Skip to playerSkip to main content
TVtube
  • 2 days ago
Grand Designs Transformations S02E02
Transcript
00:00While building a dream house is for some...
00:08This is brilliant!
00:09This is where we're up to.
00:11...many others are transforming existing homes.
00:14Got it! Got it!
00:17Smashing down walls, ripping out kitchens, and digging up gardens...
00:23Oh, there you go!
00:25...as they reimagine their homes as places to live, work and thrive.
00:30It's gonna be a bathhouse. Why not, eh?
00:33Bathrooms are the hardest thing to renovate.
00:35I'll go turn that off.
00:37Come on.
00:39I'm gonna die before we move into this house.
00:42I'm Anthony Burke, a professor of architecture.
00:46And I'm interior designer Yasmeen Janim.
00:50And in each episode of this new series of Grand Designs transformations...
00:54Every single person has kind of said, you're crazy.
00:57We follow the makeover masterminds behind two very different projects.
01:02I do question the stupidity of doing something like this.
01:06OK, this is good.
01:10David!
01:11What are you doing out here?
01:13We're turning this place into a spot where we're gonna get married.
01:16In this episode, I follow a couple of lovebirds on a secret mission to transform a bush church...
01:23Yeah, yeah, it's great.
01:25Bit bleak, yeah.
01:26...into the wedding venue of their dreams.
01:29Hope we get this concrete out and I don't tip the tractor.
01:33But the road to love is never smooth.
01:38What you thought were a couple of thousand dollar doors, they're turning into like $20,000 doors.
01:42It's gonna put pressure on all of us.
01:44Can they last the distance?
01:46You've gotten away.
01:47It's just way too much on.
01:51And I'm in Brisbane's Tenerife.
01:53Here she is, the problem child.
01:55It's a bit of a lemon.
01:56Where a modest Queenslander proves full of surprises.
02:00A 1910 Queenslander with a swimming pool under the house.
02:05I couldn't, I couldn't believe it.
02:07Can a flood traumatised family turn this simple cottage...
02:11Wow.
02:12I can put my whole hand in.
02:14...into a stylish three-storey mansion.
02:17I tell you at this point, it is hard.
02:26Australia's worst flooding disaster.
02:35That's how the situation in Queensland is being described.
02:38Three quarters of the state is now a disaster zone.
02:44It's hard to imagine, but at its peak, it's pretty much nearly a metre above that depth.
02:48It's almost like...
02:49This was well underwater over here.
02:51Yeah, we would have been underwater.
02:53For architects Kylie and James Forbes, the 2011 Queensland floods were a disaster
03:00that have had a very long tail indeed.
03:02Looking around, like, everything's destroyed for all these poor people
03:06and we're just here to give the best help that we can.
03:10Like hundreds of others, their home on the Brisbane River was swamped.
03:14A torrent of filthy water and debris destroying belongings and sections of the house.
03:19But also, their peace of mind.
03:22We swam into the house with plastic buckets and were trying to put into the plastic bucket sentimental items.
03:28And a lot of our stuff got ruined.
03:31For me, it's the...not the fear, but the situation that it could happen again.
03:35I guess that played on my mind a lot.
03:37How could it not?
03:39And small wonder the couple wanted to move with kids Sienna and James to somewhere beyond the river's reach.
03:50It took time.
03:52But finally they found their new home.
03:55Or the starting point at least.
03:57A Queenslander in bad repair on top of a hill in the ritzy enclave of Tenerife.
04:04It was just, you know, beautifully located, so close to the city.
04:08The view is 10 out of 10.
04:10It's north-facing.
04:11It's high and dry.
04:12It's in the suburb that's got great amenities.
04:15Best of all, unlike many of the old Queenslanders in the area, the house had no heritage restrictions.
04:22A blank canvas, no less, which they can extend into a veritable family oasis.
04:27We wanted the character of the house from the streetscape to sort of be...
04:32Keep it, retain it.
04:33Yeah, retain it and be current.
04:35Simple, right?
04:37Especially for a couple of seasoned architects.
04:40Well, so far, it's been anything but.
04:43Starting with the surprise requirement to preserve the giant jacaranda in the backyard.
04:49But this lovely old tree is the least of their worries.
04:54We asked Dave, the builder, to take up some floorboards to just check the structure underneath.
05:00And he says, hey, I found an in-ground swimming pool under your house.
05:06I couldn't believe it.
05:08Like, a 1910 Queenslander with a swimming pool under the house.
05:13It's an in-ground problem.
05:15Massive problem.
05:18Not the stable foundations they were hoping for.
05:22But wait, there's more.
05:24Excavations have uncovered an old stone wall stretching across the entire front of the house.
05:31Removing it is not an option.
05:34I reckon the wall might even be, like, 1880s, 1890s.
05:38Like, it would be really old.
05:40You can kind of see the outline must be somewhere around here.
05:43Yeah, they're big.
05:44That's how thick it is.
05:46It's massive.
05:48It's also holding up the whole front section of the block.
05:53I can't sugarcoat it.
05:55It's not what we expected.
05:56And it's delaying us and it's costing money and angst for the builder.
06:01So much for buying that humble blank canvas.
06:10So this is us.
06:11Here she is.
06:12The problem child.
06:13Very much so.
06:14It's a bit of a lemon.
06:16It's had so many problems that we didn't initially predict.
06:20The due diligence feels like it might not have been covered off.
06:25Really?
06:26Maybe that's the problem.
06:27We are actually two architects.
06:29Yeah, best laid plans.
06:30We are not immune.
06:31We're not immune to problems, believe me.
06:34Let's go in.
06:36It's a classic Queenslander.
06:39Weather boards outside and a couple of VJ-lined rooms in.
06:43But that's all about to be supersized.
06:46In fact, this humble little cottage might not know what's hit it.
06:52Down below in the basement, that old and very problematic swimming pool
06:57will be filled in and the 1890s stone wall is to become a wine cellar
07:02that'll adjoin rumpus, gym and games room,
07:05all accessing the outside deck and a new swimming pool.
07:11At street level, they'll retain the old Queenslanders gabled facade,
07:15but add a carport and entry courtyard,
07:18leading to ensuite bedrooms, a study and a large open-plan lounge kitchen
07:23with huge windows overlooking that protected jacaranda.
07:28From the living spaces,
07:30a staircase curves its way to the upper-level main bedroom and ensuite,
07:34which open to Kylie's pet project,
07:37a rose-coloured rooftop bar and so-called sky garden,
07:41where the whole family can hang out and soak up that magnificent city view.
07:48This is problems everywhere, right? Why go this big?
07:52We put a drone up, didn't we?
07:54And we saw the view one more level up and we said,
07:58we've really got to try to afford to put a third level up on that roof
08:01to capture that view.
08:03The build cost, how much is it?
08:05Well, I think we've forecast, we budgeted to spend $2.4 million here.
08:10So I think if we can keep it in the low twos, we're going to be happy.
08:14But that's not going to happen.
08:16Well, already we had a budget for Earthworks of 60 grand.
08:20They've been digging and uncovering and discovering.
08:23We've already spent $90,000, so...
08:25Yeah.
08:26But it's going to be our family home for a while,
08:28so I guess, you know, hopefully if we do overspend a little bit,
08:31we'll be here for a while and it'll be a great place to live.
08:35These guys might have thought they were escaping troubled waters,
08:39but five months into their 12-month build,
08:42they're up to their necks in it.
08:45Looks can be deceiving, that's for sure,
08:47because there's been nothing simple
08:49about transforming this simple little cottage.
08:53Then there's the question of how much charm from the old place
08:57is going to get swallowed up by this giant modern three-storey extension out back.
09:02Let's just say they're asking a lot from a little
09:06and getting way more than they bargained for,
09:08and it isn't all good.
09:17After being derailed by a long list of surprise problems,
09:21it's all systems go to get the project back on track.
09:25The old pool under the house is filled in,
09:28and Kylie and James' humble timber cottage
09:31starts growing a giant concrete backside.
09:36But it's out the front where things are getting tricky.
09:39How to create a two-car concrete garage
09:42without ruining the Queenslander character?
09:47Step one is disposing of dangerously unstable boundary walls.
09:52That, like, took one second.
10:03Wow.
10:04Supporting the carport will be eight concrete piers,
10:09which must go down to bedrock.
10:11I was kind of hoping for a metre, maybe a metre and a half.
10:182.8 metres.
10:19It's got to be at least three metres.
10:24It's a two-day job,
10:26and the constant drilling could easily destabilise the old stone wall,
10:30holding up the front of the house.
10:32If it goes down, all hell rains down with it.
10:37If you look at the edge of the house,
10:39you can see there's a little tiny brick pier resting on this wall.
10:42So if the wall collapses, the house collapses.
10:45Please don't let that happen.
10:51Down below, guess what?
10:53I came in here this morning.
10:58What do you reckon about this crack?
11:01Like, it was a fissure before.
11:03It was a small crack.
11:04It's kind of gone...
11:05It's moved ahead.
11:07I know.
11:08It was not like that, no.
11:10That's what I'm saying.
11:12You can put your finger in it now.
11:13I can put more than my finger in.
11:15I can put my whole hand in.
11:16Remember the old song from Little Things Big Things Grow?
11:22The question is what to do about it.
11:30In the bustling New South Wales central west town of Dubbo,
11:34there's another project looking to turn an old building into new memories.
11:39Two young lovers are planning the day of a lifetime.
11:43Music.
11:44Marky.
11:45Marky.
11:46Your suit.
11:48Sally is a policy writer for the state government
11:50and Angus works in renewables.
11:53All the catering.
11:55You're making me really nervous.
11:57What?
11:58No, it'll be fine.
11:59It's just long.
12:00It's fine.
12:01The pair were destined to marry from the moment they met.
12:05Your good friend Doug married my good friend Georgie
12:09and she owned a wedding business
12:11and she needed two models for a fake wedding in the central west.
12:16Which is us.
12:17Yeah.
12:19And then following that,
12:20obviously Gus thought I looked pretty great in her wedding dress
12:23and asked me on a date.
12:26Started with a wedding essentially,
12:27which is kind of the wrong way to go about it.
12:29But anyway, that's fine.
12:30When it's right, it's right.
12:35Right?
12:36Come on.
12:38But what was wrong was the venue.
12:41We kind of felt like nothing was unique or just didn't like resonate with us.
12:46And then I was online one night and I saw a little church.
12:50And I kind of said to Gus,
12:52do you reckon we could do this?
12:53And thankfully Gus didn't say no.
12:57He yesed me, which he probably shouldn't have done.
13:03And here she is.
13:05What a beaut.
13:06Straight out of the same classic 1950s architectural school
13:10that gave us scout halls and sports ground changing rooms.
13:15And to be clear, Angus and Sally aren't hiring it.
13:19They've bought it for 130 grand
13:22and plan to renovate before getting married here
13:25in six short months.
13:29Our family think we are crazy,
13:31probably think we've bitten off way more than we can chew,
13:33planning a wedding and trying to create a wedding venue, basically.
13:37But then as well as thinking that we're crazy,
13:40I think they kind of love this idea
13:42of us all sort of doing something together.
13:44And I think that they find it just as special as we do.
13:49Close family are about the only ones who know they've bought the church.
13:53Angus and Sally have a plan to keep it secret until their big day.
13:58Sal loves to give people the night of their lives.
14:01I thought you were about to say shock factor.
14:03No, no, no, no, no.
14:04The night of their lives.
14:05So to have, you know, our closest friends, you know,
14:08and their partners and babies walk off a bus and see a church,
14:12not where they're expecting to be,
14:14built by us in a town where they've never been before,
14:17is just going to be incredible.
14:18So it's a big secret that we've got to keep from them all,
14:22and we've got to keep it from them for six months,
14:24which is basically torture.
14:26Yep, the Bush Telegraph is not called the Bush Telegraph for nothing.
14:33This is spectacular countryside out here.
14:36It's this rich agricultural pile of New South Wales.
14:39I love visiting out here.
14:42It's so pretty.
14:46But that church, that is not pretty.
14:52G'day mate.
14:53There they are.
14:54How are you going?
14:55I felt like I had to sneak in here,
14:57almost under the cover of darkness, to maintain the secret.
14:59Yeah, it's very much like that.
15:01You know, you have to be incognito around this town.
15:03Paint the picture for me then.
15:04Here's the church.
15:06Yeah.
15:07It's not the romantic church,
15:09little country church on a hill that I had kind of thought it might have been.
15:13Yeah, yeah, yeah.
15:14It's grey.
15:15Bit bleak.
15:16Yeah.
15:17Yeah, it is.
15:18But you know what?
15:19It kind of...
15:20I don't know, to me it's still, like, it's got so much potential.
15:22The church building itself is quite small,
15:24but, you know, we're on a 2,000 square metre block here,
15:27so what we're trying to do with the gardens,
15:29and that's where we're going to spend a lot of the time at our wedding,
15:32you know, in the garden, in a marquee, you know, drinking in the gardens,
15:35that's what we want to make, you know...
15:37And we love gardening.
15:38Yeah.
15:39So this was really important for us.
15:40Tell me you've got a landscape architect who's going to help here.
15:44We do, yeah.
15:45Your dad.
15:46We do, yeah.
15:47Dad's a landscaper, so we're very lucky to have his help.
15:49Okay.
15:50With these gardens, yeah.
15:51Yeah.
15:52So the garden I get,
15:55but what about this ugly duckling of a church?
15:58Here she is.
16:00Oh, wow.
16:02It's actually very small.
16:04Yeah.
16:05It's very plain.
16:06How are you going to sort of lift this space
16:09to make it into something which feels like,
16:12I want you to have this beautiful wedding
16:14that feels like it should be there for your wedding?
16:16Yeah.
16:17I don't think it's going to take that much.
16:19You know, we're going to be replacing the windows
16:21with beautiful timber windows.
16:23We've sourced beautiful antique sort of farmhouse doors
16:26that we're going to put in.
16:28So it's going to sort of have those elements
16:30that tie you from here to the garden
16:33that makes it feel really beautiful.
16:36The transformation starts with making a manicured,
16:40orderly and very strollable country garden.
16:44Guests enter the property down a crushed gravel path
16:47through an avenue of trees.
16:49They'll be met by lawns, colourful flower beds,
16:52cypress hedges and flowering crab apples.
16:55And there's open space for temporary alfresco dining.
16:59The church itself gets a long overdue facelift,
17:03starting with a set of restored antique doors
17:06right at the front
17:07so it looks like your classic wedding chapel.
17:10Inside, the tiny hall gets a simple spruce up.
17:14Polished floors, a lick of paint, new windows
17:17and two more sets of doors flowing out to the alfresco.
17:21Could the whole transformation bring light and refinement
17:25to what's been an ugly hall on a dusty paddock?
17:28We've got how much budget are we working with?
17:33Our budget's 100 grand for this project,
17:35which we're hoping will see us through.
17:39But yeah, it's a huge concern
17:40because it's not a great deal of money.
17:42In my mind, I've already spent 80 grand on just the building.
17:45I haven't got outside yet.
17:46So that brings me to sort of this question
17:48of what happens to this place after the wedding?
17:51Yeah.
17:52What are you going to do with it?
17:53What we bought here, this block,
17:55you know, it's 2,000 square metres
17:56in a small country town.
17:58You know, we could turn this place into a house
18:00and live here in future.
18:01Solid asset.
18:02The gardens are established.
18:03That's right.
18:04It is a solid asset.
18:05But we haven't, you know,
18:06spent too much time on it
18:07because we can't absorb those costs right now.
18:10So it's kind of like, let's get married
18:12and then, you know, see what the future holds.
18:15Wow.
18:17Talk about a date with destiny.
18:19At least in the short term,
18:21what the future holds is a very large amount of work
18:24and six months is not a lot of time to do it in.
18:28Sally and Angus, they're not designers,
18:30but they have a vision here for a wedding,
18:33which is a fairy tale.
18:35And I say that advisedly
18:37because I can't see at this point what they're seeing.
18:40I mean, it's a nugget of a building.
18:42But maybe that's the thing.
18:43It's not just about the church.
18:45It's the whole project, the family being involved,
18:47the whole lead up and enjoying the journey
18:50rather than the end point,
18:51which sounds very weird for a wedding.
18:53I mean, you've heard the expression,
18:55getting to the church on time.
18:57Let's just pray they finish the church on time.
19:10Six months from the wedding day,
19:13perhaps the most important part of this transformation
19:17is backing down the driveway.
19:23Oh, my gosh, there are so many trees.
19:26They look awesome.
19:28They're huge.
19:30So, today, all of our mature trees arrived.
19:33There was 103 of them, which is very, very exciting.
19:37It's huge because this is the masterpiece
19:40if you kind of look at the 2,000 square block.
19:42It's all about the garden.
19:44What are you doing out here?
19:46We're turning this place into a spot
19:48where we're going to get married.
19:49All right.
19:50But it's top secret, Louie.
19:52You can't go telling anyone.
19:53It'll be nice.
19:54It will be when it's all planted out, yeah.
19:57So, what, are you going to plant these yourself?
19:59Yeah, yeah, we've got plenty of work ahead of us.
20:01Yep, we're going to plant them all this weekend, basically.
20:03Yeah.
20:04All this weekend?
20:05Yep.
20:06You flat out?
20:07Yeah, yeah.
20:15They're flat out back at Tenerife too.
20:18James and Kylie's giant Queenslander extension
20:21is rising up out of the hillside.
20:28Now eight months into their year-long project,
20:31a shortage of trades and material delays
20:34are blowing their timeline to smithereens.
20:37There's some good news, though.
20:40The old stone wall is holding ground.
20:43Those deep piers that caused the problem in the first place
20:46are now full of concrete
20:48and giving it some much-needed stability.
20:50I mean, there's concrete behind it now that round,
20:52so, I mean, I don't think it's going to go anywhere.
20:57For Kylie,
20:59staying ahead of the endless decisions and setbacks
21:02has become a full-time job.
21:04And when it comes to her pet project,
21:08creating a $13,000 rose-coloured cast concrete rooftop bar,
21:14she's not leaving anything to chance.
21:19Just to see the science going into it,
21:21controlling the temperature, humidity, the mix, the colour.
21:25They're putting the oxide in.
21:27Yes.
21:28Yes.
21:29See, that doesn't look the same colour.
21:31Are you sure?
21:32I think so.
21:33That amount is going to come out that colour.
21:35OK, I trust you.
21:37I trust you, boys.
21:44It doesn't seem like you've made enough.
21:46I know you're an expert.
21:47How can that make a whole bench?
21:50Like a whole... This is a three-metre bench.
21:52Very thin.
21:54Kylie's got one chance to get it right.
22:00And after all their unexpected mishaps,
22:02trusting the process is getting harder and harder.
22:13Semi-circle on the end.
22:16So if we pick that centre...
22:18But one person Kylie can trust is her dad, Harry.
22:2313 years ago, he handcrafted this family dining table for his daughter,
22:28which was salvaged from the flood and is being repurposed for Kylie's kitchen.
22:32This is a photo of little James making it with you in the workshop the first time.
22:39Like the family, the table didn't survive the flood unscathed.
22:43The timber got a lot of water damage.
22:47They had the roof collapse, that was more water damage, but the light fitting hit it and caused some more damage.
22:55But if we can get that off and get some oil back on it, then it'll be back to its original glory.
23:0013 years of wear and tear, battle scars.
23:04I'm actually really sentimental about the table.
23:06I love it.
23:07Sienna having a birthday.
23:09Every single birthday was at this table.
23:12When you go through a flood, you start to look at what means a lot to you, what's sentimental.
23:18The outcome is that you, I guess you kind of look at things a little differently, having gone through that.
23:28This is not just a repair job.
23:30To fit with a snazzy new extension, Harry's been handed the job of modernising it.
23:35Yes! You did it!
23:39The old table's a bit like this whole build, really.
23:43A familiar old character getting a fashionable facelift.
23:54Out at Dubbo, family is well and truly top of mind too.
23:59With the wedding looming large, it's the first family working bee at the old church.
24:03And there are more than a hundred trees to get in the ground.
24:08This neglected paddock needs to become a thing of bridal beauty pronto.
24:13Try and get that old toilet out of there.
24:16Angus's dad Leon and Uncle Steve are taking charge.
24:21Dad's a pro at this.
24:23He's a landscape gardener, so he's used to getting to site and just starting work straight away.
24:27He sort of almost has the plan in his head before he even gets here.
24:30You don't want to flatten that out?
24:33I'd be right, I think.
24:35With no wedding day eyesores allowed, the dunny quickly becomes a portaloo.
24:41Look at that.
24:43That's cleared the way to plant a line of 80 conifers.
24:47It's heavy, hot, tough work.
24:54It's a bit rocky under here.
24:56An instant wake up call about the scale of the challenge ahead.
25:00It would be great to have a team of ten guys here in the landscape company and, you know what I mean, really power into it and knock it over in three or four weeks.
25:08We haven't got that budget to do that.
25:10Of course, at the end of the day, we've got a deadline to meet.
25:13So, um, still a lot more hard work to do, so...
25:18And of course, the garden's only half the job.
25:22Of all the things a wedding chapel needs, top of the list are church doors at the front for the bride to make her grand entrance.
25:31It's always a bit nerve-wracking the first time you see anything after you buy it online, so...
25:33I know.
25:34In what she hopes will be the heroes of the transformation, Sally has sourced three sets of doors.
25:40From Egypt, of all places.
25:43They've been sent to restore a wing in Sydney for what they hope will be a quick touch-up.
25:48Oh, wow.
25:49Oh, my gosh.
25:51There's a bit of work to do on them.
25:53Oh, wow, wing.
25:56They're very cool.
25:58Very cool and very old.
26:00Yeah, they're very old.
26:01A hundred years old, apparently.
26:04The shame is, this door's in good nick.
26:07Some of them look more like firewood.
26:11This piece, suppose, belongs to here.
26:13Yeah, it's a joint.
26:15It's going into there.
26:16Yeah.
26:17But it's just, um, when we take it apart, it's just broken.
26:20Yeah.
26:22Sally paid two grand for these doors, sight unseen.
26:25Who knows how much more it'll cost to restore them, if it can even be done.
26:29Cool.
26:30I don't know.
26:31I just think we'll just give it a crack.
26:32You know, we don't, we don't have another set of doors.
26:35So, this is the set that we've got.
26:37And we probably just didn't foresee that it was going to be this much work.
26:41It is a lot of work.
26:44It is a lot of work.
26:47And as both Sally and Angus are discovering, and Kylie and James are finding in Tenerife,
26:53old and new aren't always easy bedfellows.
26:57But there's a remarkable home in Brisbane that I think has made that transformation stunningly well.
27:04Both our projects start from the same place, and that is from very humble buildings.
27:12So, I brought you to this place.
27:14Now, tell me, what do you see?
27:16A lot of timber, a lot of tin.
27:18Very cute garden.
27:20But, you know, very typical of this area in Brisbane.
27:23Well, you're correct, it is.
27:24But this place has had something of a glow up recently.
27:29It's pretty phenomenal. Let me show you what I mean.
27:31A glow up?
27:33Yeah.
27:35At first glance, this 1890s Queenslander cottage looks fairly typical.
27:40Central hallway with bedrooms off to either side, and living spaces downstairs.
27:47When does the glow up begin?
27:49Yeah, you're nearly there.
27:50Ah, okay. I see what you mean.
27:55Holy moly.
28:00What do you think?
28:02This is crazy.
28:03Didn't expect that, did you?
28:04No.
28:05Wow.
28:07The thing about it that I think is really interesting, the whole thing has come from a love of the Queenslander that's right behind us here.
28:13Yeah.
28:14So what they embraced was the idea of the veranda and sort of pushed that extra space out into this, you know, fantastic tower, this little tower of timber.
28:22They have reinterpreted the Queenslander, right?
28:24Yeah.
28:26As I stand here I can see the fan whipping around, the cane furniture, the timber cladding.
28:31It all feels like I'm in Queensland still, but completely refreshed.
28:36Designed by form architects, the new addition is pivoted on the block, allowing the old house, now all bedrooms and living spaces, to be preserved with maximum light and ventilation.
28:48But it feels like I'm literally going from one veranda to the next.
28:55Yep. Through these platforms for living.
28:58Now this is special.
29:01Yeah.
29:02What a beautiful room.
29:04Well, this is where the tree house becomes a little timber jewel box, I think.
29:08Check this out.
29:09This whole wall here.
29:12Fantastic architectural hardware just slides away, changes the scene up completely.
29:18Wow.
29:19And it's amazing, yeah?
29:20Incredible.
29:25Classic Queenslanders, of course, were built for the tropical climate, and simply at that.
29:32And it's all here in this super cool kitchen.
29:36The express studs, clad on just the one side.
29:41The chicken wire on the cupboards, old school pantry style.
29:45It's both nostalgic and contemporary at the same time.
29:50And in another nod to heritage, there's so much veranda space, it's one to one, inside and out.
29:58But it's all been done with such an authentic and careful consideration that something new and wonderful has emerged.
30:05What I'm a little bit worried about with Sally and Angus and their little church is they're trying to build memories,
30:12but they're kind of treating it a bit more like a stage set or something.
30:16Well, I'm equally worried, but for a completely different reason.
30:19For James and Kylie, it's about scale.
30:22My concern's about how big they're going.
30:24Like, the expanse of their renovation is massive.
30:27They're going to be left with this big old house, and the kids want to move out, because they're getting older.
30:31It's all about balance.
30:34And getting it right is not so easy.
30:40But even more difficult for Kylie and James, just getting the house finished.
30:46Their year-long deadline has come and gone, but stress is their constant companion.
30:51They say the last 10% takes 90% of your effort, mainly because by now you're just so tired, but also trying to get every last little detail right.
31:01If bone weariness weren't enough, Kylie's just heard that the family's temporary accommodation has run out.
31:09We've been renting for the past year and a bit, and I've extended my lease two times, and then I asked to extend it the third time, and they said, no, you're out.
31:20They're moving to a house-sit in a nearby suburb, but packing and unpacking on top of everything else is pushing the whole family to breaking point.
31:29Remember when we flooded, and it was 10 months before we were back in from the floods?
31:35Yeah, that wasn't fun.
31:38The house-sit is a lucky break from a friend headed overseas.
31:43He is hoping it sees them to the finish line.
31:46I tell you at this point, it is hard.
31:51I hope it's going to just give us that little bit of extra inspiration too, to put in the effort to get this house finished.
31:59Because James and I, we are running out of steam.
32:02They're certainly being tested, both off-site and on.
32:07From the smallest details to giant features, like the internal staircase.
32:11We originally tried to plasterboard the stairwell with just standard six-bill plasterboard, but the setters weren't going to be able to make a nice curve without all the flat spots, so we're wetting down all this billboard to make it extra bendy.
32:26And then we're going to try and slowly curve it into place and then screw it off in place, so that way the setters can have a nice, tight curve.
32:33Woo!
32:34After many hours of manipulation, the staircase finally has curves.
32:42Now comes plastering.
32:44Now it's hard part.
32:47And bending a balustrade to complement the twists and turns.
32:52Every detail is really beautiful, but need time, need attention to make a really good finish.
32:58But all that adds up, and is causing Kylie and James' project to overrun even further.
33:06Easy.
33:08It gets stressful when you don't know when you're moving in.
33:12I think that's the hardest bit.
33:14And it's hard with teenage kids, they just sort of, mum, show us when it's finished.
33:18But I want to say at the end that this is going to be a beautiful family home and it's worth it.
33:23I truly hope so.
33:28Back in Dubbo, Sally and Angus' wedding is just three months away.
33:33The early plantings are starting to bloom.
33:37And Dad Leon is about to give the church an even bigger facelift.
33:42Today, obviously, we're going to get the new doors, front doors in on the church, which is a massive transformation for the church.
33:49It's never had a front door.
33:50It will be the biggest transformation of the church, and I think of the whole property, in one day.
33:59The first job is removing a huge door-sized slab of concrete.
34:03They've brought in a professional cutter, and they'll use those holes to lift the heavy pieces out with a forklift.
34:13Well, we hope we get this bit of concrete out, and I don't tip the tractor.
34:23That's what I'm hoping.
34:25Mark.
34:27Might just need you just to stand on those two bloody things at the back end.
34:30I'm only 40 kilos now.
34:31Yeah, I know.
34:32A bit extra 40 kilos might help us, though.
34:36As soon as I pass, I'll come down to where my tines are on that bit of concrete.
34:40All right, now?
34:41That was well done.
34:42I think it's right on our bloody limits of our way.
35:00Beautiful.
35:01And there we have it.
35:02The restorer wing has worked miracles rebuilding those dilapidated doors and making a frame.
35:17Finally, the church should start to look like, well, a church.
35:24The doors fit perfectly to the millimetre.
35:26So, yeah, if you see it from back down, you know, back down the pathway, it's a really nice proportion to the wall that's here.
35:33So, I think it looks fantastic.
35:37Right around.
35:39Beautiful.
35:41Okay.
35:42Sally's been away at a dress fitting.
35:45Hey, Mark.
35:46Sal, how you going?
35:47But even after that, the doors are her pride and joy.
35:51It's so nice to see these doors.
35:53It's like a whole different feeling.
35:55Like, seeing them in Wing's shop, I was like, oh, I love them.
35:58But, like, seeing them here in the church, I'm like, oh, wow, the scale, they're big, they're beautiful.
36:05It's really nice.
36:07What's not so nice is the bill for the concrete cutting.
36:12Unanticipated travel expenses meant it was triple what they expected to pay.
36:16Yeah, bugger.
36:17Okay, that's annoying.
36:18The tiny budget has taken a massive hit.
36:21See ya.
36:22Okay, bye.
36:23The doors already cost us a lot to source.
36:25Then we had to restore them.
36:26Now we're cutting out holes for them.
36:28So, it's just like, what you thought were a couple of thousand dollar doors are turning into like $20,000 doors.
36:34When you look at our doors, you'll go, I've never seen them anywhere else.
36:38And that's because no one else was stupid enough to spend this much money on doors.
36:41So, yeah.
36:44Let's hope the doors are the only blowout.
36:51There's still a lot to do before that grand wedding, and not a lot of time or money left to do it.
36:57It's under three months now to go.
36:59We've got turf to lay.
37:01We've got irrigation to put in.
37:03We've still got a lot to do.
37:05It's going to put pressure on all of us, but we've just got to do it and keep going.
37:11Don't talk timelines in Tenerife.
37:17Thanks to supply delays and labour shortages, Kylie and James' 12-month Queenslander transformation has now gone over by six months.
37:28And the hits keep coming.
37:29We're so close to lock up.
37:31We're so close to having everything weatherproof.
37:35And, of course, this big rain event happens, and rain will find a spot where it's not finished.
37:42During four days of unrelenting Brisbane rain, the house has sprung leaks.
37:48You can see the colour of the concrete.
37:50You can see water is wicking across the ceiling.
37:54So I'm worried this is going to delay us.
37:56Worried.
37:57Ah!
37:58See?
38:00That's wet.
38:05When I see water inside the house again, it just brings back memories.
38:09It just evokes that feeling of panic or overdrive.
38:15I struggle with that whole flooding.
38:17Like, it's that feeling of here we go again.
38:19It's literally here we go again vibes.
38:21It's the last thing they need.
38:26The second last thing?
38:31Another house move.
38:34Lady Luck's done a runner.
38:37Suitcase travels again.
38:39James and Kylie's old mate is returning from overseas, so they're off to a hotel.
38:44It just feels like monotony of move after move after move.
38:51For 18-year-old Sienna, it's the final straw.
38:56She's called time on the uncertainty and is moving in with friends.
39:00For good.
39:01It's the bar bench.
39:02You don't look at that and change your mind and go, you really wanna...
39:05Well, we weren't talking about this.
39:06No.
39:07Yeah, true.
39:08Okay.
39:09A lot of friends are talking about moving out or moving into share homes and, like, that excitement
39:14of being able to be finally independent is something that I'm looking forward to.
39:18But I think it'll be hard for mum and dad to grasp that I won't be there forever.
39:24I'm just gonna miss you not moving in.
39:28Maybe you can come in for a week.
39:33Wow.
39:34It's a blow for Kylie.
39:36For her, this whole build is about family.
39:39I'll go past you guys, swing in.
39:41Her pet project has even arrived.
39:44That 200-kilogram rose-coloured concrete bar for family drinks on the top balcony.
39:51We've got a bit of a tricky install ahead of us.
39:54Up the kerf staircase and onto the rooftop.
39:56We've got that nice brass balustrade too we don't want to damage.
40:04What Kylie can't come to grips with is Sienna being a no-show at family happy hour.
40:12I can't believe it.
40:14We got this close to moving in and now she's moving out.
40:20It's irony, right?
40:21But when we started she was 16 and here we are.
40:25She's now 18 and she's like, I want to move in with them.
40:28I'm like, what do you mean?
40:29We're moving into this beautiful home we've designed.
40:32She's like, yeah, no.
40:36Oh.
40:37The Tenerife build seems never-ending.
40:46But there's no such luxury in Dubbo.
40:50The wedding's in three days.
40:52Ready or not.
40:53And as is the way of these things, there seems more jobs than ever to do.
41:03I think I told Gus I refuse to be painting the week before the wedding.
41:09And we're three days out and I'm here painting.
41:12So shock horror.
41:14It's just kind of like head down, bum up at this point.
41:18And it's been like a lot of late nights in the lead up to it.
41:21You know, I'm sort of out here until, you know, midnight or more.
41:28The sprint to the finish has taken its toll.
41:32Angus is crook.
41:35I've obviously picked up something you can tell in my voice,
41:38which isn't ideal, but yeah, look, we'll get through it.
41:42I just want to be able to, you know, deliver the speech and deliver my vows
41:46without too much angst.
41:49Let's go.
41:51With the arrival of the marquee, Sally and Angus have hit that critical junction
41:55between finishing the renovations and setting up the wedding.
41:59Two worlds are colliding right when they're most exhausted.
42:03We've also, you know, got to write our wedding speeches and vows
42:06and everything else that comes that we've sort of been neglecting
42:10to sort of make sure that this is looking perfect.
42:13So there's plenty on.
42:15Very tired.
42:18It is, without doubt, the perfect storm.
42:24Though best not to mention storms.
42:33I think I can feel the rain.
42:36That might just be the final straw.
42:50And I haven't done my speech at all.
42:53And yeah, it's just, yeah, it's completely gotten away.
42:56And we haven't got the great murtels at all.
42:58You know, we've got to fill these pots and yeah,
43:01it's just way too much on.
43:03It's all going to be okay.
43:04I mean, as any bride would know, putting a wedding together
43:10and some of those finer details, it can be quite a stressful environment.
43:14It's a lot of work.
43:15And it's also exciting as well, you know, celebration of Sally and I getting married.
43:19It's, you know, it's what it's all, all the hard work's been for, so, yeah.
43:22I just hope, come the big day, it's all been worth it.
43:29While the countdown is on for Sally and Angus, back in Brisbane, time has moved very slowly indeed for Kylie and James' Tenerife Queenslander.
43:46Two years of endless frustrations and delays have proved torturous.
43:53And I'm fascinated to see where they've ended up.
43:56Okay, this is good.
44:10I was always so nervous that the extension would overpower this tiny cottage.
44:21But I can safely say, this is delightful.
44:25Kylie and James.
44:30Hiya!
44:31Oh my God!
44:32Hiya!
44:33We've made it.
44:34You've made it.
44:35Finally.
44:36This looks incredible.
44:37I know, we've moved so many times.
44:39But now that we've finally settled and in, we're really happy.
44:42I think it was the toughest year we've had but we are better than ever and life is really settled here, it's beautiful.
44:50I think you actually called it a lemon at the start, yeah.
44:54You're right, you're right.
44:55I don't think it's a lemon anymore.
44:57But how amazing is his transformation?
45:00Are you loving it?
45:01We are loving it, yeah.
45:03Yeah.
45:04We really are.
45:05Yeah.
45:06Now that jacaranda has always been the hero and I'm just dying to see what it looks like
45:11because it's teasing me down that corridor.
45:12All I can see is this amazing view.
45:14Yeah.
45:15Let's go in.
45:16Let's get me there.
45:19From the front of the house they've done a great job retaining the charm of the old cottage
45:24while marrying it with the new.
45:26It's quite the feat both outside and in.
45:33Look at the height.
45:34I love a good vestibule, it's so good.
45:37But what really strikes me is the texture.
45:40There's so much of it.
45:42The concrete, the crouse bricks, the timber, the beautiful textured render, the stone.
45:51It's all so warm and inviting.
45:56The natural materials and beautifully crafted elements, including Grandad Harry's restored
46:02table, creating a relaxed elegance.
46:05It's like being in a super luxe tree house actually.
46:08It is stunning and the big long 11 metre window kind of gives that expanse of the room.
46:17It's open the whole time and it really does feel like that Queensland environment where
46:21you are outside.
46:22It's all very smart in the new extension, the charming old cottage adjoins it.
46:34Now kids' bedrooms and a study.
46:37It's all very simpatico, with the old house cosying up nicely to its futuristic cousin via that beautiful moulded staircase.
46:46Look how good it looks.
46:49It's almost sculptural or art.
46:52Oh very much so.
46:53In its helix kind of pattern that threads its way through all three levels.
47:01Downstairs to the games room, gym, the tricky heritage walled cellar and the pool area.
47:10Following the beautiful brass solid handrail.
47:13Oh look at that.
47:14Upstairs to Kylie and James' bedroom and ensuite.
47:19Opening out to the ultimate rooftop bar.
47:25Oh look at the little pizza oven, how cute.
47:27Yeah.
47:28I didn't know if, you know, anything could top downstairs, but I'm really bloody jealous about this.
47:35I want a bar.
47:37We wanted another space to entertain at home, so it's like a second kitchen up here.
47:42I hate to ask, but you know where I'm going to go.
47:47Yep.
47:48This is high end.
47:49How much did this all cost?
47:52Well, our original budget was around 2.4 and I think we spent just under 2.7.
48:01So about 10% over budget.
48:04But a lot of that was the structural integrity.
48:06It was finding a swimming pool that we weren't prepared for.
48:10Retaining walls that weren't waterproofed.
48:13And the cost to build three levels.
48:14Well I think the other thing is the market, you know, with construction has moved so much in the last few years.
48:19It is insane.
48:20I think we did pretty well, to be honest.
48:22It's still a lot of money.
48:23I know.
48:24It's crazy.
48:25It really is.
48:26So I think you'd had 12 months for the build?
48:28Haha, she laughs.
48:29It was optimistic, wasn't it?
48:31How long did it take?
48:33It took us.
48:34I'm not answering the question.
48:35You still haven't answered the question.
48:36Two years!
48:37I know.
48:38It did.
48:39It actually took us just under two years.
48:4018 months.
48:42Was there ever a moment where you just wanted to throw the towel in?
48:44Plenty.
48:45Yeah.
48:46Finding the pool, that was testing.
48:47Finding no structural integrity.
48:50Yeah, moving three times, that was hard.
48:53But now, we're really, really happy we finished.
48:56Very, very lucky that a husband and wife team can work so seamlessly together.
49:00And also not kill one another at the end of it all.
49:03And he's still here standing and smiling and it's...
49:05Yeah.
49:06I think maybe the hard times are there to test you.
49:09And if you can get through them, you come out a little stronger.
49:12I think that's definitely true for us.
49:14Well, I think I need a stiff drink.
49:16Yes!
49:17I'd love to have a drink in the Rosie Moe bar.
49:21Let's get there.
49:29I'm so happy for James and Kylie.
49:33They wanted to move to higher ground and create a safe family home,
49:38but had no idea how much of an uphill climb it would be to get there.
49:44Hey!
49:45It's amazing.
49:46Hiya!
49:47Come on in!
49:48You get to finally see it finished.
49:51Guys, you can take a look around if you want.
49:55Finally, it's happy hour on the roof.
49:58Finally finished.
49:59Cheers!
50:02Everyone, do you remember Sienna?
50:04And it's not just the kids that are back for sundowners.
50:10To an amazing home.
50:12Cheers!
50:14Oh, drink to that!
50:15It's still a little too early for a drink for Angus and Sally in Dubbo.
50:33Just 24 hours out from their big day,
50:38their ugly little duckling of a chapel is looking surprisingly sweet.
50:43The dusty paddock, all garden party sophistication,
50:52and everything primed and just about ready to go.
50:57This is unbelievable.
51:00You look perfect.
51:01Lovely to see you.
51:02Yeah, good to see you.
51:03Lovely to see you too.
51:04Is this the dream?
51:05Yeah, it is the dream, isn't it?
51:06It's like a fairy tale come true.
51:08Yeah, it's nice seeing it in person, in scale.
51:12I mean, the church, the marquee, all the elements.
51:15Like, it really feels real.
51:17You've been the main engines, but you've had a whole team around you.
51:20Family, yeah.
51:21Like, Angus's dad, Leon, was pivotal to this.
51:24He laid every single brick.
51:26He's laid the turf with us, mowed the turf, did every plant,
51:29you know, made the steps for the doors,
51:31and it sometimes feels like it's more his than ours
51:34because of how much he gave to it, you know?
51:36The secret?
51:38Have you been able to keep it?
51:40There's been a few inadvertent family members
51:42that may have put things on Facebook, but, um...
51:45They help, and then they go and do something like that.
51:47Yeah, yeah, exactly.
51:49But, look, all our friends,
51:50so the large, large majority of the people that are turning up...
51:52Have no idea still.
51:53...have no idea, so...
51:54Well, look, this is...
51:55It's looking like a festival.
51:56More than a church,
51:57it's looking like a whole carnival
51:59which you've created for yourselves
52:00in the very best way possible.
52:01This old church slash change room has changed.
52:08The rescued doors signal the building's purpose.
52:12The brilliant white paint chases away
52:15any sign of concrete blocks.
52:18It's an idyllic little wedding chapel.
52:24Just practising my walk.
52:26Oh, you look very good.
52:29I mean, come on, this is picture perfect.
52:32It is.
52:33Clean lines and, yeah...
52:35Look at the smiles on your faces.
52:37It's very exciting.
52:38It's beautiful.
52:39It's really beautiful.
52:40Yeah.
52:41And the pews are here and everything,
52:42so you're ready to roll.
52:45You stayed with the sort of fairly neutral tones.
52:48It feels kind of very minimal still.
52:50Well, you've caught us right at the time
52:52where all the stylists are gonna come
52:53and the florists and vice versa.
52:55The colour is coming, I swear.
52:57It was such a concrete pillbox.
53:00Hard, hot, all the wrong things
53:03and it's just...
53:04It feels so beautifully different.
53:05Yeah.
53:06Yeah.
53:07The effort is tangible.
53:08Mm.
53:09Yeah.
53:13Outside, Leon and the rest of the family
53:15are working on the finishing touches.
53:18It's taken hard labour to plant hundreds of trees and shrubs.
53:25Those mature plants worth the extra cost.
53:28It's green and manicured, inviting you to wander and ponder.
53:34I think the gardens were probably the hardest task
53:39because when you look at the grounds, the church,
53:41it's still an important part,
53:43but it's the little building that sits in the middle of what was nothing.
53:47So, you know, every brick, every fence, pillar, turf, plants.
53:52Like, we had so much space to fill in
53:54and there was so much labour in that.
53:56Yeah.
53:57But this is...
53:58Yeah.
53:59Better than we could imagine.
54:00Yeah.
54:01And how about the money?
54:02You had $100,000...
54:03Yeah.
54:04...set aside for this.
54:05Yeah.
54:06Well, we definitely went over $100, but we were under $200.
54:10Yeah.
54:11Yeah.
54:12$180.
54:13Ish.
54:14Yeah, okay.
54:15That was quite a bit more than I was expecting, actually.
54:17Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
54:18Now that you see it like this, I mean, it is looking very spectacular.
54:22It feels like all that's missing now is, I don't know,
54:25about 100 people to come and celebrate with you, I think.
54:27Yeah.
54:28And I don't want to get between you and that important moment,
54:29so congratulations.
54:30It's looking a million bucks, and tomorrow's going to be perfect.
54:34Thank you so much.
54:35You're out.
54:4124 hours later...
54:44And all that's left to do...
54:47..is revealed their big surprise.
54:57And get hitched, of course.
55:05Welcome to the wedding of Sally and Angus.
55:09One day, they had a conversation.
55:12Imagine if we could buy a chapel, do it up,
55:15and surprise our friends and family by getting married in it.
55:19And here it is.
55:20They did it.
55:21It is my great honour and joy to now pronounce you husband and wife.
55:25Angus, you may now kiss your bride.
55:28CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
55:29Six months of slaving and subterfuge...
55:43CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
55:45..have gone off without a hitch.
55:49Well, maybe one.
55:54But finally, the secret is out.
55:57This was a surprise.
55:58We didn't pick this.
55:59No way.
56:00Like, I can't believe they did it.
56:02It feels like you're in Greece or somewhere.
56:04Like, it's a world away.
56:05Incredible.
56:06It was wonderful.
56:07It was wonderful.
56:08Angus and Sally getting married in their church.
56:11Not just a church.
56:13Their church.
56:14Brought tears to my eyes.
56:16And I think it brought tears to a lot of people's eyes
56:18inside that church.
56:20Yeah, we've done it.
56:21And it was really nice.
56:23Feels like a full circle moment now.
56:24It does.
56:25Completed it.
56:26Better than what we could ever have imagined.
56:28MUSIC PLAYS
56:55MUSIC PLAYS
56:57MUSIC CONTINUES
56:59MUSIC saved
57:01MUSIC CONTINUES
57:04MUSIC CONTINUES
57:10They diferent me feeling comfortable.
57:13MUSIC PLAYS
57:15MUSIC CONTINUES
57:16MUSIC CONTINUES
57:21MUSIC CONTINUES
Be the first to comment
Add your comment