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00:00From the windswept cliffs of Australia's coastline
00:07To the ancient silence of the New Zealand bush
00:19I'll venture to places where the landscape still calls the shots
00:23Every decision is shaped by the elements
00:33And the isolation look how beautiful this is that is unbelievable
00:42What I've discovered isn't just clever design
00:47It's passion. This is a healing house. It's like our marriage
00:52It's creativity
00:54Looks like some alien ship that's landed from outer space
01:00And it's survival on an island that doesn't have a corner store. You can't just shoot down and get a little side of something
01:09Because out here
01:11You need a different kind of person
01:16Definitely friends
01:18Daring
01:19I want Pat's house
01:20I want her house
01:21I want her shower
01:22And I want her bathtub
01:24Innovative
01:27And deeply connected to the land they live on
01:30My grandfather must have really loved my grandmother to have built a room like this for her
01:39Should we move on? Because we're going to cry
01:45Join me, George Clarke, and together we'll discover some of New Zealand and Australia's wildest halls
01:51Wildest halls
01:52I want your health
01:53of New Zealand and the?
01:54of New Zealand and
02:21how's my hair just off Tasmania's southern coast lies Bruni Island it's
02:32got a really distinctive shape two land masses joined by a narrow isthmus and
02:38the diverse ecosystems here are truly wild and untamed
02:48with its steep cliffs dense forests and roaring seas this is a place where nature
02:59still holds sway but amidst this isolation
03:08some have chosen to build a home finding peace in the wild
03:16my first stop is Coopworth house down in South Bruni
03:23this is a home that hums with the life of a working sheep farm
03:32and architect Fiona Dunham made sure every part of it reflects that
03:39look at that Fiona hi nice to meet you lovely to meet you how are you welcome thank you for having me that is a very smart house thank you
03:46at first glance Coopworth seems fairly straightforward a big rectangular form with a roof
03:53garnished with a beautiful deck but look a little closer and it's full of surprises
04:00this is a highly customized building particularly with its unusual triangular windows and steep asymmetrical roof lines
04:07it's very elegant looks like a beautiful farmhouse
04:14thank you very much well it's actually stemmed from some very old dilapidated red lead shacks on the island so that was kind of the inspiration around the
04:21color and the the color and the shape of the house so tell me a little bit about the client and why you've done this style of house for them
04:28roof lines it's very elegant looks like a beautiful farmhouse oh thank you very
04:36much well it's actually stemmed from some very old dilapidated red lead shacks
04:40on the island so that was kind of the inspiration around the the color and the
04:45the shape of the house so tell me a little bit about the client and why
04:49you've done this style of house for them there are couples of moving into
04:53retirement slowly and Arthur's had farms on Bruny Island for about 20 years and
04:59what does he farm he farms Coopworth sheep so they're sheep well known for their
05:04meat but also their wool we've got a lot of sheep I can't even tell you how many
05:08on the farm at the moment there's a lot so you'll see a lot of them wandering around
05:12today and that's why you've gone for a very agricultural aesthetic yes and
05:17Arthur's very pragmatic so he just wanted something that was no maintenance and my
05:22great fear was water and wind on this site because it's a very windy very wet place
05:27and then beautiful still day so how do you capture all of that and embrace that in
05:31the design of the house one thing I've noticed is you've got no rainwater gutters on the house
05:40normally they're quite prominent on the building of the scale but you've got
05:43nothing it's super minimal no I wanted zero penetrations other than the chimney just
05:49to minimize any potential leaks given how water works with wind it can just move in all different
05:55directions so the water just runs off the roof down the windows so that acts as like a beautiful
06:01water wall and then it's captured in gutters underground so where you've got that little
06:07gravel track around the outside that's like one big drain there's a big metre wide gutter when you
06:16sat with the client and they said we want a farmhouse did they imagine they'd get anything like this
06:21probably not can we have a closer look sure come on let's go from the outside Coopworth is striking but
06:35stepping inside takes things to a whole new level come on in off the order oh that is special
06:50a vast auburn plan living space welcomes you into this brilliantly contemporary farmhouse
06:57with three bedrooms two bathrooms and buckets of charm between the light reflective plywood the soaring
07:12volume of the pitched roof and those full height glass windows the house pulls off a rare kind of magic
07:21feeling expansive and cozy at the very same time that's really good you would never imagine it was
07:32going to feel so contemporary from the outside I know there's hints of it with the glazing and all the
07:38minimal detailing yeah but that is spectacular it's still really warm inside it doesn't feel cold and minimal I
07:46don't think you've used a wonderful pallet of materials throughout haven't you yeah we have and but it's a
07:51very simple pallet but one of the main features as you walk in is this wool fresco as we call it
07:59Craig is that sheep's wool it is it's actual wool from the sheep out there that's fantastic
08:06you've exposed all of the sheep's wool behind polycarbonate yeah just corrugated polycarbonate
08:14with straightforward fixings in it as well chicken wire holding it all together as well it's pretty
08:19basic it's fantastic how many fleeces are in there do you think well there's 20 and we sort of
08:27underestimated that quite significantly we thought maybe about seven or eight and then as they were
08:32filling it up on the day we used all that pretty quickly so Arthur was running down to the shed with a
08:38couple of mates and cleaning a whole lot more you can't get more sustainable than that you've
08:42literally taken the wool from over there that's right and put it up there in the building and so
08:47you see a beautiful connection do you know what it's lovely you're literally standing here watching
08:50the sheep now that is one of the I was going to say one of the coolest details but it's one of the
08:55warmest details I've ever seen in my life yeah definitely it's brilliant and there's a piece of
09:03architecture the rest of the layout is so beautiful you can see that it's a very sociable
09:08home where you've got kitchen dining beautiful fireplace and lounge and that view is beautifully
09:16framed by these lovely timber fins that you've designed in can we have a closer look yeah let's go
09:21and then what have you got in the window I literally just thought nice frame view beautiful timber
09:28detailing but they're all day beds and night beds that's right it's like the idea of a veranda sleep
09:37out but it's internal because the winds are so strong and it's so cold we don't need an external veranda
09:45and the grandkids love them chuck them all in there they're um they're a great spot to camp them out
09:49so you could see let's say eight grandkids depending on their scale and size minimum yep and we have a
09:56secret bed as well and it also means it's not taking up a whole lot of space so we don't need
10:01to build entire rooms for people that come once or twice a year
10:08and if that wasn't good enough this is a space is magnificent yeah I just love all the angles the
10:15fact that you've got the slope and roof the staircase you've got all these lovely little
10:19triangular details everywhere yeah and you've done it as a big move with the windows on the outside and
10:25then triangles of light up there little triangular details in the joinery as well it goes from the
10:31kind of big picture of the windows yeah to the finest detail oh absolutely and that's one thing I
10:36love doing in our designs is transferring that big architectural idea into every little detail so
10:41they're functional but also expressing the sort of the overall concepts
10:49I love the fact that you've put the main bedroom on the ground floor and it's so nicely connected to
10:54the rest of the house well that way they can just have this area almost like a one bedroom apartment
10:59when they're by themselves and we can close off the rest of the house so they just have to heat
11:02this area beautifully color matched only one color in this house only one color and then when all the
11:09guests leave you can open this up and have their amazing one bedroom apartment with with a view with
11:15one of the greatest views I've ever seen I mean that's ridiculous you can see for miles from this bedroom
11:24head upstairs and you'll find a guest room an office and of course those signature triangles
11:33playing with space and light
11:38i know i love the way you did that yeah i know it's me and triangles again
11:43triumphs builders crazy
11:47everywhere you look in coopworth you'll find pieces of architectural genius
11:53including secret places for a rest
11:56that is one of the little hidden beds
12:04the sheep
12:07and then this is on the main bedrooms with the most beautiful view what's great is that
12:13even though to make a building like this look really simple there's very few materials
12:19concrete on the floor plywood on the walls
12:22plywood on the ceiling makes it slightly easier for the builder not much
12:32do you want all of the detail and on the doors is amazing sliding door there
12:36and then when you go into this bathroom there's an offset pivot hinge can you see the edge
12:43of the bathroom tiles what a fantastic bathroom this is do you know what these are actually
12:51little individual tiles it looks like a solid brick but it's not
12:56you've got tiles on the floor on the walls on every single part of it and even the ceiling
13:01it's been painted to match the exterior color of the house and look at that for a bathtub
13:12that is phenomenal sunken right into the ground it reminds me of a big giant sheep dip
13:20on a farm which is fairly appropriate in this location
13:23and there's even the skylight above really simple but unbelievably dramatic give me a little glimpse
13:31of the stars at night it's not too bad is it
13:34this is definitely a home where the outside and inside complement each other perfectly
13:44you're sheltered from the elements yet completely connected to these incredible vistas
13:51it's an architectural dream but i imagine a bit of a builder's nightmare
13:55so fiona's invited project manager mark along to tell me what building on bruni is really like
14:03what was it like building the house how difficult and complicated was it to be honest when the
14:07architect's yeah there's not a lot of right angles in here it's all triangles every roof plane is a
14:14different pitch every i've got square windows you've got square windows you're right you're right
14:22but even though we're a pain we had to bring a crane over here to get those windows in place
14:29and what about just getting materials here quite often we'd have our office would just be chock-a-block
14:35full of stuff for bruni island and we'd get a courier and we'd fill their van up and they'd bring it
14:42over on the ferry and drive all the way down all the way all the way up this windy driveway just another
14:50added complexity to what is already a very complex build but everyone was so positive
14:56everyone was like client builder maybe we just maintained that positivity and that really helped
15:02trust yeah absolute trust i call it the love triangle you've got to have client architect builder
15:08all in it together all aligned all trusting trust you to pick a triangle exactly that's true
15:14why am i not surprised fiona
15:23on so many levels coopworth was a trying build
15:27but the result was well worth it and this farmhouse will absolutely stand the test of time
15:34now this is an unbelievably special house it embraces the agricultural history of the area
15:49but at the same time celebrates the very best in contemporary design
15:55it's so good and look you've got bond like architecture beautiful sheep on the sheep farm
16:05and one of the best views you can ever possibly imagine it doesn't get much better than that
16:10i'm on the breathtaking bruny island
16:29surrounded by stunning scenery and the peaceful rural rhythm of island life
16:35it's a place that feels a world away
16:42i love buying things from the side of the road when i'm traveling in the uk you can buy all sorts of
16:49stuff strawberries eggs but here on bruny island i'm buying something slightly different
16:55oh this is quite incredible three old fridges not keeping anything cool they're actually keeping
17:08things that are already warm warmer for a bit longer
17:15it's nearly all gone in fact that's completely gone and that one's got one loaf in it
17:25bruny baker he's listed out all the bread that he does wheat flour rice sea salt sourdough sultana
17:31cinnamon no way um how to pay cash in the box between the fridges oh bank transfer and then this
17:39is brilliant next bread question mark text me no calls doesn't want to take any calls he's so busy
17:45baking bread he hasn't got time for that at all thank you for your honesty eat bread responsibly
17:52luckily there's a sourdough left and it smells amazing happy days
18:06i've got provisions and i'm off to see a legendary home
18:10it's near apollo bay on the western most tip of bruny island
18:21when an architect builds in a secluded beautiful spot like this
18:25the usual aim is to blend in with the landscape
18:29but in this case the architect had something else entirely in mind
18:42to get the inside story of this one-of-a-kind home
18:46i'm meeting its current occupants furniture maker james and writer celeste
18:51hi nice to see you i'm bearing gifts welcome that's for you there you are lovely to meet you
19:00by the way hi james how are you this is mind-boggling
19:08there's no shortage of eye-catching details here
19:12in any other house each one would be the star of the show but they all seem to fade into the background
19:20beside this
19:25a futuristic dome sitting quietly on the bay
19:30it may be only 10 minutes from the ferry but it feels like it's landed from another planet
19:37it's
19:41it's proper ufo stuff isn't it yep it's the first place the aliens will come
19:52it's quite staggering really to build something like this in this location yeah it's quite a feat
20:00and i think it takes quite a brave person to be able to do that so who did it uh john and penny
20:05smith they built it back in the mid 80s and what did they do i'm intrigued as to what sort of
20:11character would build a house like this john was the director uh for the fine furniture course at utas
20:19so he's a furniture maker and designer yeah that's right and penny was a ceramicist so they were both
20:24artists and so what they created was something really quite artistic it is a work of art it is
20:30and when i think about how many remote woodland places i've gone to where people would say
20:36do you know what it's going to blend with the surroundings we've done it all in timber and it's
20:39timber clad and it's going to age over time this is like the polar opposite isn't it it is
20:45why did he do it like this why the geodesic dome it was a prefabricated kit that they were experimenting
20:52with so it just allowed them i guess to be able to do it fairly quickly but also he liked the unusual
20:58and it's full of surprises i'm intrigued by that
21:05surprises indeed we haven't even stepped inside yet and already i'm spotting details that are
21:12completely unexpected talk me through what's going on here well this is the gantry for the header tanks
21:20and the solar panels and then what have we got down here what's in these big tanks yeah so those are the
21:25collection tanks so they collect the water from the dome it's more of a piece of engineering than
21:31architecture isn't it yeah it is it's fun it's fun to see how everything goes together to see the
21:36connections can we go inside yeah after useless i'm just going to leave you to it and go downstairs
21:45thank you very much james and celeste call the upper level of the house the observatory
21:58and it's easy to see why oh instant surprise walking inside it's a timber structure
22:07but right now it's the geometry that holds me hexagons pentagons and delicate triangular windows that catch
22:18the light and scatter the view because it's so futuristic on the outside i expected everything
22:25to be metallic yes yeah but it is literally timber sections bolted together it softens it it takes away that
22:34harshness and it's a brilliant building system because you've got small sections of timber they're probably
22:40only about 1.2 1.3 meters long and then panels of pentagons and hexagons and a simple system that
22:48can be stitched together relatively easily this could literally come on a couple of tiny vans yeah that's
22:54it flat or flat packed it's modular you can set it up on site two people can do it with a small crane
23:02and i love the way that they've designed in very simple triangular windows curved radius edges
23:09lightweight but very strong and it's even got a little bit of a kind of push out on it hasn't it
23:13it's not flat it's like tiny triangular windows in 1970s cars yes and then what have we got in here
23:20what does this pod do so we've got the bathroom in here the home's only bathroom forms the foundation
23:28for the only bedroom a light airy mezzanine it's an elegant little piece of function and beauty
23:37that's actually a really good idea because any heat that you've got at lower level in the winter
23:42it's going to rise rise rise and that dome form is going to push it up to the bedroom level that's
23:48probably the warmest snugest point of the house in the winter can i check it out please do and is this
23:53the original ladder staircase that's it very modern with perforated metal treads and it's kind of
24:00playful too it's actually got more of a nautical theme to it hasn't it you come up to like a deck
24:05on a ship yes what a fantastic bedroom that is oh i'm just going to squeeze in you've got this amazing
24:13view out to the trees and then what are these those events you can just push those very simple friction
24:20oh my god and that's great during the summer it gets hot the lower half of the building is perfect
24:28for summer living thanks to its deep deliberate shading and just getting there feels like part of the
24:36adventure jim's even the staircase has got this kind of futuristic but nautical feel about it that's it
24:46yeah it just continues the theme through to down here that's another surprise you've got this dome
24:54sitting on top of it's like a pentagon that's had the corners sliced off yeah ten sides
25:05such a playful piece of architecture the fact that you've got coloured glass
25:09you've got a blue circular window a red triangular window then another tall yellow triangular window
25:19it's like the sort of building a kid would really love to hang out in yeah yeah
25:24a lot of it's recycled these were from a table project they had in the 80s but the glass was too
25:31heavy to send over to the states so they sent the base had these bits of glass left over so they're
25:37tables they're table tops flip them vertically yeah and put them in the walls of his quirky house
25:43that is mad everywhere i look in this magnificent house is an eye-popping blend of the eclectic and
25:52the efficient it's bald but it's also deeply considered i love this a little pivot and then a unit
26:01that you can just swing around whenever you need to use it originally that had the tv and stereo on it
26:07so that's why it's got plugs and power and then just like the rest of the house it's just got cables
26:12everywhere john passed away in 2015 but this site is bursting at the seams with this 10 pound palms work
26:23from the distinctive artworks outside to his unique furniture it's absolutely completely bonkers
26:35the fact that he's got wavy timber then sections of steel bar in different color and then this knotty
26:44gnarly bit of timber for the backrest and then the top it off a couple of balls that's it yeah who would
26:52think of that right look at the table it's mad it's it's it's really mad but it's so distinctive
27:02and powerful isn't it it is and it's lovely living with somebody else's furniture you know the way i do
27:08things is quite differently i mean that's that's a bowl that i've made i love charring and i love natural
27:13shape and so it's really lovely having the difference almost like having that conversation with john you
27:20know even though he's gone do you feel quite proud to own this house oh incredibly feel so lucky and
27:27every time we come down it's we pinch ourselves james and celeste don't live here full time but they
27:35escape to the island whenever they can and when it's too hot for the mezzanine bed or when visitors come
27:42calling there's an adjoining structure that offers a light open place to sleep with a view that's
27:51nothing short of spectacular what did you think that's outstanding i know i mean it's otherworldly
27:59isn't it it's absolutely crazy as a house but beautifully crazy i know there's something i want
28:04to show you go on so generally we sit in here to have our beer oh that is good there's a bath under
28:14there you know what you talked about this house being full of surprises and it really is a surprise
28:20after surprise after surprise
28:22this home may look otherworldly but it's deeply connected to this place clever in its design gentle on
28:36the land and full of joy how important is this place as a retreat for both of you oh it's a it's a
28:47lovely escape and that starts as soon as you get on the ferry and then we come here and it's it's
28:53like falling into tranquility um yeah it's so special and we always sit when we get here and have
29:00a cup of tea in the bean bags and just breathe in silence and go right we're here and say thank you
29:07to john and penny yeah for making this space well we haven't got a cup of tea can we raise a beer
29:13to john and penny and to the two of you because honestly for me you're as pioneer as they were
29:19you've been brave enough to take this home on so to john penny and to the two of you thank you so much
29:33it's my last day on bruni island
29:46and before i leave i want to understand more about this wild and truly breathtaking place
29:56the narrow isthmus that links north and south bruni is known as the neck
30:01and from the lookout halfway along the 360 degree views are absolutely incredible
30:13but this spot isn't just about the scenery
30:17it's also a memorial to true ganini a remarkable indigenous australian woman whose story is one of
30:25strength survival and deep connection to this land true ganini's people were the nununi who lived here
30:35in harmony with nature for more than 34 000 years
30:43a little further up the island
30:47murrayfield station takes up nearly half of north bruni
30:51a huge expanse
30:57the local indigenous people battled for decades to reclaim this land
31:02and here to show me round is rodney dylan apollower elder of tasmania good morning george what a beautiful part of the world
31:15it is a lovely part of the world isn't it really nice to meet you mate good to meet you thanks for having me today i really appreciate it
31:21so tell me about what we've got here we've got a piece of land that belonged to our old ancestors
31:28there's about ten and a half thousand uh acres what do you do on the farm we're farming sheep it's also
31:34an education farm where we bring schools and and other people over here to learn a bit about our history because
31:39our history is invisible in this state these lands have belonged to
31:43traganini's family for thousands of years and we're just here as caretakers at the moment tell me about
31:49traganini traganini was a strong woman um they fought through the war when they invaded our lands
31:56the war was one of the darkest periods in tasmania's history
32:00in the 1820s and 1830s british colonizers used violent force to take indigenous land tearing people
32:10from the landscape they'd lived in harmony with for thousands of years
32:18traganini's dad husband-to-be her brothers was all murdered by the colonizers and she was trying to
32:24negotiate a way of trying to have peace on the country so no more of her people was going to be killed
32:30in this country here she hid young kids to for protection and she was a protector of our people
32:36everywhere we go her footsteps are here every step that you take on this land must remind you of her
32:43it empowers you as a person as an aboriginal person it's a lot easier to be aboriginal than what it was
32:48then and only for her we wouldn't have this well well done to you for getting it back yeah it was a bit
32:55of a battle to get it back but look we've got it back now and we've had it for 28 years so
33:00we while we don't feel like we own it we feel like we belong on it do you mind if i have a drive
33:05around yeah we'll jump in thanks how many generations back does your family go on bruny island back about
33:15seven generations my people are from the northeast and we come down here and traganini taught our people
33:23out hunt because she knew that her family on here had been shot and killed
33:29she wanted to make sure that our history and our culture carried on and she done that all her life
33:34so tell me what we can see from here we can see everything from here oh good should we jump out
33:42then yeah
33:44any snakes i need to be no there shouldn't be any snakes up here it's pretty dry up here and
33:50they need water this time of the year so but the jack jumpers are the worst thing through the jack
33:54jumpers yeah he's a little ant and what do they do they bite you and you get an anaphylactic shock to
33:59them and they what get you pretty upset you've got to have an epi pen i didn't even know about them
34:05they named the basketball team after them the jack jumpers roddy what a spectacular position this is i
34:12can see why you've brought me up here because it's so beautiful you can see for miles so you've got all
34:17of this land as far as we can see yeah as far as you can see beautiful stretch of coastline as well
34:22yeah don't nudge me mate i'll try not to first because you haven't paid yet so i won't nudge you
34:31the views up here are heart-stopping but for rodney and his people their connection to this place
34:39goes deeper providing everything they need to sustain their traditional way of life
34:45like we've got the tea tree down through the wetlands we get tea tree oil the honey the paper
34:53bark is in there as well so that's our medicine chest there here's our fish market abalone here
35:00crayfish back here and on that side over there we've got scallops mussels i have to say it's one of the
35:07best fish markets i've ever seen in my life yeah the fish are quite quite good but the butcher shop
35:13runs through the middle the kangaroo meat is probably the best meat is it you can eat it's
35:17better than goat yeah i wanted to be an aboriginal person that could eat their own food and that's
35:23what my fight's been about all my life and that's actually how we got this land back we started off
35:28with fish and then we ended up on land but it's a pretty it's a pretty funny story isn't it a great
35:33story it's a fantastic story that fight that you've had fight battling to get it back look what you've
35:37achieved it's amazing yeah well we've probably had help you know those old people would have helped us
35:45get this land back you think about that a lot a lot trucking in his strength to keep going against
35:52things when the odds was against her you never give up thank you very much for today thanks for
35:59showing your land and your course line with me i feel very honored and privileged thank you
36:17now i'm on my way to see a tiny house that's been inspired
36:21by japanese design the best news is i get to stay there tonight
36:30winding my way into this forested area is already making me feel just a little more at one
36:37with nature and if the journey in is anything to go by i can't wait to see what lies in store
36:51this tiny house in a big forest proves that the best things really do come in small packages
37:09inspired by traditional japanese architecture this beautiful little retreat
37:14is all about stripping things back to what really matters
37:21and here to show me round is its architect hugh mcguire
37:27hugh how you doing hi george lovely to meet you likewise what a beautiful part of the world this is
37:32stunning tell me about this little structure that we've got here the first built intervention is this
37:38pergola structure is a sort of threshold to i guess mark the start of your sense of retreat
37:45now that you've parked your car you can forget about the outside world
37:49leave your stressful life behind and progress through the portal once you've gone through that doorway
37:55you enter a completely different world relax time yeah excellent should we go through absolutely
38:00come on after you not only does the entranceway double up as a neat little wood stall
38:06but once you step through it it cleverly screens off the view of the car from the house
38:15hugh first of all what a beautiful strong architectural form that is with a big steeped roof
38:22a low facade on this side and a really high facade on the south side always got to get my head around the different hemispheres
38:31well we're set to confuse you here george
38:35this architecture that's almost a backwards plan and the reason for that is that to the north here
38:41we have quite a dense forest yeah but if you look to the south here it's quite pleasant long views
38:49beautiful views down there but also plenty of sunlight on the east and west sunlight from the
38:57north through a skylight the north facing slanted roof is also perfectly pitched for the solar panels
39:04to catch the light being so far off the beaten track this house is totally off grid
39:12how much does the owner actually own the property sits on 99 acres of land and they're chosen to build
39:19a tiny house yeah so the land is under a conservation covenant except for two permitted building sites
39:26one of them is on a ridge with a view of the ocean and and they didn't put it there that's right and
39:32the other one is this uh sheltered clearing we were quite surprised initially as to why you wouldn't
39:38build with a water view but the client's story behind that is that if you eat cake every day you don't
39:43appreciate it but if you restrict yourself from an ocean view and you take a walk through the forest
39:50to see the view then it's a more special experience why is it in a clearing like this we're surrounded
39:58by eucalypt forest which is highly flammable to comply with bushfire regulations we need to be 16 meters
40:05away from any significant trees i see it's also probably one of the most sheltered places on the island
40:13in the island well i'm pleased that's quite solid because i can hear the thunder there's rolling
40:19dark clouds coming in and i might absolutely team down might be time to go inside come on after you
40:28thank you very much oh wow
40:33Hugh that is a fantastic tiny house
40:37my god what spacious is this really spacious you've got a relatively small footprint but the
40:49volume i mean that height up there from floor level what is it five meters is it five and then you've
40:56got this wonderful top light coming in and then very strategic views what a great bit of very minimal
41:04very simple design you've literally paid everything back to the bare bones part of our brief was that
41:10there was to be no loose furniture the only furniture is this hewan pine table and a mattress up on the
41:16sleeping loft everything else that you need is built in on each side you've got two enormous sliding
41:24doors that are frosted why have you decided to do that primarily it's there to eliminate a cross view
41:32for the orange-bellied parrot there's only about 70 breeding pairs left in the world
41:37and they fly through this area the frosting stops them from seeing through and colliding with the
41:44glass when the doors are open we would warmly welcome an orange-bellied parrot flying through
41:50i would never have imagined in a billion years that's why you frosted the glass to protect the orange
41:56bellied parrot that's right like the heavens have opened we've literally gone from scorching hot sunshine
42:06to teeming down with rain and thunder and lightning that's ireland weather in autumn yes
42:14with the rain lashing down outside this retreat feels like a proper sanctuary
42:20and i'm keen to check out where i'll be snuggled up tonight oh what a beautiful bedroom
42:31that is actually very impressive because the amount of clear headroom it's much larger than it seems
42:38and the bed's on the floor to enhance that sense of space well it's also very japanese style
42:43and from the bed you can look through the glass balustrade and through the skylight to the treetops oh yeah
42:56and there's one last luxury outside a bit of a surprise out here for you george
43:03where you can soak it all in am i getting wet why not come on that is brilliant
43:09and that is absolutely teaming down but what a fantastic position for the bath it's positioned to
43:17take in the sunset through the trees over there you can also cover it to just have a plain deck
43:24if you're lying that in with your head there this is the view look at that view even when it's pouring
43:29down with rain that's amazing i don't need a bath because i'm currently having a shower that's right
43:35should we go back inside come on it might not be the best day for an outdoor bath but i still can't
43:43wait to spend the night here but you thanks for that congratulations on a great tiny house and
43:49thanks for letting me stay tonight as well i'm really grateful you're very welcome george safe journey
44:05as i settle in for my own little overnight retreat i feel really lucky to be able to enjoy this space
44:13in the way it was intended you know what's really special about this is being able to stay overnight
44:21makes you feel quite humble it's the tiniest building but it's surrounded by the most incredible
44:29vast landscape but it provides all the shelter and all the protection you need you realize that you
44:37don't need much it does help when the architecture is really beautiful though with a beer cheers
44:59it goes without saying that bruni island is wild and beautiful but what i've realized in my time
45:22here is that there's a very strong connection between people land and water and that's been the case
45:30for many generations and you can see it reflected in the design of their houses i've seen homes of all
45:37shapes and sizes but the ones that i've really fall in love with are those that seem agriculturally
45:44very simple but are architecturally very sophisticated and that is unique to this place
46:14that's the case
46:28yep
46:29yep
46:30yep
46:31yep
46:32yep
46:32yep
46:33yep
46:34yep
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