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00:00For most of us recycling's a simple affair separating your paper from your
00:09bottles job done but what if you wanted to take it much more seriously what if
00:17you wanted to build your house out of materials like plastic bags and old milk
00:22cartons what if you had an architecturally designed three-bedroom house
00:28in mind but only a couple of hundred grand to spend gotta worry wouldn't it all
00:34look just a bit rubbish
00:58Let's go and have a look at the orchard up the gate. Thank you. We definitely need to have an orchard though.
01:16Look at those juicy lemons. What do you think Hugo? By rights James LeCompte and Rita Ordonez should never have met.
01:24He's the son of a builder in Sydney. She grew up in the mountains of Ecuador but here
01:30they are living in Newcastle after fate brought them together. Rita and I met
01:35at a backpackers in New Orleans after a rather crazy evening of heavy rain and the
01:41ceiling of the hostel collapsing. We had a long-distance relationship until Rita
01:48moved out in 2006. I wanted to come to see this guy in Australia told all my
01:56family about this gringo you know that I met. Gringo or not things just clicked. They
02:04married and had kids Hugo and Celeste. Together there's nothing they enjoy more
02:10than being out in nature. The connection to earth for me it's definitely my
02:16childhood being my dad's farm and my grandparents farm picking fresh fruit from
02:22the trees and eating berries until you feel sick in the tummy so all of that is
02:28very important for me. Let me see your tongue Hugo.
02:32Let's get some fruit and veggies shall we? The family spent years travelling the world living in five
02:37different countries. Rita teaching and James working in international trade
02:42development. But their lives changed with a move to Ecuador where Rita's dad
02:50farm cacao trees used to make the world's best dark chocolate.
02:56I decided to take the leap into I guess a passion project which was investing in a
03:02luxury chocolate business from Ecuador and that's where I'm working today and I do
03:08that remotely. It's exquisite handmade stuff. How exquisite? As much as $8,000 a kilo for
03:18the very best quality. You'll find it in high-end stores and James's personal stash.
03:25I love the crunchiness of caramel. It's a good combo. After all that travelling they moved back to Australia
03:34looking for somewhere to dig roots deep into the earth. They found that place in an
03:41idyllic little community nestled among the rolling hills of the Hunter Valley 45 minutes from Newcastle.
03:47It's a big farm that's owned by 29 families. We're all shareholders in the farm and the idea is that we build in a way that's sustainable and it's sensitive to the environment that we're building in as well.
04:02The first time we came I said to James, James look at the hills. It's like Ecuador. I love it.
04:08For me especially I would like to see my children growing up in a place where they can see the stars, where they can interact with animals, where they can be around neighbours and friends.
04:20And that's a huge part of this place. They call it an intentional community which involves everyone working together towards a shared goal of sustainability.
04:32This is an extraordinary place you've got here, yeah?
04:38It is. The landscape is pretty remarkable looking around, wow.
04:42But it comes with a catch, right? Because it's not just on its own, it's got this community wrapped around it.
04:47That's right. Yeah, we love that aspect of it actually.
04:50Yeah? Yeah, we didn't want to be isolated on a farm all by ourselves, so having our neighbours and our friends nearby is a big plus.
04:59It's a good thing. It is, yeah. And there's also going to be a real social aspect to the build as well.
05:05And the fact that my dad and my father-in-law are going to be building it with me, you know.
05:11Hang on a second, just go back one step now. Your dad and your father-in-law.
05:17Yeah, my dad said that he's probably not able to live as a huge inheritance or something like that, but he wants to help and this is part of his contribution.
05:27That's really, that's lovely.
05:28A nice gift.
05:29It's a lovely gift, isn't it?
05:31Tell me, you know, paint the picture for me. What is the dream?
05:34We're going to build a single storey house. We've got this philosophy about building with materials that are recyclable or biodegradable and, you know, zero toxin.
05:48Simple to say, but difficult to execute. And it's all got to be off-grid.
05:54Designed by architect Morten Pedersen, this house embodies environmental ambitions, starting with an earthen floor made from layers of granite, pumice and clay.
06:08James and Rita want a barefoot connection to the planet.
06:11A recyclable steel frame will be clad in biodegradable wood fibre panels.
06:17On one side, a study and two bedrooms for the kids. Feature walls will be built of bricks, handmade on site.
06:25The two bathrooms will sit back to back. One for the kids, the other, James and Rita's en-suite.
06:35In the main living space, the eco-factor really cranks up.
06:40Rita will handcraft kitchen tiles for the splashback, while the kitchen walls and ceiling are ingeniously fashioned from recycled plastic bags, those environmental terrorists.
06:51Upstairs, there's a mezzanine art space.
06:55The house will be fully off-grid. Solar power, rainwater tanks, composting toilets and, of course, double-glazed windows.
07:04Finally, corrugated iron cladding brilliantly bent to wrap around corners forms a seamless barrier to bugs and bushfires.
07:12On paper, it's eco-excellence. But, of course, nothing's ever built on paper.
07:18How long is this thing going to take you to build?
07:23Best case would be eight months.
07:26How did you arrive at that number?
07:29Spreadsheets. I spend quite a bit of time in spreadsheets in my day job.
07:34They're only as good as the information you put in, you know.
07:35That's right.
07:36That's a pretty ambitious timeline, only because, not the scale so much as the experience, knowing where you're going and those are things,
07:42and you'll have to make the mistakes in order to correct them and move along.
07:45What about budget?
07:47Yeah, there's not a lot of it. So, 230 grand.
07:53Really? Are you serious?
07:56Yep.
07:56Yeah.
07:58That's not very much money at all.
08:02If you look at it in a new build, it can be up to 50% of the cost can be in the labour.
08:07You know, 230, multiply that by two, it's a $460,000 house.
08:12Okay.
08:13And in a year and a half from now, when I'm standing here talking to you and we're still looking at the building that's about to go into lock-up,
08:19what will you be telling me then?
08:22Um...
08:22Which, that's not ours.
08:25That's the neighbour's house.
08:26That's the neighbour's.
08:26This one is ours.
08:27Because we're going to finish.
08:28Really? In my book, something doesn't quite add up.
08:37It's not just the short time frame and the minuscule budget, but the thing that really worries me is that these guys are novice builders working with new and experimental methods and materials.
08:48It's a bit like fancy chocolate.
08:52If you want the really good stuff made with organic, hand-picked ingredients from the hills of the gods, that's going to cost you.
09:00Big time.
09:07There's a midwinter chill in the air, but you couldn't get a more perfect morning to start the adventure of a lifetime.
09:14Well, today's a really big day. It's the first day that we're going to be breaking ground.
09:20I've got this little beauty with me. She's a five and a half tonne excavator.
09:25I just finished a five-day crash course on exactly this machine, actually, which is great, so I'm feeling quietly confident.
09:34Leveling a block is a skill that can take months to master.
09:39James is bravely taking it on with just a few days' instruction.
09:43You should engage the hydraulics, lift the revs a bit, lift up the blade a little bit.
09:56Here we go.
10:07That's what I'm talking about.
10:10Ooh.
10:13Well, this is me breaking ground on my own property.
10:18I've got to say, it feels pretty good.
10:21Kind of pleasurable watching the earth sort of curl up a little bit like butter.
10:29James is in heaven moving earth, and he's in good company.
10:33As promised, Dad's army is here to help.
10:36Secret weapon number one is father-in-law Italo, a retired politician.
10:42Some places, the first thing is, you see, you go a little bit deeper.
10:46Yeah.
10:46He's flown out from Ecuador to lend a hand.
10:49I am really very happy because I am sure I am helping my family, and I am sure we are going
10:58to overcome this challenge.
11:02I'll give you some instruction on the blade, whether to raise or lower.
11:04James' dad, Steve, is secret weapon number two.
11:07And while he'll be coming and going from the site, the best news is, he's a retired builder.
11:13What are you thinking, Dad?
11:16Well, you're probably going a little bit deep.
11:19Up a bit or...?
11:20Yeah, up a bit.
11:22I run that lot right through now.
11:24He's doing well.
11:25It's a bit tougher than I think he thought it would be.
11:28But, you know, when you're on a new piece of equipment, something you haven't used before,
11:32it's not easy.
11:33But he's making a good job of it.
11:35I'm quite proud of him.
11:36He's doing well.
11:3745 minutes away, at their rental in Newcastle, Rita and the kids are settling into a different
11:49existence.
11:50James has been staying at the build site because sometimes driving back takes a long time.
11:56I think it's more productive at the build site when James is there early early in the
12:02morning.
12:02It's a lot for Rita to take on solo.
12:06To pay the bills, she's working full-time as a teacher as well as looking after the kids.
12:12Let's make these tiles with the clay that you collected, Hugo.
12:16But she's still finding time for everyone to stay connected to the build.
12:21They're making tiles for the kitchen.
12:23What makes it so special is that we're making them together.
12:27And we are using the soil from the sides, which makes it even more special because it feels
12:34like our house is really providing everything for us.
12:39The tiles won't just save money on the tiny budget.
12:43They're taking Rita back to her roots.
12:45These tiles are definitely inspired by Ecuadorian pottery.
12:50It's definitely a bit of going down memory lane.
12:56The colour of my city, where I come from, is all terracottas because it's huge.
13:01Pottery is huge, where I come from.
13:03So it's good to bring that bit of home to Australia.
13:08Even at this early stage, Rita is clearly thinking more about a home than a house.
13:18I just hope it lives up to her dreams.
13:21You know, we are successful.
13:23We can make the bathroom tiles.
13:26Maybe not.
13:27Before embarking on this build, James researched every aspect, looking for sustainable options
13:41and ways to save money.
13:43Lots of money.
13:45One of the tools he'll need has arrived from a most unexpected place.
13:50We just drove back from Sydney at the docks where I picked up this big box that arrived
13:56from India.
13:57It is a compressed earth brick-making machine, so we're going to be able to make our own
14:01bricks with this.
14:03You've got to hand it to James.
14:05He's not afraid to think outside the box.
14:10Rupa!
14:13If they can get it open.
14:18This is against theft.
14:21Anti-theft.
14:23Anti-theft.
14:23Anti-theft packaging.
14:26Yeah, I love the energy of having the two dads around.
14:31They just get stuck into it straight away.
14:36Woo!
14:37There she is in all her glory.
14:40Little brick machine.
14:41This is an exciting moment, I think, for Italo, because he's been designated chief brickmaker
14:47for the job.
14:48Yes.
14:48We're going to see a good quantity of bricks coming out.
14:54Isn't that right, Italo?
14:55Yes, sir.
15:01James needs about 6,000 bricks to make three internal feature walls.
15:07Italo has his work cut out.
15:09I never made blocks, but I think it's going to be my new profession.
15:19Much like Rita's tiles, these bricks will be highly sustainable, made largely from clay
15:25and soil found on site, mixed with a little cement and water.
15:29More water.
15:30A bit more water, yeah.
15:33Unlike conventional bricks, the mix isn't fired in a kiln.
15:38This is the...
15:39It makes the pressure.
15:41It's compressed, using nothing but human muscle.
15:44Look at those beauties.
16:02Steven and myself did a good job.
16:05Put them on the rack to dry.
16:07Yeah.
16:08I think we've started production.
16:09Two down, 5,998 to go.
16:16Did they really say this house would be finished in eight months?
16:19Good job, mister.
16:20Good job.
16:21We must be proud of ourselves.
16:23We are.
16:24Absolutely, absolutely.
16:25We are.
16:31It's taken James two months to level and set out the site.
16:35A fair effort for a first-timer, but there's a deadline looming last.
16:40Rita's favourite part of the entire build is the concrete pour,
16:44so she's been eager to see that happen.
16:47But before we can do any of that,
16:49we needed to really finish the excavation work,
16:51a huge amount of earthworks,
16:53had to level the site,
16:54mark out all of the trench lines,
16:57dig the trenches, put up the formwork.
17:00With the concrete trucks beelining to site,
17:03some of the neighbours are chipping in to get it ready.
17:06Then we've got the trench that runs into the pit.
17:08Yeah, that runs into the pit, yeah.
17:11Been working really closely today with Marco on setting out the land.
17:15Marco's gone through all of this before
17:16and he's worked on a number of the houses here.
17:19You know, one of the great things about being on a community
17:21is that you can, at fairly short notice,
17:24give some help to a friend and neighbour.
17:26I'm just helping out as an extra set of hands
17:29to prepare for this big moment, which is the concrete pour,
17:32which is a bit of a cliche, but as we all know,
17:35getting out of the ground is the hardest bit of building a house.
17:38There's a few more hard bits to come.
17:40James will learn that as he goes.
17:42Dave's here too, and he's a good man to know.
17:48He's a concreter.
17:49In a community, in a place like this,
17:52there's really a different feel.
17:55Everyone's vibe here is really, really lovely.
17:56So it rubs off, we rub off on each other.
17:59You know, we help each other.
18:00There's humour, there's kindness.
18:03You know, there are people coming out and offer you lunch
18:05and all sorts of things.
18:07And, you know, people walk around and they're happy.
18:08Yeah, so what a beautiful place to work in.
18:18While concrete has a huge carbon footprint,
18:22James has minimised the impact
18:24by only using strip footings, not a whole slab.
18:28Even better, he's found a greener variety.
18:32We chose to go with an eco-packed concrete
18:35because apparently it's about 30% to 90% more environmentally friendly
18:40than regular concrete.
18:43This concrete reduces carbon emissions
18:45by using recycled demolition material in the mix.
18:49And it's healthy for the budget too,
18:5120% cheaper than many traditional products.
18:54I just called my mum in Ecuador
19:03because she, of course, has to be part of it.
19:06She was like, wow, the house looks big and beautiful
19:09and so excited.
19:11Yeah, my mum's really excited.
19:13She's always telling me,
19:15I can't wait, we're going to plant the mango tree here.
19:17And then when my grandchildren are older,
19:20they'll climb out and eat mango
19:22and there'll be an old lady thinking,
19:23oh, I planted that.
19:25And she's always, she loves it a lot, my mum.
19:30I think I'm going to change careers.
19:32What do you think?
19:33I'm going to make you smiley face.
19:35What do you think?
19:38In just four hours,
19:40the start of the family's ethereal hopes and dreams
19:43has been set solid in concrete.
19:45I guess it's quite a milestone, you know,
19:48it's getting the concrete poured,
19:50it's the footings that are going to hold up our family home,
19:53which we, you know, plan to live in for a very long time.
19:57So, yeah, it's a special moment today.
19:59We're going to enjoy the rest of today together,
20:02admiring the work, I think.
20:09But there's no time for dilly-dallying on this building site.
20:13James and Rita want to build with zero waste.
20:17Not easy in an industry renowned for it,
20:20which means a lot of research into recycled products.
20:23And they've managed to source what could be a great solution
20:26to the planet's plastic plague.
20:29I hired a truck.
20:31I've loaded it up with a bunch of soft plastic waste
20:34from the building site,
20:35which I was hoping not to send to landfill.
20:37And I'm very excited to have found a company
20:40that turns soft plastics into boards
20:44that we're going to use to line our walls and ceilings.
20:47So, looking forward to checking it all out at the factory.
20:51Oh, how are you going?
20:59Nice to be Paul.
21:00Yeah, how are you going, James? Yeah, Paul.
21:01Paul Charteris is behind the operation,
21:04which is, frankly, a near-perfect example of recycling.
21:08The company creates building panels out of soft plastics
21:11combined with old milk cartons.
21:14James plans to paint them and use them as internal walls.
21:18Instead of actually using trees,
21:20we're actually using packaging fibre. Consumer waste.
21:23Consumer waste.
21:24So, I mean, I basically brought a bunch of soft plastic.
21:29Yeah, I know. This is low-density polyethylene.
21:31It's our glue, basically.
21:35There we go.
21:38It's not even complicated.
21:41First, the plastic in cartons are chopped up.
21:48Heated to 250 degrees, the plastic becomes a kind of glue.
21:55Then it's pressed flat under 200 tonnes of pressure.
22:01If you're wondering, that's just steam.
22:05There are no toxic chemical emissions.
22:07And this is your finished board.
22:11Wow.
22:11Under here.
22:12I'll pull this back, and you can sort of see this is the exposed black.
22:16Uh-huh.
22:17Which is what you're looking at putting in your place.
22:21It's 100% upcycled.
22:22You'd be able to see some of the different plastics and cartons,
22:25but, you know, it's all your waste
22:28and, you know, post-consumer waste that's gone into it.
22:31I mean, I just feel really good about the fact
22:36that I haven't had to take it all to landfill.
22:38I've thrown it into this conveyor belt,
22:40which spits out new building materials
22:43which are going to go on our ceiling, on our walls.
22:49The euphoria of the plastic doesn't last long.
22:53Three months into the eight-month schedule,
22:56it's replaced by hot, hard graft.
22:59It's a drudgery of James and Rita's own making.
23:03They want the house to be deeply connected to the planet
23:06through an earthen floor.
23:09One of the coolest things about the earthen floor
23:12is that it recreates the sensation
23:15and the exact feeling of walking barefoot on the earth.
23:20One of the big benefits of that
23:21is that it allows you to still be connected
23:25to the energetic vibrations of the earth,
23:27and that's something that, as humans,
23:29we've been enjoying for millions and millions of years
23:32and we'll be able to enjoy it in our house,
23:34walking bare feet.
23:36Bare feet and energy flows.
23:38Interesting.
23:39And it's far from the easy option.
23:43A traditional house like this
23:44would probably have a concrete slab across the entire base,
23:47but that's got a huge amount of embodied energy
23:50and it wasn't really the feel,
23:54the natural feel, that we wanted for this house.
23:57The earthen floor will consist of compacted layers
23:59of granite aggregate for waterproofing,
24:02then pumice for insulation,
24:04then road base,
24:06then polished clay.
24:07It might be terrific for energy flow,
24:10but it sure sounds heavy.
24:13It's, you know,
24:14Italo and myself now
24:15and tonnes and tonnes and tonnes of material to move.
24:20So we've shifted 25 tonne of granite,
24:23we've shifted about 15 tonne of pumice.
24:28We've had some really hot days as well,
24:30so it's just been a really laborious part of the build.
24:33The upside of all that mass?
24:37The floor should keep the house warm in winter
24:39and cool in summer.
24:42How Italo is keeping his cool,
24:44I'll never know.
24:46But he is.
24:47And I'm doing with great pleasure.
24:52Besides, the people around here
24:54are the best I've ever seen.
24:57So I feel very well.
25:03Where's this one going on top?
25:10Yeah, it's on top of this.
25:12Unfortunately, two months later,
25:15very well is not how you describe progress.
25:20The floor still isn't finished.
25:23In his inexperience,
25:26James has underestimated
25:27just how long everything takes.
25:30That spreadsheet schedule's in trouble.
25:32But now there should be visible progress.
25:38Today is a, I guess you'd say, momentous day.
25:41We're aiming to put up the first part of the frame.
25:44I've got some good mates here to help,
25:47as well as my dad and Italo.
25:50You know I'm an old man.
25:51I was sore back.
25:53James has chosen steel frames,
25:55which at first glance don't scream sustainable.
25:58But he has his reasons.
26:00We didn't want to use any treated timber products in the house
26:03because it's, you know, coated in really toxic material
26:06and we don't want that in our house.
26:08We're trying to build a really healthy home for the family.
26:10There's no perfect solution, of course,
26:12because we opted with steel,
26:14which has a lot of issues as well.
26:16But at the end of the day,
26:18the steel is 100% recyclable.
26:20I can't see a number on this one.
26:24The frame comes in pieces like a giant jigsaw puzzle.
26:27It was delivered on schedule months ago
26:30and the floor delay hasn't helped.
26:32The frames are all numbered,
26:34but unfortunately they've been here for so long
26:36that the numbers are faded in the sun,
26:39so sometimes they're a bit difficult to read.
26:41Plus, as you can see, the grass is growing up around them.
26:43Oh, look, here. Here it is.
26:47W4.
26:48W4 is over in that corner.
26:52This would be a sliding door.
26:54This is a sliding door.
26:57The right pieces are eventually unearthed.
27:00They're right here, I think, isn't it?
27:02But for the first time on the build,
27:04James has the jitters.
27:06I've never put up a frame before
27:09and I really don't like putting together furniture
27:12and so this is like putting together a giant piece of furniture.
27:16So it's a little overwhelming and confusing.
27:18What dimension did you get, James?
27:1911 metres to the millimetre.
27:2111 metres to the millimetre.
27:23I guess I don't think I would have gone into this
27:25if I didn't have a dad who was a builder.
27:29In the moment when you're doing something for the first time
27:31and you really want to make sure you get it right,
27:34but having somebody who knows what they're doing
27:35and has done it so many times before,
27:38having them right there is priceless.
27:40I think we should get some timber braces.
27:42Timber, we got it. Okay.
27:43And then put this one up.
27:45Uh-huh.
27:46That's the bottom.
27:46Steve's earning his keep today,
27:48leading the team to erect the first frame.
27:51That goes right on this corner, right?
27:53Yep.
27:53Spot on.
27:54Yeah, go on the inside.
27:56Yeah, if you can just hold that there.
27:57You can underneath it, James.
27:59Yep.
27:59And are we okay with the position of it and everything?
28:05Yep.
28:09It's so exciting.
28:12It's good.
28:12It's happening.
28:14We're getting a house, I think.
28:18The lightweight frames are slotting in perfectly.
28:22Those frames have been lying on the ground next to the site,
28:25haunting me for months, saying, put me up, put me up.
28:30We'll get it easily.
28:31Nice.
28:31Thanks, sir.
28:35Okay.
28:35Cool.
28:37It's good vibes all round.
28:39James and Rita aren't just building a house,
28:41they're building a place in this unique community.
28:45CJ has been cheering them on from the sidelines.
28:49You know, I'll walk past this place.
28:51How's it going, James?
28:52Oh, yeah, we're getting there.
28:54He's always positive.
28:56He's always optimistic.
28:57While John has been on sundowner refreshments.
29:01Their spirit is infectious, you know,
29:03it draws in people to come and stand in the blazing sun and hell,
29:08you know, just hold things up
29:09while somebody drills a hole in something, you know.
29:12You enjoy it and you have a beer and a barbecue afterwards.
29:15Every Wednesday, the village gets together to sort out local issues.
29:25They have their share.
29:28Margie Brevell has been here since day dot, eight years ago.
29:32People who would buy into this sort of a situation are very strong individuals.
29:39And to get a lot of very strong individuals to live in harmony is, I guess, our challenge.
29:49No individual here is stronger than Jane Perkis.
29:56She built the eco-villager's very first house.
29:59Hello, Jane.
30:01Hello, Anthony.
30:02How are you?
30:03And I can't help but wonder what motivated her to take such a radical step on what was quite an unconventional project.
30:10Jane, you had the honour, I suppose, of building the first house here.
30:15Is that right?
30:15I do have that honour.
30:17And when I hear that said, I think, I actually did that and I get really excited.
30:21How long ago was that?
30:22That was seven years ago when I, just before I turned 80, I walked into here.
30:27So that was wonderful.
30:29What makes it so special?
30:30It's special because a lot of people got together, a number of people got together,
30:35with the idea that we needed to live differently on the earth, to care for the earth, to do
30:41it with others, and just to recreate the idea of a rural farm and village.
30:47None of us could have afforded this absolutely glorious land by ourselves, but we could do
30:53that when we got together.
30:55We all have our own home sites that we built on, but we've got all the rest of the property
31:00that we share.
31:01And it's quite a magic thing to do.
31:05Certainly, James and Rita have fallen under the village's spell.
31:13Fantastic.
31:15Hi, welcome.
31:16Hello.
31:17Look at you two.
31:18This is the idea becoming reality.
31:21It is.
31:22Welcome.
31:23Congratulations.
31:24It's looking like you're making some real progress here.
31:26You're out of the ground.
31:27This is what your dream looks like.
31:29You're starting to see it now.
31:30How does it feel?
31:31It is great.
31:32To me, it's just perfect.
31:34It's not anything else or anything more.
31:38It's just perfect.
31:39Any surprises so far?
31:40I think it's the flaws, the whole process of the earthen flaws that we really want to
31:45make it happen that I think probably so far has been the hardest part of the house.
31:50Yeah.
31:50Yeah.
31:50This is a really important thing for you, isn't it?
31:52Yeah.
31:52Yeah.
31:52To feel the earth that way.
31:54It really ties into that idea of a healthy home and a home that doesn't just have zero
32:01toxins, but actually adds health benefits.
32:04It's health positive.
32:05Health positive.
32:06Yeah.
32:06Yeah.
32:07When I look around, forgive me for saying this, but I see steel in the walls.
32:11I see a steel clad building.
32:13I see, yeah, self-made bricks and all that stuff.
32:15But I'm not seeing the usual trappings of what I'd expect to see for a sustainable home.
32:20Sure.
32:20There's no hemp.
32:22There's no mud.
32:23There's none of these sorts of traditional materials and so on.
32:26How do we read sustainable out of the house?
32:27Yeah, it's a great question.
32:29So the principles were using biodegradable materials or recyclable or recycled materials.
32:37So steel is recyclable, endlessly recyclable.
32:41But in terms of getting that sustainable feel, the whole steel frame will be completely hidden.
32:47Sure.
32:47It'll be wrapped in, you know, in wood fibre panels and then it'll be finished with a
32:52lovely clay plaster on the inside.
32:55So how are you going, I mean, you're doing this to save money, but how are you going on
32:57the budget then?
32:58Because $230,000 is what you're aiming for.
33:01That's an exceedingly small amount of money.
33:04Yeah.
33:04Budget's probably creeped up to $250,000, around about $250,000.
33:10So $20,000 in that scheme of things.
33:12It doesn't sound like much, but with this tiny budget, it's quite a lot.
33:15Yeah, it's quite a lot, yeah, 10, 15%.
33:17And you're five months in, so you said eight months was your total build time.
33:21Yeah.
33:22I think so.
33:23I'm pretty sure, actually.
33:24Thinking that we need to realistically add another possibly month and a half, two months
33:30to that original time frame.
33:32Yeah, okay.
33:32And that's at the moment.
33:33I mean, I don't know if there'll be any surprises, you know, in the next...
33:36I will bet you there will be some more surprises.
33:38There will be some more surprises.
33:42The biggest surprise to me will be if James gets this done in anything like 10 months.
33:50Doubly so come the new year.
33:52He's staying on site in a neighbour's shed, but he's very much alone.
33:58Italo's visa was up, he's back in Ecuador.
34:03And things have noticeably slowed down.
34:06And it's not just, italo being away, but, you know, my own dad hasn't been here as much
34:11as either of us would like, I think.
34:13He's got some health issues.
34:15He's got Parkinson's.
34:17So, I guess, just brought into focus for me the importance of choosing healthy building
34:22materials because a lot of the, you know, a lot of the exposure that dad had in the building
34:28industry to chemicals and the like have really, you know, influenced his current health.
34:34Dad's army was James' secret weapon and only chance of meeting the schedule.
34:41Now, it's gone.
34:43Yeah, just there's definitely moments when I'm on my own and I'm thinking, what am I doing?
34:51How am I gonna move this thing forward?
34:54I, you know, I don't even know what, what I need to think about.
34:59I don't know what I don't know.
35:04For all his concerns, James is making progress.
35:08He's finished the frame and started cladding it using remarkable wood panels made from upcycled
35:13waste sawdust.
35:15They're both breathable and repel water.
35:18We'll have these boards wrapping the entire steel frame on the outside and then they'll also
35:23wrap the entire steel frame on the inside.
35:26And so we'll get around this issue that a lot of houses have where they're not breathable
35:31and you have all sorts of mould and health issues.
35:34This actually forms an integral part of the entire house functioning as a healthy, comfortable
35:41living space for us.
35:45Whatever progress James was making soon grinds to a halt.
35:52The chocolate business in Ecuador is in need of his business expertise.
35:57So he's had to down tools entirely.
35:59So this is Quito, Ecuador, 2500 metres above sea level.
36:06It used to be the place that we called home for a number of years.
36:10So it's a city and a country that holds a very special place in my heart and I'm here because
36:17I have to attend to some pretty urgent business matters with the chocolate business.
36:23It's not an ideal time to be travelling and I'm really hoping that I can get back as soon
36:28as possible to the build.
36:30James has been living on site most of the time anyway, but this unplanned trip and the ballooning
36:40budget has magnified the pressure on Rita.
36:43Get your avocado on your top.
36:44Being on my own, managing the home and the kids and my job has been a little bit tricky.
36:55We're running out of money, running out of time.
36:58It's been really, really difficult for me to manage on my own.
37:04But on top of that, we keep getting more animals, aren't we?
37:09Hey?
37:10When we're leaving for school, everything's kind of like a rush and I often forget things
37:15and like, oh, my homework.
37:17Oh, what a shame, you know?
37:19Because we're kind of always rushing around because my dad's not here, I guess.
37:23It has been really tricky, especially for Sele too.
37:27And, of course, I'm going to get emotional and not being able to do the things she usually
37:36likes to do, like being in her room and being dragged to come and I don't know why I'm emotional.
37:50I keep telling the kids it's all worth it.
37:52At the end of the day, all this hard work is going to be really, really worth it.
37:56Come June, it's still hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
38:06Reality waved goodbye to the spreadsheet's initial eight-month schedule ages ago.
38:13But with the chocolate business back on track, James has been relentlessly grinding on,
38:18finishing the wood panels and installing double-glazed windows.
38:24Today, a new chapter cladding the house in corrugated iron.
38:28It will finally be watertight.
38:31And for the first time in months, Dad's army is back on deck with all of its members.
38:37Exciting news is that Italo's back from Ecuador.
38:42I think he would probably say I dragged him out.
38:45But truth be told, he was just raring to come back.
38:49And it's pretty exciting to have the team back again.
38:53It's so great to be back this second time.
38:57And I am happy because I am sure that I am helping James, Rita and my grandchildren to build their dream.
39:05They say that.
39:06So, if I am part of building the dream, that's very good for everyone.
39:12Like everything with this house, James has done his research.
39:17He's found special corrugated iron panels that will elevate the home from shed to chic.
39:23Normally with corrugated iron, two sheets meet at a corner, leaving a gap.
39:28This new invention is a clear case of simple brilliance.
39:32Have a look at these beautiful curves.
39:35That's the bend.
39:36That's what we're all excited about.
39:39It's got this beautiful wavy look down the corner of the building on each corner.
39:46And it's not just beautiful, but it's very functional.
39:49It makes sure that if we have a bush fire, there's no embers that are going to get in.
39:54No gaps.
39:55Also keeps the creepy crawlies out, which everyone's happy about.
39:59So, yeah, it's beautiful.
40:01I'm really, really excited to have it on.
40:04The manufacturers borrowed from origami to pull off this little trick.
40:09Believe it or not, they're the first in the world to manage it.
40:14The only shame is it doesn't put itself up.
40:23A month on, now 12 months into the build.
40:26It's a mud bath here today.
40:27James is still working on the panels.
40:30Like everything on this job, it's taking much, much longer than he thought.
40:34Grab one side of it.
40:36The labour of love has become a daily grind.
40:40It feels like it's taking forever to get a few things done.
40:46But, yeah, I mean, I think getting the cladding done is going to be a big milestone.
40:52OK, thanks.
40:53That looks cool.
40:54Here we go.
40:55Good.
40:56We're ready to move in.
40:57Almost.
40:58Never been closer.
40:59Truth is, they're not close, not by any stretch of the imagination.
41:09The earthen floor isn't done.
41:11The insulation isn't done.
41:13It's not even close to liveable and, frankly, won't be any time soon.
41:19This bold attempt to build a super cheap, super green, healthy house might just be an impossible dream.
41:29We're kind of running out of money, so we're really trying to find ways to save money with the rent, with the bills, petrol and time.
41:37So, yeah, definitely ready and we need to move.
41:41James is feeling the stress too.
41:55When not on sight, the forest surrounding it is proving a refuge to calm his anxiety.
42:02I guess as time goes on, I'm finding now there are more and more moments of stress, anxiety, overwhelm.
42:16When's this going to finish?
42:17Have we got enough money?
42:19We, you know, really hit a brick wall with finances earlier and had to take some tough decisions to, you know,
42:30sell a little apartment we had in Ecuador that we thought was sort of part of our retirement.
42:38One of the big things here was not just that it's a healthy home, but that you're trying to do it in a budget
42:44which is really, it's microscopic compared to a standard build in Australia right now.
42:49That to me has always been a massive challenge you've set for yourself.
42:53Yeah, my estimate is that it'll be closer to the 350 mark.
43:01So time wise, when we first met, you said this was going to take eight months.
43:07You're pushing 13 months now. Where are we at?
43:11I've been trying not to focus too much on the timeframe.
43:15That's a lie. I'm thinking about it all the time.
43:19That's all you think about.
43:20That's all I think about. Right.
43:22Yeah, I'd say we are another four to six months away from the finish line.
43:30A hundred and thirty thousand over budget and the schedule has almost doubled.
43:36No wonder James needs the odd walk in the woods.
43:40This actually, you know, brings things back to, I guess, like the simple pleasures and the reality that,
43:49you know, I'm trying to put my values into practice.
43:55You know, I'm trying to walk the talk, if you like.
43:59You know, it's really for me about being authentic.
44:02Turns out that that is a lot harder than it looks.
44:27It's now 13 months since I last visited James and Rita.
44:32And I'm afraid to say the past year has been even tougher for them.
44:39On top of the very difficult build and financial worries,
44:42there's been a family tragedy.
44:45James' mother, Moira, died unexpectedly after a short illness.
44:50With all that going on, I'm not sure what I'm going to find here.
45:02Oh, that is such a relief.
45:07It looks finished.
45:09At least it looks finished from the outside.
45:12Wow, it's far more industrial looking than the shabby sustainable shack I was imagining.
45:19This is going to be interesting.
45:33Congratulations, guys.
45:34Hi, Anthony.
45:35Hi, Anthony.
45:36This is extraordinary.
45:40You got there, didn't you?
45:43Bienvenido.
45:44Muchas gracias.
45:45Do you love it?
45:47We do.
45:48So much.
45:49So much, so much, so much.
45:51She's a baby.
45:52It's a creation.
45:53Yeah.
45:54We're in love with each other.
45:55So, yeah, it's so fantastic.
45:57A big journey, yeah?
45:58Yeah.
45:59Yeah.
46:00And James, I'm very sorry to hear about your mum.
46:02Thanks, Anthony.
46:03Yeah?
46:04And that's relatively recent too.
46:05So that would have put a whole different layer over all of this.
46:08Are you guys okay?
46:09Yeah, I think.
46:10Yeah, okay.
46:11We feel her, I think, in the house.
46:13Yeah.
46:14Definitely.
46:15Her presence is definitely felt.
46:16Yeah.
46:17And we had a really, really beautiful last week with mum, and so that was something special.
46:22The big ambition here too was to do the non-toxic, fully sustainable, as recycled as possible
46:29home.
46:30That was the mission.
46:31Yeah.
46:32We pretty much did it, I think.
46:33Did you do it?
46:34Yeah.
46:35Yeah.
46:36Can I have a look?
46:37Yeah, of course.
46:38Let's go.
46:39Okay, show me.
46:40While the landscaping is yet to bed in, the completed house is modestly scaled and looks
46:47great.
46:48Enough for the family is enough.
46:51Its off-grid credentials are easy to see.
46:55The water tanks, the solar panels.
46:58The whole thing wrapped in that cleverly folded, corrugated iron.
47:03This is no ordinary eco-house.
47:06And shoes off?
47:08Yeah, shoes off if you want to enjoy the full benefits of the earthen floor.
47:12I certainly do.
47:13Will my socks survive?
47:14That is the question.
47:16We'll find out.
47:17Of course, we're in the welcoming space of the home, the central part of the home and
47:21that courtyard, poof, with that view out there.
47:24It's a really fantastic way to come in from a shaded sort of veranda space back into the
47:29light again.
47:30Yeah, it really opens up.
47:32But I want to get into the kitchen now, because I know that there's a lot of detail that you've
47:36been thinking about in there, so if we can go and have a look at that.
47:38Yeah, that's one of our favourite parts of the house.
47:39I would love to see your favourite room in the house.
47:41Show me.
47:42Come, come.
47:43So this is our living dining room.
47:48The floors and oh wow, this space.
47:52Suddenly from that compressed entry space in the middle of the house here, all this sort
47:56of volume, it's magic.
47:58And then this ceiling with the baton panels up there, these are the recycled panels you
48:03were always thinking about?
48:05Yeah, soft plastic, silk cartons, cardboard, etc. and it's pressed into this board which
48:10we, you know, had to use a bit of muscle and balance to pin to the ceiling and then we
48:16covered it with a spray of cork paint.
48:18And then these walls here, same, same?
48:20Same material again.
48:21And that was a really natural lime fresco that was troweled on.
48:26So that's the result.
48:27And then the tiles, they made it to the kitchen.
48:30Don't they look fabulous?
48:32They look great.
48:33Come, have a little bit of a moment of pride.
48:34You know, wonderful job.
48:35Well, yeah, they remind me of home a lot actually.
48:38Yeah, right.
48:39I mean, all the textures in here are very warm, have that kind of sense of earthiness about
48:44them if you like.
48:45I can't, I have to mention the floor.
48:47The floor though is like a whole other level of chocolate.
48:49I know you know chocolate, right?
48:52It feels unreal.
48:54I mean, you're kind of curling up your toes all the time, just sort of making sure you're
48:58grounded.
48:59It's really lovely.
49:00It's almost like walking outside, I think.
49:02You have that sensation.
49:03The touch is like you're walking barefoot outside.
49:07The floor is sealed, solid and beautifully cool on days when the temperature rises.
49:13It's a hot day outside today.
49:16It's about 40, it's more than 40 degrees outside.
49:18Very hot.
49:19But in here, I'm going to say.
49:20You're wearing your jacket.
49:21I've got a jacket on.
49:22I mean, it's warm up.
49:23There's no AC.
49:24No AC.
49:25We've only got ceiling fans.
49:26That's what I was going to say.
49:27Just the fans doing that work, yeah?
49:28And the insulation, of course.
49:29And the insulation.
49:30So that's the payoff for all of this effort is actually you've got a really kind of minimal,
49:34you know, heating and cooling system because it's all happening passively.
49:37That's right.
49:38So, it's so cool.
49:39Speaking of cool, every stick of furniture in here is recycled.
49:45From the workbench kitchen island to the vintage stereo.
49:51Somehow, everything works together and makes this brand new home feel cosy and lived in and
49:57welcoming.
49:59Same goes in the main bedroom and ensuite and the kids rooms.
50:08Ah, look, all the beautiful colours and this must be Celeste's room.
50:12Sharks on the wall.
50:13Yeah.
50:14Which means this must be Hugo's room.
50:16All the dinosaurs are very happy.
50:19And?
50:20So then this, another warm, generous, comfy space.
50:25What are we calling this room?
50:26Our second, third bedroom?
50:27Yeah, this is my study and our guest room.
50:30So we're hoping to have a lot of friends and family come and stay.
50:34A line of mattresses here.
50:35The bunkhouse.
50:36Yeah.
50:37That's right.
50:38I also think this room must have a few difficult memories.
50:42Mmm.
50:43Because I know...
50:44Referring to the brick wall?
50:45Exactly.
50:46Memories of endurance.
50:47So much effort and work from your dads went into this particular brick wall, right?
50:53Making these bricks one by one.
50:55How hard really was it?
50:57Would you do it again?
50:58No way.
50:59We planned to make three brick walls out of our own bricks.
51:02Right.
51:03We made one brick wall and then I've never seen that brick machine again.
51:05Yeah, right.
51:06Don't know what happened to it.
51:07It's so hard.
51:08Painful.
51:09I'm thinking about your dads now too, though.
51:10They have been such a big part of this build.
51:13I mean, Steve kind of giving you the, I guess, the advice and the confidence maybe to lead into the project?
51:19Yeah.
51:20Totally.
51:21There's no way I would have even dreamt about building a house for the family if it wasn't for my dad being, you know, behind me, supporting me.
51:29And then Italo.
51:30Yes.
51:31He was going to come once.
51:33How many times did he end up coming?
51:35I mean, he'd have some great frequent flyer miles at this point, wouldn't he?
51:37Yeah.
51:38He came three times.
51:39And even though he's not here today, he has been part of this every single day.
51:45Even, like, Italo gave me one of the most beautiful gifts I could have ever asked for.
51:51He came back on the third visit and he said that he wanted me to be able to spend more time with mum.
52:00Yeah.
52:01And so he came back for a third visit to make that possible.
52:03To make that possible.
52:04To make that possible.
52:05That's...
52:06That's...
52:07Yeah, which was an incredible gift.
52:08No words.
52:09Yeah.
52:10Yeah.
52:11Yeah.
52:13Yeah.
52:16This house is greater than the sum of its parts.
52:26James and Rita's ambition for a clean, green home elevated the humble materials they chose to build it with.
52:33Their efforts given buoyancy by the family and friends who helped make it happen.
52:42It's a home that has really tangible and beautiful feels about it, like it just feels very lovely
52:48and very welcoming and very warm and all those wonderful things.
52:52What do you think makes it so special?
52:54I think there's a real kindness to the house, there's a reflection of that human experience,
53:00you know, which has come through all of the many hands and hearts that have contributed
53:05to the build process.
53:07Rita, are you proud of what James has created here?
53:10Yeah, I don't even think proud is the word, I'm just, I don't know, in awe.
53:17I have never met someone with such determination.
53:22I usually call him very stubborn.
53:25He's just so determined.
53:27After a while I knew that if something went wrong, he'll fix it.
53:31Yeah.
53:32But then, you know, Rita's just held the fabric of the family together and I've, I guess that's
53:38given me the privilege of being able to focus on the house.
53:42When we first met you gave yourself eight months to do the whole house.
53:45In fact, you were adamant.
53:46Eight months, that's it.
53:48Must have been my English.
53:50No.
53:51I think.
53:53What happened?
53:55It cooked three times, over three times longer.
53:58Earthen floors, massively more labour intensive and time consuming than we ever could have
54:02imagined.
54:03Yeah.
54:04And then I think just the naivety, to be honest.
54:06I've never built a house before.
54:08And so, yeah, there was just that, you know, innocence.
54:11We'd never done it before.
54:13I think you had an initial budget of $230,000.
54:17Mm-hmm.
54:18Dollars?
54:19Yeah.
54:20How did you go?
54:21I think I just confused the digits slightly.
54:22So we pulled it off for $320,000.
54:25Oh, so just swapped the first two around?
54:27Yeah, just swapped the first two around.
54:28Okay.
54:29I feel like it's a really good outcome.
54:31Oh, it's brilliant.
54:32That's pretty remarkable.
54:33Yeah.
54:34Yeah.
54:35Do you feel, with all that being said then, that this really is the dream?
54:40It's our dream.
54:41Yeah.
54:42It is a dream.
54:43Yeah.
54:44It's better than a dream.
54:45It's now, you know, it's so good.
54:46Yeah.
54:47It's happening.
54:48Yeah.
54:49I'm sort of really glad to hear that.
54:50I'm also really glad that my socks are still quite clean, actually.
54:51Yeah.
54:52So the floors are doing really well.
54:53There you go.
54:54Who would have thought?
54:59James and Rita wanted a healthy home, one that made their lives better.
55:04Finally finished and filled with goodwill and laughter and friendship, this place just
55:23makes you feel so good.
55:25I reckon they've done it.
55:27What do you reckon, man?
55:28Sharing a little piece of chocolate to celebrate at the end of the build?
55:33Sounds good, James.
55:34Alright.
55:35We finally got there.
55:36We did it.
55:41This project has been a great teacher.
55:44In the lessons, bigger is not always better.
55:48Creating a beautiful and rich home is not about the money.
55:53To create a sustainable home is not only about environmental considerations, but about community
56:00and connection.
56:01Literally, sustenance for the soul.
56:04James and Rita have created a home here that is chock-a-block, full of all of that good
56:10stuff.
56:11So, here's to a sweet life ahead.
56:23Stream more of Grand Designs Australia on ABC iview or explore how design solves the pressing
56:32housing crisis in the home front with Anthony Burke on Radio National and on the ABC Listen
56:37app.
56:38Have a great day.
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