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Grand Designs Australia S12E05

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00:00Great architecture is as much a response to its environment as it is about the
00:15structure itself. I mean, imagine the Sydney Opera House without the harbour.
00:19But what if you wanted to build your home in a location that is so spectacular
00:24it's called Sublime Point. That's a lot to live up to.
00:54Wow, look at the water this morning. It's just glistening, isn't it?
01:09Yeah. Oh, I can't wait to get in.
01:12Are you going to dive straight in? Oh, yeah.
01:15Aussie builder Nick Luisi and British-born TAFE teacher Rachel have been together for 13 years
01:21with a little help from the internet.
01:24I think we were both looking for love.
01:26Oh, sure.
01:27Is that a dating program?
01:29Well, it could be.
01:31The moment I saw her, I went, wow, she's a stunner.
01:35Oh, you're an idiot. I did.
01:37I said, whoa, looks better than the photos.
01:40They married in 2020 and have been living happily in an apartment in Sydney's eastern suburbs,
01:51but recently felt the call of the wild.
01:54I thought I'd never leave Coogee.
01:56Everyone you knew never thought you'd leave Coogee.
01:59Yeah, exactly. But we said, we need to experience something different.
02:03Oh, look at that. Look at that valley. How green is it?
02:09We started going up to the mountains on the weekends.
02:12We found that we actually loved the mountains,
02:15and it was just like, wow, let's move, let's build a home.
02:18Let's build our dreams. Yes.
02:20And we found the perfect block, and that was it.
02:22It was just like, bang, we've got to do this.
02:27Look at the trees, the surroundings, the nature.
02:30But you're a beach boy.
02:32Was a beach boy.
02:33Now I'm a country bump guy.
02:36But building a place called home has special meaning for Rachel.
02:41There's a lot of heart and a lot of soul going into this,
02:44because I've had a very tough life.
02:47As a young person, I moved regularly.
02:51By the time I was 12, I lived in over 30 foster homes,
02:54and then now it's the first time that I'm building a stable home,
02:58but with us together.
03:00Wow.
03:01That's phenomenal.
03:02It's grounding us, because you can actually think,
03:04this is our home, this is my home,
03:06this is where we're going to spend the rest of our lives.
03:09OK, I'll race you to the top. Go.
03:12Good thing these two like action-adventure.
03:15How awesome is this track?
03:16It's amazing.
03:17Because with Nick on the tools
03:19while also running his building company back in Sydney...
03:22Absolutely love it.
03:23It's going to be a wild old ride.
03:27Wow.
03:28Wow, look at that.
03:30Especially with what they have in mind.
03:34This is going to be one of the biggest challenges
03:37in my 35-year building career.
03:39Amazing.
03:40It's going to be quite exciting,
03:41but it's going to be quite stressful as well.
03:43See that ridge there?
03:45That's where we're actually building the house.
03:47Yeah, we've got sloping block,
03:49we've got bushfire zone,
03:51we've got rammed earth,
03:53we've got passive house.
03:54It's just got absolutely everything
03:56and I'm really pumped for the challenge.
03:59I'm just biting at the bit to get started.
04:01And then you've got your wife.
04:03Then I've got my beautiful wife, obviously.
04:07Well, you've got a job to do.
04:09Sure have.
04:10So have you.
04:11I know.
04:12They're not kidding.
04:16A very big job indeed.
04:18Especially in a location as spectacular
04:21as the World Heritage Listed Blue Mountains.
04:25I can't wait to get up there.
04:28Just watch your stat.
04:30Where are you taking me?
04:32Oh.
04:33This is our piece of paradise.
04:35Yeah.
04:36It's a pretty spectacular bush.
04:38This is what we love about it.
04:39Yeah.
04:40How nice and green and lush it is.
04:43And the smell.
04:44All those natural fragrances coming up
04:47from the natural bush.
04:51It's a pretty rough hike down the hill.
04:55Oh, yeah.
04:56But it's all for that.
05:01That is so majestic.
05:04And that's what drew us to this place.
05:06Wow.
05:07The view.
05:08Yeah.
05:09Wow.
05:10I get it.
05:11Just look at that.
05:12That's why they call it Sublime.
05:13Yeah.
05:14Sublime point.
05:15Yeah.
05:16It's special.
05:20This whole thing about leaving the beaches for the mountains.
05:23What is it about the mountains that sort of has drawn you here?
05:26My soul feels very relaxed here.
05:28Yeah.
05:29It's a real calm feeling, isn't it?
05:30Mm-hmm.
05:31When I come to the mountains, it's as if my body just transforms and I just sort of go,
05:36Oh.
05:37I just expel all the stress from the city.
05:39Yeah.
05:40Yeah.
05:41So you're chasing the calm.
05:42What are you going to build here?
05:45Paradise.
05:46I didn't know.
05:47You actually called it a TARDIS, didn't you?
05:48I did call it a TARDIS.
05:49One day.
05:50Yeah.
05:51Because you come in from the street and it's very minimalistic.
05:54But then as soon as you open that door, it's just wow.
05:57Because a TARDIS, of course, is bigger on the inside than it looks like from the outside.
06:02Absolutely.
06:03So for people looking in, they have no idea.
06:05Okay.
06:06And then the dreams are made inside.
06:10As TARDIS's go, I reckon even Doctor Who would be impressed with how much they're packing
06:16in.
06:17Designed by D. Eppi Architects, 600 cubic metres of rock will first need to be carved out to
06:23make space for the two-storey, split-level dream.
06:26The ground floor will be the ultimate entertaining and relaxation space.
06:30Kitchen, dining room, gym, sauna, swimming pool, jacuzzi and sunken lounge.
06:37Nestled within rammed earth walls and looking out to the soaring cliffs to the west.
06:42Upstairs, the views only get better.
06:45A study, four bedrooms, three bathrooms and epic vistas out to the world-famous Three Sisters
06:51rock formations through huge double-glazed windows.
06:55The whole structure will be wrapped in an airtight passive house layer for thermodynamics.
06:59And a fireproof shell for protection.
07:03Then clad in black standing seam and rusted steel to help merge the house into the environment
07:09and capture the earthy hues of the rock faces around it.
07:13This will all be topped off with a sculptural butterfly roof, partially cloaked in greenery
07:19to help minimise the house from the street.
07:22For Nick, this project will be a huge undertaking and the icing on the cake of a 35-year building
07:28career, while for Rachel, finally, a home of her own.
07:32Is it like you just waited to put all the challenges into this last big bucket?
07:37Yeah, I think I did.
07:38Yeah?
07:39Stupidly enough.
07:40Bushfire.
07:41Passive house.
07:42Rammed earth.
07:43Quartan steel.
07:44There is an enormous amount going on in just the technical dimensions of this build.
07:47Yeah, I thought I'd throw it all in one basket all at once.
07:51Just, you know, I like challenges.
07:53You sure do.
07:54It's going to be a shack at one point and then it sort of started growing and growing from
07:58there.
07:59And it kind of did.
08:00The budget tripled.
08:01Oh, great way to start.
08:03Oh, it's good.
08:04So how much are you going to spend?
08:06We're hoping about 1.8 million.
08:08I think it's pretty generous, but, yeah, you know, you know how it goes when you build.
08:13And you're a builder, so you know this game.
08:15I know this game too well.
08:17Most of my trades have been with me for at least 20 years.
08:20Yep.
08:21So calling in some favours.
08:22Asking a few favours, yeah, you know.
08:24A few days of buying them pizza and beer and buttering them up that way.
08:28Do they know about this?
08:29Oh, of course they do.
08:30How long do you think the build is going to actually take?
08:33Oh, look.
08:34Oh, look at that look from Rachel.
08:39There's a lot of pressure here already.
08:41Well, Rachel would like it done in like three to six months, but 12 I'd say.
08:4512 months.
08:46Yeah.
08:47How's that going to work?
08:48Are you going to be here on site, living on site?
08:49I'm not going to be up here permanently.
08:50I'm going to have to, yeah, travel backwards and forwards to Sydney because I've got quite
08:54a bit of work on in Sydney as well.
08:55Yeah.
08:56So I'm going to have to try and manage it as best possible.
08:58You're going to be on fire.
08:59I will be, yeah.
09:00Yeah.
09:01I'm in my element when I'm under pressure and stress.
09:0411 months from now, let's check in on that.
09:06Yeah, okay.
09:07You'll be at peak stress at that point.
09:09I'm going to set my clock.
09:11Tell me, what are you most looking forward to?
09:15Breaking ground.
09:16Yeah.
09:17Yeah.
09:18Right now, breaking ground.
09:19100%.
09:20That's going to be a huge moment.
09:21Yeah.
09:22Yeah.
09:23We're going to cry when the bulldozers come in.
09:24It's going to be exciting.
09:25Yeah.
09:26There's no doubt there's a lot of love in the house.
09:31Nick wants to build the home Rachel's always longed for, and it will be the ultimate celebration of their commitment to each other.
09:40But for me, the success of this project will live or die on whether they can do justice to this magnificent landscape.
09:48It is, after all, the reason they're here in the first place.
09:52Make no mistake, this will be a huge building.
09:55A giant TARDIS for two.
09:57They'll be swimming in space.
09:59They're going to have to work really hard to hide it from the streets and make it cosy and make it blend seamlessly into the landscape.
10:07It does seem to me that what they want and what they're building are at odds with each other and may not be very homey at all.
10:22It's the first day of the rest of their lives.
10:28Ooh.
10:29Let's do it.
10:30We're going to get ready to rubble.
10:32A day they thought would never arrive.
10:35The site is being cleared so they can finally break ground.
10:39I feel sick.
10:41I just feel sick.
10:42I'm actually shaking.
10:43This has been a long time coming.
10:45Yeah.
10:46How are you feeling?
10:47I've got butterflies.
10:48I'm nervous.
10:49Yeah, yeah, yeah.
10:50It's our dream.
10:51We're actually going to start building our dream home.
10:53Yep.
10:56We're going to be knocking down a fair few trees cos the site was quite dense, but we're also keeping quite a few.
11:02That's why we've got the tree protection zone.
11:04Now once all those trees go, we'll be able to get a real sense of what we've got.
11:11Exciting!
11:21How quick is he chewing through it?
11:22I can't believe it.
11:23It's amazing.
11:24In just five hours of sawing, mowing and mulching, the majority of the site is cleared, ready for
11:39Nick and his team to begin the build.
11:41Looks like a playing field now.
11:42I'm astonished.
11:43I would never have thought it was going to leave it like this.
11:44And I do this for a living.
11:45Can you believe it?
11:46We can see the view now.
11:47Finally!
11:48I knew there was a view there and we were going to capture it.
11:49I knew it was going to be good, but I didn't think it was going to be this good.
12:02Look at that.
12:03It's insane.
12:04You can see now why we decided to pick this spot, so it's incredible.
12:12We're very, very, very, very happy.
12:17Their excitement about progress on site is short lived.
12:23Over the weeks and months that follow, the excavation is extremely hard going as 600 cubic metres
12:31of rock is slowly gouged out of the site.
12:38I'm actually in the deepest part of the excavation.
12:42This is where my holding tanks are going to go for all my water.
12:46We're going to have 22,000 litres in here.
12:49We can flush toilets with them, water in the gardens, filling up the swimming pool that
12:53we're going to be digging next door to this.
12:55I'm actually just making sure that we are at the right levels below here, because you only
13:00get one shot at this, and once the tanks are in, that's it.
13:04Pulling them back out is going to be a nightmare.
13:08Nick!
13:09Hello there!
13:10Where are you?
13:11I'm down in the hole!
13:13You've finally got your man cave!
13:16That's it.
13:17Just take your time.
13:19Yep.
13:20Does my bum look bigger than this?
13:23How deep is this?
13:25Probably about three and a half metres below our finished ground floor level.
13:30Wow, look at that.
13:32Is this clay?
13:34It's more sandstone than clay, but it's not a hard, hard sandstone, which has been good
13:38for us.
13:39It's really beautiful.
13:40It is.
13:41It's all these beautiful textures and colours.
13:43Yeah.
13:44We should keep some.
13:45Oh, there's plenty to pick.
13:50We're only halfway there.
13:53I haven't been here for a while.
13:55It's changed dramatically.
13:57But every stage has got a story.
14:00I mean, who would have thought that hole would be so beautiful?
14:04And this is massive.
14:05This is just our water tank.
14:07So, but look at it.
14:08Look at the colours and the textures.
14:12I just feel really lucky.
14:14This is exciting.
14:16The scale of this house is certainly starting to hit home.
14:21The sauna, just here.
14:22You're in the dining room.
14:24Back into the media room.
14:25Then we've got the pool right in front of us here.
14:28That's pretty good.
14:29It's going to be pretty stunning, isn't it?
14:30For a pool that I'm never going to use.
14:32Well, true, you're the one that wants to pool.
14:37And then you never go swimming.
14:41Am I supposed to be diplomatic or not on this one?
14:44She's a bit of a non-swimmer.
14:46But she wants to pool.
14:49I get that Nick wants to build Rachel the dream home she's never had.
14:53But at what cost?
14:56Are you still nervous?
14:57Whenever I start a new project, the nerves are always up.
15:00Even though we're the clients.
15:01We're the clients.
15:02It's still quite nerve-wracking.
15:03Because you can be pretty tough, you know.
15:05I'll be your best critic.
15:06I'll be your best critic.
15:07You can be pretty tough.
15:08Yeah, all right.
15:09It's a monster job.
15:11A monster job.
15:12Yeah.
15:15I didn't expect him to be nervous, but it's his own home.
15:18He's passionate.
15:19I mean, he's passionate about all jobs.
15:21But he just wants to get it right, of course.
15:31It's now seven months into their 12 months project.
15:35And they're only just pouring the 180 square metre lower ground floor slab.
15:40Everything about this job is bigger and more difficult than expected.
15:45And today, the elements are against them.
15:49Oh, well, the fog hasn't lifted at all today.
15:52Now we've got rain, typical of the mountains.
15:54You know, let's just hope it doesn't really start bucking down, that's all.
15:58Because it just becomes miserable for everybody to work in.
16:05But the weather isn't dampening Nick and Rachel's spirits.
16:09It's looking good.
16:10You happy with it?
16:11Yeah.
16:12Oh, my God, it's amazing.
16:13The form's starting to take shape.
16:17You know, we'll be able to walk on this this afternoon.
16:20And, yeah, just start to feel the perspective of it all.
16:24I'm loving it.
16:25I mean, I've seen plenty of concrete pools before,
16:27but when you're doing your own house, it's different.
16:30You get really excited about it.
16:33And I'm feeling really excited.
16:35Really excited.
16:36Yeah.
16:44Two weeks later, the slab is set and the boys are on a roll.
16:49Starting work on the structural walls.
16:54It's just going really fast.
16:56You can actually start to see a house evolving
16:58and get a sense of the size of this project.
17:03It's actually quite big.
17:06We're actually surprised at how big it's going to be.
17:09We're expecting a big house, but it's, yeah, it's a big house.
17:15Today, they're filling the plastic structural walling
17:18that surrounds the base of the build with concrete.
17:22We've used this product
17:24because it's a lot quicker than using conventional brickwork
17:28and it's got fire-rating properties
17:30because we're in a flame zone area.
17:32It's taken us a week to get these walls up.
17:34If we had used conventional masonry walls,
17:37we'd still be laying blocks today.
17:41Overseeing the pour is foreman Tarek Youssef,
17:44who's worked with Nick for many years in Sydney.
17:47It's alright, it's alright, it's alright, it's alright.
17:50We've got 26 cubic metres of concrete booked.
17:53Dinsel mix specifically.
17:54The concerns that you have with the dinsel walls
17:55is that the concrete doesn't flow smoothly through it.
17:58You get honeycombing and things like that.
18:00You always have the concern of a blowout
18:01no matter what you pour, small or big.
18:04So we've got boys down the bottom,
18:05one up the top with a vibrator,
18:06some of the boys tapping the walls
18:07to ensure that the concrete is just consistently flowing through
18:10and to make sure that it goes by as smoothly as possible.
18:17Wow, look at the view today.
18:18It is a beautiful view.
18:19Cockletoos are out as well.
18:20Oh yeah, they're all up in the tree behind us somewhere,
18:22making a lot of racket.
18:24They're squawking more than you do.
18:25Three hours later, the formwork is almost done,
18:33with not a blowout in sight.
18:36They've filled it up to the top.
18:38We've put in some cog bars in,
18:40so that the wall now can tie into the slab.
18:43It's gone really well.
18:44And the sun is shining.
18:46And so am I.
18:48As the weeks roll on and the mercury starts to drop,
19:01Rachel's doing what she can to help out on sight,
19:04waterproofing the formwork joints.
19:07This is a precautionary measure,
19:10because when we backfill to here,
19:14there's no going back.
19:16You can imagine if there was a leak,
19:18it would be catastrophic.
19:22And I like to get involved as well.
19:25Except I can't reach, because I'm a short arse.
19:33Couples will paint together, stay together.
19:35Isn't that right, Rachel?
19:36That's true.
19:37If you put that in the middle,
19:39then we'd potentially stay together.
19:41By Rachel and I doing this over the next few days,
19:46we're probably saving around about $6,000 to $8,000,
19:49which is, you know, money we can spend elsewhere.
19:52And it's actually nice being able to work together with Rach.
19:55It's a good bonding experience, actually.
20:02There she goes.
20:06But perhaps you can have too much of a good thing.
20:09You said we had to do two coats, didn't you?
20:11Of this, yeah.
20:12Oh, gee.
20:13Wow.
20:14Don't start with the old G, Rach.
20:28But the fun and games are short-lived.
20:30The following few weeks are hard-going for Nick,
20:34up to his neck,
20:35in below-ground insulation and drainage works.
20:40Last week was a killer of a week.
20:42It really took it out of me.
20:43I didn't expect it to take it out of me,
20:45but it was a big process.
20:47Today, we're going to be using a big five-ton excavator
20:50to backfill,
20:51but he can't just throw it in there
20:53because it'll damage the drainage cell,
20:55but he's going to have to gently sort of sprinkle it
20:58like you'd sprinkle fairy dust
21:00on some fairy bread or something like that.
21:05Nick left home in Sydney at 4am
21:07and has been busy prepping the site,
21:09ready for the excavator's 7am arrival.
21:12But 7am comes and goes.
21:18Hey, Joey, it's Nick.
21:21We're still waiting on the excavator.
21:23Can you give me an update?
21:24Because I've got the plumber booked in for tomorrow as well,
21:27so I really need this done.
21:28If you can get back to me, cheers. Bye.
21:34Still no excavator.
21:39Hey, Joey, it's Nick.
21:40It's two and a half hours now
21:42and the excavator still hasn't shown up.
21:44Can you let us know what the ETA is?
21:46I'd really like to know.
21:49Well, the excavator should have been here at 7am.
21:52It's almost 10am now, so three hours have passed.
21:55So I'm just sort of going around doing a few odd jobs.
21:59It's a little bit frustrating
22:00when someone says they're going to be here at 7am
22:02and they're not, but what do you do?
22:04It's a waiting game.
22:07And that waiting game goes on.
22:09It goes on and on.
22:14What do you do?
22:16Live in hope.
22:20This is mountain time.
22:21It looks like the backfill is on the back burner.
22:38Not ideal when Nick is trying to manage other jobs at the same time.
22:42Not only am I building my own hand, but I've actually got a couple of projects here in Sydney, quite big ones, which require a lot of my time as well.
22:56The two fans are here.
22:58Oh, you've got a fan there.
23:00Sorry, the motors are up there.
23:01Yeah, we've got them.
23:02So a typical day could be start off at the two jobs in Sydney, head up to the mountains, two hour drive and plug in on there and then do the big 360 and come back again.
23:14So you can imagine the fuel bill at the end of the week as well as the tolls.
23:18Oh my God, don't get me started on the tolls.
23:21We're just going to go quickly through the set outs with the installers and then I'll be able to head off up to the mountains.
23:28All that time in the car and also, you know, just juggle trades, materials.
23:34You know, there's nights that I wake up and I'm thinking about all three projects because I've got to make sure they're all running smoothly.
23:40That's going to be the front face of the lift.
23:42Okay, so you're going to put the PowerPoint up there.
23:44It's up there.
23:45Now where he's positioned these, I don't know where he's going to get those because they're in no man's land.
23:49That's all glass.
23:50I want to really see my home progress as well, but the clients do take priority.
23:55Don't let Rachel hear that because, you know, they are actually paying for the bills.
23:59By the end of the week, I'll tell you, I am absolutely spent.
24:03You know, like I get home and Rachel will look at me and go, oh my God, look at you.
24:08It looks like you've aged, you know, 10 years this week.
24:11And that's how I feel.
24:25Nick and Rachel's plan to build a home that's at one with the landscape is proving harder than it sounds.
24:35But it can be done to remarkable effect by embracing the elements from which it was born.
24:42I'm here in beautiful Kangaroo Valley, New South Wales at a place called Robinson's Run.
24:49It is a spectacular property, but this place was born out of disaster.
24:54About five years ago, the original 1970s brick house went up in flames in the disastrous 2020 bushfires.
25:02But from the ashes, this remarkable home emerged.
25:15Embedded in the landscape with giant fireproof rammed earth walls, the 500 square metre house,
25:20designed by Bennett Marauder Architects, sits very comfortably in its environment.
25:25All glass, zinc cladding, timber and stone.
25:29It's got the look and feel Nick and Rachel are after in the Blue Mountains.
25:34And it's purpose-built to withstand anything Mother Nature can throw at it.
25:42From the moment you walk through the oversized and very cleverly designed front door,
25:46using reclaimed timber and glass, the main space here feels so reassuringly substantial.
25:53I love this rammed earth, all this weight and warmth.
25:58The space itself has a very different sound quality.
26:00There's a little bit of a reverb here, which gives it an acoustic texture.
26:05Then these timber beams over our head, all working in concert with these blade concrete columns here
26:10to create a grain and a rhythm to the room.
26:13And all of that's designed to help us feel like we've got our backs to the earth
26:17and protected by all of this while our eyes are lifted up to the sky there above that dramatic ridgeline.
26:31Set over three levels, all four bedrooms are window boxes to the view.
26:36With the main perched like an airy on top of it all.
26:54And when friends come to stay, well, there's space galore.
26:57Behind the main house, the stone and glass guest accommodation only adds to what is the perfect blend
27:05of earthy materials used to maximum effect, with fortress-like pragmatism.
27:10In an echo of the past, burnt trees dot the escarpment as a subtle reminder of the devastating fire
27:23that once tore through here.
27:27This whole property is a very thoughtful response to a very real threat.
27:32And it is big, but it's built big to house a large and extended family.
27:38And it cost a lot. Six million dollars to build.
27:41But here, size mattered and money was not such an obstacle.
27:45I'm not sure that's the case with Rachel and Nick.
27:48They say they want cosy, but they're building big,
27:51and with materials like this, that can get very expensive very quickly.
27:55Especially in this building market.
28:02It's now July, 11 months since Nick and Rachel started what was to be their year-long project.
28:27To state the obvious, they're not moving in any time soon.
28:32Right, up, push.
28:36Right, models in.
28:38The weather's continuing to play havoc with the schedule.
28:41Rain one minute, a howling gale the next.
28:44Don't let it slide off.
28:47The wind has just gone absolutely crazy.
28:50I'm literally holding my hat on.
28:52We're supposed to be doing a concrete pour today on the spaceship.
28:55Well, it looks like a spaceship, but it's actually the roof garden to the TARDIS.
29:00But let's see what the weather's got in store for us.
29:07It's making building up here quite challenging.
29:10It's not blowing.
29:13It can be, you know, pelting down with rain.
29:16You know, people turn up and then they say,
29:18well, it's too windy or too wet or too cold and then they disappear on me.
29:26Either that or they don't appear at all.
29:2910 to 10.30 on site, definitely.
29:33OK, cool, thanks. Bye, bye.
29:40Nah, the concrete finishes are running late.
29:43They're not going to get here till quarter past ten, apparently.
29:46So, this time we've got concrete pump here.
29:50Concrete delivery is ready to go, but now we haven't got the finishes.
29:54It's always something.
29:56Never a dull moment on this job. Never.
29:58Nick might claim to thrive on stress,
30:01but this workload is pushing him to the brink.
30:05I'm on the shovel. I'm concreter today.
30:09As well as builder, as well as homeowner, as well as everything.
30:13I'm jack of all trades, master of none, they say.
30:15Start from the top then.
30:17Just don't over vibrate it so it slides down.
30:20OK? This is all too much concrete in here.
30:23We've got to dig it out.
30:252.7, 30, 50. Do that sit down.
30:27All right, because I don't want to waste sheets.
30:29No. Because they're expensive.
30:30You want to use full sheets without cutting strips.
30:32How's Nick travelling?
30:35I think it's been a challenge.
30:38Do you want a level?
30:40I've got one in the shed, otherwise.
30:43He's on the ball constantly.
30:45Doesn't stop.
30:47Things moving, changing.
30:49So, Nick's feeling it, to be honest, yeah.
30:51He's feeling the pressure.
30:53That's problem number one.
30:55Now I'll go to problem number two.
30:57Look, stress-wise, I have my good and bad days.
31:00A little bit, a little good.
31:04We are slightly behind in the build.
31:08I would have liked to have been a little bit more progressed,
31:11but you've just got to roll with the punches.
31:16Budget-wise tracking is pretty good, but it's starting to climb now.
31:19Our original estimate was 1.8 mil to do this.
31:24It's definitely heading north of that.
31:26By how much?
31:28I can't tell you at this stage, but it's definitely heading north of that.
31:32The cost of materials has gone up 30 to 40% since we first started,
31:37but we want to see the project finished.
31:3930 to 40%, that's a terrifying amount.
31:46Something's got to give.
31:48A couple, actually.
31:50And they're big.
31:53So, unfortunately...
31:55Oh, no.
31:56..the rammed earth at the back, we're going to have to lose it.
32:00Really?
32:01Yeah.
32:02Yeah.
32:03The quotes come in and it's over double.
32:05It's $110,000 for that amount of wall, which is just way out of budget.
32:10Okay.
32:11Way out of budget.
32:13And also...
32:15Oh.
32:16Yeah, the Cortane steel.
32:18We're going to have to cut back on the amount that we use around the windows.
32:22What does that mean?
32:23Two larger windows.
32:24Yeah.
32:25We're going to have to substitute that with a fibre cement finish.
32:28Okay.
32:29And a Cortane paint.
32:31Paint?
32:32Yeah.
32:33It looks really, really good.
32:35I've seen it on some buildings.
32:36So, we're going from steel to paint.
32:38We're going to have to rein in the costs.
32:40Yeah, I know that.
32:41Otherwise, we're not going to be able to finish it.
32:42Yeah.
32:44That's disappointing news indeed.
32:47The more earthy elements they strip away, the less the house blends into the environment.
32:52I'll take your word for it.
32:54And I can't help thinking, if it wasn't so big, the costs would be less, and so would
32:59the compromises.
33:01Okay.
33:13In better news, one thing they're not giving up is plans for energy efficiency.
33:18Nick's spent countless hours studying online videos about passive house design.
33:26And today, he's putting those learnings to the test.
33:30Let's have a look.
33:31What?
33:32The wind's coming straight in though, isn't it?
33:33Yeah, it's everywhere.
33:36Big house.
33:38Massive.
33:39Today, we're planning to start to wrap the building with our passive house membrane.
33:44So, if we properly start on this side here.
33:46Basically, passive house is an airtight envelope on the inside of your house and also a water
33:52permeable barrier on the outside of the house.
33:54We're going for full passive house certification and when you get that, our house will basically
34:01maintain a certain temperature all year round without too much fluctuation.
34:06I think you've got to try and get around the corner to the steel post.
34:09But with howling gusts of 40 kilometres an hour, conditions couldn't be much worse.
34:20Hold on, hold on.
34:22I'll come help you.
34:24This wind, man.
34:25What's going on today?
34:28So, just like...
34:30Yeah, this is no good.
34:32Too windy?
34:33Well, we'll see what happens.
34:35Try and do the staples vertical.
34:37Yeah, vertical only.
34:39But you've got to stretch the bottom.
34:42You've got to push.
34:44Yeah, yeah, nah.
34:46It's like a sail.
34:47It's like a sail, mate.
34:53The wind is not our friend.
34:55Not today.
34:56Not today.
34:58Yeah, I just think it's too dangerous.
34:59Because as we're trying to install, the wind's getting behind it and blowing.
35:05It can knock us off.
35:06Knock one of the guys off.
35:08Okay.
35:10And as we get up higher, it's going to get worse.
35:13Alright, let's wrap it up then.
35:14Wrap it up.
35:15Come on.
35:17Looks like it's not going to happen today.
35:21Yeah, it's just too windy.
35:23Which is a real shame.
35:26Poor Nick.
35:27He can't win a trick.
35:30Every day that's lost has a huge knock-on effect to the schedule.
35:34And it's not just the thermal wrapping that's moving at snail's pace.
35:40The house is hard up against thousands of hectares of dry, dense forest.
35:45And bushfire is an ever-present threat.
35:50Installing fire-rated protective boards is essential, but maybe not today.
35:55We're hoping this morning we'll be able to get up and seal some of the joints so that the flame can't get through there.
36:01But it's far too windy to get up on the roof and have a crack at getting under and putting any more boards down.
36:06Oh, shit.
36:07We've got, honestly, scaffold boards on the far corner are flying up in the air with the gusts of wind.
36:13And all our thermal barriers are starting to tear.
36:15So we're going to have to go through it and take all our joints and fix up all the work the wind's done and the damage and start again.
36:20Holy .
36:26It's frustrating, to be honest, because we just don't seem to get a really good straight run at it.
36:32We've got the manpower here, we've got the material here, but, you know, the wind's just way, way too intense.
36:37Like, I go through these sort of frustrations all the time with builds, but being our own place, it's quite, you know, I think it affects you a little bit more.
36:47Nick and Rachel are now 18 months into what they hoped would be a 12-month build, and they haven't even started on the interiors yet.
37:15It's looking very promising.
37:19Nice low profile.
37:21I'm keen to see how their love affair with the mountains is holding up.
37:24How are you doing?
37:25Good to see you. How are you?
37:26Good to see you.
37:27I've seen you again.
37:28Yeah, you've got smiles on your faces, that's nice.
37:30That's good.
37:31Yeah?
37:32Let's go and visit the three sisters.
37:34If they're still there.
37:35Oh, they're there. They're there.
37:37Whoa!
37:38That's just magic, isn't it?
37:40This is why you're here, that glass is framing that extraordinary outlook.
37:44Magic.
37:45On entry, how nice is that?
37:47It's a pretty generous space you've got here, though.
37:50It's huge.
37:51Yeah?
37:52It's quite big, yeah.
37:53And then diving down into this beautiful void.
37:54Yeah.
37:56And there's the pool.
37:57It made the cut.
37:58It made the cut.
37:59I thought that might have been a casualty.
38:02And then around to the sunken living room, right?
38:04Yeah.
38:05Yeah.
38:06Okay.
38:07So, the whole thing is really starting to feel like it's buttoning up, which means you can
38:11really crack on with the finishes.
38:12Correct.
38:13On the inside, yeah.
38:14Which is good, because you're actually six months behind schedule, aren't you?
38:18Mmm.
38:19Yeah, I know.
38:20Yeah, let's talk about that, shall we?
38:22Why?
38:23Oh, weather.
38:24Uh-huh.
38:25And getting contractors up here has been really difficult.
38:27So, it's not like building in Sydney?
38:29No.
38:30Totally different.
38:31It's a very different kind of dynamic around the amount of trades available.
38:34Yeah.
38:35Exactly.
38:36And how many would actually want to travel up here as well?
38:37Yeah.
38:38Yeah, okay.
38:39I didn't expect it to be as difficult as I found it.
38:41Yeah.
38:42The house is big.
38:43There's a lot of space here.
38:44There is.
38:45Yeah.
38:46Is it too much?
38:47Oh, look, for me, it's bigger than what I expected.
38:48Right.
38:49To be honest.
38:50Right.
38:51But you wanted four bedrooms?
38:53I did want four bedrooms, yeah.
38:54No, I did.
38:55But they didn't have to be, you know, 30 square metres.
38:58It's still going to be homely.
39:00Yeah, alright.
39:01Yes.
39:02Prove it to me.
39:03Okay.
39:04What sort of colours are we talking about?
39:06We're bringing outside in, so, um, chocolate brown, oranges and blues.
39:11Oof.
39:12I know.
39:13Let's just say, that's bold.
39:14Look, no.
39:15Have you had a chat about the colours together, or is this just your decision?
39:18Oh.
39:19Rachel's decision on that one.
39:21I'm just trying to get behind the dynamic here.
39:23I'm trying to get back.
39:24But I'm sure it'll be beautiful when it all evolves.
39:27What about the budget then?
39:28You started at 1.8.
39:30That's in my mind.
39:31Mm-hm.
39:32Where are you at?
39:33Oh, I'd say at this stage probably 20%.
39:3520% over.
39:36Yeah.
39:37Okay.
39:38It's a good chunk of change.
39:39It is.
39:40There's been a lot of negotiating, renegotiating, trying to pull things back.
39:45Yeah.
39:46Um, yeah, I'm pretty conscious of it.
39:49And we're not there yet?
39:50No, we're not there yet.
39:51I've got to be honest, my worry is that the old 80-20 rule, you know?
39:55The last 20% is going to take 80% of the time.
39:58I hope I'm wrong.
40:00I hope you're wrong too.
40:01Yeah.
40:02I can't help but wondering if they would have built something so big and complex if they
40:14knew what kind of toll it would take, especially on Nick.
40:18After all, this home was all about togetherness.
40:20But for the last year and a half, they've spent more time apart trying to make it all happen.
40:25And they're a long way from finished yet.
40:27Another day in paradise.
40:28As the weeks roll on, Nick and Rachel are doing everything they can to move the project along and rein in the costs.
40:42It's mainly around the edges where it sort of sits in.
40:43It's alright, I don't need instructions.
40:44Okay.
40:45We're putting down a sealer on top of the concrete here.
40:46We've already done one coat.
40:48So, Rach and I will be starting at the top and working our way down, waterproofing the whole roof garden.
41:01We're putting down a sealer on top of the concrete here.
41:06We've already done one coat.
41:09So, Rach and I will be starting at the top and working our way down, waterproofing the whole roof garden.
41:15We're at the pointy end of the year.
41:19Christmas is fast approaching and it's always the busiest time of the year for construction in general.
41:25Building your own home and then managing all the other jobs and client expectations puts a lot of pressure on me
41:32and I'm starting to really feel it, but hey, I'm still standing.
41:40But it's not just work pressures motivating Nick.
41:43This project has always been for Rachael to give her the home she's longed for.
41:50A pretty special day.
41:53I can't imagine what she would have gone through her childhood, you know, going from one home to another home to another home.
41:59That would have been so unsettling.
42:01So it's really important that this is her first home.
42:04You know, she's been yearning for somewhere to call home for such a long, long time.
42:09And now we're almost there.
42:11I've just got to get this build finished.
42:15I can just see her face when she walks in the front door and I say, look, Rachael, it's finished.
42:21It's going to blow her mind.
42:22It's now two years since Nick and Rachael started building their mountaintop retreats
42:27high above the ancient gullies and impenetrable forest beyond.
42:46Finding paradise has exacted quite the toll, month after grinding month of ferocious weather, escalating prices and trade shortages, all in pursuit of a dream called home.
43:08I really hope it's all been worth it.
43:15Look at that.
43:17All those angles and clean ridgeline over there.
43:22That landscape, it's like a runway of greenery.
43:27It's remarkable.
43:29There they are.
43:44Hi.
43:45Hi, Rachael.
43:46Hey, Nick.
43:47It is so good to see you both.
43:48And look at this place.
43:50Amazing.
43:52I love the angles and the butterfly roof.
43:55And I particularly love the green roof you've got going on here.
43:58It's all working so well, isn't it?
43:59Yeah.
44:00It's blending in nicely.
44:01Absolutely.
44:02That was the whole strategy.
44:03Like, low profile from the street and it feels like such a fabulous kind of mystery walking towards it.
44:08It's brilliant.
44:09Yeah.
44:10You must be feeling very happy or very relieved or just exhausted.
44:14Oh, it's always good when it's the end.
44:16Yes.
44:17Yes.
44:18Definitely.
44:19The end and the beginning.
44:20Yeah.
44:21What's it like inside?
44:22Is this where the whole story changes?
44:24Oh, yeah.
44:25You know it.
44:26Just wait and see.
44:27Hang it.
44:28Let's go and have a look.
44:34Come in.
44:37Oh, look at all this space you've got in here.
44:41It's like this sort of secret.
44:43You've hidden it from the street.
44:44You come in through here and then everything just sort of like, whoa, opens right up.
44:48This is our TARDIS.
44:49Oh, yeah.
44:50It gets bigger the further you go in.
44:52I mean, that feels right.
44:53Yeah.
44:54Yeah.
44:55It's pretty special.
44:56I know.
44:57Yeah.
44:58I know.
44:59Yeah.
45:00Good job, Nick.
45:02Fantastic.
45:03And look at the view.
45:04You're never going to get tired, that view, is it?
45:05Never.
45:06Never.
45:07Every time you walk through that front door, you go, oh, yeah, there's the view.
45:10I'm home.
45:11That's it.
45:12You know?
45:13Breathe out.
45:16Coming in on street level, then stepping down to the living areas reinforces the sense
45:21of being high on the mountain.
45:23You've got the blue of the pool drawing you through.
45:26I love that blue.
45:27Your gaze follows the land rather than fights it.
45:31And there's so much to see along the way.
45:34Entertainment room, gym, sauna.
45:38And then a last minute addition.
45:41Oh, you've snuck a speakeasy under the stairs.
45:44Yeah.
45:45That wasn't part of the original plan, was it?
45:47No, it just evolved.
45:48There was a void space and we thought, we need to fill it somehow.
45:51And what better way to fill it?
45:53I can only agree a thousand percent.
45:55I really like the proximity to the dining table.
45:57Yeah.
45:58Some pretty wild dinner parties in store.
45:59Oh, there will be.
46:00Yeah, for sure.
46:01And then the sunken lounge.
46:02Yeah.
46:03That was always part of the plan, right?
46:05Yes.
46:06Yeah.
46:10How are we feeling about this?
46:11This looks pretty great.
46:13Love it.
46:14Yeah.
46:15Love it.
46:16What more can you say?
46:17I was always a little bit nervous that the house was going to feel quite big.
46:19Yeah.
46:20But this sort of strategy here of sinking down, bringing the fire in,
46:23the textures and the warmth that you've created here.
46:26That's all working beautifully to kind of give you that closeness.
46:29Yeah.
46:30That a house up here in the mountains really wants.
46:31It's a comfy zone.
46:32Yeah.
46:33And the kitchen's looking great.
46:35And I like how you kind of brought the dark tones in here to anchor this end of the room,
46:39so that it's all projecting out to the view, of course.
46:42Actually, standing here, the whole house has this very easy, comfortable feeling about it.
46:47I mean, it's pretty wickedly cold outside.
46:48Yeah.
46:49Here we are standing here in kind of almost summer clothes.
46:51Yep.
46:52I know you worked pretty hard to get that to work.
46:54Oh, it really did my head in.
46:56Yeah.
46:57Put it that way.
46:58Yeah.
46:59But look, we wrapped the house up really beautifully, and it's performing.
47:01Yeah.
47:02Is it true, little birdie tells me, that this ceiling came down three weeks ago because you
47:07weren't happy with it?
47:08I wasn't happy with the ceiling whatsoever, and I'm a perfectionist.
47:11Yeah.
47:12Nightmare.
47:13It came down, and it had to be redone.
47:14I kind of understand that, the quality control, your own house.
47:17Yeah.
47:18All of that I totally get.
47:19How are you feeling about all that?
47:20We should change the subject.
47:22I think I'm just, only just starting to relax.
47:25Yeah.
47:26Only just.
47:27Okay.
47:28It was hard to get to where we got to, and we're here now.
47:30Yeah.
47:31And now I can just start to enjoy it.
47:36And there's a lot to enjoy.
47:39It's not until you step outside, you get a real sense of the size of this place.
47:45If only you could see it.
47:48Look at the weather.
47:50This is mountain weather, isn't it?
47:52Yeah.
47:53But look at all this.
47:55This is pretty extraordinary outcome.
47:57I mean, and you worked so hard for it.
47:59Yeah, a lot of blood, sweat and tears.
48:01Yeah.
48:02I mean, it wasn't an easy build whatsoever.
48:04Exactly.
48:05Because of all the different shapes, lines and angles.
48:07Hmm.
48:08Took forever.
48:09Took forever.
48:10Yeah.
48:11But look at the result.
48:12Yeah.
48:13You know.
48:14Amazing.
48:15Next house though?
48:16Square box.
48:17Square box.
48:18Right.
48:19I mean, the idea of all of that animated geometry on that top floor was to sort of break down
48:24the scale.
48:25Yes.
48:26Help it to kind of disappear.
48:27Just sort of blends into the landscape beautifully.
48:28Yeah.
48:29And the whole idea was to emulate the jagged edges of the cliff face.
48:31Yeah.
48:32Yeah.
48:33And I think it does that really well.
48:34You did have Ramderth and Corten in there at one point, which you've swapped out.
48:38Yeah.
48:39I can see the Corten paint, is it?
48:40Yeah.
48:41Yeah, that's Corten paint around the big windows.
48:43Any regrets about that swapping out?
48:45No, it looks fantastic.
48:46It looks amazing, that paint.
48:48Yeah.
48:49It looks like the real thing.
48:50I mean, you're obviously very close to the bush.
48:52I mean, that's part of the beauty of being here.
48:53But it also means you're right in the middle of the very highest bushfire zone.
48:58So the flame zone.
48:59Correct.
49:00And that puts all sorts of pressure and constraints on you.
49:03Yeah.
49:04How are you feeling about all of that right now?
49:06Oh, look, we knew there'd be a premium to it.
49:08Yeah.
49:09It was a bit more than what I expected originally.
49:12What are we talking about?
49:13Around about 20% to the bill.
49:14Okay.
49:15Which is quite a lot.
49:16That's substantial.
49:17But, you know, you're in this setting and you need to be prepared for it.
49:22So all of this gorgeousness doesn't come cheap.
49:25It's not the old, let's just build a bush shack and be done with it anymore.
49:29Not so much.
49:30No.
49:33A bush shack this certainly isn't.
49:38With four bedrooms upstairs for when family and friends come to stay,
49:42it's like being perched in the treetops with gobsmacking vistas from every window.
49:49No wonder it's called Sublime Point.
49:53Guys, congratulations.
49:54This is a major achievement for both of you.
49:57And I know it was a really long journey.
50:00A complicated build too.
50:02Very ambitious of you.
50:03Mm, it was.
50:04How are you feeling about it now?
50:06You're sitting in it.
50:07Oh, look, it's...
50:09It's a load off my shoulders, to be honest.
50:11Yeah, okay.
50:12It's not the biggest build I've ever done, but it's been one of the most challenging.
50:16Yeah, okay.
50:17Yeah.
50:18What was the most challenging element of it then for you in particular?
50:20Being the client as well as the builder.
50:22Yeah.
50:23As well as the husband.
50:26I mean, Rachel, you've obviously been there through all of this, of course, as well.
50:30Mm-hmm.
50:31I know that as a young girl, you bounced around a lot of different places.
50:34Mm-hmm.
50:35Before you kind of got settled.
50:36Mm-hmm.
50:37And this feels like you're very grounded.
50:39Is that, is that fair to say?
50:41Yeah, that's fair to say.
50:42Yeah.
50:43What does that all feel like?
50:44I feel very lucky.
50:45Um, it's, I've been, yeah, I feel very lucky.
50:49Mm.
50:50It's so special that you did this together.
51:05I think that's probably the, the soul and the heart of this whole project.
51:08It is, it's, it's, it's our home.
51:10It's our, well, you know, forever home.
51:13Yeah.
51:14I've always wanted to make sure that she felt at home.
51:18Mm-hmm.
51:19And building a home for us, you know, it was, was one of the things I really wanted.
51:24Mm-hmm.
51:25And I wanted to show Rachel that, you know, we're together in this.
51:29Mm-hmm.
51:30And this is, you know, where we're going to spend our life.
51:32Yeah.
51:33So let's talk about the logistics of this build.
51:35Oh.
51:36Because there's no getting around this, because you're in charge of everything.
51:39No, that's right.
51:40Uh, so let's talk about how long it took to build, because you, you told me 12 months
51:44when I first met you, but.
51:45Yeah, I was, I think I was an ambitious.
51:47That's one word for it, ambitious.
51:49Yeah, yeah.
51:50It was double that.
51:52It was, yep.
51:54Why?
51:55Oh, the weather, logistics, trades, the complexity of the build.
52:01Yeah.
52:02Yeah.
52:03They all played a major part.
52:04Yeah, yeah.
52:05The other question then is money, because time equals money.
52:091.8 million dollars was what you had in mind, which is a big number.
52:12Yep.
52:13How much did it cost?
52:14Oh, look, we've gone over.
52:16Um, 2.150.
52:18Okay.
52:19Not as much as I thought you were going to say, actually.
52:22What would you put it down to?
52:23The structure cost a lot more than what I anticipated at the, at the beginning, because
52:27the cost of steel and concrete, excavation, which just went through the roof.
52:30Yeah.
52:31And it started getting scary, because the cost just started blowing right out then.
52:34Yeah, right.
52:35But we managed to massage it, and pair it back, without losing the quality of the build,
52:42and not to play around with the design at all.
52:46I guess the question though is, is this the house that you both dreamed of together?
52:52Yeah.
52:53It's more.
52:54No, it's absolutely more.
52:55Yeah.
52:56It's this crazy house.
52:57Yeah.
52:58Yeah.
52:59It's bigger than any dream that we've ever had, especially me.
53:04It's spectacular.
53:05Yeah.
53:06Yeah.
53:07It's phenomenal.
53:08And I can't wait to just make it feel even more like home.
53:13Together.
53:15Together.
53:16They might have gotten more than they came for, but I'm seeing many happy times and lots
53:36of mountain adventures ahead.
53:37Like the ambience, the lighting, the feel.
53:42It's just unbelievable.
53:43Like, I'm just overwhelmed.
53:44Like, this is good.
53:45You can make me cry again.
53:47Okay?
53:48No?
53:49Cheers, everyone!
53:50Cheers!
53:51Cheers!
53:52Cheers!
53:54Thank you, sir.
53:55Thanks, guys.
53:56Cheers!
53:57Cheers!
53:58Cheers!
53:59Cheers!
54:00as tree changes go this one came with a massive degree of difficulty building a home worthy of
54:14this magnificent location pushed them financially physically and emotionally but nick never wavered
54:22his motivation was to build rachel a home as offerings of love go they don't come much bigger
54:29and this one comes with a spectacular view of the three sisters usually
54:59so
55:05you
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