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00:00Building a house is more than just bricks and mortar.
00:07It's also about dreams and aspirations.
00:10Design and execution.
00:12Making memories and mistakes.
00:15Ultimately, it takes more than building a house to create a home.
00:19Join us as we go Beyond the Build.
00:30On this episode, we escape the city and head for the coast,
00:44as James and Sundra attempt to transform this tired and dated red brick house
00:49into a Palm Springs inspired masterpiece.
00:53They have a clear vision for this ugly duckling,
00:56and as a kicker, they want to finish the entire renovation in just six months.
01:04I have been getting stuff off council pick-up since I was about two.
01:08They're silver, they're not going to stay silver.
01:10I see this is a great way to add some colour.
01:15Yellow.
01:16Yellow.
01:17We're going to have too much yellow.
01:18No, it's going to look really good.
01:19Yellow, yellow.
01:20Yellow.
01:21James and Sundra have been visiting Umina Beach for years
01:25before deciding to purchase this humble red brick three-bedder.
01:29Well, Umina is a place that I've known for many, many years.
01:31So I've been coming up here since I was a little kid.
01:33My dad would come up here fishing.
01:35I've got a few friends that we know around the area.
01:37My brother actually has lived up here for many years
01:39and he's got a cafe on the beach.
01:41It's a great location.
01:42The Central Coast is definitely a beautiful place to spend time in.
01:46And it's about an hour from Sydney.
01:48So it was definitely a space that I always knew about.
01:51And we were up here driving around actually seeing John.
01:53We were thinking this is actually a good place for us to find another home
01:56to be able to have an escape.
01:59With more than three decades' experience working as an interior designer,
02:03James Treppel knows a thing or two about maximising the potential of a home
02:07through bold and creative design choices.
02:10He's been sharing his design tips and insights on Australian TV for more than a decade
02:16and is currently a presenter on Network 9's Open Homes Australia
02:20and the host of Renovate or Rebuild.
02:23Meticulous planning is necessary in his role as an interior designer,
02:27but when it came to buying this house, James was a little more spontaneous.
02:32We were at the beach, not at this beach, but we were at the beach
02:36and he was, as usual, looking for available properties.
02:40That's his hobby.
02:41I'm always looking at houses online.
02:42That's his hobby.
02:43And he said, what about this one?
02:46I said, yeah, yeah, whatever.
02:47You know, I'm just there.
02:48I hear this all the time.
02:49You know, what about this one?
02:50Let's renovate it.
02:51It could be beautiful.
02:52And he picked up the phone and bought it.
02:55The bad thing is for me is I tell all my clients do inspection reports,
03:01do pest inspection, do a site walk, all of that stuff.
03:04We bought it sight unseen.
03:06So, yeah, walking into a little bit of a dark zone, but, you know,
03:09it just sometimes you've got to go with your gut instinct, don't you?
03:14Trusting his instinct and being able to envision the potential of a home
03:23is something James does every day in his work as an interior designer.
03:27As an award-winning painter hailing from Rome,
03:30Sundro is no stranger to the creative process either,
03:33but it's taken him a little more convincing that this property has potential.
03:38It's an ugly duckling.
03:39Ugly.
03:40Right?
03:41Ugly was the word.
03:42But I love ugly.
03:43Oh, excuse me.
03:44No.
03:45I love ugly houses.
03:46The house itself was solid.
03:48So that's the first thing that I would look at.
03:50So the structure was good.
03:51It was the 70s build.
03:53So I know that it was built well at that time.
03:55It's an ugly red brick, but brick is a really strong product to be able to use externally
03:59and last a long time.
04:00So that opened up some opportunity.
04:02There was good symmetry at the front with the two front windows
04:04and the garage was already built into that space.
04:07The roof pitch was low.
04:08So I sort of started to see an architectural style that I was liking
04:12that I thought we could transform this home into.
04:15Inspired by a recent family trip through California,
04:18Jane sees a transformation beyond this 70s Aussie red brick
04:23and envisions their new house in a mid-century modern inspired style.
04:30As far as negatives, the front door is on the side at the moment
04:34and there's no street presence, but we could drive a car down the side of this house.
04:38We're about three and a bit metres off the side fence.
04:40So that opened up a lot of possibility to be able to add something to the side as a new entry
04:45and very cost effectively, but dramatically transform the facade.
04:50This 1970s extended house has three bedrooms, one bathroom, a large L-shaped kitchen and living
04:59and the later addition of a dining room.
05:02A huge part of the ethos of mid-century modern living is a strong connectivity to the outdoors.
05:08And right now, this home blacks that completely.
05:12James's rejigged floor plan sees the kitchen repositioned to the previous dining room,
05:18gaining a larger kitchen and a greater connection to the outdoors in one hit.
05:23One of the bedrooms will become the main bathroom and where the kitchen was previously
05:27will become the new master bedroom and master ensuite.
05:31The old bathroom will become the laundry with more outdoor connection.
05:35The only addition to the external footprint of the property will be a dedicated entrance,
05:40creating a practical and stylish sequence for the owners and visitors alike
05:44and an opportunity to complete this Palm Springs inspired facade.
05:50When we saw this property, there was one thing or two that James had taught me
05:54that I can hear when he talks to his customers, natural light and airflow.
06:01And this definitely has it.
06:03I can put all the most beautiful finishes in this home.
06:06I can put beautiful flooring and walls and amazing bench tops.
06:09But if you don't have natural light and airflow, the house doesn't feel nice to be in.
06:13So they're really important and they're hard to replicate.
06:15So this home has those.
06:18Many of the other issues we can deal with.
06:22We have a few concerns.
06:23One could be that there is asbestos on site because it's a 1970s jewel.
06:29Yeah.
06:30It wouldn't surprise me.
06:31And of course, we're going to get a report done and get that checked out.
06:33It's something that's utterly important to deal with when you're doing any renovation or new build.
06:38The other concern is budget because we need to look after our bank account and James' imagination goes beyond it.
06:46To put it in a nutshell, we are going to transform this ugly red brick, ugly duckling into a Palm Springs inspired masterpiece.
06:56Well, the vision is crystal clear.
06:58They just have to shore up their timeline.
07:00Is there simply too much to do to complete this renovation in six months?
07:06We'll see.
07:13James and Sundra have purchased a 1970s red brick house on the central coast of New South Wales.
07:19A true ugly duckling.
07:21While most people have said they should knock it down, James has a vision.
07:25We are going to transform this ugly red brick, ugly duckling into a Palm Springs inspired masterpiece.
07:35It's a big day at Umina Beach for James and Sundra who have made the trip up from Sydney to tackle the demo and get the place prepped and ready for the build to begin.
07:45One of the keys to transforming the functionality of the house without major structural changes includes reworking the floor plan.
07:52Transforming the kitchen and moving it to here is a logical way to use this space.
07:57The first big adjustment will be moving the kitchen to where the lounge is currently located to take advantage of those two very important qualities, natural light and airflow.
08:08So, of course, this kitchen is pulled out because this is the new master bedroom.
08:11The wall is being pushed out that way.
08:12We've got a connection through for the ensuite, which was the laundry and toilet.
08:17So, we're utilizing where plumbing is located.
08:20It's all on that side of the house.
08:21And this is the new master suite.
08:23Which is going to be beautiful.
08:24Three bedrooms are on that side.
08:26The original three bedrooms.
08:28Two will stay.
08:29And the third one.
08:31The third one is so small.
08:32It was such a tiny bedroom anyway.
08:34So, that now is becoming the family bathroom.
08:39Can we fit a bath?
08:40Yep.
08:41Small bath.
08:42It's a bit of a small bath.
08:43It's still an important thing to have on a house.
08:45You have.
08:46So, we need to have a bath.
08:47So, I'm going to put a bath in.
08:48The shower in that corner where we've got the tall walls.
08:50We need to put insulation here.
08:52Yeah.
08:53Because every time you make a noise in the bathroom, it can be heard in the TV room.
08:56That's right.
08:57Entertainment.
08:58Yeah.
08:59Soundproofing the bathroom isn't Sandro's only concern with the new floor plan.
09:04He's also going to need somewhere to hang his artwork.
09:07And where will you put my painting?
09:09There's only two walls for the painting.
09:11So, we've got wall for artwork, wall for artwork, walls for artwork.
09:15There's a new wall here for artwork.
09:17There's going to be plenty of walls to put things on.
09:21James and Sandra are trying to keep new construction to a minimum inside,
09:25instead relying on smart and efficient ways to reconfigure the space they already have.
09:31The only new structures that will need to be built are the backyard pergola
09:35and the new entry foyer at the side of the house.
09:38These two additions will significantly improve the connection between inside and out and help create the classic Palm Springs facade that James is so fond of.
09:48So, this is a classic piece of Australian ingenuity.
09:53The hills hoist.
09:54He's excited.
09:55I'm not really.
09:56I think it should go.
09:57We can put some herbs out here.
10:00It's a really, it gets all that beautiful sun.
10:03I think it's a great sun catchment area.
10:05But this is an iconic Australian piece.
10:08It's a sculpture, Sandro.
10:10And it's not going anywhere.
10:11But I think I'm going to change its colour.
10:14There you go.
10:15Good, mate. Good, good.
10:16Do you want to say something?
10:17James and Sandra's builder Paul will be on site to give them a hand getting started with the demo.
10:22So, when James came to me about this project, I was very, very curious about it.
10:26Kitchen crack out time.
10:27Yep.
10:28I know he's got a lot of great ideas, but the building side of it is a little bit different.
10:32So, yeah, we sat down and had a good talk and I'm very impressed, actually, what his ideas are.
10:36Time to deal with this beauty.
10:39Yeah.
10:40Glad to see this thing go.
10:42They'll need to clear out the existing 70s kitchen so they can start reconfiguring the space into their new master bedroom.
10:49Do you want to handle that?
10:50Yeah, I'm sure.
10:52I've worked with Paul for many, many years.
10:55He's a cheeky bugger and I love him because he knows what he's doing and he's not afraid to say something if he's got an idea or something that's different to what I'm thinking.
11:03To talk James out of things, you've got to do it in a certain way.
11:09You've sort of got to make it somehow feel like it's his idea, but it's not.
11:14So, yeah, it's just the way you approach it with him.
11:17So, he is reasonable.
11:18Sometimes he gets that look on his face and you go, oh, hang on, I think I've really got him here.
11:22I think I've baffled him.
11:23He hasn't got a comeback.
11:26He's been cracking on.
11:27He's not, you know, he's not a 25-year-old.
11:30He works damn hard.
11:31So, I'm pretty happy to have him on board, actually.
11:37One thing that's going to be contentious, I know, especially for some of my designer friends, is the arch.
11:42You know, it's such a strong design element and it's definitely back in a big way.
11:47It was huge in the 60s and 70s.
11:50Unfortunately, it doesn't work in that location.
11:52It's too small.
11:53It's too low.
11:54And to open up that now to become the new kitchen, I have to take that out and lift it up.
11:59So, that's the next job to get onto.
12:01The arch.
12:02I felt very sorry to let that arch go from the living room.
12:06You know, my Italian background comes through when it comes to this.
12:09So, how far are we going to go across that other side?
12:11So, this side, I'd love to actually come right back to this wall.
12:14I want it flush as, because this is the thoroughfare now from the al fresco into the dining and lounge.
12:19I have learned to trust him, because he can actually see the finished product.
12:23In that beautiful brain of his, he can see what it's going to look like.
12:26And I had to go with it.
12:28I have a louder voice, but he's got the expertise.
12:32It's just, you know.
12:37As Paul convinces Sandro to demolish the lounge room arch he was intent on keeping,
12:42he's had time to reflect on whether the decision-making process has been as collaborative as it could be.
12:48I'm very sad.
12:49I lost my arch.
12:51The arch.
12:52It looked beautiful, but it is too short, and it's in the way.
12:55So, I just like to tease James and make him, you know, justify everything he does.
13:02You know the best way to get over your fears?
13:05Attack it.
13:06No, come on, attack it.
13:07Not the arch.
13:08Come on, attack it. It's your job.
13:09Come on.
13:10Oh no, harder.
13:12It's metal.
13:13No, it's only on the outside.
13:15Go.
13:16There you go.
13:17Look at that.
13:24You've got a lot of things in your way.
13:26You've got like…
13:27Keeping the arch.
13:28Yeah, the arch has to go.
13:32I wanted the dark tapware, and I think you might win that one too.
13:36Yeah, it's probably going to become brass, but it's still a collaborative effort,
13:39and it's important that you know that we're building this house together.
13:42I'm probably politely pushy, to be honest with you, but yeah, I get what I want.
13:46Sometimes, many years ago, Sandro said at a dinner party, you know,
13:49we argue about things, I disagree with James what he says, he does it anyway,
13:53and then when it's finished, it looks good.
13:55That's as close to a, you did a really good job as I'm going to get.
13:58We're back at Umina Beach, where James and Sandro are working on transforming their red brick ugly duckling
14:12into a mid-century modern inspired family home.
14:15Unfortunately, they've just hit their first major roadblock since the Renault began.
14:21It's a good thing they've been cutting costs where they can, because their budget is about to take a hit.
14:28I think all these walls in here, these walls, the walls in the bathroom, toilet and everything, they're asbestos.
14:37Asbestos, well, it's something that's part of, you know, Australian homes.
14:41It's global, and it's a product that was used everywhere, so you just have to be realistic.
14:46At least we know now, we can identify it, and look, it's going to take a chunk of budget to deal with it.
14:51That's right. We did, we did plan.
14:52We have to.
14:53We knew there could have been the possibility of asbestos once we opened the walls,
14:57and so we put money aside for it.
15:00Whilst James and Sandro had a contingency plan in place,
15:04the process of removing asbestos is costly and means the build will be on hold for close to two weeks.
15:11Nobody can be at the house during the removal process,
15:14and the varying availability of other trades has meant this will cost them even more time.
15:23It's been six weeks since our last visit, and there's been a tonne of progress.
15:30Demo has been completed, the asbestos has been removed,
15:33the walls are up and the new floor plan is starting to take shape.
15:37At the beginning of the job, we had so much to do just to fix the house up.
15:40We've been ripping things out, pulling things away.
15:43We've had a couple of bins go, and it's just basically cleaning up the site.
15:46So at the stage we are at now, I can finally start seeing what James meant
15:52when he was making his beautiful drawings or using his hands.
15:56Now that work is progressing, yeah, I can see it. I can finally see it.
16:02So I put five swatches of colour, which I always recommend people to do,
16:10because colour is so subjective, but it's also very different from inside to out.
16:14So I put a nice decent swatch of paint, it's the true paint painted on the walls,
16:19and I did it on three different locations on the exterior of the house
16:22to capture the eastern light, the western and the south.
16:26It's funny because I can see that they're so different.
16:29And Paul looked at me and goes, you're joking, aren't you, mate?
16:33They're exactly the same colour. I said, are you serious? Like, they're so different.
16:37My answer to James when he said, what colour do you want out of these five would I pick?
16:43I said the white one.
16:45In colour you hear of cool and warm, and that means that something's sometimes a bit more bluish
16:51and something's a little bit more warmer or yellow tones or browner tones.
16:54It's the undertone of the colour. It's not that it looks yellow or blue.
16:58It's just that the background of that colour comes out more compared to what it's with.
17:02We're going through quite a blue-grey roof and there's blue tones in the stone
17:07and the charcoal windows are coming on, so for that reason the warmer white
17:12was going to work more successfully with them all, otherwise it could all look quite blue.
17:16Sometimes it's not until you put something against them that you just see how very different they are.
17:20They look different to you, don't they?
17:22They do look different when you see them one next to each other.
17:25My story's always been just choose one, pick one, nobody will ever remember which.
17:30And I liked all of them.
17:34The local stonemason Christian has been tasked with creating the stone wall
17:46that will form the centrepiece of this Palm Springs inspired facade.
17:50The blue-grey tones of the stone will provide the perfect contrast
17:53to the straight white lines of the rest of the building.
17:56Each piece of stone will be individually cut and attached to the wall
18:00like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.
18:02One of the most important elements that's going on the facade of the house is the stone.
18:08Not only is it an important mid-century modern feature, that stone detailing,
18:13it's bringing a natural element in, but on the facade of the house
18:17it's also introducing an important vertical line at the bottom of the roof pitch.
18:22And because we're extending that house with the new entry foyer, we're elongating the facade.
18:27And by being able to put that stone blade in that goes up through the roof,
18:31it's a really important component of the house.
18:35The other big transformation for the facade will of course be the colour.
18:43And a local team has started working on turning these red bricks white.
18:48This coat is only the primer, but the way the colour change will freshen up the facade
18:52is already starting to take effect.
18:54Our son Alexander has been on site with us a few times.
19:00I think he's enjoying it.
19:02Being on site has been actually a way better experience than I thought it was going to be.
19:06I hadn't had any labour experience like this before, so I thought I was going to find it really challenging.
19:13But it's been a really good experience and I've learned a lot as well, which I'm grateful for.
19:18They've been talking about it at home for ages.
19:22So being here and actually, you know, witnessing it transform and, you know, seeing the paint go up and seeing the porch be here.
19:31It's sort of, it's weird in a way, but also it's really exciting because I'm starting to see their, you know, combined vision, which is cool.
19:41Which is very cool.
19:43It is his house, you know, it's a family house.
19:46So it's not just helping us to work on site, but it's putting his energy into the house and one day, you know, you can see the changes.
19:53He remembers it the way it was when the house, at the very beginning of the story, when we walked in.
19:59Part of the reason I like coming up here a lot and helping with the house is because I like spending that much time with them, you know.
20:05I find them really easy to get along with and, you know, we have a lot of common interests as well.
20:10But yeah, when I'm up here with them, it feels like I'm hanging out with mates, which I think is nice.
20:19The vision that James had is really, to me, starting to come around now, especially since we've done this bit here.
20:25I'm 90% finished inside, as in done all the walls, put all the sheeting up.
20:30We've now got to just get the floor done and put arbitration skirtings on.
20:34So the inside is looking really, really good.
20:37Still a long way to go. We've still got to get the tiling in. We've still got to get the kitchen in.
20:41We've still got to get the roof done. We've still got to do the deck behind you there.
20:45We've still got to do all the wall at the front, all the breeze walls at the front and down the side.
20:50There is so much to do.
20:52We can see the lights at the end of the tunnel. But in my case, I can see that we're still in the tunnel and I'm getting a bit tired of it.
21:06For James, it's fun. For me, it's really not. And yet it is exciting to see all these changes that we can say, you know, we did this all together. Our kids are part of this.
21:15It's a story about a guy named James.
21:22It's a story about a guy named James.
21:25So exciting.
21:43This is actually coming together better than I thought.
21:46I love it. Thank you.
21:49It's been four weeks since we last saw James and Sundrell.
21:52Their new roof was scheduled to be installed today, but some heavy rainfall overnight has put those plans on hold.
21:58I'm sure some rain has gone in, but I went actually up on the roof to have a look.
22:03And half of the tarpaulin is actually blowing away and underneath it's all wet.
22:07The boys decide to wait out the rain at John's Cafe at Umina Beach.
22:11Some bacon and egg rolls and a couple of lattes, they get some good news.
22:19The rain is cleared and the roofers are going to go ahead and install the roof as planned.
22:28The timber battens for the new roof have already been installed.
22:31And because of the specific roof profile James and Sundra have selected,
22:35the panels can simply be loaded and clicked into place.
22:38By early afternoon, it's a case of sun's out, guns out, as the team of roofers tackle the job like a well-oiled machine and get things back on track.
22:49Christian has been working hard on the outdoor feature wall, cutting and placing each piece of stone into place like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.
22:55With the stone wall creeping up the side of the house and the bricks painted white, the old facade of this ugly duckling is barely recognisable.
23:08James and Sundra will be adding a new masonry wall along the front of the house.
23:17Topped with breeze blocks, it will perfectly complement the stone wall and the new entry foyer that are being constructed.
23:23Being so close to the beach, the entire suburb of Umina is on sand.
23:28So the excavation process for the fence footings is a lot quicker and cheaper than if it were any other type of foundation.
23:35A combination of steel rods and concrete are necessary to hold the stack bond design of the front fence as the masonry blocks may move over time.
23:44Work around the side of the house has been progressing well.
23:55The timber frame for the new deck has been constructed and the windows have been replaced by a fixed panel and a sliding door,
24:01creating a heap of extra living space and improving that connection between inside and outside.
24:07The deck itself is made from an eco-friendly combination of wood pulp and recycled plastic,
24:13and the boards are simply dropped and clicked into place,
24:17which means Sundra can get most of the work done by himself in just a couple of hours.
24:23There's been a tonne of work done inside the house too.
24:26The bathrooms are almost finished, the walls have been painted and the new flooring and windows are in.
24:32Inside the house, the new floor plan is barely recognisable from the original three-bedroom layout.
24:38What was originally a small bedroom is now the bathroom, and the tiling is nearly finished.
24:45James and Sundra have gone with a rectangular wall tile laid vertically to suit the mid-century modern look.
24:52The vertical lines will also help make the bathroom feel bigger,
24:55while providing an interesting contrast to the terrazzo tiles on the floor and shower ledge.
25:01Things are moving along even faster in the front yard.
25:05The masonry fence and flower beds are climbing higher every hour.
25:10The grid-like effect of the stack bond design means the vertical lines of the mortar need to be perfectly plumb,
25:16which will complement the straight lines and edges of the rest of the facade.
25:20James and Sundra are back on the tools in the backyard painting their newly constructed pergola.
25:29Along with the new deck, this adds a heap of extra outdoor living space to the home
25:33and provides a large open alfresco dining area.
25:37James has designed the pergola in a grid pattern, continuing the mid-century aesthetic
25:41he has incorporated through the rest of the home, from the facade to the backyard.
25:47I am looking forward to sitting in the front of the house and sip on a Campari spritz.
25:54I'm looking forward to sitting in our beautiful new deck when it will be ready,
25:58on a hammock and sip on another spritz.
26:03I think I'll try a spritz all soon around on the other side too.
26:08With the garden and landscaping well on its way, the old red brick house is unrecognisable,
26:15both inside and out.
26:18James had planned on having a sequence of skylights placed evenly throughout the room,
26:23but the addition of a steel beam inside the roof after the house had been built
26:27meant that wouldn't be possible.
26:29They've decided to install two large skylights above the dining area,
26:32with a third in the living room, which will flood both spaces with natural light.
26:37Well, it's taken six months of hard work by this determined family.
26:44But the clear vision James had at the start of this process has guided every decision.
26:49We are going to transform this ugly red brick, ugly duckling into a Palm Springs inspired masterpiece.
26:56After the break, architect Sean Lockyer visits Eumina Springs and gets to see this vision in all its realised glory.
27:04Six months.
27:05Six months.
27:06Six months you've done all of this.
27:08On a gorgeous spring day in Eumina Beach, architect Sean Lockyer pays a visit to James and Sandro to see the finished Eumina Springs.
27:23Well, James and Sandro have pulled off this entire renovation within six months,
27:28which in today's building climate is an incredible feat.
27:31Standing on the outside, the Palm Springs references are everywhere.
27:36The splash of colour on the front door, the stone wall leading into those beautiful terrazzo tiles,
27:41the air bricks, the landscape tells a beautiful story.
27:45And I really just cannot wait to hear from James and Sandro about the incredible journey to get to this point.
27:54James.
27:55Sean, how are you mate?
27:56Hi.
27:57Lovely to meet you.
27:58Six months.
27:59Six months.
28:00Six months you've done all of this.
28:01That is one hell of an achievement, even from the outside.
28:04To just have a look at it, that's an incredible achievement.
28:06Well, you can see what it looks like now, but it was definitely an ugly duckling.
28:10And I've got to say, as much as I'm a designer and I do this as my job,
28:13I was a little bit intimidated having you on site mate,
28:16because you are the architect extraordinaire.
28:22It's been a stressful journey for Sandro, a fun journey for me.
28:26Yeah.
28:27But we're really happy, aren't we?
28:28Yeah.
28:29Very happy now.
28:31And does it feel like home yet?
28:36Is it still a process of taking it all in?
28:39I think it felt home for quite a while, because we saw it changing.
28:43So every change was exciting.
28:45Yeah.
28:46And every step along the way made us love it even more.
28:50Well, I've got to give credit where credit's due,
28:52because when I heard that you're going to take a red post-war brick house
28:57and turn it into a piece of modern architecture, the architect in me cynically goes,
29:04this is going to be interesting.
29:09And I must say, from the outside, it looks like you've really captured the spirit of the place.
29:13And I think that the stone wall, the yellow door, the air bricks, the terrazzo tiles and stuff are just exactly on point.
29:20I think if you were doing this from scratch, it's the materials that you would choose.
29:23And, you know, really even from the outside, it looks like there's just a lovely synergy between these two elements of the old and new.
29:29We knew we wanted colour, we wanted texture.
29:32It's basically a white on white, and it works so well because of the textural element.
29:37We've got the beautiful block masonry material with the breeze block header, but did them in stack bonds.
29:43So it gives me the mid-century look that I want.
29:45But for Sandro with budget, that means big footings, steel going right up through the middle,
29:50core filling it with concrete.
29:52So a semi-trailer could run into our front fence and it's not moving.
29:55The neighbours here, my brother lives up here, my twin, and his mates are calling it the Great Wall of U Minor.
30:01That's because it's quite robust.
30:03But we needed to do that, didn't we? Add character.
30:05It was really bland out the front.
30:07There was nothing. There wasn't a tree.
30:09It was just lawn. It was uncared for.
30:12And it was about transforming it right from the beginning to sort of create that look that we wanted.
30:26It's an amazing job that you've done here.
30:28It would be remiss of me not to ask what it all cost.
30:31Are you happy to tell me?
30:32Yeah. Look, we purchased the property pre-COVID.
30:34So we got this property just a little over $700,000.
30:38It's not a crazy price when you come from Sydney, but it was a good price here.
30:41But this is a George Street property and it's 680 square metres.
30:45As far as the renovation, we looked at new build.
30:47I didn't want to go down that road even though I work in that space because this had such good skins.
30:51It was solid and we knew we could transform it.
30:54So we've injected about 420 into this.
30:57That's amazing.
30:58We've done lots of work.
30:59We knew from the beginning that this is going to be our house.
31:03Whether it's a beach house or whether we spend more time here, living here forever.
31:07We wanted the finishes to be right for what our needs are.
31:12It wasn't about saving money. It was about spending the money cleverly.
31:15He says that now. He's trying to save the money all the way through it.
31:17For another person to replicate this, let's be honest, it would cost them another $100,000
31:21because they wouldn't have had my surfaces and I gave my services for free.
31:26From the outside looking in, that is amazing value.
31:29I think the house packs a punch.
31:31You've obviously been very strategic with the spending
31:33and the impression of it from the outside is just extraordinary.
31:36I cannot wait to see more. Can I follow you in?
31:38You can gladly come in, mate. Welcome to your Miner Springs.
31:40Cheers.
31:41Ta, thank you.
31:44So this is our entry.
31:48That's fantastic.
31:49So small, but really effective.
31:51This was the only part of the home that was the extension from the original footprint of the house.
31:55But it was utterly important to change how the house felt.
31:58Well, you can really see it because I think, you know,
32:01recognizing you've started with a post-war brick house here,
32:04which is a very simple structure.
32:05You've been able to actually incorporate the kind of elements that really characterize the Palm Springs vibe.
32:10Mid-century modern style to me is the simplicity of architecture,
32:19but it's also the connection between inside and out.
32:21That livability.
32:22Absolutely.
32:23And it just suits the Australian way of life,
32:25no matter where you are around the country.
32:27Here, there was really no existing connection between outside.
32:31We only had one set of doors that went from the kitchen to go out onto the rear deck,
32:35which has now transformed.
32:37So we had to open up.
32:38We've taken windows out to now create a connection to this underutilized area.
32:43And I'm aching to show you our clothes drying area,
32:46because we have got the best looking Hills Hoist in Australia.
32:49I'm going to start a Hills Hoist fans only page.
32:51I told our daughter.
32:52She's like, oh, cringe, she says.
32:54But it's a very sexy looking space now.
32:57And just to create these destinations,
32:59that connection between inside and out.
33:01Well, I think one of the things I've always loved about great architecture
33:13is that even the idea of a corridor or a window,
33:16rather than it just being about at the most basic level,
33:18just some light and some air.
33:20You know, every time you guys have put a window in,
33:22there's a little vignette to a bit of landscape.
33:25It's really about capturing that light and capturing that moment.
33:27So often I think people miss the opportunity to just take something simple.
33:30and elevate it.
33:32Well, look, I took it by the reins here, but there was two of us.
33:35You can see how much I talk and say it's quiet.
33:37But the designer versus the artist,
33:40like it is a culmination of both of our ideas.
33:43And we discussed, sometimes heatedly discussed concepts of what works.
33:47We have argued a lot.
33:49We have argued a lot,
33:50because James came with this beautiful idea of the Palm Springs.
33:53We just freshly came from there recently.
33:56And I didn't see it happening.
33:58Yeah.
33:59You cannot turn this ugly house into a Palm Springs wonder.
34:08Even 35 years into a career,
34:11I find myself sort of being torn between the sort of academic stream,
34:16where everything, you know, sort of has, you know, a very rigid kind of rule to it.
34:20And there's a beginning and an end to everything.
34:21And then serendipity and this opportunity for just joy.
34:25That it doesn't have to have, you know, an academic reason behind it.
34:29Sometimes it's just beautiful.
34:31Sometimes the reason why you've added a window is not because you needed more light or whatever.
34:35You just wanted to catch a particular shadow or a particular moment out to a tree or celebrate art.
34:40Yeah.
34:41And I think that's as legitimate as anything.
34:43Because at the end of the day, when you guys are living here, it is about you.
34:46And this house is about you guys.
34:48So, you know, if it works for you and it does that in a way that has integrity and has the kind of joy that this house does.
34:55Well, I mean, I think you've nailed it.
34:56After the break, Sean continues the tour.
35:09We're in New Minor Beach on the central coast of New South Wales.
35:14We're in New Minor Beach on the central coast of New South Wales.
35:25To see this spectacular transformation.
35:30In only six months, James and Sandra have transformed this ugly duckling into an amazing Palm Springs inspired home.
35:38Perfect for entertaining and family living.
35:42Sean continues the tour.
35:44So in this living space, you've obviously made a couple of very strategic openings.
35:51One of the ones that I'm really curious about, which I think is fantastic, is that obviously it's a relatively small house by today's standards.
35:58And you've taken this corridor and you've packed in a laundry, storage, a bar, which obviously talks to this living space.
36:05And then in the act of doing that, obviously, you've created a really nice link to not only the courtyard outside, but then the main bedroom.
36:12And you've even managed to get some zone separation in the house so that kids are sort of one side of a big bathroom.
36:17And you've done your own bathroom with a cool on suite.
36:20You make it sound so eloquent and all of those things are correct and they were done with intent.
36:25But it was also about necessity.
36:27We do have a small floor plan.
36:29So we had to fit spaces in.
36:31Part of Palm Springs for me is those entertaining spaces.
36:34So being able to have a bit of a bar area was important.
36:37But where were we going to put it?
36:39What I think works really well is that in what is not a huge footprint, you know, you guys have considered the fact that you've got, I'm going to call them young adult kids.
36:50They are.
36:51Some zone separation becomes increasingly important.
36:54And I think the fact that you've actually managed this move, yes, you've got a smaller main bedroom, but your smaller main bedroom's more private because it's, even though it's looking south, it's kind of off the main street, which is that little bit more public in a very deliberate way.
37:07Yeah.
37:08And then the kids are grouped around one bathroom.
37:10You've got your own en suite.
37:11You're close to the laundry, close to everything else.
37:14I mean, to me, it makes a lot of sense.
37:20The living dining area, it's at the very center of the house if you include all the outdoor areas.
37:26So it's actually very easy to go to that side of the house when the sun goes that way because it's got trees, because it's got shade.
37:35Yeah.
37:36And yet it's still very open and welcoming.
37:38Every area is kind of intimately created with its own character and personality, and yet they're all connected.
37:50On a finer grain, materials in the house, obviously there's a lot of homage to Palm Springs, the modern movement, all the air bricks, there's the stone, and there's this gorgeous terrazzo, which I think is very period correct.
38:04All these beautiful stones, the timbers.
38:07Do you want to just talk me through some of the finer grain detail, particularly in the kitchen, there's this gorgeous olive color, which also I think has some reference to what was there before.
38:15It was funny, wasn't it? The original kitchen, you loved it. You actually liked it. Someone liked it.
38:22I thought the layout was clever. It was a U-shaped, C-shaped kitchen. I missed the big window there was above, but I have to say we have gained so much storage that I can't really complain about it.
38:34Ultimately, the house works very well. We have, it's very functional, and more than functional, it's actually very practical, it's very friendly, very easy to use.
38:49The flow, the finishes are all very easy to maintain. I'm happy.
38:55We don't have mechanical heating or cooling here. We've invested in insulation and airflow and, you know, double-glazed windows, and we had a couple of days in winter where we put a heater on, but we have solar panels as well, ten and a half kilowatts.
39:14So that's the offset, and I think that that was important. If we want to lead by example, so I can say to the clients, we've got this and we've done this in our own home, just to make them think a little bit about how to unlock the potential of their house and watch the budget at the same time.
39:28I had no idea the time that it would take, the attention that it would take, the dust that it would take.
39:45What a mopping.
39:47The sand inside and the cleaning. Do you know, for me, it would be about process. I would have been probably put more time to being up here myself.
39:55We were doing lots of Zooming. I was doing conversations with the trades behind his back on there because he's here and there.
40:01So we were trying to make that work. As far as the design, I'm super happy. This was a project that we loved.
40:07It was a home that we saw great value in. We were able to keep a lot of it, transform it and make it work for our needs.
40:12And hopefully that message has been able to pass on to inspire some other people in ways to do this and unlock the potential.
40:19And this home is now going to be ready for the next 50 years.
40:22So, yeah, I think the results have been amazing. But next project, I won't have him on site.
40:29We'll send him off to go on a holiday or something and I'll be on site.
40:34And I'll be like a pig in mud and happy.
40:36Well, interestingly, a lady asked me, what is the secret to being married a long time?
40:41I've been married now coming up 26 years. And I think the secret to marriage is a little bit like the secret to successful design.
40:48And I said, I'd never really thought about it initially, but I said, I try not to be right.
40:53And what I mean by that is that if everyone's sort of trying to be right, you constantly sort of them and us, me and her, him and him.
41:01When you're trying to find common ground, which is ultimately how we achieve anything, you know, then you sort of want to detach from your own ego.
41:08You've got to kind of jump across the fence and go, what is it that Sandra is stressing about?
41:13And go, is it worth losing that disenfranchising for the design outcome?
41:17And as a designer, that's a hell of a tough thing to do.
41:20And it's also about making sure that your partner feels like they're right.
41:24Yes.
41:25Even if they're not.
41:27It works.
41:32As an architect, I'm always confronted with this idea of what is architecture all about.
41:36And ultimately, for me, it's about people.
41:38And in this instance, James and Sandra have connected.
41:42They've connected with the culture of this place.
41:44They've taken this tired old brick house and injected it with a fresh perspective
41:48that screams Palm Springs and modern.
41:51It's a beautifully sustainable, warm, fun home.
41:54And it's going to give them a fantastic way of enjoying this place for as long as they want to do that.
41:59And for me, to take an old house, revitalize it with wonderful people and to have an outcome like this
42:05is as good story as you could wish to have.
42:18And I'll see you next time.
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