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00:00Building a house is more than just bricks and mortar.
00:07It's also about dreams and aspirations, design and execution, making memories and mistakes.
00:15Ultimately, it takes more than building a house to create a home.
00:20Join us as we go beyond the build.
00:30On this episode of Beyond the Build, there's nothing quite like a deadline to get you over the line.
00:46We see if Jessie and Mel can achieve all their renovation dreams and be finished before the birth of their first child.
01:00This episode, we're in Windsor, a small pocket of inner-city charm located five kilometres southeast of Melbourne's CBD.
01:14Nestled between Paran and St Kilda, Windsor boasts some of the city's best shopping and dining options,
01:20with a vast array of bars and cafes set amongst classic Victorian-era terraces.
01:26It's a dream location for many, including this ambitious young couple,
01:31looking to transform this traditional Victorian terrace into a contemporary family home.
01:36Well, Mel and I have been wanting to buy a house, a period home, since we finished the block.
01:41We love renovating and after looking for about 12 months, we finally found one and Mel did everything wrong.
01:48There's like things you're not supposed to do.
01:51Don't tell the real estate agent you're interested.
01:53Don't tell them that you can afford it. Play it cool. Mel broke every one of those rules, didn't you?
01:58As soon as I walked into this house, I didn't even get past the first bedroom.
02:01I'm like, I want this house. Give it to me. What do we do?
02:03She goes, how do we buy it? I was like, Mel. Mel.
02:06Jesse and Mel were thrust into Australia's television screens during the 2019 season of The Block.
02:14Oh, Keithy.
02:16Where after a couple of early run-ins with Foreman Keith.
02:19Goose.
02:20The couple became known for their hard-working DIY approach, while creating a contemporary luxury home.
02:26Juggling his job as a real estate agent with a presenter role on Open Homes Australia, Jesse will have his hands full again carrying the reno of his own home.
02:41He's got his owner-builder licence and, as a former tiler, will not only be responsible for all the tiling, but laying the floors, digging the holes, pushing wheelbarrows and just about anything that needs doing.
02:55Mel is currently working full-time as a HR consultant in Melbourne and will be taking the reins on all things budget with this project, as well as designing the home's nursery.
03:05Yep, these young go-getters have some exciting news.
03:09Mel's pregnant for one.
03:11Yay!
03:12So now we have a deadline, a block deadline.
03:14A block deadline.
03:15So first time mum, first time dad, just to be able to start a massive renovation.
03:19Baby's due in five months.
03:20You know, we don't have any time to waste.
03:22We've got the deadline and so we're going to have to rely heavily on our trades to be able to get this across the line for us.
03:30It's clear that Jessie and Mel are going to have their work cut out for them, but despite being a bit rough around the edges and in need of some TLC, it's clear the bones of this house are well intact, which might be why Mel was ready to buy it as soon as she walked in the door.
03:47The first thing I fell in love with this house is definitely the facade, how pretty it is.
03:51And to be honest, I think the size of it.
03:53It's a cute little house.
03:54It's perfect for our first renovation on our own as a house.
03:58So, and I saw the plans and I was like, this is something we can achieve.
04:01So everything about it just really captured me.
04:03The front part of the home is a beautiful example of a late 19th century Victorian terrace with a long hallway giving way to the master bedroom and a second smaller bedroom.
04:19While this part of the house is still in decent shape, Jessie and Mel plan on knocking down the walls and ceilings between the second bedroom and the kitchen area and completely opening up this part of the house.
04:30Their plan is to renovate and extend this back area of the house into the existing backyard, transforming what was a small kitchen and laundry into a luxury modern living room, complete with expansive glass windows and a cathedral ceiling.
04:47As if this wasn't ambitious enough within a five month timeframe, Jessie and Mel will have the added challenge of attempting this reno on a tight block with very limited site access.
04:58The hardest thing about this build is because we're building boundary to boundary and we have no site access.
05:04So everything has to pretty much come through the front door.
05:07There's always a worry when it comes to renovating.
05:09And I think the biggest thing for me was actually finding issues that we haven't yet identified.
05:13So I'm praying that it's as smooth as it can be, but I know there could be delays down the track.
05:20So I'm keeping an open mind.
05:22Yeah.
05:23Like we don't know what we're going to find when we start excavating for the footings, when we start bringing walls down, if it's going to be structurally sound.
05:29So there's a few concerns there.
05:30Absolutely.
05:31Running into unforeseen structural issues can happen when renovating a property at this age, but for Jessie and Mel, the risk is well worth it.
05:40The end result will be a home packed with period design features in one of Australia's preeminent architectural styles.
05:47This is one of my favourite types of architecture.
05:50It's a Hawthorne brick Victorian, which means you can see the different coloured bricks behind us.
05:55And then they do what's called the tuck pointing, which accentuates all the individual bricks.
05:59And it's in the perfect location.
06:01We're right in the heart of Windsor.
06:02We can walk to Chapel Street.
06:04We can walk to St Kilda in five minutes, Albert Park Lake.
06:07It's a dream come true.
06:08You know, we never thought that we'd be able to afford a home like this.
06:11And somehow we've managed to do it.
06:13And now we get to create it and build exactly what we want.
06:15Today we've got the demo contractors here.
06:24So we're demolishing all the back of the house.
06:26There's a massive brick wall we're going to get rid of.
06:28We've built a temporary wall as well.
06:30Hopefully we can get the tiles up.
06:31And yeah, that'll be a good first day.
06:36Well, the demo contractor, Brendan, is an absolute weapon.
06:39Like he's going so hard.
06:41He got here at seven o'clock in the morning.
06:43And come 10 o'clock, like most of the work was already done.
06:47So they'll recycle everything.
06:48All the bricks they recycle, all the hardwood timber they send off.
06:51They de-nail it and they sell it to furniture makers who recycle the timber as well.
06:56And then all the lard plaster, which is sand and cement, they take all that.
06:59They recycle it to a concrete company and then they put it in concrete.
07:02So they don't throw anything out.
07:04Everything they pull down, they recycle.
07:06They call it like, yeah, conscientious demolition.
07:13It's going to be a big first week and with only one day scheduled for the demolition contractors, there's no time to waste.
07:21As busy as it's been today, it was an even bigger weekend away from the building site for Jessie and Mel.
07:27It's been a great weekend.
07:29We had our gender reveal yesterday.
07:35We found out that we're having a girl, so I'm pretty pumped.
07:38And then to top it off, I've started my Monday.
07:40I've walked in the house.
07:41Full demo in motion.
07:43So I'm kind of liking it because I don't have to do much now.
07:46I'm all about the baby.
07:49Jessie thinks that we'll have it done in six months, but if there's anything that I've learnt from renovations, I always add two to three.
07:56The plan is to get in here about April, May.
08:00If we can get here by June, July, look, I'll be so happy.
08:13A few days later and almost all of the demo is complete.
08:17One element of the house that was never destined for the skip in is this beautiful brick facade.
08:23So the story with the bricks is this is a Hawthorne brick Victorian.
08:27Now, supposedly when these bricks are brown, the reason for that is because they got burnt.
08:32They're supposed to be the red brick, but they got burnt and they charred them.
08:35But then obviously people decided that they look really beautiful.
08:38And so they decided to use this as a feature brick.
08:41And then what they do here is obviously all the mortar sort of wears away after time.
08:46So this is called tuck pointing.
08:48So they go through and they put all the mortar back in the joins, the same colour as the brick.
08:52And then they go through individually by hand and highlight the joins of the bricks.
08:57And it looks incredible.
08:58Everybody loves it.
08:59Fantastic street appeal.
09:01And probably what made us buy the house, to be honest, because we fell in love with it.
09:07Boasting a variety of period features typical of Victorian era terraces,
09:12one of the challenges for Jessie and Emel will be incorporating modern design features
09:16into the existing period architecture of the home.
09:19Unfortunately, it hasn't taken long for them to encounter their first significant design challenge.
09:26So the issue we have with the current design, it's actually got bifold doors.
09:30So when the bifold doors open, yes, the entire space opens, but then it opens up like 1100 into this courtyard.
09:37We don't have that room.
09:38We've only got two metres.
09:39So the time you put a dining table there, I want to put a built in barbecue here.
09:43Like it's just the wrong solution.
09:46I'm weighing up the option of having the bifold or having them both open from the middle.
09:52The issue with that is then it means we can't have an L-shaped lounge.
09:55You have to walk through the living room every time to open the doors.
09:59So the third option we're looking at is just having two massive pieces of glass as opposed to four.
10:06And then this one piece here just opens all the way back.
10:09That means you open it.
10:10You can still walk behind the lounge and there's going to be less obstructions with those sort of the frame and the window.
10:17I think that's going to be the better option.
10:21Building on such a narrow block is not only proving to be a challenge in terms of design,
10:26but is also making site access difficult and is affecting everything from the delivery of materials to where the tradies use the toilet.
10:34Jesse has started working on building a platform so that the concrete can be transported around the side of the house in wheelbarrows to fill in the piers for the concrete slab.
10:43So I need to get rid of this pile, build the ramp there.
10:47We can get the barrows in, fill all the holes.
10:50Once the holes are filled then we'll get rid of all the soil.
10:56I'd usually use a bigger shovel, not this little teaspoon.
10:59But because it's clay it's so hard, so the big shovel wasn't working.
11:03So it's not a lot of dirt to move.
11:05It's crucial that everything goes smoothly today so the rest of the concrete slab can be poured on schedule next week.
11:12There's no room for improvising with plans like this.
11:16The details have to be checked down to the millimetre and then checked again.
11:21So we had to put some board piers in, so because there's a tree there, there's like, you know, sort of a critical root zone.
11:27And so the engineer specified putting some piers in to just beef up the slab.
11:32So this is a massive milestone to get to this stage because once the piers are done, we can do the site cut for the plumbing and the slab.
11:40Having the site cleared has also given Jesse a clear idea of the yard dimensions boundary to boundary.
11:48Helping provide the solution for how to incorporate the bifold doors into the existing plans in the backyard.
11:55I've just worked it out, like, with the way the hallway goes, with the L-shaped lounge.
12:00It's not going to work having the doors open in the middle because you don't have to be blocking by the lounge.
12:05It means you'll have to have a smaller lounge suite to walk around.
12:07So we're just going to go one massive sliding door that's like two metres.
12:11It'll look super impressive.
12:12Two by three metre glass panel just slides all the way open.
12:15That's the go.
12:16A week later and it's a big day at the Rayburn residence.
12:23After a tonne of design and engineering and far too many wheelbarrows full of soil around the side of the house to count,
12:30the backyard is finally ready for the slab to be poured.
12:33So today is a massive milestone in the pour because we're pouring the concrete slab.
12:38So much work has to go into that, engineering and everything's come together.
12:43So could not be more excited about this pour.
12:48Yeah, it's so difficult because we've got no access to the site.
12:51So even to get to here, we had to take out six six metre bins of soil.
12:55It's 36 cubic metres of soil by hand.
12:58Even the demo, everything had to come out the front door.
13:00So there was like another half a dozen bins just to be bricks and rubble.
13:04And then you need engineers to come.
13:06We need a screw board, do board piers.
13:08There's just so much involved to get to the slab.
13:13Despite the huge amount of work that's needed to prepare the property for the pouring of the concrete slab,
13:18the pour itself usually only takes a couple of hours.
13:21That is, if everything goes to plan.
13:24Because of the pouring of the hob, we had to increase the strength of the concrete.
13:28And it's also got a Xypex additive, which makes it waterproof.
13:32And so just when it came out, it was too thick and it blocked the line.
13:37So we had to, yeah, pull that off, clean out the pipe, add a bit of water to it to slurry up the mix.
13:42And then we could pump it through.
13:43Yeah, lucky the boys know what they're doing.
13:45Because I was just like, why is the concrete stopped?
13:47But the pump, they sit there and listen to it.
13:49They've got an ear for it.
13:50And he knew exactly what was wrong with it.
13:52So we sorted that out within about 15 minutes.
13:56Despite a brief setback early in the pour, everything goes smoothly and the team is on track to finish today's work without a hiccup.
14:04It's going to be a big week coming up for Jessie and Mel.
14:07Despite all the progress that's already been made, the hard work is just beginning.
14:12So next week, we're going to start with the brickwork.
14:14That should only take them a few days.
14:16I don't foresee any issues.
14:18The only issue is we're going to carry in three and a half thousand bricks by hand.
14:24So I've allowed a couple of days to that because it's a big job.
14:28And then after that, we'll be getting the timber frame up and ideally getting the roof on after that.
14:33So it's happening.
14:35It's been three weeks since our last visit and there's been a ton of progress.
14:44The concrete slab has well and truly set by now and the renovation out the back is really starting to take shape.
14:50The bricks are up.
14:51The timber frame is in and this stunning cathedral ceiling is well underway.
14:55It feels like I'm back on the block.
14:57I'm starting at six.
14:58I'm finishing at six.
14:59We're working six, seven days a week.
15:01I'm selling houses in between, film and TV, looking after Mel and her mood swings.
15:07I don't have any mood swings.
15:08You're the one who has mood swings, can't you?
15:10That's true.
15:11No, you've been pretty good, haven't you, Mel?
15:12I'm living my best life.
15:13I'm pregnant.
15:14I don't have to do anything.
15:15I just come back every couple of days and there's more stuff done.
15:18I'm like, yes.
15:20It looks awesome now.
15:21You can see the height of the ceiling.
15:22It's just phenomenal.
15:23So high.
15:24I love it.
15:25Yeah, like this whole space, like it's not a big space, but now with that oversized ceiling, it feels massive.
15:30It feels so much bigger now that the roof's on and you can actually see the height.
15:34With Australia still adjusting to life after COVID-induced lockdowns, there's been shortages of everything from tradies to timber.
15:42It's meant Jesse and Mel have had to be flexible with organising their trades, saving money by doing as much work themselves as they can.
15:50It's also meant they've needed to be flexible with materials, opting to use a hardwood for the timber frame rather than the LVLs they had originally planned.
15:59Well, it's no secret that there's a timber shortage in Australia and there's massive weights on LVLs.
16:06And so we spent a bit more money, but it meant that we could get them like on time without having to wait three to six months.
16:11It's crazy.
16:12And we could actually get the frame up because time is money.
16:15So it meant we could keep building.
16:17We didn't have to wait.
16:18And, you know, it means we can get out of the rental sooner as well.
16:21With a baby on the way, it's going to be full steam ahead over the next eight weeks in the hope that Jesse and Mel will be able to move in before Barbie's pulmonary.
16:35Six weeks later and we're in the midst of Melbourne summer.
16:39After taking a couple of weeks off over Christmas and New Year, Jesse and Mel have been full steam ahead and the transformation is quite incredible.
16:49There has been so much work happening in this tiny space for the last month.
16:54It has been full on.
16:59What have we done? We've done the roughing in of the plumbing.
17:01Plumbing.
17:02Electrical.
17:03Redone the floors.
17:04Rebuilt all the walls.
17:06Had the gas plumbed in.
17:09Oh, yeah.
17:10The hydronic heating plumbed in.
17:11We had the roof go on.
17:14The window frames.
17:15The window frames.
17:17We've done a lot in the last month, really.
17:20It's been full on.
17:21Like there's been no days off.
17:26It's really exciting the level we're at now because we've actually put some doorways in.
17:30So you can see where every room is, whereas beforehand everything was all closed off.
17:34And even just having the roof on out the back with the skylights, you can actually get a sense of what it's going to feel like now when you move in.
17:41Yeah, we've already started like planning where everything's going to go.
17:43The vanities, the toilet, the wardrobes, the bed.
17:46It's great.
17:47We can actually visualise, which is what I need.
17:49Otherwise it doesn't work in my head.
17:52With the plastering due to start next week, Mel and Jesse need to finalise the plan for their kitchen design as soon as possible,
17:58as it will be between four and six weeks in production.
18:01The showroom features a fully guided audio tour through nine different kitchens, guiding guests through the various features of each piece of cabinetry.
18:10You put the audio on, it tells you to go to step one, go to step two.
18:13You can push the cabinets and they open.
18:15I love it.
18:16I was like, I felt like a kid.
18:18It's everything I wanted.
18:19I could visualise, which is what I need.
18:21And I think I've been through the tour four times and I still love it every time.
18:34Despite having no issues with their kitchen design, not everything over the past month has gone exactly to plan.
18:40Somehow I forgot to order insulation.
18:42So I called around like 10 different places trying to get some.
18:45Nobody had any.
18:46I finally found a place that had some insole and I was like, can you deliver it in three weeks?
18:51And they said, there's no way of holding it.
18:52Like either take it today and we'll deliver it.
18:54Otherwise it would just be sold in the next phone call.
18:57So we had all the insulation for under the floor, all the walls and the ceiling.
19:00The whole extension was just full of bags of insulation with nowhere to move.
19:05It was, it was really quite a pigsty.
19:07It was embarrassing, wasn't it?
19:09It was such a mess.
19:12The timeline is looking on time, pretty shaky.
19:16Bubs is due in 11 weeks.
19:18We've got about 10 weeks left of the renovation.
19:20So we're hoping for the best, but expecting the worst because you have to, but we're quietly optimistic that we'll get it done on time.
19:28I'm going pretty well with the pregnancy.
19:30Everything's been good.
19:31Haven't really had to help too much at the house either.
19:33I'm actually, I think I've got the easiest job.
19:36Part of me does believe that the week we finished is the week she'll be here.
19:40I do ask if she stays in for another couple of weeks extra.
19:43So we're praying.
19:45Of all the good ideas I've had, probably renting the house across the street from where we're building is the best one ever.
19:52The only thing is the baby's due on the 8th of May and we have to be out of there by the 5th of May.
19:57So not only do we have to get the renovation finished in time, we have to move and then have the bubs.
20:01So there is a bit of time pressure on us.
20:03It's two weeks since our last visit and there's been a ton of work carried out.
20:15Jesse and Mel are well and truly getting stuck into work inside the house, juggling multiple trays at the same time.
20:21There is a lot happening on site at the moment.
20:24Blastering is getting done.
20:25The waterproofing got done today.
20:27The cladding is getting done.
20:29We have tiles arrived.
20:30All the sleepers for the retaining wall arrived.
20:33It's just been flat out.
20:35It's more like what isn't getting done at the moment, which is great.
20:38Every day I come back and it's like 10 things going on.
20:41It's all happening.
20:42It's very intense at the moment.
20:44There's a lot of organisation which has to go on and I'm not very good at organising.
20:49Well, you're doing alright, babe.
20:50I'm doing alright.
20:51You're getting it done.
20:52I'm not the best at it.
20:57I'm going good.
20:58I think we've got about eight and a half weeks before the baby comes.
21:01I'm very calm, which is, it's a good thing.
21:04But I think I'm pretty surprised on how quick the house has come about.
21:07So I feel like we're going to get it done before the baby arrives.
21:11Fingers crossed.
21:12I keep telling Mel that we're not going to get it done now before the baby.
21:15Because I'm just putting way too much pressure on myself.
21:18And touch wood, like nothing's gone wrong so far.
21:21We've been very fortunate given like the material shortages and like labour shortages.
21:29Building a house is like making a cake.
21:31There's just layers to it.
21:33You can't put the icing on before you, you know, get the bun ready.
21:36I don't know a lot about baking either.
21:38Yeah, that's good.
21:40I enjoyed watching you try.
21:42You like that?
21:43Explain that, yeah.
21:44Why don't you try the cake analogy?
21:45I don't even cook.
21:46I don't bake.
21:47Ain't nobody got time for that.
21:48Unless it's wake and bake.
21:49Yeah.
21:50Mel's passion for baking hasn't affected her eye for detail.
21:57Today, Jessie gave me a call.
21:59Like he's always paying me out saying I have baby brain, which I do.
22:02But he had baby brain today.
22:03We realised he ordered the wrong tiles.
22:05Luckily, I took pictures of them.
22:06So I sent them through and Jessie gave him a call.
22:09They're going to pick up the wrong ones and give us the new ones.
22:12So thank God it's all worked out, but this is why I should check your work.
22:17It was so embarrassing.
22:19Like I ordered the wrong floor tiles, wrong wall tiles.
22:22Like everything's wrong.
22:25Jessie will be spending plenty of time laying the tiles when they eventually get here.
22:29And as a former tiler, this will be his time to shine.
22:33Today, however, the priority is plastering and there's plenty of it.
22:37Today's really exciting that the plaster is here on site.
22:39They started about a week ago.
22:41They're concentrating on the back section first.
22:43So they're just putting the top coat on and then tomorrow they'll sand.
22:46And then we can clean out that master bedroom because at the moment it looks like a dump site.
22:57If we didn't have the baby here, like we would not be talking about trying to finish in six weeks.
23:01It would be probably still a couple of months away.
23:03Maybe even like three months away, really.
23:05It's turned out to be a blessing in disguise because all the trades know that Mel's pregnant.
23:09They know we have like a deadline.
23:11And so everybody's been helping us as much as they can to get it done for the baby.
23:24Hasn't been the best week.
23:26We had a bit of rain for the first time in months and realised our whole roof leaks.
23:30And so now it's like four weeks until the baby's here.
23:33We're going to try to find someone who can do the slate roof and then someone who can do the corrie roof.
23:39It's just, it's so frustrating.
23:41I was up at like four o'clock in the morning, heard rain.
23:44I'm running around the house with buckets trying to catch water.
23:47It just, yeah, it hasn't been a good week.
23:49No, we, um, yeah, we've struggled a little bit, haven't we now?
23:52Yeah.
23:53We're at the final stages, which is frustrating, but fingers crossed you can find someone.
23:57Sort it out.
23:58Haven't stopped for four months.
23:59Every single day, Saturday, Sunday, like I'm killing myself on the project.
24:03I'm just getting tired now.
24:08I think it's going to take a miracle for us to be able to move in before the baby.
24:11I'm really praying that it does, but I don't, look, I think we've come to the realisation.
24:16It's probably not going to happen.
24:17We've smashed so many things.
24:22Like we finished all the tiling.
24:24We're about to finish all the flooring.
24:26The painting is going to be finished in a few days.
24:28So all the stuff that I can physically do myself will be finished in about a week's time.
24:33But there's just things that I can't do.
24:35Like I can't make the cabinets.
24:36They can't be made any faster.
24:38We can't get the stone until the cabinets go in.
24:41We can't get the roof done until like four weeks time.
24:45So that may or may not even get done.
24:48We need to find another roofer to do the slate roof.
24:51We haven't even done any of that yet.
24:53It's just, yeah.
24:5512-league weight on draw runners.
25:00It's just crazy.
25:02Anyway, it is what it is.
25:05I don't think people would know it was me.
25:07No, it wasn't, mate.
25:09While Billy swears to keep the wait time on draw runners to himself,
25:13Jesse and Mel fill us in on how their furniture selections are coming along.
25:17We haven't even thought about our furniture yet.
25:19It's been on the back burner.
25:21And there's like 12-week waits on furniture.
25:24So we could be moving into an empty house.
25:27Bean bags.
25:28Lucky we've got a bed.
25:29And we've got a nursery.
25:30So I guess we're all in the one room.
25:32We've got a lounge suite at home.
25:34Mel said there's no way in hell that thing is coming to the new house.
25:37Now, I prefer to sit on the floor than let that thing come into our house.
25:45We actually are doing really good.
25:47Like, we have done the tiling.
25:48We're laying the flooring, the skirts, the doors.
25:51We've done a bit of landscaping.
25:53We've finished putting on the exterior walls.
25:56The cladding, yeah.
25:57The cladding.
25:58We've actually done a lot, which is quite awesome.
26:00But, yeah, it's just those little touches that we're still waiting on.
26:04But, yeah, I'm actually quite surprised how much we've achieved in probably the last month.
26:08It's starting to look like a house.
26:10If we don't finish, it's not going to be because of things, like, that we can control.
26:16Everything that we can control, we will do.
26:18It's just some things we can't, and that's just life.
26:21It's been four weeks since our last visit, and fortunately, Jessie and Mel look like
26:32they've bounced back from the disappointment of the roof, and the repairs are almost finished.
26:37We put a new roof on.
26:39We decided that the best thing was to do to replace the old slate roofs.
26:43They were starting to delaminate.
26:44They looked all rusted.
26:46So we put a new slate roof on the front and a new corrugated iron roof on out the back,
26:50and it's awesome now.
26:51All the attic has been insulated.
26:53It's 100% watertight, and it's just going to be much more enjoyable living here.
26:57With Australia still adjusting to the life after the COVID pandemic,
27:01supply chain problems have been a huge challenge for Jessie and Mel
27:05since the start of the project.
27:07Unfortunately, things aren't getting any easier as they approach the finish line.
27:11There's no wool in Australia, like supply chain issues,
27:15so the carpet's been delayed, the stone's been delayed because of Easter,
27:19and look at the place.
27:20It's an absolute dump.
27:21The good news is that all of the cabinetry has been made without any hiccups,
27:26and with most of the major appliances already installed,
27:29the kitchen area is really starting to take shape.
27:32Yeah, the kitchen cabinets are looking fantastic.
27:33They've started to install all the appliances, the fridge going in.
27:36We're now putting the aircon in, which looks really nice behind the custom grill,
27:40and our wardrobe doors are all right.
27:41They've got two-packed, they're matte, they look absolutely fantastic.
27:46Not everything will be complete, but at least we have the TV.
27:54It's only a small outdoor area, so we wanted to create as much greener as possible,
27:58so we put the AstroTurf in between the pavers.
28:00We've got some beautiful trees that we've just planted,
28:03and eventually that's going to start to cascade over the edges,
28:06and this whole room will just be full of lush green plants.
28:11The electrical work is also almost finished, and the lights are on and working.
28:15It really gives us a chance to appreciate some of the design choices Jessie and Mel have made,
28:20and the way they've been able to use contemporary lighting
28:23to highlight the intricacy of the home's period features.
28:27All the lights are working, they're turning on, they're turning off,
28:30the power points are working, so really we are literally so close to finishing.
28:35Speaking of finishing, how's Mel going?
28:38Well, it's come down to the absolute wire.
28:40We're about a week away from finishing, and Mel is now officially due,
28:44so she's just gone a day over.
28:45I'm not sure how long she's going to be late,
28:48but it's still a chance we might finish in time.
29:00On a spectacular spring day in Windsor, Melbourne,
29:03architect Sean Lockyer gets a special tour of Jessie and Mel's finished home.
29:12It's a credit to Jessie and Mel,
29:14who've not only completed this renovation
29:16within a six-month period.
29:18They've done it while they've been working
29:20and getting ready for the arrival of their daughter Chloe,
29:22which is just an amazing achievement.
29:24And standing here in this lovely quiet street,
29:26this gorgeous Victorian facade gives very little away about the transformation.
29:31I'm hoping that behind this front door
29:34lies an architectural journey that's going to take us back to the 21st century.
29:37Hey!
29:43You made it! How are you doing?
29:45How are you doing?
29:46Good to see you.
29:47How are you, Sean?
29:48Great to see you, mate.
29:49Fantastic!
29:50Jesse and Mel, congratulations.
30:00Six months you've done this.
30:02How did you manage to get it all done?
30:04Well, it wasn't supposed to be six months, Sean.
30:06It was supposed to be a nice, leisurely 12-month build.
30:08Mel and I can do it together and enjoy it.
30:11But a week after we got the building permit
30:14and we're due to start in a week,
30:16Mel, bless her soul and ours,
30:18we found out that she was pregnant with our daughter Chloe.
30:21And so what's supposed to be a 12-month build
30:23had to be done in six months.
30:30That's incredible.
30:31And did you literally just go,
30:32we're just going to shorten this timeframe
30:34and we're just going to give it our best
30:35or did you actually change the way that you were doing the project
30:38or change your aspiration at all?
30:40Well, it did because obviously Mel and I both work full-time as well.
30:43So I made the decision to sell less houses
30:46and just build full-time.
30:48And it was kind of like a dream come true
30:50because I've always wanted to build my own home.
30:51We did it on the block,
30:52but this was the first one for ourselves together.
30:55And so we rented the house across the street.
30:57Yeah.
30:58I got my owner-builder licence
30:59and organised most of the trades
31:01that we actually have worked with before on the block.
31:03Yeah.
31:04And we told them the timeline
31:06and now they're very used to working to a short timeline.
31:09Chloe was born on the 19th of May
31:12and we moved in a week after.
31:18I've also realised I do best managing him.
31:21He's really good at building and designing,
31:23but he needs to be told what to do
31:25and budget and timelines
31:27and that's where I come in
31:29and make sure he's doing everything on track.
31:31We realised that through our previous experience
31:34renovating on the block,
31:35our roles are very clearly defined.
31:37Yeah.
31:38We don't lap over.
31:39And one of Mel's most important role is to manage me
31:41because I'm doing a million things at once
31:43and I'm not the most organised person.
31:45So with Mel, she's very organised and structured
31:48and then that combination with my sort of can-do attitude
31:51and, you know, I would probably say
31:55over-confident enthusiasm and optimism
32:00that everything will work out.
32:01Yeah.
32:02I think what really impresses me is you guys seem to have
32:12the holy trinity of passion for what you do,
32:14the ability to actually physically be able to do it as a builder,
32:17but then also the organisational skills to be able to pull it off.
32:21And I mean, that's a pretty rare combination
32:23and obviously it's significant that you've had a baby while this is happening.
32:26How has that been for you guys through the process as well?
32:30Surprisingly, even though I was pregnant most of the reno,
32:33it wasn't that bad, but I think because he's amazing.
32:36Like, he went above and beyond.
32:38And then I just felt ease.
32:40I felt calm and I'd come and check on the place every day,
32:42see how he's tracking.
32:43I'm like, what do I need to do?
32:44And I don't know, he was so relaxed.
32:46It made me relax.
32:47But literally, I think two weeks after she was born,
32:50we were moving everything across the road.
32:52I'd be like, you hold it, I'm going to take some stuff over.
32:55And then I'm like, I'll hold her and you take some stuff over.
32:57So we were pretty fortunate in regards to finishing the build
33:00before she was here.
33:01Yeah.
33:02But yeah, honestly, he's what calms me.
33:14That's sensational.
33:15I mean, I think, you know, it's really lovely.
33:16And these sorts of shows and these endeavours,
33:18it's not uncommon for couples, you know,
33:20to kind of really feel the stresses of either the differences
33:23with which they tackle these things or how they take on the information
33:26or how they handle actual physical heavy lifting of these things.
33:29And I know that there's something amazing waiting for us.
33:33I've got to tell you, on a personal level,
33:35this project really connects with me because I grew up in Cape Town
33:38where the Victorian Terrace House is a sort of vernacular housing stock.
33:42So I spent half my life in houses like this.
33:45They're foraging underneath, understanding the subfloors,
33:47understanding that walls can't just be pulled out.
33:49Well, I appreciate, Sean, that this is quite nostalgic.
33:51For me, I grew up in Queensland.
33:53I'd never seen a Hawthorne Brick Victorian before
33:56until I moved to Melbourne eight years ago.
33:59And I just stopped working as a tradie.
34:01I started real estate.
34:02I literally had no income for a whole year.
34:04And my dream was to own a single front Hawthorne Brick Victorian
34:08because I think they're the prettiest facades.
34:10I love the tuck pointing.
34:12And to me, that was honestly like a pipe dream
34:14that I thought may not be achievable
34:15because obviously price as a property is so expensive,
34:18let alone to be able to renovate one
34:20because that's obviously quite expensive as well.
34:22And so we saw this home.
34:24I only showed Mel one property.
34:25I said, hey, I found this house.
34:27I think you're going to like it.
34:29Like, let's go and have a look at it.
34:30I want to have a look at it.
34:31I want to buy it.
34:32Mel's like, we haven't looked at any.
34:33We went and had a look at it.
34:34Mel broke the cardinal sin of real estate.
34:36She opened the door, said to the real estate agent,
34:37I love it.
34:38I want to buy it.
34:39And I was like, okay, no problem.
34:41We can do that.
34:42So I got the contract and that was on the Saturday.
34:44We bought it on the Friday.
34:46And it was a dream come true.
34:51But yeah, there are a lot of difficulties
34:52when renovating a double brick Victorian home.
34:55Obviously you don't really want to move too many internal walls
34:59because they are so integral to the structure.
35:02And so we did add a few doorways,
35:04but we left pretty much all the existing brick walls where they were
35:08and just made sure it worked with our design.
35:11And then where the end of the home is,
35:13that is where we sort of knocked off the back and did a big extension.
35:17Yeah.
35:19But we were so fortunate that three previous owners before us
35:23had owned this beautiful home, tried to renovate and then gave up.
35:27Yeah.
35:28Put it in the too hard basket.
35:29There's no access.
35:30There's no parking.
35:31They've got joint sewers.
35:32There's easements, party walls, all the things that you know,
35:36that make building and renovating quite difficult.
35:38Yeah.
35:39The previous owner, bless his soul,
35:40spent a lot of time and money on making the house beautiful.
35:44Yeah.
35:45Not practical.
35:46Yeah.
35:47So they actually did the tuck pointing before we purchased it,
35:50which is one of the things that we fell in love with,
35:51that so many people fell in love with,
35:53that beautiful brick facade with the tuck pointing.
35:55Yeah.
35:56They did these oversized corners in the hallways in the bedroom as well.
36:01This type of architecture is something that I really love
36:04and I'm dying to see where you've gone with it.
36:05So are you happy to show me through?
36:07Well, I hope that we live up to your expectations.
36:09So I'd love to show you through.
36:10Cheers. Off to you guys.
36:14After the break, Sean continues the tour.
36:17Both of you have given up a lot of your time to do this.
36:20You're juggling a lot of things while it happened.
36:22Are you happy to talk about the costs that it took to get it to you?
36:25We're in Windsor, Melbourne to see this spectacular transformation.
36:41In only five months, Jessie and Mel have managed to completely transform
36:46the back of this house into a perfect space for a young family
36:50and breathe new life into this classic Victorian facade.
36:55Sean continues the tour.
36:59Jessie and Mel, wow, we've come through the house.
37:01We're sitting in this main living space and I've got to tell you,
37:04I'm not disappointed.
37:05I really am not disappointed.
37:07I think the seamlessness with which you've stitched the old
37:10and the new together I think is really smart.
37:12There's this beautifully handled little courtyard
37:15which not only brings light but brings a moment of joy
37:17to the kitchen through that lovely window.
37:20But just all these sort of elements of the skylights above,
37:23I think the way that you've handled the transition
37:25of all this sort of ornate Victorian detail
37:28through to a space that's really pared back.
37:31But done in such a way that there's not a real sense of old and new.
37:34There really is quite a beautiful kind of flow between the two
37:37and, you know, culminating with this amazing living space
37:40which, I mean, it really is an incredibly joyous space
37:44and a very, you know, positive place to be in.
37:46I mean, honestly, as an architect, I really think you guys
37:49should be incredibly commended.
37:51So, you know, well done on that.
37:54Well, thank you, Sean.
37:55We put a lot of thought into every space
37:58and we're very consistent with our design.
38:01So you'll see like a lot of the timber joinery that we use
38:05in this kitchen space on the island bench.
38:07We also use in our bathroom vanities.
38:09We've used the same volarcus marbles throughout all the wet areas
38:13as well in the, you know, the niches as well as in the kitchen area
38:16out here in the island benches.
38:18The same chevron flooring in the hallway.
38:20So to make that, because I've seen a lot of homes where it goes to old to new
38:24and it feels like they're like juxtaposed.
38:26It feels like you're walking into a different property.
38:28Yeah.
38:29They're not cohesive.
38:30And I don't like that.
38:31So we wanted to make sure that everything tied in
38:34and it felt like one home.
38:36Even though there is a stark contrast between the old and the new
38:39because the old is got lots of really rich period details
38:42and the new is very contemporary.
38:44But I think by blending those, you know, finishing touches throughout,
38:48it does feel quite cohesive.
38:49How much of what you've done here is about you guys thinking,
38:57look, this is our ideal house and it is a beautiful house.
39:00And how much of it is you guys thinking,
39:02we want this to be accessible to other people
39:04and something that we think other people will identify with.
39:07Can I just chime in, just say one thing.
39:09That's the best thing about Jesse working in real estate.
39:11Yeah.
39:12He sees hundreds of thousands of homes.
39:14So he knows what people want.
39:16So I feel like that is the greatest asset when it comes to us designing homes.
39:21He sees what people want.
39:22He sees what sells and he goes,
39:23how can we build that into like our design and it kills it.
39:26So our dream home would be an all black kitchen.
39:29Yeah.
39:30Yeah.
39:31Right.
39:32But when we were designing this home,
39:33we knew it wasn't going to be our forever home.
39:35And so we were very conscious of that.
39:37You're right.
39:38Having that real estate sort of mindset and being pragmatic
39:41in not just what we want, but what is going to sell well.
39:43Yeah.
39:44But I think for our forever home, we would probably do something a little bit more extravagant.
39:47Yeah.
39:48I think it's been a long held belief of mine that when you look at the amount of resources
39:53that go into building a house, not only the cost and the physical material,
39:57but your guys energy and labor.
39:59You know, one of the most responsible things that we can do is make sure that the houses
40:03that we build are ones that not only are, you know, beautiful and do all the sustainable
40:09things that they should do, but also that they can be taken on by other people and loved
40:14in such a way that they're not continually being rehashed.
40:17While it's technically a two bedroom house, it is a three bedroom house because there's
40:24this beautiful quirk.
40:26And for me, anyone that loves cats is a good person in my book.
40:29But you've got a cat bedroom.
40:31That was one of the most important features of the home because in our previous property,
40:34we didn't have a cat room.
40:36Most people don't have a cat room.
40:37They have a kitty litter that goes in the bathroom or somewhere in the laundry and it's
40:41always on display and it smells.
40:43That was just one of the things that we were able to do that was really important to us.
40:46Yeah.
40:47And everyone who comes here, you're not the only person who loves cats.
40:50Sean, so many of our friends love cats.
40:53And that's probably one of the most talked about features of our home.
40:59I have to hand it to you.
41:01The level of execution here really is first class.
41:04I must say walking through here, the word I use is tightness.
41:07There's a real control of all the detail.
41:10That's an amazing effort, I must say.
41:12So my background being tiling, as you know, in tiling everything,
41:15everything works to the millimeter.
41:17Yeah.
41:18And so that was where I did my apprenticeship, my trade.
41:21And now obviously in real estate, I have a really keen eye for things that I know have
41:26been thought of and considered as to just thrown in place.
41:31Yeah.
41:32I think you would see that as well.
41:33You can, you know, like our television unit, right?
41:36Like there's a reason that it stops 150 millimeters away from the glazing because
41:41it allows for the curtains and the blinds.
41:44That thing doesn't happen by accident.
41:46Yeah.
41:47The wall ovens and microwaves, you know, like the line of the wall oven lines up perfectly
41:51with the island bench and then the microwave on top.
41:54Yeah.
41:55In our bathrooms, we lowered the ceilings by 40 millimeters.
41:58So it allowed us to get a full tile at the ceiling height, on top of the shaving cabinet, on top of the vanities, on the niche.
42:05All of those things don't happen by chance.
42:07Yeah.
42:08And when you walk into the home as you do, you look at it and go, this feels great.
42:10You can see it's done well, but you're like, how is it done so well?
42:13Why does this feel different to other homes?
42:15Yeah.
42:16So we put a lot of emphasis and effort into making sure all of those details like matched up.
42:23Yeah.
42:24And we're very proud of it because it's a lot of, it's not easy to do.
42:26It's been really lovely to see how you guys have worked together, having done this for many years and seeing a lot of projects at the end where the millimeters do matter.
42:38The only way you get there is by collaboration.
42:40You don't get there by throwing things at each other.
42:42And the house really does talk of that kind of optimism and that creativity.
42:47Now, obviously, all of that doesn't come for free.
42:50And you've given up, both of you have given up a lot of your time to do this.
42:54You're juggling a lot of things while it happened.
42:56Are you happy to talk about the costs that it took to get it to here?
42:59Yeah, certainly.
43:00So I guess the hard cost for the build with all the building materials, cost of labor came in at about half a million dollars.
43:09Yeah.
43:10But that doesn't allow any of my time.
43:13Like, you know, I did Chevron flooring.
43:16I did the tiling.
43:17I did the carpentry.
43:18I did a lot of the work myself.
43:19I essentially had six months off work and it was here every single day.
43:22So there was no cost for my time as well as, you know, actually the design of the place, selecting all the fixtures and finishes.
43:28Yeah.
43:29So I think we were fortunate.
43:30We were able to get away with it for about half a million dollars.
43:32But I think if you were to replicate this build, you probably would be looking at close to 650 or $700,000.
43:39One of the things that I find, I mean, I'm interested in the house almost more than anything of the relationships and the people.
43:47The creative energy and the goodwill and the memories and the friendships and the kind of the energy that gets created in a positive building is something that for me is actually manifest in a space.
43:58It sits here like a piece of furniture.
44:00And when you walk through the space and you meet you guys and you see the love and the care that's gone into this.
44:15It's something that you can actually feel.
44:17It's physically palpable in my experience of it.
44:19And I think that's a very, very difficult thing to achieve.
44:23And really congratulations to both of you.
44:25You deserve it and you've done an amazing job.
44:27Well, thank you.
44:28Thank you so much.
44:29That's all we want for people to love this home as much as we do.
44:31Yeah.
44:32Yeah.
44:33Well, for me, this project is a breath of fresh air.
44:40In the built environment, we're so used to hearing all the bad news stories about people that tackle the project without the right knowledge, without the experience, without the planning.
44:50And they get it wrong.
44:51It strains relationships.
44:52They simply just don't get the outcome that they want.
44:55What Jesse and Mel have done here in a six month period is nothing short of extraordinary.
45:01Their attention to detail, the level of execution through the build, and the passion that they've brought to this project to build a home for themselves and their new daughter in this heavily constrained site is just an absolute triumph.
45:16And in a world where we're so used to bad news stories, it's a really lovely thing to be part of a really good one.
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