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Grand Designs (1999) Season 27 Episode 4
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FunTranscript
00:00The ancients used to compare our thoughts and our memories to a library and all we had to do was to
00:11then reach back into time in our minds to find a particular volume past the dusty shelves in a
00:19corner somewhere which when you opened it would suddenly remind you of a shared experience or a
00:25blimpsed moment so imagine imagine that you could build like this library an edifice specifically
00:35designed to house those shared experiences to honor our autobiographies and our memories memories
00:45which otherwise would just simply fade blow away in the wind memories of loved ones or even a
00:52particular loved one now that would be worth building wouldn't it
01:22so a nice hearty soup oh just what we need today
01:26when perpetua met melina back in the 90s it wasn't a given that they would fall in love
01:35melina and i are complete opposite ends of the spectrum we are so different personality wise
01:42we are like day and night but we always come together we always align and we always agree
01:48in things so you pounced on me because i was a viking i knew you were good stop yeah melina can
01:56rightly claim viking heritage she's from denmark life together has opened peps eyes to a whole new
02:05culture my love of scandinavia and the nordic countries on their way of life has grown through
02:10knowing melina on their wedding day they agreed to realize each other's dreams on the lands they
02:18bought together in the surrey hills my dream was to have my own stable yard and 2008 pepsi gave me
02:27the keys to the stable yards on our property here which enabled melina an occupational therapist to
02:34use horses as part of her work now it's time for pep a high-flying corporate accountant to realize her
02:43great ambition i've always wanted to build us a home and now to get the chance to do that is
02:50incredible however the impetus to realize that dream came into sharp focus two years ago
02:57when pep was diagnosed with terminal cancer when you given a the diagnosis that i was given it was all
03:13of a sudden things that did matter to me like work and you know achieving and getting things done they
03:23paled in significance the diagnosis of cancer that triggered triggered me into saying right if i'm i'm
03:35going to build a house while i'm alive i better get on with it now and it's given her just a bit more
03:42fight you know in in her like you know she's so determined to do this never want to hold back from
03:49getting stuck in building a house has become pep's raison d'etre the house project's been a great
03:59distraction from the sea project that can be firewood doing a project like this is a massive incentive to
04:09stay well and stay fit and get through the the cancer treatment as best i can we had a very good life
04:17and building a house is just going to be the last chapter of of our life together of the many reasons
04:26that people build a home together i can't think of one that is more poignant than this
04:34well what a beautiful sight to build a house on hello oh oh hi kevin i'm walking across vegetables here
04:43am i oh that's all right hi kevin you yeah perpetua yes yeah and melina melina yeah how much of this
04:53land is yours it's about five acres we live in the property at the front of the house and you've got
04:58a building which is i think it started life as a chicken shed that will be demolished so what's the
05:04deal then you're going to build on this site yeah yeah so the grand plan is to build a single story viking
05:11inspired long long house this is a modern version so passive house and inside it's just going to be
05:19very modern nordic design and hygge it has to be hygge which is cozy yeah so there's a word in swedish
05:27called lagom which means just enough and you should only take from the world enough of what you need
05:34to survive as opposed to you know over consuming so hygge and lagom are these kind of guiding
05:40scandinavian ideas just trying to find that balance tell me about health and um how can how
05:46because you know you're undergoing treatment so theoretically i should be dead now but that really
05:52spurred us on to now build the house and actually activate those plans amazing given that
06:00many people in your situation would decide to kind of i don't know go on a cruise you know what i
06:05mean yeah yeah cancer is not you know our whole life that it's part of our life and yes i will die
06:13one day as we all will but i'm not going to die every day i'm going to be living very good way of
06:17putting it yeah first order of business is to get rid of the old chicken shed and concrete pad
06:24in its place will come a highly insulated polystyrene raft that will be laid out and filled with concrete
06:32from this point on this house designed by pep and melina themselves will be constructed almost
06:38entirely of wood prefabricated sections will form a super energy efficient insulated structural shell
06:46this clever piece of engineering creates a huge open space inside ready for viking feasts and supporting
06:54this viking hall entire walls of glazing to connect with the nature that surrounds on the outside a
07:02skin of neatly aligned ash cladding will envelop the building a cladding that'll age to resemble the
07:08surrounding trees the uninterrupted roof line will be covered in sustainable swedish steel it's a simple
07:17understated barn-like shape lagom just enough enter through any of the many openings and you'll find
07:27inside a generous full height kitchen living area which although simple is anything but austere a place
07:35where the hygge happens at the north end will sit the main bedroom and the bathroom mirrored at the opposite
07:43end by two guest rooms all thoughtfully sighted in what is actually a modestly sized house plus garage
07:51pep and melina's ambition is to make a home that honors their life shared together however time is
07:58not on their side so it's vital that they build it as quickly as possible and that it goes up without a hitch
08:06how long is it you reckon going to take you to get a house that's habitable well nine months is a good
08:14time you know you can make babies in nine months so we hope to make a building in that time okay good
08:19um and yet we we need to get through it because basically i need to have as much time to live in
08:26it as possible yes you do and you bring i'm presuming given your vast experience in business i will be
08:32very disappointed if it goes over none of my projects have gone over so far so whatever
08:38ever program management's my background um but i haven't built anything before so i think i've got
08:44quite a bit to learn there and we will be managing a tight budget how much how much have you allocated
08:49for it 500 plus 10 contingency so 550. which is quite ambitious we're funding the project through two
08:55thirds of my life insurance and then the other third will come from the sale of our existing house so
09:01the idea is keep me alive keep me alive so i can build the house yeah anything we get after that
09:06is a bonus i asked pep whether she was sure about this build and she said the build is going to help
09:12her sort of thrive over the next yeah it's an interesting point because it can sap energy and i
09:18guess it's going to require quite a lot of careful management on your part to ensure that you
09:23get the best out of it we're going to enjoy the process aren't we yeah so far it's been great
09:31so here's the tall order ordinarily people derive a lot of positive energy and excitement and
09:37they thrive on finished architecture that's what finished buildings can do when they function at
09:45their best but to derive that same energy from the process well that's another matter but that's
09:51exactly what pet wants to do she wants to see this this process as a means of sustaining her
09:56wow i mean what she's got in her favor of course is that she is used to and enjoys the reputation of
10:04having delivered projects which come in on time and on budget
10:10the bonus of being able to do that is that she ends up not just enjoying the process of building
10:21this house but lives long enough to enjoy living in it too for some time
10:28after months of preparation pouring over designs and spreadsheets there's no time to waste
10:38the old shed is demolished and where once was a green idyll there is now chaos
10:44the upheaval is immense it's absolutely bonkers with a small army of ground workers on site the
10:54bark now stops with pep who's getting her first taste of the real world of full-time project
10:59management and pep's not the only one feeling the strain melina keeps finding reasons to go and walk the dog
11:14well then i think that's how she's coping she's not very good at chaos
11:20as if getting to grips with her new role as site manager isn't enough
11:24pep has to also stay on top of a novel chemotherapy regime they're hoping might keep her active for longer
11:33a bit of a nuisance sometimes having to go off to actually sit and have the chemo for
11:39whatever it takes an hour and a half it has to be done along with a lot of other things
11:45but it would seem that pep is a master juggler and plate spinner
11:49well we don't need that house anymore anyway because within weeks the ground is beautifully
11:59flat and ready to take delivery of the foundation system like no other project i can think of here
12:07time really is of the essence yeah i think they were quite surprised when they all got a hug when they
12:13arrived but i was i didn't realize how pleased i was to see them and with good reason because pep has
12:21just returned home from another spell in hospital after reacting badly to the new chemo drug
12:28touch wood we got it back under control which is satisfying because there's nothing worse than being
12:35you know a whole load of work to be done and you're you can't do it
12:39now she's back pep spares no time in motivating the troops oh that's the easiest bit of work you've
12:49done all day no jib required tonight nathan always smiling staying true to her guiding principle of lagom
12:59just enough pep has ordered a highly insulated foundation system made of polystyrene blocks
13:05yeah okay and any weeks later quite again yeah these form a tray which is loaded up with underfloor
13:12heating loops sewer pipes and rebar and within a week bang on pep schedule it's ready to be filled
13:19with concrete the rain has stopped so it's perfect they start pouring the concrete via a separately hired
13:27pumping truck from the first of a series of lorries which mix the concrete as it's dispensed
13:33that's the sand falling there then it's mixing in there coming up and coming out as concrete
13:41the last two weeks has been difficult balancing everything when you are so exhausted
13:48malina's been an absolute rot you know feeding me constantly trying to keep me rested people think
13:55i'm doing all the work but in fact she's the one you know pushing the engine from behind and
14:01she's just always there and always has been
14:09once she's satisfied that the concrete pour is running smoothly pep goes back to the house to rest
14:15wait pump is blocked now i'll do nothing my pump but a sudden fault with the cement truck means it's now
14:25churned out completely the wrong mix causing the pump to jam up whole thing's full with ballast
14:31and interrupted concrete pour could screw up the whole foundations
14:38in the surrey hills pep and melina's concrete pour is in crisis
14:48whole thing's full with ballast the faulty concrete truck means there's no concrete flowing
15:09it's blocked it's blocked all the pump we need to get the machine back to the yard to clear it
15:17pausing the pour midway could have disastrous consequences
15:21it has to go in as one poured one continuous slab you can't stop and you can't start tomorrow again it
15:28has to all has to go off together the jammed up pump vacates the site leaving brendan the foreman one
15:36short hour to find another one before the concrete sets and the incomplete foundations are ruined
15:42pep is unaware of this first real threat to her schedule but it's just as well because she needs to
15:51be at hospital she's having a blood test because she's been a bit tired in the last few days so
16:00just checking that everything is okay pep has put the project first at every stage but right now
16:07getting checked out takes priority back on site miraculously brendan has rustled up another pump truck
16:15and it arrives just in time
16:21mercifully the next concrete load flows beautifully
16:26and by the end of the day pep slab is complete ready to receive her viking home
16:31now i get why pep and melina have chosen to go danish with their project but why are the rest of us so
16:43captivated by scandi design and what exactly is it anyway this is casa who by christopherson and
16:51weiling architects a house near the danish city of aarhus it embodies the ideas that are driving pep and
16:57melina's project this looks lovely and it looks lagom yeah just enough it's based on traditional farms
17:08so it's three barns arranged around a courtyard they're very very simple goodness me i can't
17:15even see any gutters they're that agricultural but don't be fooled by this stripped back farming
17:21aesthetic in fact there are gutters they're just artfully concealed in the roof line
17:27yes there are farmer functional cement slab steps but the details here are crisp even the cladding
17:34screws are perfectly aligned lagom may mean just enough but it also suggests sharing in this case
17:42sharing a wing of your home with a pet falcon inside it's easy to see the resonance this place has
17:49with pep and melina's design it's another open plan viking hall with long low walls of glass
17:56quality of what's here in the junctions in the details oh my goodness it's in the ceiling which
18:03is such a simple expanse and yet with a little shadow gap and every edge that you see it's just a
18:10blade there's a huge amount of expertise and precision and painstaking care here simple forms
18:18simple shapes exquisite execution and craftsmanship that's where the magic comes from all this
18:26meticulous and modest detailing flows a steadying sense of calm and comfort hugo the catch for pep and
18:33melina is that this project was finished in a year by throwing money at it their budget is far more modest
18:39so they've gone for the quickest construction method they could afford pep and melina are working
18:52with a timber frame company who are prefabricating the entire airtight structure of the house in their factory
19:03and so three short weeks after finishing the foundations
19:07oh yeah wow look pep and melina take delivery of their house look there we go
19:17so far we're on schedule everybody's stuck to their deadlines thankfully speed is important pep had a
19:28recent scan which confirmed her disease is progressing
19:32i have to encourage her not to overdo things because
19:36you know if you overdo anything she gets very tired and it kind of backfires
19:42and i've got a good second in command yeah
19:46despite the exhaustion this project gains ever more importance for the pair of them day by day
19:53i can't even put into words how building the house has actually been
19:56something that has kept us going despite the type of prognosis is so poor now
20:02yeah it's a it's a positive thing positive force in our life
20:10without further ado the crane begins its aerial ballet correctly placing the 49 prefabricated
20:17sections of the house all right let's get out of the way yeah you make me nervous
20:25just three months after they struck ground pep and melina watch as the first panels are swung
20:31into place with a satisfying speed and efficiency see you a couple of mil okay yeah how do you feel
20:39though i'm feeling happy and okay that's all right looking forward to the next stage and thinking about
20:48all the things i'm supposed to be doing right now just go and give a push there good team aren't we so far
20:55well it's getting a bit chilly now isn't it do you want to go in i think you should obviously in the
21:04before she heads in time the one final pep talk you guys are incredible you're doing a great job can
21:11i get you anything no no we're fine we're okay this is exceptionally fast construction
21:18over the next few days the rest of the internal walls and roof structure fly up
21:28but all this positive momentum is flowing against the inevitable progression of peps cancer
21:35choices and routes forward have become more limited you know right from the beginning pep and melena
21:45were absolutely clear pep was living with a serious illness and the pair of them were managing their
21:52way through it with of course peps treatment for her cancer and buoyed along all the time by a tremendous
22:02energy and optimism for the project however in the last week pep has had one of those meetings with
22:11her doctors that any of us would dread in which she was told that they would be stopping her treatment
22:20and they would be moving her to palliative care now goodness knows how they are and how they can find
22:28the emotional and spiritual energy to deal with that and i can only begin to imagine how it will affect
22:38the energy the enthusiasm the hopes the dreams they've held for this home
22:50pep stays indoors now so i'm meeting melina first to see the house
22:55hey melina how are you i'm good thank you i hope more importantly has pep you know obviously you
23:04know her health is deteriorating she's less outside because she really feels so cold now
23:09it's because i know how much pain she's in how she can just maintain her drive and you know she gets
23:14up in the middle of the night and starts working on the computer that is just remarkable yeah i did ask
23:19her whether she regretted starting the build and but you know absolutely not so there's still the
23:25viking spirit here yeah yeah very much i don't know what we would be like if we didn't have this
23:31in our life i honestly i have i don't dare to think about it it's so invigorating but it's also
23:37partly to do with the the build team they are so supportive and they're so motivated i mean they're just so
23:45kind you know it has been a really positive influence in our life yeah this is no ordinary
23:55work site how heartening that the worst of times can bring out the best in builders her story touched
24:03me very much all of the lads who work with me unfortunately have been touched by this themselves
24:09in the last year or so they're working like trojans to make sure we get it done in good time
24:16so that she can get the benefit of it
24:21despite being confined indoors pep is still determined to keep a close eye on works
24:29you must be pleased with progress on the project they're working over the bank holiday the poor guys
24:34are you enjoying it oh i love it yeah it's great heaven yeah it's a great distraction for my illness
24:41it's what i've wanted to do for so many years and um also knowing it's going to be there beyond
24:48my life it's the gundenavians saying that when you chop a tree down in sweden you you don't build a
24:55bigger house you build a longer table and that's metaphorically speaking that's what we're doing
25:03here is um building a place for this table for family and friends to be at the idea that you're
25:10building for the generations you know with the memory of ancestors an amazing gift i'm really delighted
25:18that it will give her something to focus on beyond me being here um and and the home more than anything
25:27you're doing somewhere of comfort for melina
25:32The frenetic pace on site continues with the arrival of the windows, but for the first
25:56time on this project, Pep is unable to muster the strength to witness such an important
26:02milestone as this with her own eyes.
26:06Never have I been more desperate for a house to get finished.
26:28It was summer at Pep and Melina's building site in the Surrey Hills.
26:34For just short of three long years, Pep faced down her cancer diagnosis with a courage and
26:42determination that was inspiring.
26:46But, in the closing weeks of spring, Pep finally reached the end.
27:00So, it's five weeks since Pep passed away.
27:04I can't quite believe she's gone because she was so across this project.
27:09It seems also weird to define her in terms of this project.
27:14But of course, that's in her last days what she did.
27:19She drew such energy from this.
27:22And she would have loved, I think, to see it without the scaffolding on now as it is.
27:32It's quiet.
27:33There are no builders.
27:35There's no one here.
27:39Which is a lovely way to see the building, but I have no idea what happens now.
27:45For Pep, the construction of this shared home was a lifelong dream.
27:51One which arguably provided her with the energy and life force to propel her beyond the time
27:58the doctors had given her to live.
28:02Now it falls to Melina to decide how that dream is realized.
28:11I've just been up to the house to see Melina, who understandably is taking some time out.
28:20And events, of course, for her are all very raw and very powerful and it's a hugely difficult
28:26time for her.
28:30And yet, you know, what's remarkable, she describes how Pep, even in her last hours, was still talking
28:38about pipe work and the first fix and the work on the project.
28:44And I suppose absolutely consistent with that, the scaffolders struck the scaffolding here
28:50for the funeral.
28:52They brought Pep in and they placed her in her wicker coffin in here and it was a sort of
29:00Viking goodbye in the Viking longhouse.
29:04Right now is a quiet time.
29:09Right now is a pause.
29:10Right now is just a time to stop.
29:16After taking some time away from the project, time for herself, Melina has been able to reflect
29:22on what the future might mean without Pep by her side.
29:27And she's reached a significant conclusion.
29:32It's extremely important for me to finish the project for Pep's legacy.
29:36But, excuse me, but yeah, yeah, but yeah, I am, you know, I'm going to make sure that
29:46that build gets finished 100%.
29:48But stepping in to Pep's project managing shoes will not be easy for Melina, who always left
29:58the admin of even the household finances to the accountant, Pep.
30:02I'm not a spreadsheet person.
30:04I would say managing builders and, you know, and managing people in general is not my strongest
30:09point.
30:10Pep was the driving force, you know, she was thinking big and had the overview where I just
30:15look at each step and it's been kind of firefighting, to be honest.
30:21Melina's first test of her people management skills hits when she brings in carpenters to
30:26put up the ash cladding.
30:28It's an important part of the character of the house, but more immediately pressing is
30:34the financial situation.
30:35At the moment we don't have the funds.
30:39This house has to be sold in order to complete the interior of the house.
30:43She finds moving out to a temporary home in the stable block, so the old house is clear
30:48for viewings, bittersweet.
30:49We have so many happy memories here, we have been here for 18 years.
30:55It's a lot of destabilizing change in a short space of time.
31:03A few weeks on, Melina isn't happy with the uneven way the cladding has been put up, so
31:08she has to spend precious extra money getting someone else to correct the work.
31:13The scale of her new responsibilities is weighing heavy.
31:18I realize that I'm not able to drive people the way Pepsi could drive a project and she
31:23was such a pro.
31:25And I come more aware of my strengths and my weaknesses in this process.
31:29And I think it's very important to acknowledge that.
31:32Despite her funds running low while she waits for the old house to sell, Melina has decided
31:37to bring in a full-time project manager, Harry, to establish the momentum needed to finish
31:42the house.
31:43It's a little bit different to a normal job, there's a bit more emotion involved in this.
31:48She's a very good friend of our mum's and has done a lot, a lot for mum's, so we want
31:53to return the favour.
31:55With professionals and family friends now in charge, the whole pace of the build picks
32:03back up to a speed Pep would have loved.
32:06The house is now crawling with plasters, carpenters and plumbers, all of whom need to be paid.
32:14The money seems to be going very, very quickly and I feel like I'm just paying out thousands
32:19more or less every day.
32:21And without Pep's iron grip on the budget, who knows what problems lie ahead.
32:26Pep was very strict with her budget and I have a slightly different attitude to the budget.
32:32I have sort of upped the interior design on the project, which, yeah, sorry Pep.
32:41If Melina's design ambitions run away with her and the old house doesn't sell soon, inevitably
32:46we'll all be hearing Pep's budgetary wise counsel ringing in our ears.
32:51But for now, Melina is taking pleasure in witnessing the design choices which she and Pep shared become a reality.
33:03Sharp shadow gaps are being painstakingly sculpted into a Hugo-inducing sense of calm perfection.
33:10It's all in the day tower, isn't it?
33:11It's all in the day tower, isn't it?
33:12Everything's all in the day tower.
33:13And pleasingly wide Douglas fir floorboards from Denmark, which Pep and Melina fell in love with for their tip-top environmental credentials, are laid by specialist fitters.
33:25So beautiful and so overwhelming.
33:29Yeah.
33:30Come the end of April, the site is looking like a scene of a Viking raid.
33:36But the return of the diggers is a welcome sign that the landscaping is being tackled.
33:42Melina must now be on the home straight, surely.
33:46Well, there's a Viking long house, if ever I saw one.
33:50It looks great.
33:55Everything seems as if it's falling into place, as if Melina is doing Pep proud.
34:04In terms of progress, I'm just amazed.
34:06Here you are taking the project, and have you had, by the way, any project management experience before?
34:11Er, no, I haven't. No, no, not at all.
34:14And the handover from Pep to you, was that...?
34:16I didn't get a handover, so I can't even get into a computer, so...
34:21Oh.
34:22Yeah.
34:23Do you find it altogether stressful?
34:24Yes.
34:25There's a lot of emotions going on.
34:27Yeah.
34:28But it's mainly good ones.
34:30And also, it's part of healing, is to go through the sad moments as well.
34:35I'm guessing, for all kinds of reasons, it's important for you to finish this.
34:39Oh, yeah, 100%.
34:40And that's why the building still feels that it's me and Pep who's doing the building.
34:45It doesn't feel like it's my project.
34:47It feels like you're still doing it together, which is a really lovely...
34:50That's amazing.
34:51...comforting feeling.
34:52When people build, they so often find the experience corrosive of their own energies.
35:03Whereas here, Melina seems kind of energised by what she's doing.
35:09Goodness me, I didn't expect that.
35:12And I just really hope that all those energies and drives kind of carry her over the finishing
35:19line gloriously.
35:21Wouldn't that be great?
35:23She so deserves it.
35:25Of course, it does raise my expectations.
35:39It's summer in the forest-clad expanse of the Surrey Hills.
35:50And just over a year since Pep passed away.
35:53Time for me to make one last visit.
35:57Gosh, it's going to be someday, I think.
36:01A day of rarer emotions and unusual feelings and reflections of some poignant memories, I think.
36:08But nevertheless wonderful, I hope.
36:16When Pep and Melina embarked on building their house based on principles of simplicity,
36:22the hope was that it would go up as quickly as possible, so Pep might see it finished.
36:28That wasn't to be.
36:30But now Melina has driven it to completion, is this the home she and Pep dreamed it would be?
36:37It goes to show what happens when you take a really, really simple idea and you craft it to perfection.
36:47This building is devoid of ostentation, but replete with elegance.
36:55It shows what happens when you make an art of simplicity through flawless crafted execution.
37:01Oh, hello. Hi.
37:05Melina, how are you?
37:07I'm good.
37:08Very, very, very good to see you.
37:09Hello, hi.
37:11And how have you been?
37:12Yeah, I've been busy.
37:13Busy finishing the house.
37:14Yeah, exactly.
37:15Yeah, it's been, it's taken all my life a bit.
37:17Yeah.
37:18But congratulations.
37:20Because it is a sort of seamless, beautifully tailored, modest, powerful thing.
37:25I love it.
37:26I actually love it.
37:28I mean, how long have you been actually living in it?
37:31Only for like a couple of weeks, so it's still a bit surreal to be living in it.
37:36And I have to say the trees are just amazing.
37:39This tree, however, at the front, that's an altogether more complex thing.
37:44Yes.
37:45It reflected on the tree of life, which is a tree that's called in the Nordic mythology called Yggdrasil.
37:53It's the sort of tree of the universe.
37:55And what does the plaque say?
37:56It's a message for me.
37:58It basically says, now feasting with the gods at Valhalla.
38:03I want to feel something positive from it, rather than sadness.
38:07Yes, exactly.
38:08Yeah.
38:09Well, that tree and that house are doing the same thing.
38:11Yeah.
38:12Yeah.
38:13Come on, that's going on.
38:14OK.
38:15I can't wait.
38:16I really can't.
38:17OK.
38:18Let's do you.
38:19Come in, Kevin.
38:21Oh, and that view.
38:23It's just a very pleasant thing to look at when you walk through the entrance.
38:28It's just, yeah.
38:29It's better than a painting.
38:31At the far end of this compact house are a guest bedroom, a bathroom.
38:36And for Vikings who like to do their admin, a home office.
38:41Oh, so good.
38:43I'm aware, of course, that all these rooms are preparation for the big act.
38:47The main chapter of the building, which is here.
38:50Yeah.
38:51This is the Viking Hall.
38:55It is.
38:56It's a Viking Hall like you've never seen one, because it's perfect and crystalline.
39:02The spirit soars in here, doesn't it?
39:05Mm.
39:06The whole thing about Hugo is you'll feel comfortable and cosy.
39:10And it's like a big tent.
39:11Yeah.
39:12Stretched out over a shared space.
39:13It's lovely.
39:14It is a space filled with all the Scandinavian-designed furniture and fittings, which Pep and Melina collected over the years, alongside a new neat kitchen area with a lavish marble top.
39:33So when we designed the kitchen, you know, Pep wanted a window seat so that, you know, she could watch me cooking and, you know, have a glass of wine and just, you know, kind of being together and do the cooking.
39:43So that's why the, you know, the window seat is very important, yeah.
39:47That's why she's sitting in the window seat.
39:48That's her place, yeah.
39:49Yeah, she is.
39:50Bless her.
39:51Yeah.
39:52Let me show you this, Kevin.
39:53What's this?
39:54So this is Pep's notebook and it's quite special.
39:57Oh, my Lord.
39:58It's got all her notes, initial ideas, nothing superfluous, nothing pretentious.
40:04Love it.
40:05Yeah, she would sit at night and start writing things in that book.
40:08Her dream started off just by being building a house.
40:11Yeah.
40:12But it became a lot more because she spoke about this dream for 20-odd years.
40:17I'm going to say you did it too.
40:19Yeah.
40:20I didn't mind.
40:21Because you really, you picked up the mantle.
40:23Mm.
40:24You picked up everything and you, you're still driving it.
40:28You're still, you're still, you've still got, you've got the energy for two now.
40:35The interior design plan, which Pep and Melina worked on together over so many late night conversations,
40:42has been beautifully executed by Melina, evident not least in the most private of spaces, the main bedroom.
40:49Full of fine detail and accompanied by an elegant en suite.
40:54Oh, my God.
40:55I'm going to get no pressure, don't you?
40:58Okay.
40:59The house was conceived with feasting and entertaining in mind, especially as Pep was one of 11 siblings.
41:09Three of her sisters are also seeing the house for the first time.
41:14Yes.
41:15Yes.
41:16Yes.
41:17Yes.
41:18Yes.
41:19I think we're all very proud of what Pep and Melina have achieved.
41:21Oh, I think Pep would be absolutely delighted.
41:24We're extremely proud of Melina.
41:27It's a really testament to a Viking spirit.
41:31It's such a boat.
41:32Yes.
41:33Yes.
41:34Yes.
41:36Richly deserved praise.
41:38I can't think of a more fitting testament to a life fully lived than this wonderfully modest home.
41:47Originally budgeted to cost 550,000 pounds.
41:51So, take me through the big numbers.
41:54Do you know how much the project costs to complete?
41:57Yes.
41:58So, the end figure of the project is just under 750,000 pounds.
42:04Does selling the old house, paying off your debts, does that get you to a point where you can comfortably live here?
42:10Yes, it does.
42:11So, you know, there's a lot riding on it.
42:15Did you ever think, actually, I'm not going to finish this?
42:18Did you ever think, actually, maybe it's a good idea to walk away from it?
42:21I actually have felt that the, you know, the project has kind of, you know, kept me going and given me a purpose.
42:30A feeling of immense pride of what Pep and I have achieved together.
42:35And also, I got a lot of strength from seeing Pep's determination in the last few months of her life.
42:41I mean, you know, you learn new things about each other at the time of adversity.
42:46And to see that sort of inner strength when literally you're coming to the end of your life and just see that, you know, her ability just to keep going.
42:57Keep going.
42:58Yeah.
42:59Every day.
43:00Every minute.
43:01You know, planning the next thing to the point that the last entry in her book was four days before she died.
43:06And she'd go like, stainless steel nails for the cladding.
43:10She wanted to remind me, don't forget, it has to be stainless steel nails.
43:14I mean, I was like, can you, I mean, that, and I think that really shows what she was like.
43:22Stainless steel nails for the cladding kind of also describe her spirit.
43:26Yeah.
43:27You know, that's being stainless steel.
43:28Yeah.
43:29Absolutely.
43:30Yeah.
43:31That's the determination, you know.
43:36From being a dream home, suddenly the building has become a place for healing.
43:45And a sanctuary, there's something, the energy there is very, very special.
43:54And I have to say it's completely changed, you know, me inside as a person in how I feel.
44:03And I, I, I think that, you know, that now, now the house is not going to be a home for me and Pep as a, as a couple for the rest of our life.
44:13I feel very strongly that it will become a place for healing and sanctuary, not just for me, but for Pep's family and for other people who come into my life.
44:23I think that's really, really special, you know.
44:32It's at this point that I would normally wax lyrical about the building.
44:36But in this instance, I think we should leave the final word to its co-creator, Pep.
44:45I do love this book.
44:47And there is a sort of introduction at the front.
44:50And this was written four years ago, so three months after she'd received her terminal diagnosis.
44:58And she says,
44:59Who would have ever known the passing of events since this bound book was gifted to me?
45:05My sister has suggested I fill it with all my aspirations, dreams and goals.
45:12Well, I will use it to write all my ideas for one of my dreams.
45:18And that is to build a home with a heart for Melina and I.
45:34And were she still here, I think there's one thing that Pep might have added.
45:40And that is, and we built it together.
45:48So you are knocking down a fake castle to build a fake castle?
46:04No, it's a 21st century castle.
46:06It's really daunting.
46:08Everything is bigger than I thought it would be.
46:11How does that look?
46:13It's probably going to hit that.
46:14Let's bring it back out.
46:15Oh.
46:16Give me the figure.
46:17Total budget.
46:18I think we'll be over seven.
46:19Seven.
46:20That's seven million.
46:21Yeah.
46:22Bloody hellfire.
46:23O thoughts.
46:24If one's
46:35going wild.
46:36Ah.
46:37Oh.
46:38Oh, right.
46:39Oh, right.
46:40Oh, oh, right.
46:42Oh, right.
46:44Oh, oh.
46:47Yeah.
46:48Feel white.
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