also we're trying to build the house as we go financially as well which is a big ask
08:20these days. Does that mean that that pot of money isn't enough to finish the house at this stage?
08:25No. No. Okay. Then you'll add to that pot as you go along if you need to with the quarry and your
08:32income here. Yeah. How much do you expect it to cost? 650, 700 I'd say. Yeah. It'll be up there I know that.
08:39Well 650 spreads pretty thinly nowadays for a house. It'll be a little wire. It'll be a little wire I'd say.
08:45We think that when it's finished that it'll have that wow factor we hope so so when you come up you
08:50can look at it and go wow. Yeah. Look at that. Yeah. You know that's what we're hoping for and I think
08:54we're going to achieve that too. Hopefully. Yeah. I wish you the best of luck. Thank you very much. Thank you.
09:04We've got an interesting situation here and it's quite subtle. Jan and David are partners in life
09:11and in work and by design in this house. But I get the sense there's a bit of an imbalance. You see
09:18Dave is determined and clear in his visions for this place. He can really imagine it. Jan can't.
09:26She likes villas and cottages. And this place will be neither of those. It's going to be an assertive,
09:33robust, even masculine house. I just hope that in the next year or so as this house comes out of the
09:40ground that she really begins to feel that it is her place, her dream house as much as it is his.
09:55By the time the couple went to see architectural designer Paul McKenna, Jan's villa idea had been set
10:01aside and Dave's plan was the only one on the table, plus a pile of photos of houses he liked the look of.
10:09Dave's plan, I was quite surprised, was very good, very well thought out and looked like it would
10:15actually work. Modern houses, but all of them had wide, flat brews with big wide soffites,
10:25very horizontal and I thought straight away I know what that is and I went to my bookshelf and
10:30grabbed this book and we have wide verandas and flat brews. What David was showing me was prairie
10:39style Frank Lloyd Wright. That's where I'll go to get some more design cues, just have a look at that and
10:44see if I can bring that into the 21st century.
10:47Well, if you're going to be inspired by anyone, why not American Frank Lloyd Wright, one of the most
10:58famous and influential architects of the 20th century. With their open floor plans, horizontal
11:04lines and emphasis on natural materials and light, Wright's prairie houses built between 1900 and the
11:11early 1920s were a key influence on a later architectural style that we now call mid-century
11:17modernism. And while the vast open spaces and natural beauty of the southwestern landscapes
11:24in states like California were perfectly reflected in American mid-century modernist homes,
11:29their design, materials and whole spirit was embraced all over the world and still is.
11:36These old styles, all these styles that were popular in the past, becomes popular because it's
11:42good and because people like it. And it's timeless. So people of all periods will gravitate towards
11:50it or recognise it and like it. So the big one, this is what I thought of straight away, Wright's
11:56masterpiece, the falling water. Now, I knew Dave wouldn't want that. It's too organic for him.
12:03But that's where I got the idea of the swimming pool with the waterfall leech.
12:06So there are some pretty impressive architectural references at work here in Dave's American
12:13modern-influenced home. But that begs the question, has he been secretly hiding a comprehensive knowledge
12:20of 20th century architecture? Or has he, by sheer chance, hit upon this distinctive architectural style,
12:27one that's either going to work or not work in this location?
12:39It's been a very long wait to finally get going. So when Dave and Jan get the green light,
12:45they're off at pace.
12:47Today we're pouring the garage floors, ready to go. Obviously been a bricklayer for 25 years. I've
12:53laid a lot of concrete blocks and things like that. The whole bottom of the house with all the
12:57retaining walls, everything that's involved, I do myself from now on because it's all concrete block
13:02and brick. So that's my trade. I can get that tooting along pretty well.
13:10A lot may have changed on building sites since Dave hung up his tools,
13:14but laying block work is still hard graft and Dave has taken on the bulk of it here.
13:19The first concrete pour is a properly huge milestone for Dave and Jan. It's the beginning of a build
13:40after years of planning, of hopes, of dreams.
13:44Are you all right?
13:45Oh, no, it's just a big day. Oh, how long have we waited? It's like it's come true.
13:51It's all right. It's good.
13:56We'll get over it. Just need a moment.
13:59The build underway is perhaps something Dave and Jan were beginning to think they'd never see.
14:03So no wonder it sparks some emotion.
14:06I had a sand fly in my eye. That's what it would have been. Surely.
14:11We've never had a new house. Always lived in someone else's. So, you know,
14:15this is really, really good for us. The dream's starting to come true.
14:19By March 2022, Dave and Jan Poppy's build near Whanganui is out of the ground and Dave is in his element.
14:40I'm not letting you get off that easy. Don't you put me on the back burner.
14:44As well as project managing the build, Dave is doing all of the brick and block work.
14:49A huge job. And while he's got 25 years experience bricklaying to call on,
14:55he's not as young as he used to be.
14:59I'm averaging about 120 to 150 a day. In my younger days, I used to do 350.
15:07Not now though. Those days are well and truly gone.
15:11Yeah, the old body knows I'm doing it. Put it that way. Yeah.
15:15Dave is now completely immersed in the build and will be for some time.
15:21Meaning Jan will have to take on even more work. As if she's not busy enough, handling the business
15:27finances and all of the livestock. Come on girls, come on. Including her prize herd of Hereford breeding cows.
15:36What you doing girlie? Hey? Be nice. I wouldn't say I was an animal person a few years ago,
15:47or quite a few years ago, but I definitely am now.
15:51Eat your hay you guys. I sat at a desk for 24 years doing office work and I would much prefer
16:00to be doing this. Definitely. Yep. I love it. See you tomorrow.
16:09After so much time and effort spent getting the build out of the ground,
16:13Dave knows the only way now is up.
16:16Hey! Ed! Not too close.
16:22And the living and dining space they're planning is certainly right up there.
16:25Remember this room will be four and a half meters from floor to ceiling.
16:33Today we're standing all of the steel frames for the great room in the house.
16:41We're joining them all together and we're going to stand them with the 30 tonne digger.
16:48Jan's also taking an active part in the build whenever she can.
16:56Everything's 100% with Jan. Everything she does, she takes pride in.
17:00Definitely works way too hard.
17:04Most of my life spent around slowing her down.
17:07She never stops surprising me what she can do.
17:16With the steel in place, it's now abundantly clear just how tall this great room is.
17:21But will it be too dominant in this location?
17:27We really, really didn't want to make it too high,
17:32because it was going to look like a school auditorium.
17:35But we still wanted that height.
17:36Yeah, yeah. We needed it to be a great room.
17:39And as you can see, it is.
17:43Well done. We've done it, buddy. We've done it.
17:51It's May and Dave has laid most of the blocks for the base of the building.
18:04Truly impressive for one man working alone.
18:07But with winter on the way, Dave's now on site seven days a week,
18:10trying to get as much done as possible before the weather inevitably closes in.
18:22It's very rewarding, being able to be involved with it so much, for sure.
18:25I'm basically building the structure of our house.
18:31Typically, there'd be a whole team of bricklayers on a sizeable job like this.
18:35Dave's solo effort is a lot cheaper, of course, but it's soaking up all of his time.
18:43My feeling at present is when the sun shines, I work.
18:47Yeah.
18:47Because the sun's not going to shine forever.
18:50And when it really opens up, it tends to mud up here and just can't do anything.
18:56From our point of view, we'll be much happier when the structure's up and the floors are down.
19:00Yeah, yeah.
19:01Then there'll be a sigh of relief.
19:04We'll have a break for a while.
19:05Yeah.
19:06We need to have a break, hey, you know.
19:07Yeah.
19:09There's no effort spared here.
19:11And so if everything goes to plan, Dave may be right and it will be a 12-month build.
19:16I can't help feeling, however, that could all change as fast as the weather on this Whanganui hilltop.
19:22Ooh, it's got a bit nippy.
19:24It has.
19:25Clouds are coming in.
19:30Nine months from the start of the build and the wet weather has fully set in.
19:42But I'm due a visit and can see straight away Dave's taken his block work to a whole new level.
19:50Well, this is a great sign, isn't it?
19:52Look, a giant chimney breast above an enormous fireplace, the backbone to many a good house.
19:59And this one, this one is, I don't know, it's kind of like a giant grey space invader,
20:06full of character, just like its owners.
20:13But as the house starts to take shape and its scale becomes increasingly apparent,
20:19it's clear this is no ordinary build.
20:22Certainly not for a farm in the back blocks of Whanganui.
20:27Looking at this now, is this how you imagine the house?
20:29Is it the size you thought it would be?
20:31We're not sure yet, are you?
20:34No, we're not.
20:34I think we'll know.
20:35We still don't know.
20:35Once the framing's up, then we'll get a better idea.
20:37You think?
20:38Yeah.
20:38And also the block layer, who's stepped up to the mark really well.
20:45Are you talking about yourself, Dave?
20:47So it'll be hand over to the builders soon to start doing the roof peelings and all those sorts of things.
20:53Yeah.
20:54And money, where are you with that?
20:56Yeah.
20:56Yeah, yeah, the mullah's running out a bit.
20:58We're at about $400,000.
21:00Yeah.
21:01Well, I don't know until the...
21:02It's going to be another $200,000 to get it closed in.
21:04Oh, at least.
21:06But we just have to do it as we can afford it.
21:08Sure.
21:09So, you know, it's a good time to hand over to the builders.
21:13Once we've knocked the frames together for the builders, they'll stand them,
21:16and then they'll start prepping the roof up all the way through it.
21:20That's when you'll see what we're building.
21:22You say that with a little glint, I think that's...
21:24Oh, absolutely.
21:26By Moe reckoning, that extra $200,000 to get closed in
21:30will take the bill over the $650,000 to $700,000 Dave thought the whole project might cost.
21:39But running through that is another thread.
21:42And there's a thoughtfulness and intelligence about what this place could be,
21:47what the finishes are going to be like, how that coordinates with the substructure.
21:51And that comes from Dave and his ingenuity.
21:54And that tells me that this could be a brilliant house.
22:00But there's a long way to go yet.
22:01A blustery start to summer, almost a year since the build began.
22:18So Dave's initial estimate of 12 months to finish is nowhere near being met.
22:23And although a lot of the timber framing is now up, there's not much else happening on site.
22:31We stopped about four weeks ago because the old bank account had run out a wee bit.
22:36It's quietly ticking away up there.
22:39But yeah, just nowhere near at the pace it was before.
22:44It is what it is, you know, we'll get in there, it might be a year, let's hope so.
22:49But Jan and I don't want to get stressed about when we're in there.
22:52It's not only the extra 12 months on the build.
22:59With building materials and labour costs all continuing to go up,
23:03financially, the whole project is really starting to hurt.
23:06So Dave and Jan's focus is very much off the house and back onto making money.
23:18We do grass silage to start with and then we'll go through and we'll do a lot of bales
23:23wrapped up in plastic.
23:25And then we move on to a hay season where we do dry hay.
23:29They've also cashed in on one of the farm's forestry blocks.
23:33Another job one-man Dynamo Dave is doing all by himself.
23:37One thing's for sure, when the house is finally finished,
23:41Dave and Jan will have really earned it.
23:44And a lot has been sacrificed.
23:47We've actually got a truck that we're just in the process of selling.
23:50So we just decided, well, we've got that big asset sitting there.
23:54And if this truck sells, well, we can probably afford to buy the windows and the roof.
23:59That'll be pretty handy. Pretty drafty otherwise without any windows.
24:05Despite their side hustles, it's the quarry that pays the bills.
24:09And it's Jan who looks after the finances.
24:11So she knows exactly what the bottom line is.
24:17And she's as determined as Dave to finish the build without going to the bank.
24:21If we can't afford it, we don't do it.
24:28And that's been one of the things with the business too, buying machinery.
24:31And if it gets too much, I'll say, no, no, that's enough.
24:36You know, we'll make do.
24:38But we may have to, but I'm not.
24:40At this stage, we're good.
24:44Dave and Jan's continued determination to avoid borrowing money
24:48is a time-honoured and sensible practice.
24:53But while they're focused on sticking to the plan,
24:55it must be hard finding the patience to do so,
24:58with the build site lying largely idle.
25:01It helps to have a few distractions and a fine day on the farm.
25:05This is Miss Goosey.
25:17She's been here for many years.
25:19But unfortunately, her partner died, so she kept crying, didn't she?
25:24I'm her best friend now. That's good.
25:28She is a bit annoying when she comes up to the house and pops everywhere though.
25:32I don't appreciate that.
25:35By April 2023, with a bit more money in the kitty,
25:51Dave and Jan are able to get the contractors back on site to continue the build.
25:57Yeah, we're going to have to cut your sill block off, raise this side.
26:01What about just forming the sill with a capping stone?
26:04Yeah.
26:06Oh, it's unreal, isn't it?
26:07It's something different. It's something enjoyable to build.
26:10It's not a run-of-the-mill thing.
26:11It makes you want to actually, you know, get up here and help.
26:17Dave's pretty much handled most things up to here.
26:19I'm just sort of steering him around in the right direction.
26:21But now I've got to the roof structure, he wants us to take over,
26:25and he's going to back off and carry on with his retaining walls and that.
26:28Yeah, if we can get the lid on, get the roof on for him, he'll be more than happy.
26:34But while Dave's now prepared to step back and let the builders get on with their jobs,
26:39his own work is far from finished.
26:41The brickwork around the outside is Dave's doing a whole lot of that,
26:44and he's going to do some plastering as well.
26:45So he'll do all the external envelope, really, of the build.
26:49And we're just putting the lid on. He's still got plenty to go.
26:54Dave and Jan are caught a bit here.
26:56They need to keep the build going, but money continues to be an issue.
27:01It's quite the conundrum.
27:02Priorities at present is the quarry, and any sort of money that we might have and things like that
27:10really need to go towards that. There's just so much at stake.
27:15We can't have this without that.
27:17You know, if we're not supporting the quarry, we're not getting a home.
27:23But there's an even deeper and more pressing problem.
27:26The quarry is coming to the end of its working life.
27:29So unless Dave and Jan can find another site on their farm for a new quarry,
27:34their financial pipeline could be turned off.
27:39But Dave, as always, has a plan.
27:43We'll be sort of taking that piece in the middle.
27:46The new quarry will be in four stages.
27:48That's stage one, stage two, stage three, and then out the front here will be stage four.
27:55There's a lot at stake here.
27:57Not only does setting up a new quarry need serious investment,
28:01there's still a risk.
28:02There won't be enough usable shell rock to justify it.
28:06So does Dave even know he's planning to dig in the right place?
28:09No. No, I don't. I actually don't.
28:14I just...
28:16The topography of the land as it lies,
28:20that there looks exactly what that used to look like.
28:25And at the end of the day, if it's not there,
28:28you know, hopefully it's good rock.
28:31It's now nearly two years since I first met Dave and Jan Poppy on their farm near Phanganui.
28:52Dave's initial 12-month build estimate went out the proverbial window long ago.
28:57And in fact, the actual windows aren't even finished yet.
29:00The plan to have this house watertight by winter never happened.
29:07Money's still tight, but the new quarry's now open for business.
29:11And the good shell rock was just where Dave hoped it would be.
29:15Just as well.
29:18Everybody's worked hard down there.
29:20There's been six or seven of us down there working just
29:23trying to get on top of it, really.
29:25So the house has sort of had to come second best.
29:28But all of that's about to change with another milestone day on site at last.
29:41Finally, the glass goes in our aluminium.
29:44Really excited to be able to get in my house and the wind doesn't blow through.
29:48It'll be just nice.
29:53Once the house is closed in, Jan can start on the interior decorating.
29:57But how much money she'll have to play with
30:00will depend on how much has already been spent.
30:02I think the budget we started at, was it 6,650?
30:116,650, I see.
30:12Yeah, yeah.
30:13And we're at a million now.
30:16I don't quite know how that happened.
30:18How much more do you think we've got to go?
30:20A couple of hundred?
30:21Yeah, maybe something like that.
30:23That should stop it.
30:23Oh, I hope not too much more.
30:24Yeah.
30:26The money coming in from the new quarry has to be balanced
30:29against the huge expense of setting it up.
30:32Plus the cost of turning the old quarry back into pasture.
30:35But heading into 2024, the couple must be feeling that this is their year.
30:41Six months later, and the massive job Dave's tackles single-handedly is almost done.
30:52And he's putting the finishing touches on the brickwork like the craftsman that he is.
31:11I'm just looking for that real sharp, clean lines look.
31:19You know, I'm only going to do it once, so I might as well get it right.
31:24Jan has kept the faith over what's turned out to be a very long time.
31:27But despite her strong work ethic and stoic personality, she's fast running out of patience and steam.
31:36I just can't get excited yet.
31:39I'm trying to do interior stuff now, and that's getting stressful, to say the least.
31:45But I'm just tired, I think. Just tired. We'll get there.
31:49At this stage of any build, I kind of think a house hasn't got its soul yet.
31:56Now, I don't mean that unkindly.
31:59It's just that layer of comfort and homeliness is still to be added.
32:03That show-stopping view will always be the star, though.
32:07And while the landscaping typically comes last, almost all the brickwork and cladding is done.
32:15What happens here? You've got some substrate.
32:17Yep.
32:18What's the finish?
32:19That'll be all stone, schist.
32:21Yeah, it's a yellowy colour, rusty yellow colours.
32:24Yeah, it's pretty monotone at the moment, so that will bring colour.
32:27Yes.
32:27And so I should wait to judge this house, should I, till the artist has finished his composition.
32:32That's exactly right.
32:35It's been a huge effort, and Dave's clearly proud of his workmanship, and justifiably so.
32:42You've hit the sofik perfectly.
32:44Yeah.
32:44No cut bricks.
32:45Honestly, Tom, he's been the most reliable tradesman on site so far as a bricklayer.
32:50Yeah.
32:51He really has been. So we've been really impressed with him.
32:55We'd put him on any job.
32:57Now, I always thought Jan was taking the lead on interior decorating,
33:03but it seems Dave is still calling a few shots.
33:07All around the outside and all the way across the ends here is all gin, and that'll be black.
33:12Black ceiling.
33:14Yes, interesting. We're pretty out there having a black ceiling.
33:17Oh, you've got enough height here, haven't you, for that to not feel oppressive.
33:21No, well...
33:22But I can't quite see it yet, well...
33:23No, neither can I.
33:25This isn't a normal house, is it Dave?
33:29Even right down to the chandelier, it's going to come down and it's all handmade.
33:33Like, it'll be...
33:35There won't be another one like it.
33:37So there's a bit of work to do still, but if they get cracking, they'll be in by Christmas, six months or so away.
33:45That will depend, of course, on the interior decorating and the couple agreeing on what they're doing.
33:51Jan, your vision was, well, maybe it's an old villa with roses and...
33:55Yeah.
33:56And clearly the house is not black.
33:59No.
33:59So will we see some of that as this house gets finished, some of that homeliness?
34:04It might sneak in, yes, definitely, because I'm certainly the country, country villary person, but...
34:11I'll sneak it out when you're not looking.
34:12No, no, you won't.
34:13No, you won't.
34:14Where would you bring country in?
34:16Even your kitchen and everything that you've got is really stylish.
34:19Oh, it's in for the floor.
34:21Oh, OK, yeah, in our table, where our table's a little bit.
34:25So how much has this two and a half year trundle cost so far?
34:29Goodness me, really?
34:31Got into that pretty quick.
34:32How about hopping on to the next question?
34:34Well, I can see that this isn't, uh, it's probably not where you want it to be, but that's...
34:39No, I think about 1.3.
34:42And to come?
34:43About 300,000 I'm hoping for.
34:47It's a gotta be.
34:48It's a gotta be.
34:49Hard point.
34:50I don't really want to spend any more.
34:52Yeah.
34:52That's enough.
34:53I'm not going to build another one.
34:55You know, we've done the hard yards, aren't we?
34:57We deserve what we, we've worked so hard in our lives to get to this point.
35:02So here we are in a, well, a tough, unrelenting construction environment.
35:13And to this point, it's all been concrete and brick and Dave doing the heavy lifting.
35:19But actually, the next stage is what excites me because remember back to Jan's vision of villas
35:25and roses, that softer, more romantic view of what a house should be.
35:30I think that's what we're going to see next.
35:33And what's more, Dave, despite appearances, he's a big softie.
35:38Well, at least somewhere.
35:39And I think he's going to enjoy that side of things as much as I will.
35:44I'm genuinely excited about today, going to see Dave and Jan's place finished.
35:56Because, frankly, up until now, it's been three years, well, more than three years of hard work,
36:03sometimes pretty horrible weather conditions, you know, all the runty construction stuff.
36:08So now, hopefully, we're going to see their well-earned reward.
36:21Wow, look at that.
36:23The hill has got a crown.
36:32Oh, yes.
36:33You know, this house appears like a grey object from a distance, but up close, it's
36:38textures and light and these lovely blue tiles, cascading water shests.
36:43That looks amazing.
36:44Oh, look, an intergalactic front door.
36:49I mean, that's mesmerizing.
36:51Never seen anything like it.
36:52What do we do?
36:53Do we knock or teleport in?
36:56Yeah.
36:57It opens.
36:59Hey, hi, Jan.
37:00Hi, how are you, John?
37:01I'm very good.
37:02How are you?
37:02Good to see you.
37:04Dave, how are you?
37:05Good, mate.
37:06And what an arrival.
37:07This house is impressive, not least this thing.
37:10I know, I really love that door.
37:12Yeah.
37:12Love the colours.
37:13What's next?
37:14Come on in.
37:20This is lovely, isn't it?
37:21You walk up the steps and you see the water.
37:23Great view there.
37:25Yeah.
37:27Oh, yes.
37:31And it is a moment.
37:34The great room is the great room.
37:36Your eyes are drawn up to the ceiling.
37:38So that's the timber that you milled.
37:41Mm.
37:41Planted them, chopped them down and then milled them.
37:44Yeah.
37:44I'm worried about the grey paint, but that's the perfect backdrop now
37:48to these amazing copper and timber and stone tones.
37:53Yeah.
37:53And then kitchen.
37:58Mm.
37:59More textures and colour.
38:00Mm.
38:01Lovely green, emerald green tiles.
38:02And that's copper, isn't it?
38:03Yes.
38:04On the back of the island.
38:05Yes.
38:05Yes.
38:06But unlike any copper I've ever seen, it's all beautiful.
38:09Jen's done a lot of the colours, obviously.
38:11And she's really nailed it as far as I'm concerned.
38:14We're really, really proud of it.
38:16And it's got your names written all over it, which is how your house should be, right?
38:20A hundred percent.
38:21Yeah.
38:21I think it's Jan.
38:22I don't think there's Jan in here.
38:24No, I just did the work, mate.
38:25Right.
38:25I just did the work.
38:26That's all.
38:26Jan brought the magic.
38:27Yeah.
38:28Yeah, yeah.
38:28Oh, absolutely.
38:30Now, I'm the wand.
38:30I don't know about that.
38:31She's the magic.
38:32She's the magic.
38:32Absolutely.
38:33There you go.
38:33Yeah.
38:40Of course, the main event, that's just war.
38:42It tells the lie.
38:44Is it inside?
38:44Is it outside?
38:45It's sort of seamless as it flows through.
38:47Yeah.
38:47Really happy it's finished.
38:49I know that.
38:51Each individual stone was laid with these, so.
38:55Those two hands.
38:56Yeah, the ones with glue all over them.
38:57Right, right, right.
38:58And so you're going to get a manicure soon then?
39:00Are you finished now?
39:01Yes.
39:02Oh, yes.
39:04While the great room is deservedly the center of attention,
39:07it sits between the two wings of the house, which are more private.
39:11One near the front entrance has a bright guest bedroom and a generous home office.
39:18And tucked away behind the Schiss wall in the other wing is a smaller TV lounge.
39:23And just around the corner, the master bedroom.
39:29The main event is this.
39:30Yes, great view to wake up to.
39:33And then behind me.
39:35We pushed that out with glass all around it so that we could feel as though we were sitting outside.
39:39And the cows can look back at you.
39:40Yeah.
39:41Yeah.
39:41Nobody else though.
39:42Yeah.
39:42The inside of the garage is not quite finished and neither is Dave's man room alongside.
39:54But if you ask me, the best spot in this house is the one that Jan and Dave can enjoy together.
40:01Now this spot right here is just glamour isn't it?
40:07Yeah, it's special.
40:09It's almost like we're in the Hollywood Hills up above everything else.
40:13We have to pinch ourselves quite regularly to realise that we've actually managed to achieve it.
40:19Like even this pool, there's a huge amount of work in this pool.
40:22Like it took months to do it, you know.
40:25Now we just get to enjoy it.
40:26After three years and three months mate, we get to enjoy it finally.
40:39This is such a strong house, you know.
40:43For the moment you walk in, this shiny copper front door, textured wallpaper, oxidised copper,
40:49and of course a schist.
40:50It kind of grabs you.
40:52We wanted to go for that wow vector.
40:53Yeah.
40:54You've got that in space.
40:56Yeah, absolutely.
40:56Yeah.
40:57Yeah.
40:58I knew what it was going to look like, but I never believed that we could build it.
41:01That it was actually going to happen.
41:02Yeah, yeah.
41:03Like right up until almost a couple of days before we moved in,
41:05you never believed that it was our home, did you?
41:08Well, it just felt like somebody I was just coming up to.
41:11Yeah, yeah.
41:12We can go on a job site.
41:13To somebody through a house.
41:14Yeah, yeah.
41:15But that's changed, has it now?
41:16Yeah, well, sort of.
41:17Oh, absolutely.
41:18Are you still getting used to it?
41:19Yeah, I'm still getting used to it, yeah.
41:21There's a big change from living in a converted garage.
41:24Oh, absolutely.
41:25Which was lovely, you know, but it wasn't the ideal home.
41:28No, no.
41:30Through the construction, Dave, your stints were epic.
41:34Hours and hours, days and days, months and months, three years.
41:37Did it ever get too much?
41:41I think it did for me at some stage.
41:44I think I was just so sick of it.
41:45We had a few disagreements, yeah, and some of them pretty full on.
41:49I think we'll take a bit of time out.
41:51A couple of months of just taking it easy and trying to build the batteries back up,
41:55because they're pretty empty right now.
42:01I think you said it, Jan.
42:02We only spend what we've got.
42:04Yes.
42:05Right?
42:05Yeah.
42:05But with this house, you know, the original ambition, the budget at 650, probably dreaming,
42:12as you found out.
42:13Well, the last time I talked to you, it was 1.3 million and then there's another 300 to spend.
42:17No, it wasn't.
42:19No?
42:20It came in at 1.3.
42:21So you came in at 1.3.
42:23Oh, wow.
42:23Yeah.
42:24Oh, that's made a day.
42:25I went and looked it up.
42:26So you stuck to that.
42:27You said, right, this is what we've got.
42:29We're not spending any more.
42:29I don't want to spend any more.
42:30No, no.
42:31So did you have to get a mortgage?
42:33That was the thing you really wanted to avoid?
42:34We did.
42:34We did in the end.
42:35Yeah.
42:36Not a very big one.
42:37No, we only borrowed a little bit of money at the end.
42:39No, not too much.
42:40We needed to finish.
42:40Otherwise we'd still be building.
42:42But I always had one house left in me.
42:45I always said that I would build one home at the end.
42:49Yeah.
42:49And this is it, really.
42:50Yeah.
42:51So I was going to make it a good one.
42:54Yeah.
42:55Oh, well.
42:55That's pretty special.
42:57Yeah, absolutely.
42:58Absolutely.
42:58And I just, yeah, I know what sacrifices Jan's made to be here.
43:05It's all right, Kate.
43:06Yeah, you don't need to go on.
43:07No, no, absolutely.
43:08She has.
43:09She's so young.
43:10You make us all cry.
43:11Yeah, sickly.
43:18This house seems to me to be the perfect example
43:22of where passion transcends mere bricks and mortar,
43:26transcends a particular architectural style or taste.
43:29And yes, it did rely heavily on Dave's skills and expertise
43:33building things for other people.
43:34But remember, he said that he would only truly ever build
43:38one house for himself.
43:40A true passion project.
43:41And it seems to me that that passion was only activated when he met the true love to build for
43:48him in Jan.
43:51And the wonderful thing is that we are seeing an undiluted, full saturation reflection of that passion,
43:59a reflection of Dave and Jan.
44:01And that makes this a remarkable house to behold sitting here, pride of place on the top of the hill.
44:14Welcome to the mini-day house showing church,
44:16my friends
44:18and the little part of our family fail.
44:19But don't know if you're inviting but hair anchors,
44:21I live in the free就是 of the protagonism of flour.
44:22I live in the first half году and laryon,
44:24and my friends in all my friends
44:26and me always be happy.