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Beyond The Build - Season 1 Episode 1 -
David and Jane Franklin
David and Jane Franklin
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00:00just bricks and mortar. It's also about dreams and aspirations. Design and execution. Making
00:07memories and mistakes. Ultimately, it takes more than building a house to create a home.
00:14Join us as we go Beyond the Build.
00:30On this episode, strap in for one of the wildest renovation rides imaginable. Unexpected
00:41setbacks, spiralling costs, frustrating delays and many design challenges along the way.
00:48All in a day's work for Dave and Jane Franklin.
00:51They're inside dogs, pretty much on the bed, on the couch, anywhere they feel.
00:59They want to have a snooze.
01:01Let's wind the clock back to 2019. Billie Eilish's bad guy topped the charts.
01:07TikTok was gaining popularity and Richmond had just won their 12th Premiership.
01:12Moods were high.
01:13We're renovating. We've done so many renovation shows, so I thought, why not? Let's do our
01:18own house.
01:19Dave and Jane purchased this house in 2007 and from that time on, they've embarked on
01:24a renovate as you go odyssey using whatever materials Dave would have left over.
01:29from his jobs.
01:30When we did start this house, we didn't have a lot of money, I suppose, when we started
01:34doing it, and it was built of leftovers from jobs. So, as you can see, it looks like a patchwork
01:39quilt.
01:40The rooms are tiny. The kitchen is really, really small.
01:42To be honest, she hates it. It was either do the house or get a new husband.
01:46The house has served this growing family well, but it looks and sounds like the family might
01:51have outgrown it.
01:52It's got to be done. It's tied. We wanted a great house. We want a great family home.
01:56And you know what? I'm sick of doing these amazing pools and backyards and front yards
02:00for everyone else. So, I want one myself.
02:03Black Rock is an affluent bayside suburb about 18 kilometres south-east of the Melbourne CBD.
02:16Known for its natural beauty, fine dining and luxury homes, it's a sought-after suburb
02:22that residents love to call home. The median house price in Black Rock is $2.4 million.
02:38What would have been fitting in the early noughties with its grey render and wrought-iron
02:42fence, along with the thrown-together kitchen, now looks dated and very tired. The walls are
02:48literally caving in. Both Dave and Jane are ready for a change.
02:53I want a different kitchen and possibly a different husband.
03:01They say a builder's house is never finished and with Dave's hefty work schedule, he doesn't
03:07have the best scorecard finishing things at home. Jane's and his future happiness depend
03:13on getting this done. But with the right design, there's potential for an amazing transformation.
03:20And if there's anyone who is up for the challenge and capable of pulling it off, it's Dave and Jane.
03:27Three right there.
03:29One of Australia's most prolific landscapers, Dave Franklin has had his finger on the pulse
03:34of landscape design for over 25 years. He and his team have thrived in creating some of the country's
03:41most luxurious and transformative outdoor spaces. Dave's likeable personality has shone through
03:47with his work on popular TV shows such as The Block and Open Homes Australia, where he showcases
03:53some of his most impressive designs. Jane has also gained some renovation experience taking the interior reins
04:00on their last renovation, the family beach house in Phillip Island. She is once again excited to get creative
04:07and transform this home in her own unique style. Along with their young kids Texan Summer,
04:13the family dogs Rodney and Keith, and the many guests they love to entertain, the Franklins are looking forward
04:19to creating a home where everyone has their space and where everyone is welcome.
04:24The design Dave and Jane have settled on will see the living room extended downstairs, the laundry converted
04:31into the wine cellar, a carport add-on, and the biggest change, the walls on the eastern side will be extended
04:37to two to three metres on both levels. Along with using some of the balcony space at the front, the house will gain
04:44a whopping total of 15 square metres, almost doubling the floor space. They also have plans to replace the roof.
04:52This will also help with the overall look they want to achieve. Dave and Jane are going for a kind of Cape Cod
04:59nautical thing, but with their own spin on it. The grey render will be replaced with crisp white
05:05weather boards juxtaposed with black window frames and accents to set it off. The works are extensive.
05:11At what stage do you just knock it down and start again? Their love for the internal spiral staircase is so great
05:20that it's enough for the couple to go through with a complete renovation just to retain it.
05:26So the roof is coming out, the kitchen's coming out, the whole side of the house is coming out another
05:30two, three metres wide enough. It's going to make every room basically bigger. So we're not adding a room,
05:35we're just making every room bigger. The wants and needs are growing and they both have their focus.
05:41Let's talk about the outdoors. It's all about the outdoors.
05:47This is Dave's domain and with his reputation on the line, he'll want to get it right.
05:52We're on three different levels here and obviously everyone that's been to this house after a few winds
05:56actually falls down the stairs. So we're going to make it one level here, okay?
06:01That pool's coming out, new one will come in. So we're going to do like a curved pool, just create a bit more space.
06:05After many, many late nights dreaming of the perfect design and many, many alterations,
06:12he has settled on what he thinks will best to maximise the space.
06:16We're going to pack in pool, spa, there's going to be an entertaining area.
06:20You've got a barbecue area and a fireplace that's going to look amazing.
06:24And how long do they give themselves for this extensive renovation?
06:30It is not just like, right, we're going to go and renovate this this weekend.
06:34This is like something that's, you know, normally takes about a year and a half
06:37and we're going to try and do it in six months.
06:39Famous last words.
06:41Coming up, the renovation begins and the obstacles immediately present themselves.
06:46To be honest, it's just a, it's an absolute nightmare.
06:51We're here in Blackrock, Melbourne to follow the renovation of Dave and Jane Franklin's family home.
07:00Dave had a grand plan of wrapping this project up in only six months.
07:07Inside, apart from some demolition, there's been little progress.
07:12So what's been holding them back?
07:14Being an old house, we've had a few engineering issues.
07:17Every time you start pulling something down, something else hits you again
07:20and pushes back another bloody month, it seems like.
07:22So anyone who's renovated one of these, they'll know the pain that we are through.
07:29Older homes have character, often boasting features like architectural windows
07:34and solid plaster walls that you don't find in many newer buildings.
07:38When it's time to renovate though, older houses present costly challenges
07:43that are not so charming.
07:45We've got a concrete balcony here, then we've got a timber floor.
07:48All the joists and bearers are running the wrong way for our extension going out there.
07:52So this is kind of a bit of a mean feat.
07:54It's hard to take the roof off, but what's going to support the house?
07:57So we take the floor out first.
07:59So these are the questions that we're going through.
08:01And to be honest, it's just a, it's an absolute nightmare.
08:06That's not the only obstacle for Dave.
08:08They've also found concrete cancer on their upstairs balcony.
08:11As long as we cut it out, fix it, it'll be fine.
08:14So, you know, that's what I'm trying to tell everyone.
08:16But no, let's listen to it.
08:18Concrete cancer is when water over time penetrates the concrete, causing the rusting of the reinforced steel.
08:25Fixing this will not only be costly, but it will also take more time.
08:30On a positive note, Dave's been able to get a hand from very experienced builder, Matt.
08:35Got me a sign and you finish it off.
08:37You don't get into the top ones, Matt.
08:39Matt runs his own construction company and has been a builder to contestants on the block for multiple series.
08:45So he's used to deadlines.
08:47Dave will be hoping Matt can provide a block style finish to this turtle paste renovation.
08:52It's a little bit slow going.
08:54We've basically started pulling it apart in bits and pieces, uncovering, trying to expose the bones of the house.
09:00There's a few little surprises.
09:03Turns out that some of the floor drawers are undersized.
09:05So we're going to have to look at beefing them up and making sure everything's legitimate before we do advance
09:10and before we do start piecing it back together.
09:13One area that is progressing is the backyard.
09:20The old pool has been removed and works have begun to prepare for the concreting of the new pool.
09:26This is the part of the build Dave has been most excited about and after many tweaks along the way,
09:32he's come up with the ideal design.
09:35It will sure be a sight when it's finished.
09:38Jane has also started to organise some of her selections for the home
09:42and by the looks of it, she's leaning towards some statement tiles.
09:46She's also planned out the kitchen area.
09:49We're going for black shaker doors and some timber in it as well
09:53because otherwise the black kitchen will be too overpowering.
09:56And bronze tapware.
09:58At the moment there's a shell in there so I'm really struggling to find it difficult to pitch up how it's going to look.
10:04One of the hero selections in this kitchen area is a unique round window dubbed the porthole.
10:10So we're doing a big round window for David's porthole, the pirate.
10:13Yeah.
10:14Yeah.
10:15So we're going to send him off to sail and wave him goodbye.
10:17I'm looking forward to going too.
10:21Let's hope the ship hasn't sailed yet.
10:26On the bright side, it looks like Dave may have an apprentice in the making.
10:31And he'll need the extra help as the issues with this old house keep compounding.
10:38Everyone's saying pull the whole friggin' house down but the house has been here since 1950 and I'm not doing it.
10:44We probably should have pulled it down.
10:46Oh come on, get out of here.
10:48We've got to start pulling the roof off next week as well.
10:50So once we start doing all that then we can start seeing a lot of action and get moving with it all.
10:55And the roof upstairs is going to be cathedral so it's going to look beautiful.
11:03Six months has passed and we can finally see some progress on site.
11:08The frames are up and the roof is off.
11:12The Franklins have been renting around the corner and with the lease coming to an end, Dave started to make some promises he couldn't keep.
11:21Every wife's worst nightmare is that I said the house will be finished in two weeks' time.
11:26So guess what we're doing?
11:27We're shifting to another rental just for a couple of months.
11:30So, yeah.
11:32Dave and Jane had the engineering completed.
11:34However, after removing the ceiling and seeing the structure, it became evident that the engineering wasn't adequate for their plans on the upper level.
11:44An extensive amount of rectification needed to be carried out to support the work being done upstairs.
11:50So much so that little actually remains of the original structure.
11:55Should have pulled the house down and just built a new one.
11:57Almost, almost.
11:58Upstairs, the results are worth it though.
12:01Coming up that spiral staircase, you can see straight out to the bay.
12:04It's highlights like these that are worth taking advantage of.
12:08This can be just one big window.
12:10There was an existing window there.
12:11We've pulled it out.
12:12We've framed it as big as we possibly can.
12:14They're having a roof line that's four plus metres high.
12:16It's, you know, just creates so much space.
12:18The windows are a lot taller as well.
12:20So, and there's a big focus onto the bay view here.
12:23And that's why I'm a lot calmer because I'm sort of like, wow, that's going to happen, you know.
12:26At least someone is feeling calm.
12:28The same can't be said for Jane.
12:30She thought she'd be moving in by now.
12:32Instead, she'll be moving to another rental.
12:35Summer and I are having bets on it at the moment.
12:37We're thinking late this year that it might be finished.
12:41David's saying to me June.
12:44Don't you know the rule, Dave?
12:47Under promise, over deliver.
12:49Offsite, Dave also seems to have his hands full.
12:53We didn't have a holiday.
12:54We got the jump on this year with all our other jobs that are coming through.
12:57And so we've got a massive thing going on at the block at the moment.
13:00We're building five pools.
13:01I've got the Today Show bushfire relief that's starting next week.
13:04And we've got you filming us today.
13:06So taking up our time.
13:07So there you go.
13:08Right.
13:09Now I see why the renovation might be running behind.
13:15We're back on site at Dave's slow going renovation where they've fallen months behind schedule.
13:25It's been a year since our first visit.
13:28So add six months on top of Dave's initial six month renovation plan.
13:32We're going to try and do it in six months.
13:34Jane is frustrated with the progress.
13:37Where are we at?
13:38We're at where we were six months ago.
13:40When I asked for open plan living, he came to the party.
13:44We have open plan living.
13:52I love it.
13:53I honestly love it.
13:55She desperately wants to get moving and start on the interiors.
13:58But that still seems like a while away.
14:00I'm such an organized person.
14:02But he won't take the next step because he's got to get his own s*** organized.
14:06It's like, well, what about my s***?
14:08No, what about s***?
14:09Oh, s***.
14:10Just say it then.
14:12Dave seems happy with the progress outside.
14:14But inside is another story.
14:16The power is out.
14:18The roof looks like we can get that on soon.
14:20So Steel Guy's been here today.
14:22The pressing issue for Dave will be getting the roof on.
14:25Once that's completed, the rest of the build will advance.
14:28I can't do much more until the scaffold's got to come down and get the render done.
14:32Because otherwise, start doing finishing touches and it's only going to get wrecked.
14:37As winter comes, so does yet another perilous setback.
14:43Coronavirus cases in Victoria have jumped again.
14:47The world is reeling from the impact of COVID.
14:50Residential building has been deemed essential, allowing Dave's renovation to press on.
14:55Yeah, whilst we can work, it's good.
14:59So that's pretty much the only thing we can do.
15:01Looks like lockdown has actually been a blessing for this project.
15:05Extensive work has been completed on the balcony areas.
15:09The Cape Cod vision is starting to take shape in the form of the weatherboard cladding.
15:15All the windows have been installed and the roof is on.
15:19And it looks spectacular.
15:21Out back, they've completed the decking.
15:26Although progress has been made, it's still a long way off being a home.
15:31I wonder how the timeline is tracking.
15:33Yeah, good. No, maybe.
15:36No, I've got to be in this Christmas. It can't be, you know, 2022.
15:40If we can shift in on Christmas Day, I'll do it.
15:51A week out from Christmas and although there is some noticeable progress,
15:56the Franklins are indeed not in for Christmas.
16:00I'm surprised we're not going to put a lift in this house.
16:02By the time we move in, we're going to be in our seventies.
16:04I don't find that funny. It is.
16:10Further COVID restrictions have limited Dave to having only five people on site at a time,
16:15delaying the build by months again.
16:18I can tell you right there, our Christmas holidays will be Jane.
16:21Jane will be here, Jane will be down the beach.
16:23I know, I'll be here because I've got a style of a hand,
16:25so it's going to be very, very busy for us.
16:30On the upside, the outdoor area is really starting to take shape.
16:36I can't wait to get in that pool. It's amazing.
16:38You've done something right.
16:42What they have done is re-engineer the carport with a plan to create a series of brick arches
16:47on top of the feature posts.
16:49Come off this line through here, do another arch, another arch,
16:53and then a big arch, and that's going to frame out the front door.
16:56It's a big move, this far out, but you know, are we going to get done? Hell yeah.
17:02Inside there's been some progress.
17:04They've carried out all the electrical and plumbing,
17:07the walls have been sheeted, and they've pieced together a statement seller
17:11out of reclaimed bricks.
17:12I kind of like the old brick here, so we actually pulled out the newspaper
17:17that was from 1960, so we actually only put the newspaper in a frame
17:21and put it up on there, so we're going to actually leave that old school thing,
17:25because all the house is going to look new, and we'll make sure
17:28that I'm just not the only old thing in here.
17:30Today on site, they're rendering the exterior and installing the windows and doors.
17:35Something they're both excited about is the very impressive front door.
17:40We've got a new front door that's going in as we speak.
17:42Oh, yeah, amazing. I'm so happy about the front door.
17:45Yeah.
17:46Being a pivot door, it will provide a grand entrance,
17:49but will also provide some practicality.
17:51The last door that we have there, I think, is 850 wide,
17:54so this has gone to 1200.
17:56That's quite a big opening for us, so...
17:58We sort of need it now.
18:00Whoa!
18:01Oh, walked into that one, Dave.
18:04To get Jane back on his side,
18:06he wants to show her something he knows she'll like.
18:09The walk-in wardrobe.
18:11It's massive. It's massive.
18:13So you can, like...
18:15Is that what you're doing with the wardrobes?
18:17Well, it will be, because I've never had a walk-in wardrobe before,
18:19so it's just amazing.
18:25No, I'm really, really excited,
18:26because I think now we've got to the final detailing now,
18:30and I think once the doors are on, the plaster's been done,
18:33it's really just us fine-tuning, really, isn't it?
18:35Yeah, it's...
18:36Just getting the big things in, like the kitchen, the floors,
18:37and some window dressings, but it's...
18:39We're on the way home.
18:43Yeah, I'm on track to be late.
18:45It's actually two years in May.
18:46It's two years in May.
18:47We're not...
18:48No-one's counting, Tom.
18:49I'm counting.
18:50I mean, like, no-one's...
18:51You don't need to count.
18:52As they say, it's the journey.
18:55Dave's family home renovation is finally making some solid progress.
19:08Considerable work has been done on the exterior and interior.
19:12Dave's landscape design has been slowly coming together
19:15through the build process,
19:16but now it's time to put the foot on the pedal.
19:19With such an impressive house in the making,
19:21Dave will want impressive landscaping to suit,
19:24and one of the heroes in this area is the feature olive tree.
19:28Olive tree. Boom.
19:32Dave will be using this large olive tree as the centrepiece,
19:35along with these mature grass trees he's already planted
19:38to frame the pool area.
19:40We won the block with it,
19:41so if there's a winner there,
19:43it can certainly be a winner in my backyard.
19:45But is the olive tree too big?
19:49When you're at the farm it doesn't look as big.
19:51Big is better, isn't that what they say?
19:53So, but, yeah, no, we've got to...
19:55I'm just going to ring the guy
19:56and make sure I can cut it down a little bit
19:57so I can fit it in.
19:59Can I cut and knock off a little bit of that?
20:01Is that going to be a problem?
20:03OK, all right.
20:05They'll be planting the tree in this raised planter area.
20:08The concern is that if the roots are too big
20:10it will put excess force on the steel,
20:12causing it to fail and start bending.
20:14Luckily, Dave's got a wealth of experience to draw on.
20:18So, a little bit of creative horticulture,
20:20we'll get the tree in.
20:23Five men strong, they lift the heavy olive tree
20:26into Dave's digger, transport it to the planter box
20:29and lift it off.
20:35As you can see, it's hard work,
20:37but you can see that it's worth it
20:39the moment the tree falls into place.
20:42Hey!
20:43There we go.
20:47Honestly, we've kind of worked our design around
20:49having this beautiful olive tree here.
20:50As I keep saying, chalky colours
20:52always give you a great-looking garden.
20:54It's a new day and with it comes another massive inclusion
20:58to the backyard.
21:00One of the major features in this backyard
21:02is the glass that's going into the spa here.
21:04I've got my mate coming down from Queensland.
21:06He's come down today to help me put the glass in.
21:08I've probably been waiting for this to go in
21:09for probably about four to six months, to be honest.
21:11So, today's a good day.
21:12A rather painstaking process.
21:13First they have to hook it up to the crane by hand.
21:15Four guys wasn't enough, so one of the cameramen
21:18had to jump on one end of the 600 kilo pane of glass.
21:23Once it's strapped in, the crane operator has to
21:26slowly guide it over the neighbours' fence
21:29where Dave and his mate will delicately lower it into position.
21:32Slowering the crane operator has to slowly guide it
21:35over the neighbour's fence
21:36where Dave and his mate will delicately lower it into position.
21:40Slow and steady, they get the job done.
21:44That went fine. It's in.
21:50Jane has arrived to check up on progress.
21:53She's clearly pretty happy with the work being done at the back
21:56and something that also should put a smile on her face
21:58is the work being done inside
22:00as her huge walk-in robe is being installed.
22:06As well as some detailed tiling work.
22:10She's desperate to start filling the house with her furniture pieces.
22:14I've been going to sleep every night
22:16thinking where I'm going to place everything.
22:18I'm really excited because I like decorating
22:20and placing items in the correct spaces.
22:24It's going to take me a while.
22:26David said it'll take me a day, but clearly he does nothing with the inside.
22:30But it'll take me a bit longer, but that's okay.
22:32We've got heaps of time once we move in.
22:34I just really want to get in.
22:36Not long now, Jane.
22:38A month later and 18 excruciating months past their deadline,
22:44Dave and Jane have brought Tex to site
22:46to show him what they've been busy working on.
22:48Have you met me the last time you hear Tex?
22:50Oh, maybe.
22:51I reckon the build has been going for what felt like my whole life.
22:57I'm looking forward to seeing your bedroom now.
22:59I am as well.
23:01Wow.
23:03You haven't seen this?
23:04No, I haven't seen it.
23:05Oh, it looks good, doesn't it?
23:07My favourite thing is definitely in my room
23:09where there's a little cubby up there
23:11and there's a little platform and it's kind of a bed.
23:15I don't know how you're going to get up to your crib up the top there yet.
23:17I've got ways, I've got ways.
23:19Take all my girlfriends to.
23:21What as if?
23:22You're not going to have girlfriends.
23:24Oh my god.
23:25Dave also wants to show Tex his sister's room, a.k.a.
23:29The cave room.
23:30Why is it the cave?
23:31Because she hides in it all day.
23:33This is a pretty cool room though.
23:34She's done it.
23:35It is pretty cool.
23:36But she's actually got a non-suite that you don't have
23:38and then she's got the outdoor balcony.
23:40Yeah.
23:41I'll be trying to swap rooms.
23:42Yeah, I do, but I'm kind of grateful.
23:44Then you can have all your girlfriends out there.
23:46He doesn't have girlfriends.
23:47He doesn't have girlfriends.
23:48He doesn't have girlfriends.
23:49His only girlfriend is the mum of them.
23:50I wish I couldn't heal, mate.
23:55With the bill time dragging on,
23:56the family have been staying at a rental around the corner.
23:59The house is set to be pulled down after they move out
24:02and it seems as though the Franklins may be happy to see the back of it.
24:06If there's another rental, I think Dave and I will probably
24:09be going to the courts.
24:11Maybe.
24:13When did we start?
24:14So we've done 2019, 2020, 2021.
24:17Far out.
24:18Girls should finish their house.
24:20On a spectacular spring day in Black Rock, Melbourne,
24:29architect Sean Lockyer pays a visit to the Franklins
24:32to finally see the finished home after four very long years.
24:37Well, we're finally here after four long and arduous years on a project that so many others would have simply given up on.
24:46But hard work and tenacity really does pay off.
24:50The Franklins have eventually completed their own hacienda.
24:53With a mix of sweeping arches, a lot of different materials and some playful architectural form,
24:58from the outside this certainly looks like there's a lot going on.
25:01But after all this time, the big question for me is are they happy with the result?
25:06And was it all worth it?
25:07It's been a long journey, suffice to say.
25:20Very, very, very long journey.
25:21Very long journey.
25:22Not that long.
25:23Very long.
25:24I don't know what your long is, but my long is very long.
25:28What are you guys thinking about all of it right now?
25:31Well, one, definitely that we're finished.
25:33Okay.
25:34Two, I've got Jane off my back now because we have finished.
25:37Three, that we've got no more bins in the drive home to park our cars.
25:41So there you go.
25:43Now obviously at the outset of a journey like this, irrespective of what style one hopes to build,
25:47irrespective of the amount of money one puts into it or how long one takes to do it,
25:51you do this to make an impact on your family and to do something that your family can enjoy.
25:56How does it all feel for them now that it's all done?
25:58Well, well, again, it didn't take too long.
26:00Well, it did take a long time, right?
26:01It did take a long time.
26:02So we had the time to actually change the design as we were building it.
26:10We've pretty much done every room as, you know, per spec to, you know, our kids,
26:14what we like and what we like in our lifestyle, really.
26:17Given that you obviously, you're a designer, you've had a lot of experience,
26:22you've had a lot of ideas that have been going around for a long time.
26:26You've got a very strong hand in the interior design and the materials.
26:29You're bringing two strong personalities together in a house where you've done a limited amount of documentation
26:35and then everything else is kind of being organic.
26:37Yeah.
26:38Would you do it again?
26:39Hell no.
26:40There's been a lot of fights.
26:41There's been a lot of fights, a lot of arguments.
26:42Hell no.
26:44I do inside.
26:45He does outside and he's tried so many times to get inside the house.
26:48Yeah.
26:49And we've had so many fights over it, but I always win in the long run.
26:52Well, you've got to say, well, we're both born the same day.
26:54Yeah.
26:55So two Gemini's.
26:56So there's a recipe for disaster for us, well, at the start.
26:59Yeah.
27:00You know, yes, we fought pretty much the whole way through.
27:03Pretty much, yeah.
27:04There was not actually one nice fit, you know, I've got through the whole thing.
27:07But, you know, we got there in the end and, you know, do we love the house?
27:10Absolutely.
27:11It's a beautiful house.
27:12To do the journey again, I think, to be honest, and you hit the nail on the head.
27:15Yeah.
27:16Documentation's everything, being designer.
27:17Yeah.
27:18There was a lot of blood, sweat from me and tears from David, but we managed to get through it.
27:24Yeah.
27:25Look, the hardest thing for me, you know, and you touched on it before, was, you know,
27:31a facade of a house is one thing.
27:32That's the first thing that you greet, and that's with the landscape as well.
27:35Yeah.
27:36And, you know, it was going to be all Hamptons, as you see, upstairs.
27:38And then I started, probably not watching all those Escapade sort of shows.
27:44And Pablo Esma had all the arches and that.
27:46I thought, well, geez, that's all right.
27:51This was probably pulled down about, I think, at least eight times.
27:55Yeah.
27:56It's the front facade.
27:57Yeah.
27:58So that costs a bit of money to get it right.
27:59And look, and again, there's not many houses like it in this area.
28:02And that's why we sort of love the arches and, you know, in design and landscape.
28:06Yeah.
28:07As we always say, arches create space.
28:08Yeah.
28:09That.
28:10Yeah.
28:11And Pablo Escobar had it, so why not?
28:12You know, so.
28:13Well, I've got to tell you, the Escobar is a new reference for me in design.
28:16I know there's a lot going on in the interiors.
28:22I can't wait to see what Jane's done.
28:24Yes.
28:25Given that your work's almost done outside here.
28:26So if you're happy to show me through.
28:28I was going to say, you know I can let you inside.
28:30Well, let's do it.
28:31Let's get in there.
28:32Okay.
28:33So we've come up into the middle of what is essentially the old cottage.
28:50I'm going to say old cottage in inverted commas because I know lots going on in this
28:54roof.
28:55But straight away, what I really like about this space is as an architect, I hate corridors.
28:59I think they're just, you know, they're dark, they're oppressive, they don't really do
29:03anything for the house.
29:04And you got rid of all the corridors here.
29:05You brought what is the original stair up into the space.
29:08And then you've consolidated all of these spaces.
29:10There's obviously an amazing sense of light about you.
29:12You get some views to the beach.
29:14And I imagine this is probably quite a strong catalyst in the way that the whole upstairs
29:19has been planned.
29:20Yeah.
29:21I would have to say, well, this was probably one of the biggest things that we changed in
29:23our design because in the original house, you could actually touch the ceiling here.
29:27Okay.
29:28And it was, it was just one corridor through here, small bathroom, small bedroom there,
29:32small bedroom here.
29:33Yeah.
29:34So now we've managed to get, you know, three bedrooms up here, but all with, you know, bathrooms
29:37as well at the same time.
29:38Yeah.
29:39But the biggest feature that we love is obviously having the six metre ceilings here.
29:42Yeah.
29:43Probably one of the biggest things that we wanted to, we can see some great bay views up here
29:47as well.
29:48And yes, that was the original staircase.
29:49Yeah.
29:50So that's the only thing we haven't changed in the house.
29:52But we fell in love with the house initially 17 years ago because of the staircase.
29:57Yeah.
29:58Yeah.
29:59They love the staircase.
30:00Yeah.
30:01There's definitely a sense of cohesion about the sort of black and white themes.
30:04I mean, I love the black floors and the herringbone, I mean, they're really gorgeous.
30:08And you've taken that herringbone through in the marble in the bathrooms.
30:13Everywhere that you can, you've chipped into ceilings and you've kind of opened up spaces
30:17in your son's bedroom.
30:18You've got that little sort of bunk niche up at the top, which is, and all of that,
30:24I'm assuming you discovered through the build that didn't exist before.
30:27Yeah.
30:28A hundred percent.
30:29Well, look, we did do it with our summer's bedroom and you know, she's got a high ceiling
30:32like this.
30:33And then poor Texio had this, he's got the smallest room of the house and I thought,
30:36oh, all right, let's give him something.
30:38So we thought, well, he's young enough and he's got his friends come over and that's
30:41why, yeah, we sort of got that little mezzanine, little spot for a bed up on the top there.
30:44And it's kind of cool.
30:45It makes every room different.
30:47Yeah.
30:52Just to interrupt you just for one second.
30:54I did buy that light in Bali and I said to David, do you need to give me a roof that
30:58I can put the light in?
30:59And so he managed, that's why we did the roof.
31:01Yeah.
31:02The light.
31:03Well, if we, yeah, to be honest, if you reverse back, that's like,
31:05the one that cost me heaps.
31:07Yeah.
31:08Yeah.
31:09I can't look at that light anymore.
31:12There's some people that will attempt an interior like this and it will feel like
31:19they're trying to do it for somebody else.
31:20So they're trying to capture somebody else's vibe.
31:22Yeah.
31:23But this does feel like you guys in a really authentic way, which, and I think when one evaluates
31:28design and when one thinks about building houses, you guys are trying to build a family
31:32house, you've got two crazy dogs and you know, two kids that are really young adults now.
31:38And I think it is a space that really feels like a home.
31:41It genuinely does.
31:42And I think that's really, I mean, what the whole point of this is, especially off the
31:46journey you guys have been through.
31:47Well, we have to live here, so we want to make it as easy as possible.
31:55After the break, Sean continues the tour.
31:58This is obviously your world.
31:59You know, what were you thinking in all of this?
32:01What was I thinking, Sean?
32:02What was I thinking, Sean?
32:03What were you thinking?
32:16We're in Black Rock, Melbourne to see this spectacular transformation.
32:21It may have taken four years for Dave and Jane Franklin to achieve this, but the finished
32:26product makes it all worth it.
32:29Sean continues the tour.
32:30So we're here in the main living space of the house with a beautiful north-facing backyard.
32:37You've obviously consolidated the dining, the living, the kitchen to create a really nice
32:41open-plan space, which makes a lot of sense.
32:43Probably, to be honest, was the hardest part, okay?
32:45So just even doing that little bit of extension just through there, just to get rid of all
32:50the hallways, we had to put an eye-beam through the top there, and that was obviously coming
32:54in from the top, otherwise we had to feed it through.
32:57So this took a long time.
32:59So when we decided to take the whole top of the roof off, it was a lot easier to crane
33:03that in.
33:04It was like a rabbit warren, really, wasn't it, this house?
33:06Yeah, it was, yeah.
33:07Tiny.
33:08It was like you'd walk through the front door of hallways.
33:09Like this little room here was our TV room, but it was only from there to there.
33:13A toilet there and a small kitchen.
33:14Yeah.
33:15There used to be the lounge room out on the other side, and that's where the spare bedroom
33:18is.
33:19Yeah.
33:20There was an original fireplace out there, which got some nice original stonework and
33:23stuff like that.
33:24But our garage, believe it or not, was actually right here, which is our sort of slash another
33:27rumpus room, movie room.
33:31Getting the big things right, having your living spaces open out to the north, particularly
33:35here in Victoria, where, you know, you have longer winters and we're lucky to have up in
33:39Queensland, you get all this beautiful light coming through.
33:42We're enjoying a day today where you've got doors open, beautiful light in the space,
33:46you've got a lovely connection to all the landscape out the back, these beautiful olive
33:49trees and beyond us.
33:51I mean, I think these spaces are working really nicely.
33:54And I think also that your kitchen spaces, you've obviously put a lot of thought into the
33:58functionality of those because you've got the kitchen, laundry, pantry.
34:02That's right, yeah.
34:03We wanted it sort of open plan living out here.
34:06And, you know, it starts in the kitchen, you start cooking, you always end up talking to
34:09someone.
34:10So, you know what, you can watch the footy, talk to someone that's cooking there and end
34:14up here where we're sitting right now.
34:18And Sean, what do you think of my porthole?
34:20Well, I wasn't sure whether it was your porthole or Dave's porthole.
34:24It's actually my porthole because I came up with the idea, didn't I?
34:29And what was the initiation of that idea?
34:31To open it up, I just didn't like the squareness, just a normal mirror arm window.
34:36So I wanted it to be a feature.
34:38And with David's beautiful planting of his bamboo, it's actually nice and shady and green
34:44and it's nice and it's a different shape.
34:46Let's be honest, we started the craze of round windows.
34:48We did, because I think our next door neighbours have got round windows now too.
34:54Recognising this was a long journey, a lot of things were organic.
34:58You know, to me it looks like you've kicked a lot of goals here, but when you look at these
35:02spaces particularly, are there any things that you think on reflection you'd be doing differently,
35:06given the chance again?
35:07Maybe left Dave.
35:09Yeah, one, two, three or four.
35:11That was a little bit too quick though.
35:13That's a little bit too quick.
35:14I was going to leave it to later.
35:16Look, to be honest, no, it's actually sort of perfect for us, you know, if we go back
35:20through again.
35:21The only thing that we would get bored on is that, you know, it's been a landscape and
35:24stuff like that.
35:25Everything's finished now.
35:26It's sort of like, you know, you start looking at things and going, do I like that plant?
35:30Should I change it?
35:31So, no, I don't want to change it.
35:33We've sort of, you know, customised everything for ourselves and especially downstairs here.
35:37It is definitely different.
35:39You know, as you said, it's hard to put a style on it.
35:41I think everyone comes in and either says a well-travelled house or eclectic.
35:48I love what you've done here.
35:49You've got silver travertines.
35:50You've got all this beautiful blonde stone, lovely greying natural timbers.
35:54This is obviously your world.
35:56You know, what were you thinking in all of this?
35:58What was I thinking, Sean?
35:59What were you thinking?
36:01Jane's still wondering.
36:02Yeah, yeah, that's right.
36:03Well, you know yourself.
36:04It is probably the hardest thing to design in your own place.
36:07Yeah.
36:08Especially if you're a landscaper and you're doing it as a job.
36:10You know, it started with the pool.
36:11This is actually our second pool.
36:13We had an original pool in first.
36:14Yeah.
36:15And the best thing, you know, is obviously, you know, you've got to create rooms outside.
36:18Yeah.
36:19And it isn't the biggest backyard, but it's enough space for me to create, obviously, a pool zone.
36:23You also need to have a little bit of width between, obviously, the doors and the pool.
36:27Yeah.
36:28It's a little bit of room out here.
36:29And this is what I always love is that, you know, through COVID, we had the fireplace,
36:32we had the pizza oven, and then we've got this beautiful sort of seating through here.
36:36We use this fireplace all the time, don't we?
36:38Even in summer, we still use it because often Melbourne gets cold overnight.
36:41Yeah.
36:42Yeah.
36:43So we'll sit around here with a group of friends and with a bottle of red wine and enjoy the fire.
36:47Yeah.
36:48It's really lovely.
36:50Your point is a very good one.
36:51There's a lot of times people duplicate what they've got inside, outside again, and they
36:55go inside living, dining, outside living and dining.
36:57They cover it and you go, well, why do you need both?
36:59Yep.
37:00And I think, you know, you guys have been very clever to kind of create these outdoor rooms.
37:05And this is a space that has its completely own character to inside.
37:09It's a completely different space.
37:10Yeah.
37:11With a fireplace and everything, it's got a reasonable being that's completely different
37:14to inside, sort of pulls you out here.
37:16And I think it's fantastic that you guys are using it year round.
37:20If you don't mind me asking, when you started this process, you would have had an idea about
37:24what you wanted to spend.
37:25Yeah.
37:26And when you finished it, are you happy to share?
37:27Look, I had a budget of five, six hundred thousand dollars, but the real terms is like
37:31it was any day of the week at least one and a half million dollars to spend, you know.
37:35Yeah.
37:36It was a lot more unknowns that we come across.
37:39Yeah.
37:40Again, at the same time, you said earlier on, documentation is something that we should have
37:42really looked at a lot more, gone through.
37:44The house evolved a lot differently.
37:46So we've ended up with, well, an eclectic house, something that we love.
37:50Well-travelled house.
37:51Yeah.
37:52Well over budget.
37:53Yeah.
37:54Well, that brings me to, you know, the preposition that we put at the beginning.
37:58So it's been a hell of a journey, you know, and congratulations.
38:01I think, you know, you guys have maintained a good sense of humour, which is important.
38:06It's important for building.
38:07It's important for marriage.
38:08But I think to your credit, you know, you guys have stuck to your guns.
38:11You know, you've actually stayed the distance.
38:13You know, we said at the beginning, you know, that many are people that would have got divorced,
38:18abandoned this thing, done something worse.
38:20Yeah.
38:21And I think you've answered the question because you've created a beautiful home for your family.
38:24I don't think there's any question about that.
38:26But do you feel like it was all worth it?
38:28Yeah.
38:29I mean, the marriage or the house?
38:30Both.
38:31Both.
38:32And I think it's very, I think it was worth it.
38:34We do have a beautiful house.
38:35Yeah.
38:36And we are very happy, aren't we?
38:37Yeah.
38:38I don't know whether to cry or laugh, but let's just say I'm glad it's the end of it.
38:43And it's not four years.
38:44Yeah.
38:45All right.
38:46It's under three years.
38:47Five years.
38:48Whatever.
38:49But no, absolutely really, really proud of it.
38:50Proud of what we ended up with.
38:51And it's a place that we come home and I love being here, you know, it's got everything there.
38:55And as I said, I wouldn't add anything else, but yeah.
38:57The serenity.
38:58The serenity.
38:59The serenity guys.
39:00The serenity.
39:01The serenity.
39:02As an architect, this is a challenging project for me to comment on.
39:10I like the idea of rules.
39:11I like the idea of establishing decision-making in a hierarchical sense that explores all the
39:17ideas, captures it in drawings, controls the process and gives it to a builder that is
39:22executed in a nice linear fashion.
39:23What Dave and Jane have done here is almost the exact opposite.
39:26They've taken a set of drawings, almost immediately abandoned them and then set about making decisions
39:32on an organic and incremental basis.
39:34But what they have done is taken their passion, their experience and their knowledge of building,
39:40and they've created it into a genuine family home that reflects their personality and is authentic to them.
39:47And in the end, they have created a coastal sanctuary for their family.
39:51And I don't know that anything can be much more relevant or meaningful than that.
39:56I don't know.
39:57I don't know.
39:58I don't know.
39:59I don't know.
40:00I don't know.
40:03I don't know.
40:04I don't know.
40:05I don't know.
40:06I don't know.
40:07I am a vampire, but I would love to come out of my mind.
40:09I am sytuerus.
40:10My mother, I am a vampire, who is a mystery.
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