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  • 6/15/2025
Grand Designs New Zealand S09E08
Transcript
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 is
00:42so important when the professional becomes personal? Does that make the job
00:47easier or harder? Is it a blessing or is it a curse?
00:54The Manuatu Funganui region covers a large part of the southwest of New Zealand's North Island. Watched over by the majestic Mount Taranaki, the beautiful coastal plains and rolling hill
01:23country support a range of farming activities for people living a rural way of life.
01:30I'm going to get the sheep in and take that ram out today. Then I'll put them all in the
01:33hillock with the windmill. People like Dave and Jan Poppy, who have a 40 hectare farm about
01:4030 minutes drive from Whanganui city. It's a maize plunder. Plants a maize seed. This is a bit of a pastime for me really. This is just an enjoyment.
01:54Dave, who's actually a bricklayer by trade, has owned the land here for about 30 years. He 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. I've been
02:16on the scene since forever really, haven't I? Yeah. You just didn't even notice me. No.
02:21Yeah. Certainly didn't. It was pretty sad. No, not really.
02:29Dave and Jan describe themselves as small-time farmers and agricultural contractors, but they've got their fingers in a lot of pies.
02:37This 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 roading,
03:00construction and general landscaping.
03:02Most of this is by accident. Unravelled in front of us and we saw an opportunity and we thought,
03:09oh, well, give it a go. Give it a go. What have we got to lose? Other than everything. Yeah.
03:19Dave's life improved immeasurably when Jan moved in. For one thing, she took the garage where he was living
03:26and transformed it into a cosy farm cottage. I can't believe you're still needing that.
03:33That's why I'm the cook and you're not. Well, it's good that you do something right in the house.
03:38What? Yes.
03:43Don't quite know what to say, really. No.
03:45But despite working hard all their lives and putting their money into the farm and their businesses,
03:50Dave and Jan haven't got the one thing they really want, a proper house of their own.
03:56It would be nice to get out of here, that's for sure.
03:59All the years that I've been building houses for everybody else, I've always said I don't need to build one.
04:03Yeah, I know.
04:04So let's just get on to it, eh? Yeah.
04:07As long as I'm in there before I'm 60.
04:10You'll always be 25 to me.
04:12Mmm, yeah, 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.
04:29There's a giant pile of mud over there, so I know I'm in the right place.
04:36Hello. G'day. G'day. Jan, Dave, nice to meet you. And Joe.
04:41What a location.
04:42It was tantalising. I can see this great site access road and presumably something beautiful over there.
04:49Yeah, it's certainly better on top.
04:51Well, can we go and see that?
04:53Absolutely.
04:55It's fairly still up here today, but that's deceptive.
04:59This site is exposed and the house will catch the wind from all directions.
05:03But that's the price you pay for the views, of course.
05:07Oh, and look, there's the Grand Canyon.
05:10Yep, that's our quarry.
05:11Look at that.
05:11Yep.
05:13The view is immense.
05:14Yes, yep.
05:15Even on a grey day like this, what a spot.
05:21What about the house proper? What are you going to build?
05:22Well, it's sort of from the desert, like, or…
05:28From the desert.
05:29Yay!
05:29The desert. Which desert?
05:32American, you could say it was American, maybe.
05:36Jen's sort of a bit more cottagey, aren't you?
05:39You're sort of…
05:39I'm more old villa.
05:40Yeah, yeah.
05:41Old villa, yeah.
05:41Whereas I'm square lines.
05:43Which this is totally not going to be.
05:44No, no.
05:45So…
05:45This is all about Dave.
05:46This is all about Dave.
05:48You seem to be standing slightly further apart now.
05:51So you persuaded Jan to build your house.
05:53It was the only house we both agreed on.
05:55Yeah, yeah, yeah.
05:56We've been looking for four or five years.
05:58We did a few drawings.
05:59Yeah, we didn't want what other people have got.
06:02Okay.
06:02We wanted something that makes a statement.
06:05This site certainly makes a statement.
06:08So the house has plenty to live up to.
06:10This will be a multi-tiered building formed on the solid base of a double garage
06:14and what Dave calls his man room.
06:17Something Jan wants to keep at arm's length from the main house.
06:20Into the entrance and up to a glass-lined hallway.
06:23Guest bedrooms, bathroom and laundry.
06:27Turn left into a whopping 4.5-meter-high living and dining space.
06:31The great room, in Dave and Jan's language.
06:34The kitchen sits here, contained in its own niche,
06:37behind a large island unit and connecting to a hidden scullery.
06:41Light floods in through high clear-story windows and sliding doors below,
06:45which open onto a broad patio complete with spa and views forever.
06:49Beyond the great room, there's a separate formal lounge.
06:52And 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
07:02that flows uninterrupted to the outside and steps down to provide shelter for another patio
07:08and a lap pool with infinity edge that creates a waterfall cascading beside the main entrance.
07:13Slim profile bricks wrap the exterior, while the cantilevered steel roof line is interrupted
07:21by a pop-top tier that accommodates the great room.
07:25A distinctively modern design.
07:27So how will it all come together on this rural Whanganui Hill?
07:34It's a big undertaking here on top of the hill.
07:37Mmm.
07:38I've seen this house for years, but it's just putting it on paper, you know.
07:43Mmm.
07:44And Dave, are you heavily involved?
07:46I'll be planning it as it goes and trying to build as much as I can,
07:50because 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.
07:56That's how we're sort of hoping it's going to go.
07:59Mmm.
08:00And when will you finish?
08:00Jan's saying that it's going to take a long time where I don't want it to be a long time.
08:05I'd like to think 12 months, but in today's times, I don't know.
08:11I really just don't know.
08:12And also, we're trying to build the house as we go financially as well,
08:19which is a big ask these days.
08:21Does that mean that that pot of money isn't enough to finish the house at this stage?
08:25No.
08:25No.
08:26No.
08:26Okay.
08:27No.
08:27Then you'll add to that pot as you go along if you need to.
08:30With the quarry and your income here, how much do you expect it to cost?
08:35$650, $700 I'd say.
08:37Yeah.
08:37It'll be up there, I know that.
08:39Well, $650 spreads pretty thinly nowadays.
08:42It'll be a little wire.
08:43It'll be a little wire, I'd say.
08:45We think that when it's finished that it'll have that wow factor.
08:48We hope so.
08:49So when you come up, you can look at it and go, wow, look at that.
08:52Yeah.
08:52You know, that's what we're hoping for.
08:54And I think we're going to achieve that too.
08:56Hopefully, yeah.
08:57I'll wish you the best of luck.
08:58Thank you very much.
09:04We've got an interesting situation here and it's quite subtle.
09:08Jan and David are partners in life and in work and by design in this house.
09:14But I get the sense there's a bit of an imbalance.
09:17You see, Dave is determined and clear in his visions for this place.
09:22He can really imagine it.
09:24Jan can't.
09:26She likes villas and cottages.
09:29And this place will be neither of those.
09:31It's going to be an assertive, robust, even masculine house.
09:35I just hope that in the next year or so, as this house comes out of the ground, that she really
09:42begins to feel that it is her place, her dream house, as much as it is his.
09:47By the time the couple went to see architectural designer, Paul McKenna, Jan's villa idea had been
10:01set aside and Dave's plan was the only one on the table.
10:04Plus 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 it looked like it
10:14would actually work.
10:17Modern houses, but all of them had wide, flat roofs with big wide soffites, very horizontal.
10:26And I thought straight away, I know what that is.
10:27And I went to my bookshelf and grabbed this book and here we have
10:34wide verandas and flat roofs.
10:37What David was showing me was prairie style Frank Lloyd Wright.
10:41That'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.
10:52Well, if you're going to be inspired by anyone, why not American Frank Lloyd Wright?
10:57One of the most famous and influential architects of the 20th century.
11:02With their open floor plans, horizontal lines and emphasis on natural materials and light.
11:08Wright's prairie houses built between 1900 and the early 1920s were a key influence on a later
11:14architectural style that we now call mid-century modernism.
11:18And while the vast open spaces and natural beauty of the southwestern landscapes in states like
11:24California were perfectly reflected in American mid-century modernist homes, their design materials
11:31and whole spirit was embraced all over the world and still is.
11:35These old styles, or these styles that were popular in the past, becomes popular because
11:42it's good and because people like it. And it's timeless. So people of all periods will gravitate
11:49towards it or recognise it and like it. So the big one, this is what I thought of straight away.
11:55Wright's masterpiece, the falling water. Now, I knew Dave wouldn't want that.
12:00It's too organic for him. But that's where I got the idea of the swimming pool with the waterfall leech.
12:08So there are some pretty impressive architectural references at work here,
12:12in Dave's American modern-influenced home. But that begs the question, has he been secretly hiding a
12:18comprehensive knowledge of 20th century architecture? Or has he, by sheer chance, hit upon this distinctive
12:26architectural style? One that's either going to work or not work in this location?
12:31It's been a very long wait to finally get going. So when Dave and Jan get the green light, they'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 retaining walls,
12:58everything that's involved, I do myself from now on, because it's all concrete block and brick. So
13:03that'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
13:41after years of planning, of hopes, of dreams. Are you all right? Oh no, it's just a big day.
13:48Oh, how long have we waited? It's like it's come true. It's all right. It's good.
13:56We'll get over it. Just need a moment. The build underway is perhaps something Dave and Jan were
14:02beginning to think they'd never see. So no wonder it sparks some emotion. They had a sand fly in my eye.
14:08That's what it would have been. Surely. We've never had a new house. We've always lived in someone
14:14else's. So, you know, this 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, he's not as young as he used to be.
14:57I'm averaging about 120 to 150 a day. In my younger days to do 350. Not now though. Those days are well and
15:10truly gone. Yeah, the old body knows I'm doing it. Put it that way. Yeah.
15:17Dave is now completely immersed in the build and will be for some time. Meaning Jan will have to take on even
15:23more work. As if she's not busy enough handling the business finances and all of the livestock.
15:31Come on girls, come on. Including her prize herd of Hereford breeding cows.
15:36How you doing girlie? Hey? Be nice. I wouldn't say I was an animal person a few years ago. Well, quite a few years ago, but
15:49I definitely am now. I sat at a desk for 24 years doing office work and I would much prefer to be doing this.
16:01Definitely. Yep. I love it. See you tomorrow.
16:05After so much time and effort spent getting the build out of the ground, Dave 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.
16:29Today 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.
16:51Everything's 100% with Jan. Everything she does, she takes pride in. Definitely works way too hard.
17:04Most of my life spent around slowing her down. She never stops surprising me what she can do.
17:11With the steel in place, it's now abundantly clear just how tall this great room is.
17:22But will it be too dominant in this location?
17:27We really, really didn't want to make it too high because 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. And as you can see, it is.
17:43Well done. We've done it, buddy. We've done it.
18:00It'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,
18:11trying 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.
18:26I'm basically building the structure of our house.
18:29My feeling at present is when the sun shines, I work.
18:45Yeah.
18:45when the sun shines i work yeah because 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
19:01yeah then there'll be a sigh of relief we'll have a break for a while we need to have a break
19:09there's no effort spared here and so if everything goes to plan dave may be right and it will be a
19:1512-month build i can't help feeling however that could all change as fast as the weather on this
19:21whanganui hilltop oh it's got a bit nippy it has clouds are coming in
19:38nine months from the start of the build and the wet weather has fully set in but i'm due a visit
19:43and 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 look a giant chimney breasts above an enormous fireplace
19:57the backbone to many a good house and this one this one is i don't know it's kind of like a
20:03giant gray space invader full of character just like its owners
20:14but as the house starts to take shape and its scale becomes increasingly apparent
20:19it's clear this is no ordinary build certainly not for a farm in the back blocks of whanganui
20:25looking at this now is this how you imagine the house is it the size you thought it would be
20:33we're not sure yet are you no we're not we still don't know the framing's up then we'll get a better
20:37idea you think yeah and also the block layer who's stepped up to the mark really well um he's
20:45are you talking about yourself dave so it'll be hand over to the builders soon to yeah start doing
20:52the roof peelings and all those sorts of things yeah and money where are you with that yeah yeah
20:56yeah the moon is running out a bit we're at about four hundred thousand yeah well i don't know until
21:02the it's going to be another two hundred thousand to get it closed at least um but we we just have to
21:07do it as we can afford it sure so 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 and then they'll start
21:17preparing the roof up all the way through it that's when you'll see what we're building you
21:22say that with a little glint yeah absolutely by mo reckoning that extra two hundred thousand dollars
21:29to get closed in will take the bill over the 650 to 700 000 they thought the whole project might cost
21:37but running through that is another thread and there's a thoughtfulness and intelligence about
21:45what this place could be what the finishes are going to be like how that coordinates with
21:50the substructure and that comes from dave and his ingenuity and that tells me that
21:56this could be a brilliant house but there's a long way to go yet
22:13a blustery start to summer almost a year since the build began so dave's initial estimate of 12 months
22:20to finish is nowhere near being met and although a lot of the timber framing is now up there's not
22:27much else happening on site we stopped about four weeks ago because we sort of the old bank account
22:35had run out a wee bit that's quietly ticking away up there but yeah just nowhere near at the pace it was
22:42before it is what it is you know we'll get in there it might be a year let's hope so but um jan and i don't
22:50want to get stressed about when we're in there it's not only the extra 12 months on the build with building
22:59materials and labor costs all continuing to go up financially the whole project is really starting
23:06to hurt so dave and jan's focus is very much off the house and back onto making money
23:18we do uh grass silage to start with and then we'll go through and we'll do a lot of bales
23:23wrapped up in plastic and then we move on to our 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 one thing's for sure
23:39when the house is finally finished dave and jan will have really earned it and a lot has been
23:45sacrificed we've actually got a truck that we're just in the process of selling so we just decided
23:51well we've got that big asset sitting there and if this truck sells well we can um we can probably
23:57afford to buy the windows and the roof that'll be pretty handy be pretty pretty drafty otherwise
24:03without any windows despite their side hustles it's the quarry that pays the bills and it's jan who
24:10looks after the finances so 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 and that's been one of the things with the business too buying
24:31machinery in there if it gets too much i'll say no no that's enough you know we'll make do but
24:38we may have to but i'm not at this stage we're good
24:41dave and jan's continued determination to avoid borrowing money is a time-honored and sensible
24:50practice but while they're focused on sticking to the plan it must be hard finding the patience
24:57to do so with the build site lying largely idle it helps to have a few distractions and a fine day on the
25:05farm this is miss goosey she's been here for many years but unfortunately her partner died so
25:22she kept crying didn't she i'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 i don't appreciate that
25:35so
25:47by april 2023 with a bit more money in the kitty dave and jan are able to get the contractors back on
25:54site to continue the build yeah we're gonna have to cut cut your saw block off raise this side what
26:02about just forming the cell with a capping stone yeah oh it's unreal isn't it it's something different
26:07it's something enjoyable to build it's not a run-of-the-mill thing makes you want to actually
26:12you know get up here and help
26:17dave's pretty much handled most things up to here i'm just sort of steering him around the right
26:21direction but now i've got the roof structure he wants us to take over and um he's gonna back off and
26:26carry on with his retaining walls nick yeah if we can get the lid on get the roof on for him he'll be
26:31more than happy but while dave's now prepared to step back and let the builders get on with their jobs
26:38his own work is far from finished brick work around the outside is dave's doing a whole lot of that and
26:44he's going to do some plastering as well so he'll do all external envelope really of the build and we're
26:50just putting the lid on he's still got plenty to go dave and jan are caught a bit here they need to
26:57keep the build going but money continues to be an issue it's quite the conundrum priorities at present
27:05has a quarry and any sort of money that we might have and things like that really need to go towards
27:11that there's just so much at stake um we can't have this without that you know if we're not supporting the
27:18quarry we're not getting a home but there's an even deeper and more pressing problem the quarry is
27:27coming to the end of its working life so unless dave and jan can find another site on their farm for a
27:33new quarry their financial pipeline could be turned off but dave as always has a plan we'll be sort of
27:44taking that piece in the middle the new quarry will be in four stages that's stage one stage
27:50two stage three and then out the front here will be stage four there's a lot at stake here not only
27:57does setting up a new quarry needs serious investment there's still a risk there won't be enough usable
28:04shell rock to justify it so does dave even know he's planning to dig in the right place
28:10so no no i don't i actually don't i just the topography of the land as it lies
28:20that there looks exactly what that used to look like um and at the end of the day if it's not there
28:27now hopefully it's good rock
28:46it's now nearly two years since i first met dave and jan poppy on their farm near fanganui dave's initial
28:5312-month build estimate went out the proverbial window long ago and in fact the actual windows
28:59aren't even finished yet the 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 just as well
29:16everybody's worked hard down there there's been six or seven of us down there working just trying
29:23to get on top of it really so 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
29:33finally the glass goes in our aluminium really excited to be able to get in my house and the
29:47wind doesn't blow through it'll be just nice
29:53once the house is closed in jan can start on the interior decorating but how much money she'll have
29:58to play with will depend on how much has already been spent
30:08i think the budget we started at was it six six fifty six six fifty yeah yeah and we're at a million
30:14now how much more do you think we've got to go a couple of hundred yeah maybe something like that
30:22that should stop it too much more yeah the money coming in from the new quarry has to be balanced
30:29against the huge expense of setting it up plus 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
30:52so
31:00six months later and the massive job dave's tackles single-handedly
31:05is almost done and he's putting the finishing touches on the brickwork like the craftsman that he is
31:10i'm just looking for that real sharp clean lines look you know i'm only going to do it once so once i 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
31:34and steam i just can't get excited yet but i'm trying to do interior stuff now and that's getting
31:43stressful so to say the least but 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 it's just that layer of comfort and homeliness is still to be added
32:03that show-stopping view will always be the star though and while the landscaping typically comes
32:10last almost all the brickwork and cladding is done
32:15what happens here you've got some substrate yep what's the finish uh that'll be all stone
32:20schist yeah it's a yellowy color rusty yellow colors yeah it's pretty monotone at the moment
32:25so that will bring this color yes and uh so i should wait to judge this how should i till the
32:30till the artist has finished his composition that's exactly right it's been a huge effort and dave's
32:38clearly proud of his workmanship and justifiably so you've hit the safik perfectly no cut bricks
32:45honestly tom he's been the most reliable tradesman on site so far as a brickler yeah he really has
32:51been so we've been really impressed with him um we'd put him on any job now i always thought jan was
33:00taking the lead on interior decorating but it seems dave is still calling a few shots all around the
33:08outside and all the way across the ends here is all jib and that'll be black black ceiling yes
33:14interesting we're pretty out there having a black ceiling oh you've got enough height here haven't
33:19you for that to not feel oppressive no but i can't quite see it yet well no this isn't a a normal
33:28house is it dave even right down to the chandelier it's going to come down and it's all handmade
33:34like it'll be there won't be another one like it so there's a bit of work to do still but if they
33:41get cracking they'll be in by christmas six months or so away that will depend of course on the interior
33:47decorating and the couple agreeing on what they're doing jan your vision was maybe it's an old villa with
33:55roses and yeah and clearly the house is not that no so will we see some of that as this house gets
34:02finished some of that homeness it might sneak in yes definitely because i i'm certainly the country
34:09country villary person i'll sneak it out when you're not looking yeah no you won't where would
34:15you bring country in even your kitchen and everything that you've got is really stylish
34:19in for the floor oh okay yeah in our table where our table's a little bit so how much has this two and
34:27a half year trundle cost so far goodness me really got into that pretty how about hopping on to the
34:33next question well 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 and to come about 300 000 i'm hoping for it's a gotta be it's a gotta be hard
34:49point i don't really want to spend any more yeah that's enough i'm not going to build another one
34:55you know we've we've done the hard yards hey and we deserve what we yeah we've worked so hard in our
35:00lives to get to this point so here we are in a well a tough unrelenting construction environment and
35:13to this point it's all been concrete and brick and dave doing the heavy lifting but actually the next
35:20stage is what excites me because remember back to jan's vision of villas and roses that softer more
35:28romantic view of what a house should be i think that's what we're going to see next and what's more
35:34dave despite appearances he's a big softy well at least somewhere and i think he's going to enjoy
35:41that side of things as much as i will
35:52i'm genuinely excited about today going to see dave and jan's place finished because frankly up until
35:58now it's been three years well more than three years of hard work sometimes pretty horrible weather
36:05conditions you know all the grunty construction stuff so now hopefully we're going to see their well-earned reward
36:21wow look at that the hill has got a crown
36:25oh yes you know this house appears like a gray object from a distance but how close its textures and
36:39light and these lovely blue tiles cascading water shifts that looks amazing oh look an intergalactic
36:48front door i mean that's mesmerizing never seen anything like it what what do we do do we knock or
36:54teleport in yeah it opens hey hi john i'm very good how are you good to see you dave how are you good
37:06mate and what an arrival this house is impressive not least this i know i really love that door yeah
37:12love the colors what's next come on in
37:15this is lovely isn't it you walk up the steps and you see the water great view there yeah
37:25oh yes and it is a moment ah the great room is a great room your eyes are drawn up to the ceiling
37:38so that that's the timber that you milled planted them chopped them down and then milled them yeah
37:44i worried about the gray paint but that's the perfect backdrop now to these amazing yes copper and timber and
37:52stone tones yeah
37:56and then kitchen more textures and color lovely green emerald green tiles and that's copper isn't
38:03it yes on the back of the island yes yes but unlike any copper i've ever seen it's all beautiful
38:09jen's done a lot of the colors obviously and uh she's really nailed it as far as i'm concerned
38:14we're really really proud of it and it's got your names written all over it which is what your house
38:20should be right 100 yeah i think it's jan and i think there's jan in here no i just did the work
38:25right okay that's all jan brought the magic yeah yeah yeah oh absolutely now i'm the one she's the
38:31magic she's the magic absolutely there you go yeah
38:40of course the main event that's just war it tells the lie of is it inside is it outside it's sort of
38:45seamless as it flows through yeah really happy it's finished i know that each individual stone
38:52was laid with these so those two hands yeah the ones with glue all over right right right and
38:59so you're going to get a manicure soon then are you finished now oh yes
39:04while the great room is deservedly the center of attention it sits between the two wings of the house
39:09which are more private one near the front entrance has a bright guest bedroom and a generous home
39:16office and tucked away behind the schist wall in the other wing is a smaller tv lounge and just around
39:24the corner the master bedroom the main event is this great view to wake up to and then behind me
39:34we pushed that out with glass all around it so that we could feel as though we were sitting outside and
39:39the cows can look back at you yeah nobody else though yeah no yeah yeah
39:48the 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 yeah it's it's special it's almost like we're in
40:11the hollywood hills up above everything else we have to pinch ourselves quite regularly to realize
40:16that we've actually managed to achieve it like even this pool there's a huge amount of work in this
40:22pool like it took months to do it you know now we just get to enjoy it up to three years and three
40:28months mate we get to enjoy it finally this is such a strong house you know for the moment you walk in
40:44this shiny copper front door textured wallpaper oxidized copper and of course the schist it kind
40:50of grabs you we wanted to go for that wow vector yeah you've you've got that yeah absolutely yeah
40:58i knew what it was going to look like but i never believed that we can build it it was actually going
41:02to happen yeah yeah like right up until almost a couple of days before we moved in you never
41:06believed that it was our home did you well i just felt like somebody i was just coming up to
41:11yeah yeah well we can go on a job site yeah yeah but that's changed has it now yeah well sort of
41:17absolutely are you still getting used to it yeah i'm still getting used to it yeah there's a big
41:21change from yes living in a converted garage which was lovely you know but it was yeah it wasn't the
41:27ideal hey no no through the construction dave your stints were epic hours and hours days and days months
41:36months three years did it ever get too much uh i think it well it did for me at some stage i think i was
41:44just so sick of it we had a few few disagreements yeah and some of them pretty full on i think we'll
41:50take a bit of time out a couple of months i've just taken it easier and try to build the batteries
41:55back up because they're pretty empty right now i think you said it jan we only spend what we've got
42:04yes right but with this house you know the original ambition the budget at 650 probably dreaming as you
42:12found out well the last time i talked to you it was 1.3 million and then there's another 300
42:17to spend no it wasn't no it came in at 1.3 so you came in at 1.3 oh wow yeah so yeah i mean i looked
42:26so you stuck to that you said right this is what we've got i don't want to spend anymore
42:31so did you have to get a mortgage that was the thing you really wanted to avoid we did in the end
42:35yeah not a very big one no we only borrowed a little bit of money at the end no not too much
42:40we needed otherwise we'd still be building but i i always had one house left in me i always said that
42:46i would build one home at the end yeah and this is that really so um i was going to make it a good one
42:54yeah oh that's pretty special yeah absolutely absolutely and i just um
43:00um yeah i know what sacrifices jen's made to be here it's all right yeah yeah you don't need to
43:07go on no no absolutely she she has she's so you make us all cry yeah
43:18this house seems to me to be the perfect example of where passion transcends mere bricks and mortar
43:26transcends a particular architectural style or taste and yes it did rely heavily on dave's skills
43:32and expertise building things for other people but remember he said that he would only truly ever
43:38build one house for himself a true passion project and it seems to me that that passion
43:45was only activated when he met the true love to build for in jan
43:49and the wonderful thing is that we are seeing an undiluted full saturation reflection of that passion
43:59a reflection of dave and jan and that makes this a remarkable house to behold sitting here pride of
44:08place on the top of the hill
44:21and so
44:37it's
44:45and