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00:02Building a house is more than just bricks and mortar.
00:06It's also about dreams and aspirations.
00:09Design and execution.
00:12Making memories and mistakes.
00:15Ultimately, it takes more than building a house to create a home.
00:19Join us as we go Beyond the Build.
00:40On 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
00:49and be finished before the birth of their first child.
01:05This episode, we're in Windsor.
01:08A 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.
01:19With 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,
01:30looking 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.
01:42And after looking for about 12 months, we finally found one.
01:46And Mel did everything wrong.
01:49There's, like, things you're not supposed to do.
01:50Don't tell the real estate agent you're interested.
01:53Don't tell them that you can afford it.
01:54Play it cool.
01:56Mel broke every one of those rules, didn't you?
01:57As soon as I walked into this house, I didn't even get past the first bedroom.
02:00I'm like, I want this house.
02:01Give it to me.
02:02What do we do?
02:03She goes, how do we buy it?
02:04I was like, Mel.
02:05Mel!
02:08Jessie and Mel were thrust into Australia's television screens during the 2019 season off the block.
02:14Oh, Keithy!
02:15Where after a couple of early run-ins with Foreman Keith.
02:18Goose.
02:19The couple became known for their hard-working DIY approach while creating a contemporary luxury home.
02:27Juggling his job as a real estate agent with a presenter role on Open Homes Australia,
02:32Jessie 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,
02:48but 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
02:58and 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.
03:10Woo!
03:10Yay!
03:11So now we have a deadline.
03:13A block deadline.
03:14A block deadline.
03:14So 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
03:26to be able to get this across the line for us.
03:31It's clear that Jessie and Mel are going to have their work cut out for them.
03:34But despite being a bit rough around the edges and in need of some TLC,
03:39it's clear the bones of this house are well intact,
03:42which might be why Mel was ready to buy it as soon as she walked in the door.
03:46The first thing I fell in love with this house is definitely the facade, how pretty it is.
03:50And 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.
03:57So, and I saw the plans and I was like, this is something we can achieve.
04:00So everything about it just really captured me.
04:08The front part of the home is a beautiful example of a late 19th century Victorian terrace,
04:14with 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,
04:22Jessie and Mel plan on knocking down the walls and ceilings between the second bedroom and the kitchen area
04:27and completely opening up this part of the house.
04:31Their plan is to renovate and extend this back area of the house into the existing backyard,
04:37transforming what was a small kitchen and laundry into a luxury modern living room,
04:42complete with expansive glass windows and a cathedral ceiling.
04:47As if this wasn't ambitious enough within a five month timeframe,
04:51Jessie and Mel will have the added challenge of attempting this reno on a tight block
04:56with very limited site access.
04:59The hardest thing about this build is because we're building boundary to boundary
05:02and we have no site access, so 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,
05:17but I know there could be delays down the track, so I'm keeping an open mind.
05:22Yeah, like we don't know what we're going to find when we start excavating through the footings,
05:25when we start bringing walls down, if it's going to be structurally sound.
05:29So there's a few concerns there, absolutely.
05:32Running into unforeseen structural issues can happen when renovating a property at this age,
05:37but for Jessie and Mel, the risk is well worth it.
05:40The end result will be a home packed with period design features
05:44in 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 colour 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, we're right in the heart of Windsor,
06:02we can walk to Chapel Street, we can walk to St Kilda in five minutes, Albert Park Lake.
06:07It's a dream come true, you know.
06:08We never thought that we'd be able to afford a home like this,
06:11and somehow we've managed to do it, and now we get to create it and build exactly what we want.
06:22Today we've got the demo contractors here, so 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.
06:29Hopefully we can get the tiles up, and yeah, that'll be a good first day.
06:36Well, the demo contractor, Brendan, is an absolute weapon.
06:38Like, he's going so hard. He got here at seven o'clock in the morning,
06:42and come ten o'clock, like, most of the work was already done.
06:47So they'll recycle everything, all the bricks they recycle,
06:49all the hardwood timber they send off, they de-nail it,
06:52and 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. Everything they pull down, they recycle.
07:06They call it, like, yeah, conscientious demolition.
07:12It's going to be a big first week,
07:14and with only one day scheduled for the demolition contractors,
07:17there's no time to waste.
07:20As busy as it's been today, it was an even bigger weekend
07:24away from the building site for Jessie and Mel.
07:26It's been a great weekend. We 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, I'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,
07:51but if there's anything that I've learnt from renovations,
07:54I 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
08:20is 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,
08:30the 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 these as a feature brick.
08:41And then what they do here is, obviously, all the mortar sort of wears away after time.
08:45So this is called tuck-pointing.
08:47So they go through and they put all the mortar back in the joins,
08:50the 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,
09:03because 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 Amel will be incorporating modern design features
09:16into the existing period architecture of the home.
09:20Unfortunately, it hasn't taken long for them to encounter their first significant design challenge.
09:25So the issue we have with the current design, it's actually got bifold doors.
09:29So when the bifold doors open, yes, the entire space opens,
09:33but 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,
09:41I 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
09:55and you have to walk through the living room every time to open the doors.
09:58So 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, you can still walk behind the lounge
10:11and 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
10:31to where the tradies use the toilet.
10:34Jesse has started working on building a platform so that the concrete can be transported
10:38around 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.
10:49Once the holes are filled then we'll get rid of all the soil.
10:55I'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,
11:09so 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.
11:23So 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,
11:36we can do the site cut for the plumbing and the slab.
11:42Having the site cleared has also given Jesse a clear idea
11:45of the yard dimensions boundary to boundary,
11:48helping provide the solution for how to incorporate the bifold doors
11:52into the existing plans in the backyard.
11:54I've just worked it out, like, with the way the hallway goes,
11:58with the L-shaped lounge,
12:00it's not going to work having the doors open in the middle
12:03because 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 it's going to go one massive sliding door that's like two metres.
12:10It'll look super impressive.
12:12Two by three metre glass panel just slides all the way open.
12:15That's the go.
12:19A week later and it's a big day at the Rayburn residence.
12:22After a tonne of design and engineering and far too many wheelbarrows full of soil
12:27around the side of the house to count,
12:29the 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.
12:47Yeah, it's so difficult because we've got no access to the site.
12:50So 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 with bricks and rubble.
13:04And then you need engineers to come, we need to 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
13:16for the pouring of the concrete slab,
13:18the pour itself usually only takes a couple of hours.
13:22That is, if everything goes to plan.
13:24Because we're pouring a 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.
13:36So we had to, yeah, pull that off, clean out the pipe,
13:40add 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
13:44because I was just like, why has the concrete stopped?
13:47But the pumpy, like, they sit there and listen to it,
13:49they've got an ear for it, and he knew exactly what was wrong with it.
13:51So we sorted that out within about 15 minutes.
13:56Despite a brief setback early in the pour,
13:58everything goes smoothly and the team is on track
14:00to 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,
14:10the 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.
14:17I don't foresee any issues.
14:19The only issue is we're going to carry in 3,500 bricks by hand.
14:24So I've only had a couple of days for that
14:26because it's a big job.
14:28And then after that we'll be getting the timber frame up
14:31and ideally getting the roof on after that.
14:33So it's happening.
14:39It's been three weeks since our last visit
14:41and there's been a ton of progress.
14:44The concrete slab has well and truly set by now
14:47and the renovation out the back is really starting to take shape.
14:50The bricks are up, the timber frame is in
14:52and 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,
15:03filming TV,
15:04looking after Mel and her mood swings.
15:06I don't have any mood swings.
15:08You're the one who has mood swings.
15:09That's true.
15:11No, you've been pretty good, haven't you Mel?
15:12I'm living my best life.
15:13I'm pregnant.
15:13I don't have to do anything.
15:15I just come back every couple of days
15:16and there's more stuff done.
15:17I'm like, yes.
15:19It looks awesome now.
15:20You can see the height of the ceiling.
15:22It's just phenomenal.
15:23So high.
15:23I love it.
15:24Yeah, like this whole space,
15:25like it's not a big space,
15:26but now with that oversized ceiling,
15:28it feels massive.
15:29It feels so much bigger now that the roof's on
15:31and you can actually see the height.
15:33With Australia still adjusting to life
15:35after COVID-induced lockdowns,
15:37there's been shortages of everything
15:39from tradies to timber.
15:41It's meant Jessie and Mel have had to be flexible
15:43with organising their trades,
15:45saving money by doing as much work themselves as they can.
15:49It's also meant they've needed to be flexible
15:51with materials opting to use a hardwood for the timber frame
15:55rather than the LVLs they had originally planned.
15:59Well, it's no secret that there's a timber shortage in Australia
16:02and there's massive weights on LVLs.
16:05And so we spent a bit more money,
16:07but it meant that we could get them like on time
16:09without having to wait three to six months.
16:11It's crazy.
16:12And we could actually get the frame up because time is money.
16:14So it meant we could keep building.
16:16We didn't have to wait.
16:18And it means we can get out of the rental sooner as well.
16:20With the baby on the way,
16:22it's going to be full steam ahead over the next eight weeks
16:25in the hope that Jessie and Mel will be able to move in
16:27before Bub is born.
16:34Six weeks later and we're in the midst of Melbourne summer.
16:38After taking a couple of weeks off over Christmas and New Year,
16:42Jessie and Mel have been full steam ahead
16:44and the transformation is quite incredible.
16:48There has been so much work happening in this tiny space
16:52for the last month.
16:54It has been full on.
16:58What have we done?
16:59We've done the roughing in of the plumbing.
17:01Plumbing.
17:01The electrical.
17:02Redone the floors.
17:04Rebuilt all the walls.
17:07Had the gas plumbed in.
17:09Oh yeah.
17:09The hydronic heating plumbed in.
17:11We had the roof go on.
17:13The window frames.
17:15The window frames.
17:16We've done a lot in the last month really.
17:20It's been full on.
17:21There's been no days off.
17:26It's really exciting the level we're at now
17:28because we've actually put some doorways in
17:30so you can see where every room is,
17:32whereas beforehand everything was all closed off.
17:34And even just having the roof on out the back
17:36with the skylights,
17:37you can actually get a sense of what it's going to feel like now
17:40when you move in.
17:41Yeah, we've already started planning where everything's going to go.
17:43The vanities, the toilet, the wardrobes, the bed.
17:46It's great.
17:46We can actually visualise which is what I need.
17:49Otherwise it doesn't work in my head.
17:51With the plastering due to start next week,
17:54Mel and Jessie need to finalise the plan for their kitchen design
17:56as soon as possible,
17:58as it will be between four and six weeks in production.
18:01The showroom features a fully guided audio tour
18:04through nine different kitchens,
18:05guiding guests through the various features
18:07of each piece of cabinetry.
18:09You put the audio on, it tells you to go to step one,
18:12go 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.
18:17It's everything I wanted.
18:18I could visualise which is what I need.
18:20And I think I've been through the tour four times
18:23and I still love it every time.
18:33Despite having no issues with their kitchen design,
18:36not everything over the past month has gone exactly to plan.
18:39Somehow I forgot to order insulation.
18:42So I called around like 10 different places trying to get some.
18:45Nobody had any.
18:46I found a place that had some insole
18:49and I was like, can you deliver it in three weeks?
18:50And 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.
18:56So we had all the insulation for under the floor,
18:59all the walls and the ceiling.
19:00The whole extension was just full of bags of insulation
19:03with nowhere to move.
19:05It was, it was really quite a pigsty.
19:07It was embarrassing, wasn't it?
19:08It was such a mess.
19:12The timeline is looking on time, pretty shaky.
19:16Bubz is due in 11 weeks.
19:17We've got about 10 weeks left of the renovation.
19:19So we're hoping for the best, but expecting the worst
19:22because you have to, but we're quietly optimistic
19:25that we'll get it done on time.
19:27I'm going pretty well with the pregnancy.
19:29Everything's been good.
19:30Haven't really had to help too much at the house either.
19:33I'm actually, I think I've got the easiest job.
19:35Part of me does believe that the week we finish
19:38is the week she'll be here.
19:39I do ask if she stays in for another couple of weeks extra.
19:42So we're praying.
19:44Of all the good ideas I've had,
19:47probably renting the house across the street
19:48from where we're building is the best one ever.
19:51The only thing is the baby's due on the 8th of May
19:54and we have to be out of there by the 5th of May.
19:57So not only do we have to get the renovation finish in time,
19:59we have to move and then have the bubs.
20:01So there is a bit of time pressure on us.
20:10It's two weeks since our last visit
20:12and there's been a tonne of work carried out.
20:15Jessie and Mel are well and truly getting stuck into work inside the house,
20:19juggling 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 had tiles arrive.
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.
20:48Well, you're doing alright, babe.
20:49I'm doing alright.
20:50You're getting it done.
20:51I'm not the best at it.
20:56I'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.
21:11I 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.
21:17And touch wood, like nothing's gone wrong so far.
21:21We've been very fortunate given like the material shortages and like labour shortages.
21:28Building a house is like making a cake.
21:30There's just layers to it.
21:32You can't put the icing on before you, you know, get the bun ready.
21:36I don't know a lot about baking either.
21:37Yeah, that's good.
21:40I enjoyed watching you try.
21:41You like that?
21:42Explain that, yeah.
21:42Why don't you try the cake analogy?
21:44I don't even cook.
21:44I don't bake.
21:46Ain't nobody got time for that.
21:47Let's just wake and bake.
21:49Yeah.
21:52Mel's passion for baking hasn't affected her eye for detail.
21:57Today, Jesse gave me a call.
21:58Like he's always paying me out saying I have baby brain, which I do.
22:01But he had baby brain today.
22:02We realised he ordered the wrong tiles.
22:05Luckily, I took pictures of them.
22:06So I sent them through and Jesse 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.
22:14But this is why I should check your work.
22:16It was so embarrassing.
22:18Like I ordered the wrong floor tiles, wrong wall tiles.
22:22Like everything's wrong.
22:25Jesse 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.
22:32Today, however, the priority is plastering.
22:35And there's plenty of it.
22:37Today's really exciting that the plaster is here on site.
22:39They started about a week ago.
22:40They're concentrating on the back section first.
22:42So they're just putting the top coat on and then tomorrow they'll stand.
22:45And then we can clean out that master bedroom.
22:47Because at the moment it looks like a dump site.
22:56If we didn't have the baby here, like we would not be talking about trying to finish in six weeks.
23:00Like it 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.
23:07Because all the trades know that Mel's pregnant.
23:09They know we have like a deadline.
23:10And 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.
23:25We had a bit of rain for the first time in months.
23:28And realise 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.
23:36And 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.
23:43Heard rain.
23:44I'm running around the house with buckets.
23:45Trying to catch water.
23:47It just, yeah.
23:48It hasn't been a good week.
23:49No, we, um, yeah we've struggled a little bit haven't we now.
23:52Yeah.
23:52And we're at the final stages which is frustrating.
23:55But fingers crossed you can find someone.
23:57Sort it out.
23:58I haven't stopped for four months.
23:59Every single day.
24:00Saturday, Sunday.
24:01Like I'm killing myself on the project.
24:03I'm just getting tired now.
24:07I think it's going to take a miracle for us to be able to move in before the baby.
24:10I'm really praying that it does but I don't, look, I think we've come to the realisation
24:15it's probably not going to happen.
24:20We've smashed so many things.
24:22Like we've finished all the tiling.
24:24We're about to finish all the flooring.
24:26The painting's 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.
24:34Like I can't make the cabinets.
24:36They can't be made any faster.
24:37We 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.
24:47We need to find another roofer to do the slate roof.
24:50We haven't even done any of that yet.
24:53It's just, yeah.
24:54Big risk.
24:5612-league weight.
24:57Oh no.
24:59Drawing.
24:59It's just crazy.
25:02Anyway, this is what it is.
25:05I don't think people would know it was me.
25:06No, it wasn't, no.
25:08One minute.
25:09While Billy swears to keep the wait time on draw runners to himself, Jessie and Mel fill
25:14us in on how their furniture selections are coming along.
25:17We haven't even thought about 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.
25:33Mel said there's no way in hell that thing is coming to the new house.
25:37I'd prefer to sit on the floor than that thing coming to our house.
25:44We actually are doing really good.
25:46Like 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.
25:56The cladding.
25:57We'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 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.
26:15Everything that we can control, we will do.
26:17It's just some things we can't and that's just life.
26:27It's been four weeks since our last visit and fortunately, Jessie and Mel look like they've bounced back from the
26:33disappointment of the roof and the repairs are almost finished.
26:37We put a new roof on.
26:38We decided that the best thing was to do to replace the old slate roofs.
26:42They were starting to delaminate.
26:44They looked all rusted.
26:45So we put a new slate roof on the front and a new corrugated iron roof on out the back.
26:49And 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.
26:56With Australia still adjusting to the life after the COVID pandemic, supply chain problems have been a huge challenge for
27:03Jessie and Mel since the start of the project.
27:06Unfortunately, things aren't getting any easier as they approach the finish line.
27:10There's no wool in Australia, like supply chain issues.
27:14So the carpet's been delayed.
27:16The stone's been delayed because of Easter and then look at the place.
27:19It's an absolute dump.
27:21The good news is that all of the cabinetry has been made without any hiccups and with most of the
27:26major appliances already installed, the kitchen area is really starting to take shape.
27:31Yeah, the kitchen cabinets are looking fantastic.
27:33They've started to install all the appliances, the fridge gone in.
27:36We're now putting the air conning, which looks really nice behind the custom grill.
27:39And our wardrobe doors are right.
27:41They've got two-packed.
27:42They're matte.
27:42They 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 greenery 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 and this whole room will just be full of
28:08lush green plants.
28:10The 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 and the
28:20way they've been able to use contemporary lighting to highlight the intricacy of the home's period features.
28:26All the lights are working, they're turning on, they're turning off, the power points are working.
28:31So 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.
28:43So she's just gone a day over.
28:46Not sure how long she's going to be late, but it's still a chance we might finish in time.
28:59On a spectacular spring day in Windsor, Melbourne, architect Sean Lockyer gets a special tour of Jessie and Mel's finished
29:07home.
29:12It's a credit to Jessie and Mel who have not only completed this renovation within a six month period, they've
29:18done it while they've been working and getting ready for the arrival of their daughter Chloe, which is just an
29:23amazing achievement.
29:24And standing here in this lovely quiet street, this gorgeous Victorian facade gives very little away about the transformation.
29:31I'm hoping that behind this front door lies an architectural journey that's going to take us back to the 21st
29:37century.
29:43Hey!
29:44Hey!
29:44You made it!
29:45How are you doing?
29:46Happy to see you!
29:47How are you Sean?
29:47Great to see you mate!
29:56Fantastic!
29:57Jessie and Mel, congratulations.
29:59Six months you've done this.
30:01How did you manage to get it all done?
30:03Well it wasn't supposed to be six months Sean.
30:05It 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 and we're due to start in a week, Mel, bless her
30:17soul and ours, we found out that she was pregnant.
30:19With our daughter Chloe.
30:20And so what's supposed to be a 12 month build had to be done in six months.
30:29That's incredible.
30:30And did you literally just go, we're just going to shorten this timeframe and we're just going to give it
30:34our best?
30:35Or did you actually change the way that you were doing the project or change your aspiration at all?
30:39Well it did because obviously Mel and I both work full time as well.
30:43So I made the decision to sell less houses and just build full time.
30:48And it was kind of like a dream come true because I've always wanted to build my own home.
30:51We did it on the block but this was the first one for ourselves together.
30:54Yeah.
30:55And so we rented the house across the street.
30:57Yeah.
30:57I got my owner builder licence and organised most of the trades that we actually have worked with before on
31:03the block.
31:04Yeah.
31:04And we told them the timeline and now they're very used to working to a short timeline.
31:09Chloe was born on the 19th of May and we moved in a week after.
31:18I've also realised I do best managing him.
31:21Oh right.
31:21He's really good at building and designing but he needs to be told what to do and budget and timelines
31:27and that's where I come in.
31:28Yeah.
31:29Make sure he's doing everything on track.
31:31We realised that through our previous experience renovating on the block our roles are very clearly defined.
31:36Yeah.
31:37We don't lap over and one of Mel's most important role is to manage me.
31:40Because I'm doing a million things at once and I'm not the most organised person so with Mel she's very
31:46organised and structured.
31:48And then that combination with my sort of can-do attitude and you know I would probably say overconfident enthusiasm
31:58and optimism that everything will work out.
32:01Yeah.
32:09I think what really impresses me is you guys seem to have the holy trinity of passion for what you
32:13do.
32:14The ability to actually physically be able to do it as a builder but then also the organisational skills to
32:20be able to pull it off.
32:20And I mean that's a pretty rare combination and obviously it's significant since you've had a baby while it's just
32:25happening.
32:26How has that been for you guys through the process as well?
32:30Surprisingly, even though I was pregnant most of the road, no.
32:33It wasn't that bad but I think because he's amazing.
32:36Like he went above and beyond.
32:37And then I just felt ease.
32:39I felt calm and I'd come and check on the place every day, see how he's tracking.
32:43I'm like what do I need to do?
32:44And I don't know, he was so relaxed so it made me relax.
32:47Yeah.
32:47But literally, I think two weeks after she was born, we were moving everything across the road.
32:52Wow.
32:52I'd be like you hold her, 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 before she was here.
33:01Yeah.
33:01But yeah, honestly, he's what calms me.
33:13That's sensational.
33:14I think it's really lovely.
33:16In these sorts of shows and these endeavours, it's not uncommon for couples to really feel the stresses of either
33:22the differences with which they tackle these things or how they take on the information or how they handle actual
33:27physical heavy lifting of these things.
33:28And I know that there's something amazing waiting for us.
33:33I've got to tell you on a personal level, this project really connects with me because I grew up in
33:37Cape Town where the Victorian Terrace House is a sort of vernacular housing stock.
33:41So I spent half my life in houses like this foraging underneath, understanding the subfloors, understanding that walls can't just
33:48be pulled out.
33:49Well, I appreciate, Sean, that this is quite nostalgic.
33:51For me, I grew up in Queensland.
33:52I'd never seen a Hawthorne Brick Victorian before until I moved to Melbourne eight years ago.
33:58And 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 because I think they're the prettiest facades.
34:10I love the tuck pointing.
34:11Yeah.
34:12And to me, that was honestly like a pipe dream that I thought may not be achievable because obviously price
34:16as a property is so expensive, let alone to be able to renovate one because that's obviously quite expensive as
34:21well.
34:22Yeah.
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.
34:28Yeah.
34:29Like, let's go and have a look at it.
34:30I want to buy it.
34:31Mel's like, we haven't looked at any.
34:32We went and had a look at it.
34:33Mel broke the cardinal sin of real estate.
34:35She opened the door, said to the real estate agent, I love it.
34:37I want to buy it.
34:38I 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 and it was a dream come true.
34:50But yeah, there are a lot of difficulties when renovating a double brick Victorian home.
34:55Obviously, you don't really want to move too many internal walls because they are so integral to the structure.
35:01And so we did add a few doorways, but we left pretty much all the existing brick walls where they
35:07were.
35:08And just made sure it worked with our design.
35:11Yeah.
35:11And then where the end of the home is, that is where we sort of knocked off the back and
35:15did a big extension.
35:17Yeah.
35:18But we were so fortunate that three previous owners before us had owned this beautiful home, tried to renovate and
35:26then gave up.
35:27Yeah.
35:27Put it in the too hard basket.
35:28There's no access.
35:30There's no parking.
35:30They've got joint sewers.
35:32There's easements, party walls, all the things that you know that make building and renovating quite difficult.
35:38Yeah.
35:38The previous owner, bless his soul, spent a lot of time and money on making the house beautiful.
35:44But not practical.
35:45Yeah.
35:45So they actually did the tuck pointing before we purchased it, which is one of the things that we fell
35:51in love with.
35:51That so many people fell in love with.
35:52That beautiful brick facade with the tuck pointing.
35:54Yeah.
35:55They did these oversized corners in the hallways in the bedroom as well.
36:00This type of architecture is something that I really love and I'm dying to see where you've gone with it.
36:05So are you happy to show me through?
36:06Well, I hope that we live up to your expectations, so I would love to show you through.
36:09Cheers, 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?
36:37We're in Windsor, Melbourne to see this spectacular transformation.
36:42In only five months, Jesse and Mel have managed to completely transform the back of this house into a perfect
36:48space for a young family and breathe new life into this classic Victorian facade.
36:55Sean continues the tour.
36:58Jesse 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 I'm not disappointed.
37:05I really am not disappointed.
37:07I think the seamlessness with which you've stitched the old and the new together I think is really smart.
37:12There's this beautifully handled little courtyard which not only brings light but brings a moment of joy to the kitchen
37:18through that lovely window.
37:20But just all these sort of elements of the skylights above, I think the way that you've handled the transition
37:25of all this sort of ornate Victorian detail through to a space that's really pared back.
37:31Done 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 and, you know, culminating with this amazing living
37:39space which, I mean, it really is an incredibly joyous space and a very, you know, positive place to be
37:46in.
37:46I mean, honestly, as an architect, I really think you guys should be incredibly commended.
37:51So, you know, well done on that.
37:53Well, thank you, Sean.
37:54We put a lot of thought into every space and we're very consistent with our design.
38:01So, you'll see like a lot of the timber joinery that we use in this kitchen space on the island
38:06bench, we also use in our bathroom vanities.
38:09We've used the same volarcus marble throughout all the wet areas as well in the, you know, the niches as
38:14well as in the kitchen area out here in the island benches.
38:17The 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 and it
38:24feels like they're like juxtaposed.
38:25It feels like you're walking into a different property.
38:27Yeah.
38:28They're not cohesive and I don't like that.
38:30So, we wanted to make sure that everything tied in and it felt like one home.
38:35Yeah.
38:35Even though there is a stark contrast between the old and the new, because the old is got lots of
38:40really rich period details.
38:42Yeah.
38:42And the new is very contemporary.
38:43But I think by blending those, you know, finishing touches throughout, it does feel quite cohesive.
38:52How much of what you've done here is about you guys thinking, look, this is our ideal house and it
38:58is a beautiful house.
38:59And how much of it is you guys thinking, we want this to be accessible to other people and something
39:04that we think other people will identify with.
39:06Can I just chime in, just say one thing.
39:09That's the best thing about Jesse working in real estate.
39:11Yeah.
39:11He sees hundreds of thousands of homes, so he knows what people want.
39:15So, I feel like that is the greatest asset when it comes to us designing homes.
39:20Yeah.
39:20He sees what people want, he sees what sells and he goes, how can we build that into like our
39:25design?
39:25Yeah.
39:25And it kills it.
39:26So, our dream home would be an all black kitchen.
39:29Yeah.
39:29Yeah.
39:30Right?
39:30But when we were designing this home, we knew it wasn't going to be our forever home and so we
39:35were very conscious of that.
39:36You're right, having that real estate sort of mindset and being pragmatic in not just what we want but what
39:42is going to sell well.
39:43Yeah.
39:43Yeah.
39:43But I think for our forever home, we would probably do something a little bit more extravagant.
39:49I think it's been a long held belief of mine that when you look at the amount of resources that
39:53go into building a house, not only the cost and the physical material but your guys energy, you know, labour.
39:58You know, one of the most responsible things that we can do is make sure that the houses that we
40:03build are ones that not only are, you know, beautiful and do all the sustainable things that they should do,
40:10but also that they can be taken on by other people and loved in such a way that they're not
40:15continually being rehashed.
40:19Well, it's technically a two bedroom house.
40:21It is a three bedroom house because there's this beautiful quirk.
40:25And for me, anyone that loves cats is a good person in my book.
40:29But you've got a cat bedroom.
40:30That was one of the most important features of the home because in our previous property, we didn't have a
40:35cat room.
40:35Most 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 always on display
40:41and it smells.
40:42That was just one of the things that we were able to do that was really important to us.
40:46And everyone who comes here, you're not the only person who loves cats.
40:50So many of our friends love cats.
40:52And that's probably one of the most talked about features of our home.
40:59I have to hand it to you.
41:00The 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 works to the millimeter.
41:16And 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 been thought
41:26of and considered as to just thrown in place.
41:30I think you would see that as well.
41:32You can, you know, like our television unit, right?
41:35Like there's a reason that it stops 150 millimeters away from the glazing because it allows for the curtains and
41:42the blinds.
41:43And that thing doesn't happen by accident.
41:45Yeah.
41:45The wall ovens and microwaves, you know, like the line of the wall oven lines up perfectly with the island
41:52bench and then the microwave on top.
41:54Yeah.
41:54In our bathrooms, we lowered the ceilings by 40 millimeters.
41:57So it allowed us to get a full tile at the ceiling height, on top of the shaving cabinet, on
42:02top of the vanities, on the niche.
42:04All of those things don't happen by chance.
42:06And 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.
42:11But you're like, how is it done so well?
42:13Why does this feel different to other homes?
42:15Yeah.
42:15So we put a lot of emphasis and effort into making sure all of those details, like, matched up.
42:23Yeah.
42:23And we're very proud of it because it's a lot of, it's not easy to do.
42:29It's been really lovely to see how you guys have worked together.
42:33Having 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.
42:53You'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
43:08about half a million dollars.
43:09Yeah.
43:10But that doesn't allow any of my time.
43:13Like, you know, I did Chevron flooring.
43:15I did the tiling.
43:16I did the carpentry.
43:17I did a lot of the work myself.
43:18I essentially had six months off work and it was here every single day.
43:21So there was no cost for my time as well as, you know, actually the design of the place, selecting
43:26all the fixtures and finishes.
43:28Yeah.
43:28So I think we were fortunate.
43:29We 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 six hundred
43:37and fifty or seven hundred thousand dollars.
43:39One of the things that I find I'm interested in the house almost more than anything are the relationships and
43:46the people.
43:47The creative energy and the goodwill and the memories and the friendships and the kind of the energy that gets
43:52created in a positive building is something that for me is actually manifest in a space.
43:57It 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
44:04that'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.
44:22And really, congratulations to both of you.
44:24You deserve it and you've done an amazing job.
44:26Well, thank you.
44:27Thank you so much.
44:28That's all we want for people to love this home as much as we do.
44:31Yeah.
44:31It feels good.
44:35Well, for me, this project is a breath of fresh air.
44:39In the built environment, we're so used to hearing all the bad news stories about people that tackle the project
44:44without the right knowledge, without the experience, without the planning.
44:49And they get it wrong.
44:50It strains relationships.
44:51They simply just don't get the outcome that they want.
44:54What Jesse and Mel have done here in a six-month period is nothing short of extraordinary.
45:00Their attention to detail, the level of execution through the build, and the passion that they've brought to this project
45:07to build a home for themselves and their new daughter in this heavily constrained site is just an absolute triumph.
45:15And in a world where we're so used to bad news stories, it's a really lovely thing to be part
45:20of a really good one.
45:21I love you.
45:22Well, let me see you.
45:23Janice H.
45:24My teacher has found us.
45:25I'm a great guy.
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