- 3 months ago
Grand Designs Australia S12E02
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TVTranscript
00:00Sometimes life's curveballs can be so monumental and so unexpected they rock the very foundation
00:14of our lives. So what if, in the face of all that, you had the means to create a purpose-built
00:21home in paradise, no expenses spared, but as a celebration of family life for generations
00:27to come? Would it be a soulful and sculptural oasis, layered in space and meaning, or a
00:35soulless concrete megalith, which is the ultimate money pit?
00:57Hi, in the hinterland, an hour and a half north of their Brisbane home, Gary and Laura Lee
01:14Cunningham own a weekend property they call The Farm. Look one way, there's the otherworldly
01:23glasshouse mountains. Another, the sea. The farm's so beautiful, you've just got to take
01:31a lung full of air and dream big. Something Gary and Laura Lee have been doing since the
01:37day they met. Gary was at University of Queensland with me. I met him at a party and we just clicked
01:45clicked and we patched in the laundry five minutes later. There you go.
01:53That was a good patch. We thought, yeah, okay, here's my bloke.
01:59Turns out, he was. And they were soon married. Then, in a sliding doors moment, they backed themselves,
02:07moving their young family to America to set up a physiotherapy clinic. It really paid off.
02:15We started the business in the United States in 1996. We started with one clinic in Nashville, Tennessee.
02:21We sold the business in 2021. At that stage, we had some 250 clinics in 12 states.
02:29Let's go and see these babies. By then, the family had moved back to Australia. But that success earned Gary
02:37and Laura Lee the financial means to pursue their passions. Like breeding champion racehorses.
02:45Our first horse, who had our first baby on the farm, her name was Light Up The Room. I named her for
02:51Laura Lee because it's Laura Lee who, when she walks into a room, the lights go on.
02:57He's not kidding. Laura Lee jumps boots and all into another passion. Philanthropy.
03:09Raising big money for worthy causes. Like the Women's Legal Service.
03:15They have raised over half a million dollars. Tonight, please give a round of applause
03:19to the powerhouse duo, Marissa and Laura Lee.
03:23A big round of applause.
03:25The birthday girl. Happy birthday.
03:33But by far the biggest passion is their large and growing family.
03:39The kids are over here for family dinner probably every couple of weeks.
03:45So there will be nine adults and ten children.
03:51Mum is a huge extrovert.
03:53Dad is a massive introvert.
03:55So what happens with mum and dad's lives is it becomes this bizarre sort of stretch of
04:01mum pulling in one direction and dad pulling in the other.
04:05Yeah, this is pretty much what it's like.
04:09And we wouldn't really have it any other way.
04:11I mean, it's lovely.
04:15The favourite place for these gatherings, the farm.
04:23A four bedroom getaway with two dams, veggie gardens, chooks, alpacas and ducks on 23 glorious acres.
04:31Bought in 2015 that, over time, was bursting at the seams with their ever growing clan.
04:39But with plans in the works to create more space for the family, a blow no one saw coming.
04:47Twelve months ago, I was diagnosed with invasive ductal triple negative breast cancer through a routine mammogram.
04:57So I had a mastectomy a week after my diagnosis and then about three weeks after that started chemotherapy.
05:07There were times when I was desperate.
05:17But her strength gave us strength, I think.
05:23I just knew that I had so much to live for.
05:28I was scared that I wouldn't see those little ones grow up.
05:33Who wouldn't be scared?
05:35But Loralee is a force of nature.
05:38And 12 months on, has not only finished her treatment, but has used that time to come up with some very grand plans indeed.
05:47A total knockdown of the old farmhouse to make way for an epic modern edifice for the whole extended family.
05:56One that will be fit for generations.
05:59This project means well to me.
06:02It's become more important since I've been ill and I think it's going to be a centre of joy for us all.
06:15This is an extraordinary view.
06:18I can absolutely understand why you'd land here.
06:21How did you find it?
06:22It was one of those places that Gary and I used to come up to when we were first married for a little, you know, weekend or away.
06:28Yeah.
06:29Yeah.
06:30It's a very special place for us.
06:32I'm already imagining a lot of traffic coming and going.
06:34A lot of family members dropping in and out.
06:36That's right.
06:37And there is.
06:38That's exactly what it is.
06:39Yeah.
06:40The house actually is getting a little too small for the mall now.
06:42Well, I was going to ask, you know, what's wrong with this?
06:46Well, it's very dark in there.
06:48Okay.
06:49The way that it's been designed.
06:50To bring more light into the house was going to be, you know, really an expensive issue
06:54and I don't think it would have created the light that I wanted.
06:57There's mould that gets into the house.
06:59Okay.
07:00And all of those things combined, you know, everyone else loves it.
07:03Yeah.
07:04My kids, Gary, everyone just...
07:05Oh, hang on.
07:06Gary, you love the house?
07:07I did.
07:08I was very happy with it.
07:09I agree that it was a little bit dark on occasions.
07:13But, yeah, I would have been perfectly content to leave it.
07:16Okay.
07:17Gary was great.
07:18He was very generous in his.
07:19I know this is a passion for you.
07:20I know you want to do it.
07:22You go ahead and do it.
07:23Yeah.
07:25So the old house has to go.
07:28In its place, an enormous new home designed by architect Joe Adsett for the whole extended family.
07:36The structure is almost entirely concrete.
07:39600 cubic metres used to cast the three huge slabs, forming the ground and first floors and spectacular curved roof.
07:50Built in the shape of a horseshoe, fittingly, the house is called Horseshoe Hill.
07:56Through the curved front entrance, a six metre high void soars above the living area.
08:02At the centre, a vast stone fireplace and suspended timber and brass stairs.
08:09The floor is coloured, polished concrete.
08:11And straight ahead, full height windows bring the view rushing in.
08:17Wings extend on both sides.
08:19On one, the kitchen, barbecue and outdoor seating.
08:24On the other, the large main suite and bathroom, Gary's retreat to watch the races and a guest bedroom.
08:32Upstairs, four more en-sweeted bedrooms, while the other wing is the kids' domain, bathroom, rumpus and a bunk room that sleeps 15.
08:42Yep, 15.
08:44At the heart of it all, the family's gathering place.
08:47A grass courtyard and swimming pool with the home's concrete exterior warmed by timber, stone and glass.
08:55Is it too big?
08:57No, I don't think it will be too big because there's a lot of people, you know, and there's a lot of people here at the same time when we're all here together.
09:04So, I don't think it's going to be too big at all.
09:07OK.
09:08There's a lot of space for everyone.
09:09And, of course, big projects come with a lot of complexity and stress, particularly coming off the back of your recent health concerns.
09:16Aren't you worried that that's just sort of going to exacerbate the stress, is going to be a negative for you?
09:22I don't feel that I'm going to focus on that.
09:27Yeah.
09:28If it happens, I will deal with it.
09:29Yeah.
09:30As I've dealt with my health issues, I'll deal with this.
09:32Yeah.
09:33I need to ask, how long do you think this build is going to take you?
09:35Probably, realistically, two years.
09:37Mm-hmm.
09:38And what about the cost?
09:39How much are you intending to spend?
09:41Um, look, it's a lot of money, but we will be spending about 6.5 million on the build.
09:49OK.
09:50A significant part of this is nothing to do with the financial cost.
09:55It's about the children and the grandchildren and the great-grandchildren all being able to experience
10:02and have manifest in them the love that their grandmother or their great-grandmother had for them,
10:09such to commit to this project.
10:11Mm.
10:12This is an investment in us trying to say to our family,
10:16it's so important that you all stick together over time
10:19and enjoy each other's company and have each other's backs.
10:28That's a legacy for the ages, all right.
10:31Let's hope their grand ambition can be realised.
10:34After receiving a life-threatening diagnosis, most people would pause, reflect and retreat
10:43from the rat race of life.
10:45Loralee and Gary are doing the exact opposite.
10:48They're taking on one of the biggest and most meaningful projects of their lives
10:53in an effort to create a mid-century inspired home, not just for themselves,
10:58but for those closest to them.
11:01But I am worried.
11:03I mean, it is big.
11:05Will they be able to achieve that family intimacy that they're looking for
11:09in a project that could feel, well, like a hotel?
11:13But there's no turning back now.
11:25This old house has a meeting with a bulldozer.
11:28The only reminders Loralee will be keeping are two Cambodian statues
11:43that guarded the front door.
11:45They'll do the same at the new house once they're safely removed.
11:49Property manager Mark has been working here for seven years.
12:02We've had a lot of fun here with the kids.
12:06Kids love this place.
12:09I don't think anyone realises how much they do love this place,
12:13so it means a lot to that whole family.
12:18I am looking forward to seeing the new house.
12:21I just hope it has the same atmosphere as this place had with them.
12:39Six months after the demolition,
12:43there's nothing left but memories.
12:47Ten minutes per hole, you reckon?
12:50And a hell of a lot of work ahead for builder Hunter Thomas and his team.
12:55A two-metre offset.
12:56If we get rid of any of these...
12:58This enormous house is twice the size of anything he's taken on before.
13:03950 square metres.
13:06Most of it concrete, which will need to be supported by 100 piers
13:10dug seven metres into the rock.
13:13Being a hands-on builder myself, I really kind of enjoy the process of kind of,
13:18you know, getting the job out of the ground where you're actually...
13:21You're building, you know, getting your hands dirty and everything.
13:24Every pier is 450.
13:26Such is the scale of this job, it could literally make or break a builder.
13:33Hunter is recently married, but he and his wife Felicity have made a difficult decision
13:38to ensure the site runs smoothly.
13:41Gary and Laura Lee, you know, they're very lovely clients and they're so invested in this project
13:47and it's not just another house for them, it's a generational thing.
13:51So, you know, I'm actually sleeping on site kind of, you know, four days a week, so...
13:58And then, yeah, so no stone will go unturned.
14:03Hunter will be bunking down in the site's office,
14:06making sure everything happens on schedule.
14:10One thing's for sure, Gary and Laura Lee can't question his commitment.
14:21Well, this looks a little different.
14:24Wow.
14:27Just doesn't seem like the same place, does it?
14:29Oh, it's very different.
14:31It's incredible.
14:32How are you done?
14:33Yeah, good, good.
14:34This is looking all very, like, real now.
14:37Yeah, yeah, no, it's, uh, yeah.
14:41And where will the house start, like...
14:43Pretty much, yeah, you see the line across here.
14:45Right, okay.
14:46Oh, my goodness.
14:48So, between there and there, that's going to be the...
14:53the extent of the, of the, width of the lounge room and dining room then?
14:56Yeah, yeah, yeah.
14:57Okay, I thought it was bigger in my head.
15:01Bigger?
15:02This space is huge.
15:05And that's not the only thing.
15:07The original $6.5 million budget was done pre-pandemic.
15:12Since then, there's been a massive rise in the cost of labour and materials.
15:18Now, the quotes are in for real.
15:20I could tell my gut feel it was going well north of, um, you know, that original $6.5 million.
15:29The actuals came through and we're now up to, um, $10.5 million for the build.
15:37So, you can see it's, it's skyrocketed.
15:40You heard right.
15:41You heard right.
15:42Ten and a half million.
15:43But given the importance of this legacy project to their family, neither Loralee or Gary wanted
15:53to walk away.
15:54We're not just building it for ourselves, we're building it for our family.
15:57It's great to have something to look forward to and this, this really is her wheelhouse.
16:03And so, um, it'll be a great process for her.
16:06It feels like it's started now.
16:08Yeah, yeah.
16:09Oh, yeah.
16:10It does.
16:11It does.
16:14While Gary and Loralee come to terms with a $4 million blowout, I've come to see their architect, Joe Adset.
16:23If I'm honest, the two parties seem very much chalk and cheese.
16:27Your architecture is, has a very strong signature to it.
16:31And it's a sort of a late modern, very stripped back kind of essential architectural palette that you use.
16:37Whereas I think of Loralee as all colour and life.
16:39Absolutely.
16:40And they seem kind of almost diametrically opposite.
16:43And they are.
16:44So, I mean, that's an interesting conversation, isn't it?
16:46Did they need a lot of convincing about the plans you were putting out in front of them?
16:50I think initially, um, the idea of a courtyard house and or a C-shaped house resonated.
16:57And, and of course, you know, their, their love of horse racing.
16:59So there's this kind of ability to then connect it to, you know, the iconic shape of a horseshoe.
17:04And we've got them.
17:06How about that?
17:07You know, they're, they're, they're on.
17:08We're off to the races quite literally.
17:09So, uh, with that idea.
17:11So, um, you use a lot of concrete in your designs.
17:14And I'm kind of curious about that.
17:16Why concrete so much?
17:17I love concrete.
17:18Mm-hm.
17:19And it's no secret.
17:20I mean, it's expensive to build with.
17:21Yeah.
17:22But it does so many things that lightweight construction can't do.
17:24You can get long spans in concrete.
17:26Really maximise openings.
17:27Yeah.
17:28Thresholds.
17:29Yeah.
17:30Material-wise, concrete's, you know, it's been on the nose when it comes to sustainability.
17:33Most of the time.
17:34That's how I think of it.
17:35You know, the most sustainable thing you can do is actually not to build.
17:39Yeah.
17:40Um, it sounds ridiculous.
17:41So if you are going to build, build it so it's going to last.
17:43Yeah.
17:44Build it so it's going to be there in a hundred years.
17:46And concrete will last.
17:47Yeah.
17:48Particularly if it's designed and built well.
17:49Yeah.
17:50And Loreley wants to see colour in the concrete.
17:52Okay.
17:53You know, greens and or mustards or...
17:55And I'm sitting there going, oh, I'm not sure about this.
17:58So, you know, it's a work in progress at this point.
18:02It's a good thing Hunter and best mate, Hugo the dog, have a short commute.
18:16Because eight weeks of prepping the site later, it's an early start for the first slab pour of the build.
18:26There's a hundred cubic metres of concrete on its way to site in a cavalcade of trucks.
18:33The first is bang on time.
18:39And Hunter is making sure the next 15 are too.
18:42Go down and swing and then say, coming back level.
18:45So, what we'll do, we'll have one truck loading.
18:48And as soon as it dries out, I want to get the other truck in here.
18:53Hunter's watching the clock alright.
18:55Saved minutes add up to saved hours, which add up to saved days in the schedule.
19:01Time is literally money.
19:03The first of Loralee's coloured concrete is making an appearance.
19:09Called pine nut, it's a bit of a gamble.
19:13You can see it does have a bit of a yellow tinge to it.
19:16See, when you look into the water and see the slurry on the top, it's got that yellow thing.
19:20So that's just the oxide in it.
19:22So, but then once it dries out, that colour will really come to the forefront of it.
19:33The question is, will she like it?
19:38Can we walk down through there?
19:39Yeah, yeah, yeah.
19:40Launch room here.
19:41She's brought some friends along for moral support.
19:45Room there.
19:46So Hunter, this is the actual colour?
19:48Yeah, so that's the colour.
19:49So we poured this one yesterday.
19:51But that pour over there that we did, the first pour, you can see more of the colour coming through.
19:56OK.
19:57But yeah.
20:03I'm happy.
20:04That's great.
20:05That's fine.
20:06Yeah.
20:07I feel like it's great.
20:08It's wanting, it's got that sort of bit of a warmth through it and it's falling on it, so it's good.
20:12Yeah.
20:13Not exactly a rousing response, but she's warming.
20:18I was really, really worried about it.
20:20Just in case it was, you know, I was going to come and see this slab that I really couldn't go back on,
20:24being something I didn't want, but it's perfect.
20:26So happy.
20:28Phew.
20:29But the pine nut tinted concrete is just the start.
20:33Loralee has bold plans for the interiors.
20:36I'll just hang it like that.
20:37Just hang it like that.
20:38And let's just say the colour quotient is about to be supersized.
20:42Maybe I might just pull this out just so I can sort of see that they have the pattern there.
20:47I guess my style, if I had to start with one word, could be loud.
20:52But it's really, it is eclectic.
20:54Look at all this.
20:55I like, I like things that have spirit.
21:00And I like things that have personality.
21:02And I like things that are quirky.
21:04Yeah.
21:05What jumps out at me always is anything with monkeys or green palms in the pattern.
21:11And it does.
21:12Oh my God.
21:13I just, I love monkeys.
21:15Weird, I know, but I think they're cheeky.
21:18They've got personality.
21:20They're very cute.
21:22And the paint goes...
21:23Monkeys?
21:24This is getting more intriguing by the minute.
21:31You can definitely see the colour change, eh?
21:34Yeah.
21:35Well, it looks a fair bit different now.
21:37Back on site, the screws are starting to tighten.
21:42Yeah, we've got the steelies starting tomorrow, so we've got to get out of their way.
21:48Hunter's schedule allows just six months to finish the concrete bones of the house, and they're already three months in.
21:57There are two more enormous and difficult slabs to pour, the first floor and the horseshoe-shaped roof.
22:04A job for form-working maestros, brothers Hugh and James O'Reilly, who've moved up from Toowoomba for the job.
22:12Meats on the menu, veggies, not so much.
22:29But it's a bright spot at the end of some long, hard days.
22:33I love you.
22:37Say hello.
22:39Sienna.
22:40Sienna.
22:41Sienna night?
22:42Tickle, tickle.
22:43Tickle, tickle.
22:44Daddy's gonna get you.
22:45Daddy's gonna get you.
22:46Go, go, go, go.
23:03Sun up, and they're back at it.
23:104,000 concrete blocks are craned in.
23:16And as the walls go up, the sheer size of this place starts to be defined.
23:24I would say that the scale of it and the amount of concrete that's going into it for a house is pretty irregular, yeah.
23:32The chimney is land of the giants stuff.
23:37Six and a half metres high, it will eventually support the roof.
23:47Then there's the slab itself.
23:50It's not just huge, it's complicated.
23:54All curves and fine detail.
23:57This will be close to the hardest one I think we've done.
24:03But the principles are all still the same.
24:06It's just getting it on a bigger scale.
24:09When you've got the pressure on though, it's a bit of a pain in the arse.
24:11But apart from that, no, we're good.
24:13Loralee is facing pressures of her own.
24:23Today is one of those uncomfortable days any cancer survivor can relate to.
24:28She has ongoing monitoring and has come to learn her latest results.
24:33I've had my blood test done.
24:35That's the first thing that they look at.
24:38See if there's any rising cancer markers there.
24:41It is very weird though, going back here, because this is where I had my treatment.
24:46And with triple negative breast cancer, there's a higher possibility of recurrence than hormonal cancers.
24:55As positive as she tries to be, there's always that element of doubt.
25:12Hi, honey.
25:16Really well.
25:17Really good.
25:18All my bloods are good.
25:19And yeah, he's really happy with everything.
25:23So thank goodness.
25:25So, oh, thank you darling.
25:29It was something that I would never want to go through again.
25:32But in a lot of ways, it's taught me a lot of lessons.
25:36It's made me realise that I want to be with my family more than anything.
25:42Now, four and a half months into the two-year project, Hunter and the team have constructed
25:52what looks like the formwork for a small shopping centre.
25:57They now face what will easily be the biggest day of the build so far.
26:02All being well, they'll pour 150 cubic metres of concrete.
26:07Six weeks of work has gone into getting these deck prep.
26:10So, lots of dots to cross and knives to tee and all that kind of stuff.
26:15So, yeah.
26:16So, yeah.
26:17But it should be a pretty smooth day, hopefully.
26:20Yeah, real big day, mate.
26:22Hopefully a pretty quiet day for the formworkers.
26:25But a big one for the concreters.
26:27So, yeah.
26:28It's done slow.
26:29Sure.
26:30That's easy to use.
26:39So, yeah.
26:40That's what we're looking at.
26:42Just pretty much checking over everything we've done.
26:46then vibrate it to ensure it distributes evenly inside the formwork.
26:55It's pretty much checking over everything we've done.
26:58As the weight comes on and the pressure comes on,
27:01making sure nothing's opening up anywhere, nothing's bleeding out anywhere.
27:06Yeah, a little bit of bleeding, mate, but it's fine.
27:10Trying to stay ahead of it, there's a lot to watch.
27:13Mate, it's just back and forth constantly,
27:15so there's a bit going on, got to keep moving.
27:20But there's trouble afoot.
27:22Start vibing there.
27:24That's way too hard, bro.
27:26Concrete's already gone off after an hour.
27:32Concrete's going off.
27:35It's going off it is.
27:36Where we started pouring on that planter and where it slumped down,
27:40we went to vibrate it back through.
27:41Couldn't get in.
27:42I couldn't even get it into the load below.
27:43It's hard, it's off, gone.
27:46Concrete's not going well, mate.
27:49When concrete goes off, it dries.
27:52In this case, way too fast.
27:54And when wet concrete's poured on top,
27:57an ugly seam forms called a cold joint.
28:00Definitely not the look they're going for.
28:02So the oxide that they put in the concrete with the pine nut colouring that they're looking for,
28:08makes the concrete go off a little bit faster than the boys were expecting.
28:11Might just top that up, go over, top that hob up, and then we'll go down to that corner.
28:15We're trying our best just to keep it fresh where it was started to go off.
28:20Probably going to have a bit of fixing to do, potentially a bit of a cold joint.
28:25It's something we're trying to avoid.
28:26Ah, mate, just jump in anywhere you can, hon.
28:33Trying.
28:35Yeah, I don't know.
28:36Clean the top of this once we get it up.
28:37The cold joint isn't the only cloud on the horizon.
28:46By mid-afternoon, there's another on the way, and it's a big one.
28:51It's going to rain a minute.
28:53Yeah.
28:53Yeah.
28:55We're here, so we're going to pop this stuff here.
28:58Oh.
28:59Ah, the radar says it's coming straight for us, mate.
29:05Here comes the rain.
29:07The heavens open, it's concreting hell.
29:14Apparently it's hailing down the road.
29:16Hailing down the road.
29:24Ooh, that's cold.
29:33The last section is poured, but it's not pretty.
29:37Yeah, the concrete's here.
29:46So the parts of the scene are pretty good, as in the top of the slab is seen.
29:51They were pretty much hard.
29:52The concrete was going off so quick that they're all good.
29:57Last only three or four tracks, it's still wet, and we got this rain on it, and, yeah, it's a big swimming pool up there.
30:03Mate, it was a mental day.
30:05We had a few dramas with her.
30:09Holy ****.
30:10LAUGHTER
30:11LAUGHTER
30:12LAUGHTER
30:13It's a good thing no-one was near the crane.
30:20LAUGHTER
30:23It's the calm after the storm, and never has watching the concrete dry been quite so nerve-wracking.
30:42Six weeks until we get to this point, the warp, we got one day rain, and then it was literally the last half an hour of yesterday, but who's what it is, so...
30:54It's a setback, but on the upside, there's no structural damage. It's all superficial.
30:59I'm going to try and clean it off, but it's... See here?
31:05Um, it's still a bit green. It's exposing the stones, so, yeah, we'll just, uh...
31:10We'll just leave it.
31:11Put the carpet on there.
31:12Carpet that bit.
31:14Mate, probably won't, mate.
31:15LAUGHTER
31:16From that curve...
31:19..to around to that curve...
31:21The bigger concern is the potential coal joints in the curving wall.
31:25They're an important visual feature of the whole design, and need to be perfect.
31:33Only about six weeks building it, six weeks of my life.
31:36Hopefully this trip comes up pretty good, cos, uh, a little bit worried.
31:41There we go.
31:47Looks good, that'll look good.
31:50Big CJ?
31:51Big coal joint?
31:52Oh, it's not too bad.
31:53Yeah, it's right there.
31:55It's pretty good, though. The shape looks good.
31:58It could have been a lot worse, to be honest.
31:59Yeah, the boys did a really good job yesterday.
32:02And, yeah, it could have been a lot worse.
32:04Structurally, it's fine.
32:08Well vibrated, mate.
32:09LAUGHTER
32:10Well built, mate.
32:11Thanks.
32:12While there's stress-a-plenty on-site, off-site, Lorelei's seeking the opposite.
32:23Emma, isn't she just the most beautiful horse?
32:26Looking for ways to inject calm and character into the project by drawing inspiration from one of her great passions.
32:33And can you see the beautiful, the beautiful sheen on her coat, Irma?
32:37Yeah.
32:38Horses have been amazing for us.
32:40They have brought our family together throughout my healing process.
32:45I've had the beautiful horses to give me that lovely calm and inner peace and tranquility and joy.
32:55It's just such a wonderful, wonderful blessing that we have in our lives.
32:59Loralee wants those feelings reflected in the new house.
33:06So, a feature will be a two-metre-high sculpture from New Zealand artist Jamie Thomas.
33:13He's got a thing for horses too.
33:15Sweet. That is looking bloody cool.
33:31It's taken us about 150 hours to get to this point.
33:34We're a little over halfway.
33:36We've just got the mane to go, finishing off with a tail and fill in the rest of the horse.
33:42Jamie's medium of choice is horseshoes.
33:46What could be better for Horseshoe Hill?
34:01Yeah, no, it's dope.
34:02It's coming along really nicely.
34:03Yeah.
34:04It's the finer details like the ears and the mane and the tail that really settle alight.
34:09If you can really capture it rearing up, blowing in the wind, looking elegant, pretty cool.
34:19There's no doubt this project is throwing up rewards and challenges in equal measure.
34:25Hunter set an ambitious target for this house.
34:29Finished the structure in just six months.
34:32A tough at times seven day a week slog away from home with the crew fully committed to the job.
34:40But today is the last major concrete pool.
34:46The team has got it done on time.
34:57A celebration is well in order.
34:59They've just got the structure finished.
35:02This is the last of the major concrete pools today.
35:05So, yeah, just putting a bit of a do on for everyone to say thank you.
35:09So, yeah, it's a nice little bit of theatre.
35:12My wife's been a bit of a trooper this whole time.
35:15She's been a trooper for six months and pretty much been a single mum five days a week of the first six months of our son's life.
35:21So, pretty excited to get back and see her.
35:24She's pretty over me being away.
35:25So, yeah, ready to be done for a few months.
35:29Pretty proud and pretty happy.
35:33You know, it's a big esky when it needs to be craned in.
35:38And that would be the lamb.
35:40I really do appreciate, you know, all the work that, you know, kind of my team kind of puts in, doesn't go unnoticed.
35:55But, you know, without my boys really buying in, you know, we're probably, you know, the other guys might be two and a half months behind.
36:04So, yeah, it's a, you know, it's a credit, credit to all those boys.
36:10It's been a monumental effort, all right, fit for a monumental house.
36:22But how much is too much?
36:25I reckon they'll be lucky to even find each other in all of this space.
36:31Look at all that concrete.
36:32It's like the Great Wall.
36:37Lorelei and Gary, what an entry!
36:40Look at this place!
36:41Isn't it incredible?
36:42Oh, I'm glad you said that.
36:43It is.
36:44It's absolutely incredible.
36:46I can feel where we're going to be sitting at the dining room table.
36:49I can look at where my artwork's going.
36:51It's just, you know, it's amazing.
36:53It's quite incredible.
36:54You're already imagining life in the home.
36:55Oh, I've got it all sorted.
36:57All in my head.
36:58We are standing in a space right now which is basically a squash court.
37:01So, I mean, that's a very big space to turn from a concrete box into a family home.
37:07That's a challenge, right?
37:08Absolutely.
37:09I love interiors and that's the most exciting part of it for me.
37:13Yeah.
37:14So, it's going to feel like a very, very warm, beautiful home.
37:18Looking at the house in this raw state, that might be hard to believe, but already you can
37:24see the concrete is sculptural and spare, quite soft against that spectacular backdrop.
37:32The question is, how long it stays like that?
37:35I'm going to restrain myself and I'm going to keep this very, very simple.
37:40After the beautiful wallpaper that I've got on the bedhead and the...
37:43Oh, no, now you're talking.
37:44Tell me more about the wallpaper.
37:46Um, just beautiful ferns and palms and things, you know, a little bit different.
37:51So, it's a print like that?
37:52That's, yeah, that's going to go on the wall behind our bed.
37:54So, I really don't want this house to be cluttered, but I want it to have the same sort of personality
38:00that I'll put into all of my homes.
38:03Cluttered? Unlikely.
38:05They're going to need a palace load of furniture just to make this house habitable.
38:10And turns out, the king's ransomed to get it finished.
38:14How's the process gone?
38:15I mean, you know, in terms of the build and everything, it seems like it's trucking along quite well.
38:20Hunter has said that he is anticipating it'll be complete at the end of November,
38:25which is five months ahead of schedule.
38:28I can't believe I'm saying that.
38:30Okay.
38:31So, I'm going to have to ask then, what is the magic that you are doing
38:34that is making you the only house that is ahead of schedule?
38:37Well, I don't think we're doing anything.
38:38I think the team is doing a great job.
38:41What about the budget though?
38:42I mean, if you're going to be doing very well on time, maybe not so well on budget.
38:46Normally that's the way it works, right?
38:47It's closer to 11 million.
38:50Eleven? Nearly double.
38:51Exactly.
38:52What was your reaction to that number? You must have had to have a breath.
38:58Look, you know, this is a difficult conversation because we are supremely lucky.
39:04And I'm very respectful of where that fits in the scheme of people's lives.
39:09It's an investment of what we've achieved in our life to go forward with our family.
39:13And I think everyone in their own way does that.
39:17You know, this house is a home.
39:19It's not a status symbol.
39:21It's not a status symbol.
39:22Yeah.
39:23It is for our family and for, you know, to have people up here who we love.
39:31Laura Lee's on a mission to create something special, alright, and it's all-consuming.
39:39She has her eye on some more horse-inspired artwork featuring the one that started it all for the family, Light Up The Room.
39:47I always had a vision of getting some work done around our horses.
39:54And I really feel the one that we needed to start with, of course, is Light Up The Room.
40:06Laura Lee has commissioned Melbourne equestrian artist Nicole Slater to paint what will be a prominent feature in the house.
40:13With several photos as reference, she gets to work on a job likely to take several months.
40:20There's always like this ugly stage of a horse, of a painting, not so much a horse.
40:25Um, and there's, there's so many layers that go into it.
40:28So I'm up to layer two, I would say.
40:30Sometimes I get to layer ten with some paintings, um, and you just gotta push through.
40:35And I'm sure the house is stunning.
40:37Um, I really wanna make sure that this is done perfectly.
40:40It's April, and another hunter deadline is approaching.
40:55He wants the house at lock-up by the end of the month.
40:58The last big job before that, and it's huge, is fitting the windows.
41:04Beautiful. All right.
41:10This is the biggest.
41:11When you're ready, come in. Beautiful.
41:13All 600 kilos of it.
41:16It's for Gary's racing room.
41:19It's got a piece of glass.
41:21Extreme glazing.
41:22This is probably the biggest glass we've done on a house.
41:25This is a, this is a commercial-sized panel, but it's, uh, yeah, it's a fancy house, and I reckon we're good.
41:32Out.
41:33Out.
41:34Yeah.
41:35Yeah, swinging me a hundred mil.
41:36All right, son.
41:37Up.
41:38Pull!
41:39You need to come up.
41:40Up.
41:41Up your side.
41:42Yep.
41:43All right, now, bring it in.
41:47Yeah.
41:48Oh, mate.
41:49Big.
41:50That's the heaviest piece of glass in the job.
41:53I think, uh, Gary's gonna be pretty happy with his, um, punting room.
42:04Outside, the lower-level concrete is being grounded in nature, clad in more than 20 tonnes of stone, using a traditional European technique.
42:14So, what I have to do, just break this on the top, and it will fit.
42:22That's it.
42:27Timber inlays, combined with the curved lines, gives the concrete roof a far more organic feel.
42:35It looks beautiful, but Lorelie's whole motivation has been to create a family space.
42:41For all her ideas and enthusiasm, I have to wonder, there's so much concrete, so much empty space.
42:50Will she really be able to warm it all up?
42:54In her heart of hearts, even Lorelie is asking some questions.
43:00There have been some things that I've thought, gee, I wish I'd focus on that a little bit more.
43:04You know, that year that the house is being designed was the year that I was going through chemotherapy.
43:10So, I know I wasn't at my best that year.
43:13I was very happy to look at something and go, yeah, that seems fine. That's great.
43:17But, you know, in the end, again, I think it's going to be the most beautiful house and everything's going to work so beautifully together.
43:28But I guess I won't know until it happens, so we'll see.
43:32It's now more than two years since Gary and Lorelie demolished their much-loved retreat to build an intergenerational home, a family gathering place and touchstone.
43:51But my worry has always been that you can't manufacture memories, and no matter how big this place is, could Lorelie give it a soul?
44:16Look at that view. Incredible.
44:25You definitely know you're in horse country.
44:30Beautiful arrival. The house is hidden behind the tropical plants.
44:34And there it is. What?
44:40I knew it was going to be a statement, but this is epic.
44:46Amazing.
44:58Guys, look at this. This is so impressive.
45:02Thank you, Anthony, and welcome. So happy to hear that, because it's what I've been thinking.
45:06I need you to tell me, too. Some reinforcement. It's just extraordinary.
45:10Yeah. The timber down here, it warms everything up, it's brought the scale down. That beautiful eve line trimming the whole building against that amazing backdrop. This is spectacular. Do you love it?
45:22Look, Anthony, I don't hate it. Look, I do love it. And it's the culmination of more than a couple of years of passion from Lorelie. Passion is a critical element.
45:38Yeah. It's been a passion all right. But you don't see the full extent of it until you get a look at the other side. It's big. But as the gardens mature, far from standing out on the hillside, it will settle down and feel part of it.
45:57And the old house is not forgotten. The memories start with those statues at the front door.
46:06They were a very important part of our old home.
46:09Well, will they let us in? Because I want to go and have a look inside.
46:11Well, they said it was okay to invite you in, so that's okay.
46:14Come on, let's go. Come on, let's go. Let me get the door. Okay.
46:21Oh, thank you very much. Come on in.
46:23Oh, this, this is spectacular. Look at this. This glorious room. I mean, my word.
46:32That was the plan. That was the, well, it's working.
46:36I mean, I was nervous this was going to feel too big, but now that I'm standing here, it's warm.
46:41I can feel things like the Palmet lighting bring the scale down and that view just is drawing us through.
46:47Actually, even that trick of drawing the view back into the house through that skylight above the stairwell there,
46:52a beautiful architectural detail that is bringing the whole space to life.
46:58As big as the room is, the cascading sunlight alone is enough to fill it.
47:03But everywhere you look is warmth.
47:08From the pine nut concrete to Lorelie's soft green rugs.
47:14And the story of their lives colours the home in the best way possible.
47:19I think you walked in here and you said, this place is giving me squash court vibes.
47:24I did say that.
47:25Yeah, I think I cried for about five minutes.
47:27Oh.
47:28No, but I remember thinking then, he's right.
47:32It's like, I don't want this to be a cold house.
47:35And, you know, warmth in lighting, warmth in textures, warmth in people and atmosphere is everything for me.
47:43I can see the personality all around me.
47:45I mean, Nicole's painting on the wall has made an appearance.
47:49Look, I mean, that is, that is pretty spectacular.
47:52She's nailed her.
47:53Yeah.
47:54She's completely nailed her.
47:56Gary, you've been very quiet.
47:58Yeah.
47:59Come on, what do you think?
48:00You walk in here after a hard day's work and?
48:03Oh, it's breathtaking.
48:04I remember you were actually a little reluctant to get rid of the old house.
48:07Yeah.
48:08I thought it was fine.
48:09Everyone loved the old house except me.
48:11Yeah.
48:12This is infinitely better.
48:14There you go.
48:15What else can you show me?
48:17I have so much to show you, Anthony, so we'd better go.
48:20All right.
48:21I'm going to follow you.
48:22Come on.
48:23This could be a very long trip.
48:24As welcoming as the living room is, the kitchen draws you through.
48:34It's supersized for the whole family.
48:38Gary, the kitchen, this is your domain, isn't it?
48:41It is, yes.
48:43We, as a family, we've always enjoyed dining together.
48:47More eating together than dining.
48:49Dining is too glamorous for what we do.
48:51Is the bench big enough?
48:53I mean, I could play cricket on this bench.
48:55It's as big as a cricket pitch, no?
48:56Yeah.
48:57Yeah, we can do that.
48:58We can lay a bit of turf.
48:59So it's multifunctional.
49:00The real purpose of this room is to start the conversation with the family every time they
49:04arrive for a visit.
49:05Yeah?
49:06Spot on.
49:07So that deformalizes the house in the best way, I think.
49:10Yeah?
49:11I think it's really great.
49:13In the other wing, there's another place Gary will feel at home.
49:17Here we are.
49:18This is Gary's retreat here.
49:20Oh, Gary, this has got to make you happy, hasn't it?
49:23Very happy.
49:24This is your racing room.
49:25It's beautiful.
49:26It is definitely my retreat.
49:28I think you'll see that it's quite different in its characteristics from the rest of the house.
49:34So a little pause on the way too.
49:36Oh, the main bedroom.
49:40Here it is.
49:41What is it like to wake up to this spectacular view every morning?
49:45It's pretty special.
49:46It really is.
49:47It's a magical way to start the day.
49:50And something like the frameless corner here just sort of plays up that view again and kind
49:54of makes the whole thing sink.
49:56So I mean, it's a really beautifully put together sort of moment here.
50:00And of course, as I'm standing here, I realise we're wedged between greenery out there and jungle over here on the wall.
50:06Now, who's responsible for this?
50:08Because I need a few more trees.
50:09That's right.
50:10I mean, I know you love palms.
50:11Where are the monkeys?
50:12Well, the monkeys, there's a monkey room.
50:13Oh, of course there is.
50:14I'll show you that soon.
50:15Yes, there's a monkey room, but that's just the start.
50:27Every bedroom and ensuite is different.
50:30Different colours, different patterns, blinged to the max.
50:36But in fairness, all speaking fluent Loralee.
50:43And the conversation continues outside.
50:47I mean, that pool, I just, I want to dive into it.
50:50I think I want to dive into the view even more.
50:53I mean, that is just, it's just so good.
50:55It's beautiful.
50:56It's so magical.
50:57Another part about the whole house that I really love is this, it does feel so open.
51:02Things like, you know, the fire pit down here and the way you're thinking about the side of the house there.
51:07There's a lot going on that kind of gives you places to move outside of the house itself.
51:12And I mean, you know, the horseshoe shape, that's kind of loud and proud, but it's doing you great service.
51:16I really like this kind of curve in the glass there.
51:19I'm just so excited about living here because it's going to be such a beautiful...
51:25Ten grandkids need a place to run around.
51:27They just need wide open spaces, don't they?
51:29Absolutely.
51:30Well, I know Lorelie's got a few weddings planned, but I think they're a couple of decades away, hopefully.
51:36So long-term thinking then?
51:37Yeah.
51:38Yeah.
51:39Yes, this place is big, but it's not space for its own sake.
51:51Every room, every nook and cranny has a reason and is tied to family and togetherness.
51:59And yes, warmth.
52:04Lorelie's pulled it off, despite some pretty major obstacles in a way.
52:09Congratulations.
52:10You started this process just after your health scare, your cancer.
52:15A very challenging moment in your life, in both of your lives.
52:19So now that you reflect on the house in those terms, what does the house mean to you?
52:26The...I mean, I was scared.
52:29And this gave me such a positive thing to focus on.
52:32And I think that's why, for some reason, it's just been such a beautiful thing to move into,
52:38because I'm healthy again.
52:41And we get to celebrate it, you know, with this beautiful new home.
52:46So it's...yeah, it was...it's been one of the best things I've ever done.
52:53Part of the decision making was very much around creating something positive to focus on in a very dark time.
53:00And it certainly achieved that.
53:03Was it stressful for you, though?
53:05No, it hasn't been stressful.
53:07I mean, Lorelie assembled a great team.
53:09And we absolutely hit the jackpot with Hunter Thomas.
53:12Yeah. Shout out to Hunter.
53:14Yeah.
53:15We've assembled a great crew of craftsmen.
53:17So, again, the success of this build is purely...you know, it's due to the people.
53:24Let's talk about how big the house is.
53:27I was worried initially that it was going to be too big.
53:30And I think, Lorelie, you in particular went backwards and forwards a bit.
53:33I just wonder, where did we land?
53:35In the perfect spot.
53:37Goldilocks.
53:38Not too big, not too small, but just...
53:40Not small. Just perfect.
53:41It is.
53:42We have a lot to do with our grandchildren and children.
53:45And to have a home that can accommodate them all and allow us to be together is very, very special.
53:53So you were hoping that it was going to take two years.
53:56Mm-hmm.
53:57And where have we actually landed then, in the end?
53:59Well, we're two months ahead of schedule, so...
54:03He could have promised us, over-promised and under-delivered, and he chose to go the other way.
54:07And so...
54:08When I first met you, your budget was about $6.5 million.
54:12The second time I met you, I'd sort of got north of 11.
54:16So, where did we end up?
54:19We've ended up at 10.3.
54:21OK.
54:2510.3 million, an awful lot of money by anyone's measure.
54:29But this was always an investment in something priceless.
54:35It feels very much to me like the stage is set.
54:39Bring on the grandkids and, you know, let life happen.
54:42Yeah, absolutely.
54:43Yeah.
54:44Hi, darling.
54:45Hi.
54:46Hi.
54:47Hi, darling.
54:48Hi.
54:49Hi.
54:50Hi.
54:51Hi.
54:52Hi.
54:53Hi.
54:54Hi.
54:57Hi, darling.
54:58Hi.
55:01You'd be amazed at how quickly a family can fill a house, even one this big.
55:07Turn a tribe of kids loose on the lawn, put granddad in the kitchen, and everything just
55:13feels, well, full.
55:18The years I've ever had here, just having such a beautiful time together.
55:23That was always the intention, and it's been realised with uncompromising love and care
55:29and dedication to perfection.
55:31Your family, this is something that your family can look at and say, my dad did this.
55:35Well done.
55:37We're very grateful.
55:38Thank you so much, Gary.
55:39Great job.
55:40Well done.
55:42It's been awesome.
55:44It's a testament to endurance that will last as long as the family.
55:48For Laura Lee and Gary, this fortress of glass and concrete is actually a metaphor for
56:02resilience, for standing tall in the face of massive hurdles and going the distance for
56:07something bigger than yourself.
56:10It's not just a legacy for loved ones.
56:13Laura Lee's spirit fills up the place and then some.
56:16Where once she may have just lit up the room, now she lights up the entire mountain.
56:22And I'll see you soon.
56:24SONG MUCH
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