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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.
00:41On this episode, we follow Beck and George on a road with many ups and downs
00:46to create their dream family home.
00:48Will they get there before the budget and their dreams are fully blown?
00:53Let's wind this one way back to the year 2020.
01:03Williamstown for us has been the dream area that we could settle down in.
01:08I'm a Bayside girl, so I always wanted to be near the beach.
01:11And I'm a Westie, so this is the crown of the West.
01:17Two boys at the moment.
01:19And then just to make things interesting and harder,
01:23we've got another one on the way.
01:24Hey!
01:26Yes!
01:28Hello!
01:29Oh, Lenny!
01:30Where's Archie gone?
01:31Where's Archie?
01:32I don't know!
01:33There he is!
01:33Hey!
01:34Beck and George first appeared on our screens during the 2013 season of The Block,
01:39where they became fan favourites due to their authenticity and knack for design.
01:44Go!
01:45Go!
01:46Since then, the couple have continued to impress with their inspiring builds and eye for detail.
01:52They've worked on a variety of renovation and new build projects throughout Melbourne,
01:56often living in the finished home before selling and moving on to the next one.
02:00After years of juggling work projects and lots of moving house with a growing young family,
02:07Beck and George are finally ready to settle down and create the dream home they've always wanted.
02:12The dream of building a home that we could grow with as a family.
02:20But as it stands right now, it's far from the dream home Beck and George envisage.
02:24The street actually has a heritage overlay, but the house doesn't, so we are able to demolish it.
02:31We toyed around with the idea of actually renovating it, but the way that the block is set out,
02:37the house is positioned in kind of the worst spot on the block, so we weren't maximising the land.
02:43It's not the biggest block of land, it's almost 400 squares, but it's enough to build one beautiful big family
02:49home.
02:50With the ever difficult decision of renovating or rebuilding already made,
02:55this project was bubbling with possibilities.
02:59We literally bought it and George and I went home and started sketching out floor plans.
03:03The whole design brief, we kind of came up with this urban oasis
03:08that we were wanting to create this home that felt like we were on holidays.
03:16After the entire house is demolished and site cut,
03:20Beck and George will be left with a welcoming flat block on which to create their family home.
03:25First the pool will be dug here, indicating a major change to the new building's position on the block.
03:31With the pool and outdoor area now on the north side,
03:35ideal orientation is achieved for the kitchen, living and master upstairs,
03:39taking full advantage of this northern light.
03:42Working alongside their architect's texture,
03:45the facade is where this design takes an unexpected curve from the mostly post-war homes of the area.
03:52What will appear as a single storey house from the street will in fact be a two-storey building.
03:57The facade will be accented with a series of curves,
04:01a fresh take on the classic pitched roof we all know and love.
04:05With the elevated finishes Beck has selected and the progressive nature of the architecture,
04:11comes costly engineering and a big outlay on materials.
04:15Beck is well aware of this.
04:18It's going to be an expensive build, we know that.
04:22But I think...
04:23Well, anything that you're involved in, it's going to be spicy.
04:27But it's, yeah, the forever home.
04:30So the last build that we did was quite an emotional one for me anyway,
04:33because it was my family home that I grew up at.
04:36So this one, I just want to create something perfect for my family,
04:39and I just want to have fun.
04:40We are so cute.
04:42Oh, Archie, sweetheart.
04:44Oh, cuddle.
04:45Flour.
04:52Victoria will be in lockdown within the next 48 hours.
04:56Life and frankly freedom as we know it are both going to change.
05:00Just six months later, the state of the world has changed significantly.
05:05The global pandemic has meant there's been major delays
05:08on all aspects of Beck and George's build,
05:11from the availability of trades and supplies
05:14to constant question over their capacity to even be able to leave the house.
05:19With COVID, I think it's been hard on everybody, including us.
05:23And I'm tired. I'm huge now.
05:27It's like, you know, I'm waiting.
05:28We're going to have the baby soon.
05:29This whole time, it's sort of been, yeah, a bit exhausting.
05:33And I guess we're just sort of, we want it to be over like everybody else.
05:43Despite everything that's happened
05:45and Melbourne's almost constant state of lockdown,
05:49Beck and George have been able to do most of the demolition work themselves
05:52and save money in the process.
05:54We probably saved 10?
05:57Probably 10 grand.
05:5810,000 we worked out.
05:59So to save 10 grand is huge.
06:01Like, for the way Beck's talking,
06:03that 10 grand will buy us one bathroom fixture or something.
06:09So the plan on site today
06:11is we're finally going to get rid of the last of the standing walls.
06:14Then after that, all we've got to do is get rid of the subfloor.
06:16I'll get a side cut done and hopefully in the next week or so we get our pool permit
06:21and we can start digging our pool.
06:24Obviously this third baby's been a very different experience to the first two.
06:31My anxiety's been a little bit through the roof just because obviously it's delayed the build
06:37and we had plans on being in here much earlier than we're going to be now.
06:44It is what it is.
06:46You know, at the end of the day the baby's still going to be here, pandemic or not.
06:49So if there's one positive, it's, you know, we're going to have something really nice to focus on
06:55and as a distraction to get through.
07:01It doesn't matter at what stage of the build the delays come,
07:04they will impact timeline and budget immensely.
07:08And with the unknown factor of how the global pandemic will further impact them,
07:12it's hard to be optimistic about the timeline Beck and George have set for this build.
07:22Later in 2020 and still not much has happened on Beck and George's site in Williamstown.
07:28The old house is gone and the pool has been dug,
07:30but this is in line with 12 weeks of work rather than 12 months.
07:35I'm just trying to suppress it to be honest.
07:37Like I'm going, no, we'll start, we'll start.
07:40It was out of our control and, you know, there was delays due to COVID,
07:45permit issues with the pool.
07:48The pool took forever when it started.
07:52And now we're a year on.
07:56To be honest, you know, if you're taking a positive out of the situation,
08:01we had our beautiful baby girl and we've been home and able to enjoy her as a family.
08:06So we're just trying to, you know, think of that as a positive.
08:10You had a lot of time at home with her, which is nice.
08:12I had a lot of time at home.
08:13That was great.
08:16We're locked down with two toddlers and a baby.
08:24When he hasn't been at home changing nappies
08:27and doing everything that comes with raising three young kids,
08:30George has been busy trying to organise one of the things he's looking forward to most,
08:35the backyard swimming pool.
08:37It's been built by their good friend Dave Franklin,
08:39but that doesn't necessarily mean it will be finished on schedule either.
08:44Yeah, he's let the ball slip a little bit on this one.
08:46So he did tell me at the start it'll be one week in and out, pool done.
08:50It's been seven weeks.
08:51So today, finally, the pool's going to get poured.
08:55So this is a pretty exciting day for me.
08:56I've been waiting for it for a while.
08:58So to actually see that pool structure there,
09:00like I've never had a pool ever.
09:03So to have a pool at my house is a big thing.
09:05So I'm pretty excited about it.
09:06After taking seven weeks to get here,
09:08it hasn't taken long for Dave to run into his first problem.
09:12There's nowhere to park the concrete truck.
09:15What everyone doesn't want is unwanted cars
09:18when you've got a concrete truck rolling up.
09:20Haven't pulled the pool,
09:21run a little bit behind for six weeks and now we get this.
09:25They're going to squeeze and try to get the concrete into that
09:27so that can go into this.
09:32Thankfully, it's not the first time these guys
09:34have found themselves in a tight squeeze
09:36and they're able to park the truck without too much trouble
09:39and get the pool spray underway.
09:51Since last time you guys were on site,
09:53when we got to Pawport,
09:56not much has happened in that five months.
10:00So we've had quite a few delays.
10:02The first delay was ordering our steel.
10:07So unfortunately we tried to order the steel just before Christmas.
10:13We got it in but the payment didn't clear on time.
10:17So yeah, we have to wait like three to four weeks
10:19until they reopened to get that delivery.
10:23And then finally we got it and we got most of it up
10:26and my steel fabricator went to another job
10:29and had quite a bad fall off the ladder.
10:32And didn't break his ankle but almost
10:34and he's been in a moon boot ever since.
10:38Despite George's disappointment
10:39with the seemingly never-ending setbacks,
10:43the first floor has seen some progress
10:45since our last visit and framing is close to being finished.
10:49Due to the slow progress of the build,
10:52it's given Bec plenty of time to settle
10:54on her interior selections.
10:56And while it seems they're still a fair way off lock-up,
10:59Bec's hoping it'll happen soon.
11:01This is the most fun for me
11:03and George really, really let me kind of go to town
11:07in making it amazing, which I was quite excited about.
11:10But I've got a few renders of how the space is going to look.
11:13So we've got...
11:14That was the original stone I picked
11:16but now we're going with this beautiful marble
11:19which has got this hint of green
11:21which is going to look really beautiful
11:22against the kids' playroom.
11:25We've got steel-framed doors in this like moss green colour
11:29and that was kind of the basis of where everything started to grow.
11:33We've got the curved, lime-washed oak walls there,
11:37the beautiful void
11:38and then all the internal windows are this beautiful white.
11:42Much to George's disappointment, I designed a lounge room area.
11:46This is that beautiful featured render here
11:49but he can't have a massive TV.
11:51Look, it's going to probably be just a standard like 70-inch
11:54or something like that.
11:55But he wants his 100-inch TV.
11:57That's not going to happen.
11:59While George might be forced to settle on a smaller TV than he'd like,
12:03the silver lining of the constant delays has meant that he and Bec
12:06have been able to spend more time at home with their young family.
12:11Fluctuating supply costs and the difficulty of organising trays
12:14has meant that remaining flexible is essential.
12:18Plans are changing on a weekly basis
12:20subject to the availability of materials and manpower.
12:24Some good news is that George's steel fabricator
12:26is on the mend from his ankle injury
12:28and should be able to finish the steel work
12:30on the bottom story frame within a couple of weeks.
12:33He's getting better, he's nearly there.
12:35I'm going to give him a hand finishing.
12:37And, well, the first floor frame is up.
12:40So when's the second story going up?
12:42Let's hope next week.
12:44So the big thing for me is I want to do this brickwork along this boundary.
12:48Okay.
12:49And I want to do this brickwork at the front of these two piers.
12:52Yeah.
12:53Because then we can finish off this steel,
12:55this curved steel that we've got going on here.
12:57Is your dad going to come and help finish all this?
13:00So he's probably come down on Wednesday.
13:02So once this brickwork comes up and the second story goes up,
13:08then we can put all our roof trusses on, put the roof on,
13:11and then we start cladding.
13:13So once the cladding's done, we're at lock-up.
13:14So when will we be at lock-up? Another month?
13:17Look, if everything goes completely right,
13:20which nothing has so far,
13:23let's talk maybe four to six weeks, we'll be at lock-up.
13:26After a year of delays,
13:28here's hoping the next milestone is finally realised.
13:32We'll soon see.
13:38Three months later and we're at the beginning of Melbourne's winter.
13:43Unfortunately, George's challenge in sourcing materials
13:46has only worsened as the pandemic continues.
13:49And rather than being at lock-up like he'd hoped,
13:51he's still well and truly outside.
13:54I've had massive issues with getting timber products here on site.
13:59So the first one was the POSIs,
14:01which is the floor trusses, which I'm standing on.
14:03What usually will take a one-week process to come
14:06took nearly four weeks.
14:08And above me, the roof trusses actually took nearly six weeks.
14:11So all up, it's a two-month delay, just waiting on them to come.
14:15Despite the frustrating wait
14:17and the uncertainty of sourcing materials,
14:20there's still been some solid progress.
14:23The bottom story of the frame is finished.
14:25The roof trusses are up
14:26and they are less than a week away
14:28from completing the framework of the second story.
14:31So we've finally got a second story on this place
14:33and I'm super excited about it to see our design come to life.
14:36Some of the cool design features here are,
14:38we've got a glass hallway
14:39that runs the whole length of the master bedroom.
14:42We've got bridge views, we've got city views,
14:44we've got a beautiful rake ceiling in here.
14:46Being able to see the floor plan come to life
14:49has to be exciting after so many delays.
14:52And it seems like everything is in place for Beck and George
14:55to get the bill to lock up within the next month.
14:58Fingers crossed.
14:59I was supposed to start doing the brickwork yesterday,
15:03but I got a call from a friend of mine
15:05who's also a friend of the guy that was going to help me
15:08with the brickwork.
15:10And he goes, he's had some bad news.
15:12He's been locked up, as in, in jail.
15:17So...
15:21We're not even at lock up and I'm maybe, you know,
15:24three, four, five months behind schedule.
15:27So, absolutely nothing is going wrong.
15:29Oh, right, sorry.
15:31Even what I'm saying is wrong.
15:33Between lockdowns and lock ups,
15:36George does manage to catch a break.
15:39With his roof delivered
15:40and now the windows arriving on site,
15:42George is inching towards getting this house watertight.
15:45These windows will be a major feature
15:47in the second floor master and a major expense.
15:51So this is a huge day in terms of the build
15:54and in terms of the budget too,
15:56because these windows are...
15:57It's a big chunk of the overall budget
16:00going towards these windows.
16:01We actually spent a bit extra
16:03to make the windows a bit of a feature.
16:06So, yeah, just a huge day on site today.
16:08The stakes are high
16:09and with all the setbacks they've endured,
16:11there's no room for error today.
16:14However, it didn't take George long
16:16to have his first nervous moment.
16:18When the boys were installing the first window,
16:21the actual window frame moved a little bit,
16:23but that was to be expected.
16:26I thought it might
16:27because we removed the bottom reveal
16:28so there's no timber underneath it.
16:30Because they're floor-to-ceiling windows,
16:32there's nothing fixing it to the floor.
16:34It's only fixed to the side of the wall.
16:36It's not really a standard process,
16:38but because my wife loves everything large...
16:42Not me, of course.
16:45There's floor-to-ceiling glass,
16:47so literally the ceiling butts into the window
16:50and the flooring butts into the bottom of the window.
16:52So, yeah, we can't fix it down to the bottom
16:55or up to the top.
16:57Size preferences aside,
16:59and the endless setbacks and slow progress
17:02finally seem to be taking their toll on Bec.
17:05It's been really frustrating.
17:06I've been frustrated for George.
17:08We've had in-between all the lockdowns
17:11and he's literally just been doing it on his own
17:15and it's been a real struggle
17:17because I can't just drop everything to come and help him.
17:21And because he's working here full-time,
17:23it's falling back on me to sort of bring the money in
17:27so that we can pay for the build.
17:28Plus, we've got three kids to manage.
17:30It's quite a juggle.
17:32It's been quite a juggle.
17:33With the interior design having been confirmed
17:35for more than a year,
17:37it's been a frustrating wait
17:39with the build still not at lock-up.
17:41I've had pretty much everything organised for a few months.
17:45Like, I had my materials selected, like, 18 months ago.
17:48So, I've literally refined everything now.
17:51I've got a couple more meetings with my joiner
17:53just to, like, finalise the kitchen.
17:57But pretty much everything on my end
18:00is just waiting for George to say,
18:02we're ready.
18:04A month later,
18:06and there's been some significant progress.
18:09Finally.
18:11So, some pretty cool features
18:12that happened here on site in the last month.
18:14The biggest feature that I'm most proud of
18:16is obviously this brickwork.
18:18This amazing curved brickwork
18:20that I've been working on for the last couple of weeks.
18:22It's actually a major accomplishment for me
18:24because I've never actually done anything like this for a client.
18:27So, this is the first time that I've done it
18:29and it's actually come up amazing.
18:32George, a bricklayer by trade,
18:34is given a great platform to shine with the brick curves of the facade,
18:38a key design feature in this build.
18:43I actually really enjoy bricklaying.
18:45As long as I'm not doing it every day,
18:47I actually find it therapeutic.
18:58With the brickwork almost finished and the cladding installed,
19:01Bec is getting ready to move inside and work her magic on the interior.
19:06Now we're at a point where we're almost at lock-up,
19:08so now all of the internal stuff's going to start to take shape,
19:11which is obviously my area.
19:13The entire upper floor of the house will be a dedicated master suite,
19:18a retreat from the stress of everyday life.
19:21We're literally encased with windows and natural light.
19:25I think this is going to be a really beautiful,
19:26serene space for us to wake up to.
19:28We've got all the trees outside the window,
19:31we've got the views of the West Gate,
19:33and then through here we've got the views of the city.
19:35We kind of want it to be a little bit simple
19:38in terms of how we finish it and the architecture speak for itself.
19:42I kind of feel like all these windows and what we're looking out on
19:46is what the feature is,
19:48so I don't want to do too much to take away from that.
19:51You know, it's kind of crazy to think that
19:54I found out I was pregnant with Rosie
19:56when we were demolishing the existing house on the property
19:58and now she's going to be one.
20:00So, you know, when we bought the block of land,
20:03I was pregnant with Lenny.
20:05So it's just like the time that's passed,
20:08it's kind of insane.
20:17It's the start of a new year
20:19and after a lengthy break during the festive season,
20:22George is back with a fresh outlook.
20:24The house actually stood still for,
20:26it feels like at least a couple of months
20:28over that Christmas, New Year's period,
20:31but finally things are starting to happen,
20:34things are booked in.
20:36I went on a great holiday,
20:37feel refreshed and ready to go at it again.
20:40Despite the good news that the plastering is finally getting underway,
20:43it didn't take long for George to hit yet another roadblock.
20:48Bec and I fell in love with this floor that we got from Made By Story
20:52and it's actually a 20-week wait to get this board
20:55because it's in a chevron patterned parquetry.
20:57When I was unloading,
20:58I noticed the boxes were a little bit bigger
21:00than what I thought that would be,
21:01but I just thought maybe they'd just package them up to protect them.
21:04But once I opened it up,
21:06I realised it was actually the wrong size.
21:09There's three sizes, small, medium and large.
21:12So we ordered the medium-sized board and the large arrived.
21:16These boards are $750,
21:18so the ones that we ordered were $600.
21:22Which, again, I don't know,
21:27I would like the other one, but I just can't wait.
21:32Well, it's four months, so...
21:36While George wrestles with the decision
21:38of what to do about the flooring,
21:39the other aspects of the build need to stay on schedule.
21:42And one of the next big steps is waterproofing the bathrooms.
21:47So our main goal is to get all of the bathrooms tiled
21:50and, you know, the aim is to get them fitted off.
21:52By the time that happens,
21:54we potentially could have some joinery ready to go in,
21:57although I'm really kind of hoping
21:59that we have all the joinery going at the very end of the build
22:03because I don't want anything damaged.
22:05The fluctuating costs of materials and trades
22:08has impacted the budget significantly.
22:10And there's one aspect of the build
22:12where Bec hasn't been able to devote quite as much attention.
22:16Look, I'll be honest.
22:18I am... I keep parking the landscaping.
22:24I've tried to budget as best I can,
22:26but I feel like the budget with this build
22:28has just gone, you know, through the roof anyway.
22:31And that's just things that are out of my control.
22:34I feel like trades are way more expensive
22:36than what I'd originally budgeted for.
22:38Cost of products are more expensive.
22:41And, you know, George and I kind of expected that.
22:43We realised through COVID that that was sort of an ongoing thing.
22:46And I feel like maybe we're going to get to the landscaping
22:49and the pool area and go,
22:51oh, OK, this is going to cost a little bit more.
22:55At this stage of the build,
22:57sometimes compromises must be made,
23:00like going ahead with the floorboards.
23:02It's decisions like this
23:03that you will either look back on with regret or happiness.
23:07Look, it is coming together very nicely.
23:10Like, it was a pain up until now,
23:12but seeing the plaster on the floorboards go in,
23:15you know, how the light comes in,
23:18mate, it's looking the goods.
23:19I'm really happy with the way it's turning out.
23:22While George continues to power on inside,
23:24Bec is at a showroom confirming some of her final design choices.
23:29Unfortunately, on the drive home,
23:31she gets some disappointing news of yet another delay.
23:35The stone Skyline silver travertine polished.
23:39Yep.
23:41That is currently on the water.
23:43That boat is not due to arrive into Australia until May.
23:50Great!
23:52Without putting those feature tiles on the walls,
23:54I can't install the vanities,
23:56I can't put any of the tapware in,
23:58which is really inconvenient.
24:00So it's really going to stuff me up in terms of our move-in date.
24:03So it's just another delay.
24:06A few months later and some good news.
24:09The tiles have arrived from overseas earlier than expected.
24:12Now George is able to start the painstaking task of sealing them individually.
24:19All 630 of them.
24:21So they're a natural travertine mosaic.
24:23So they have to get sealed before they get laid.
24:26So it's been a bit fun.
24:29So it's 630 individual tiles that have to get sealed like one by one.
24:36So I've been here a couple of days sealing each of them.
24:39While waiting on deliveries for inside,
24:42Bec and George tried to get things moving outside.
24:45I got the stormwater drains installed.
24:49So that's all the downpipes connected to take the water outside.
24:52And I left for a short period of time.
24:55And when I came back, all the pool plumbing had been ripped out from the ground.
25:00So the guy that was digging, he was just a subcontractor through an agency.
25:05He must have seen there was plumbing there because there was one pipe exposed on the surface.
25:09So he just put his bucket in to dig it.
25:11And he just pretty much ripped all the piping out of the ground.
25:15So it was actually quite a big repair bill to fix it all to how it was.
25:20So to try to keep costs down, I've been digging out by hand with like a shovel and like a
25:24little trowel.
25:25It's almost like an archaeologist trying to dig up dinosaur bones.
25:29I'm just trying not to do more damage than what's already there.
25:34Despite the costly disaster of the backyard, inside the house, things are finally tracking much better.
25:40So we've now got joinery in production.
25:43We've got our stone being worked on.
25:47It's just delays across the board with materials, which I think is not just a problem happening on our build.
25:52It's just in the whole industry.
25:55The constant battle with material delays and price increases has impacted Beck and George's build from day one.
26:01And continues to right up until the end.
26:06I feel for them, along with anyone building during this period.
26:09The delays, the constraints, the budget blowouts that no one could have seen coming.
26:15I just hope when this is all over, it'll be worth it.
26:20I never would have thought that it would be this hard because we've done this so many times, but it
26:28has been.
26:28It's been really taxing on our marriage, I think even on our kids.
26:34I can't wait for it to be over so we can just be sitting outside, cooking a pizza in that
26:42wood oven, just sitting by the pool, enjoying it because, yeah, it just feels like very far away at the
26:49moment.
26:50But I keep reminding myself that once we're in here, we're going to love it.
26:54You know, I think the kids are going to love it.
26:56And it is going to be the dream family home where they're going to make so many memories, you know,
27:02and a lot of love's got into this a lot of times.
27:06So I can't wait to actually just enjoy it.
27:17On a beautiful spring day in Melbourne, architect Sean Lockyer is on site to meet Beck and George and get
27:23a special tour of their finally finished home.
27:27Robert Burns once said, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.
27:32And for Beck and George, this was sadly the case on this build.
27:35Having been presented with a range of expected and unexpected issues that have characterized this build.
27:42However, perseverance and commitment really does pay off.
27:45Because from where I'm standing in the street, this house is a beautiful antidote to the post-war context that
27:51it sits within.
27:52The playfulness of the beautiful curved brickwork, a testament to the craft that has created this house.
27:58And with Beck's passion and experience with interiors, I've got very high expectations about what I'm going to find inside.
28:12Hello.
28:13George, how are you going?
28:14Hello.
28:15How are you?
28:16Good to see you guys.
28:17Well done.
28:17This has been a hell of a journey, but you've built this incredible home.
28:22And I've got to say, even from the outside, the mixture of the brickwork, the lightweight timber, it's a contemporary
28:27and very appropriate response to this area.
28:29But it's obviously something really nice and fresh in the suburb as well.
28:44What's the journey been like?
28:47Full on.
28:49It's been full on.
28:50It felt never ending for a while there, didn't it?
28:53Yeah.
28:53Yeah.
28:54Well, we did have our troubles building it.
28:56Yeah.
28:56But now that it's all done, it's not forgotten, but almost forgotten.
29:01So we're really enjoying being in the house.
29:04I know some of what you guys have been through, but you see the house here, it looks beautifully executed.
29:09The quality of the workmanship looks sensational.
29:11I really like the scale of the house.
29:14I love the fact that in a suburb that's essentially single storey houses, you guys have stepped back the facade
29:19in such a way that as we stand here, you really get a sense of scale about the house.
29:23It really does talk to the suburb.
29:25When we bought the block of land, that was really important to us, was getting the scale right.
29:30Yeah.
29:30And thank God we did, because we ended up having a third child.
29:34Yeah.
29:34And I worried that we weren't going to have the extra space, but I feel like now it fits perfectly,
29:41doesn't it?
29:41And I'm glad that we spent a lot of time really mulling over the plans.
29:46You know, I think in hindsight, at the time we were like, we need to just make a decision, whatever.
29:51But I'm glad that we took the time to really assess it on paper because it's so functional and it's
29:58exactly how we need to live in the space comfortably with our children.
30:03And I think that we've really spent the time to find a place for everything and work out all the
30:08things that didn't work for us before.
30:10And now we're enjoying that, that it works now.
30:35Wow, that is incredibly beautiful.
30:46We just wanted to create a shower that our kids felt like really special.
30:52Like it was, you know, and they love it.
30:54They all shower in there together, which is really cute.
30:56I think we spoke earlier about like afterthoughts.
30:58When we were just about to tile this bathroom, we go, why don't we do little curves in every corner?
31:04Yeah.
31:04Just to make it a little bit more difficult.
31:06Literally, it's like I went to an aluminium place and found some coves.
31:10Yeah.
31:11And yeah, had to paint them with grip seal and then glue them on and then waterproof them.
31:16But now they've, yeah, come out amazing.
31:18But I think this is what I'm already starting to love about the house is that as architects, we love
31:23the idea that it's a set of rules.
31:25You know, that you kind of go, there's a way that you tackle these things and it doesn't just start
31:29and stop in one place.
31:30It sort of continues through.
31:32And there's just this gentle curve and you've mentioned it outside, you know, you've got it in the facade, you've
31:37got it in the walls.
31:38But it is just that very, very soft kind of gentle but sophisticated layer of the design.
31:54Getting up to the main bedroom here, you know, there's a lovely connection between what has been done on a
31:59sort of city streetscape level where you've pushed the second floor that we're standing on now back from the street
32:04so that you really only read your house as a single story house.
32:07But then in the act of creating the second story over here, you've obviously created essentially a master retreat.
32:13So you do get this lovely sense of zone separation for yourselves from the kids which as they get older
32:18will become more and more important to have that separation.
32:21And then the kids really almost have their world at the front of the house and then, you know, the
32:25living underneath.
32:26So functionally, I think, which has obviously been a big need and aspiration for this house, from my perspective, it
32:32really looks like you've nailed that.
32:36There's something special about this newly built home in Williamstown, Melbourne.
32:40The sweeping curves of the facade play with the light and create such a fresh and inviting feel.
32:46Inside, the continuation of curves and light is everywhere, from the kids' bathroom to the elegant niche in the staircase
32:54rail.
32:55Down the upstairs corridor into the somewhat secluded master, a huge bank of north-facing windows brings in the light
33:03and the views.
33:05What could have been seen by some as possible extra floor space upstairs has been so beautifully treated by Beck
33:11and George and their architect, with a full height void connecting this space with downstairs.
33:17The interesting play of compression and release continues and I know there are even more incredible surprises to come.
33:24Well, let's show you the main part of the house.
33:26Fantastic.
33:42We're in Williamstown to see this newly built home by Beck and George.
33:50The facade, entry, bathrooms and master suite have completely blown me away.
33:56I can't wait to see the heart of this home, the kitchen and living.
34:07Sean continues the tour.
34:09I really love this, you know, again, this really beautiful control of the curves.
34:15And I think, you know, the interplay of the curves here is just a really smart thing that you've done.
34:20And I think, you know, there's a happy balance between the tension that is created by the sort of proximity
34:25of these two curves.
34:26Yeah, we made sure that they're exactly the same radius on both of them, so they can match perfectly.
34:31It's meant to be a bit of a reflection of the curves externally.
34:35Yeah.
34:35But yeah, this wall, I'm really, I'm happy we did this.
34:39I think it just adds in now the layer.
34:51So I noticed in here you've got this really lovely batten detail, which is something really beautiful.
34:57But then to deal with the complexities of all the geometry, you've got this beautiful scallop where you've actually cut
35:02out of the ridge at the top there.
35:05And it just slots in like a little piece in a puzzle.
35:10So all of the panelling was obviously something that we wanted to carry through, but this is a little feature
35:19into my pocket doors, which I love.
35:22So it's almost like a bar and a breakfast bar.
35:25Yeah.
35:25But we did the gorgeous stone for us.
35:28Yeah, I know.
35:29Well, if you're wondering where the money went.
35:31Yes.
35:32Well, now you know.
35:32These were actually not that expensive.
35:35Well, it is beautiful.
35:36And I think it's safe to say it's a reflection of your personality is that there is this beautifully controlled
35:40element to the kitchen, but you haven't done that at the expense of functionality.
35:44You've actually worked it out so that you can have all the neatness and have all the control, but then
35:49deal with all the functional aspects as well.
35:51Yes.
35:51And it threw into this living space.
35:53And this is really lovely because you do, even within a nice open plan space, even the fact that it
35:58wraps around the cell, you do get this lovely sense of this room having slightly different character to the other
36:04side.
36:04And the fact that it's also retreating a little bit from that northern sun, particularly in terms of watching TV
36:10and positioning the fireplace, is really lovely.
36:21Well, we wanted to have a lounge room space that we can enjoy, but also a separate space for the
36:28kids.
36:29Because I wanted, again, a beautiful place for them to be in, but it needs to be functional.
36:34These steel frame doors were a massive thing for us because we can see them.
36:38It's intentional that the couch is there and they're there, we can see them, but they also have their own
36:44space and they've got their TV and, you know, it looks beautiful.
36:48And again, we've done all the custom handles with the arches, but this colour, we picked up that colour from
36:55the vein in the stone.
37:05These are living, breathing things. They start with a pure idea. Sometimes a pure idea is executed to the letter,
37:11sometimes it isn't.
37:12But ultimately, they're all people's homes and those homes reflect their personality.
37:16And whether that's about the control of the detail, whether that's about the art, whether that's about the garden, I
37:21mean, that's what makes homes homes.
37:23I agree. I think it's, yeah, definitely a huge reflection on us and our style.
37:30But yeah, this palette is definitely very me. Very much so.
37:35It's absolutely gorgeous. I'm really liking it. And that calm that you do talk about, you certainly do feel here.
37:41And for me, I think light and air amongst, you know, beyond all the beautiful finishes are the things that
37:48I focus on first in all of our work.
37:51And I think standing here in this space, seeing this beautiful tapestry of light flow through from the north, even
37:56the shadows that the window mullions create and the thresholds above create, really add to, it's almost like a layer
38:02of art that you're getting for free.
38:05Well, we spend so much time at home. And to be honest, we live busy lives. And, you know, we
38:11have three children and work and, you know, like everyone else have anxiety and things like that.
38:17So it's important to have a place that I feel calm in and I feel like that's here.
38:22Well, I think you've nailed it. Well done.
38:32And so to talk timeframe, I know you've been in the house for a while.
38:35So it has taken, um, three and a half years.
38:42On the build. Not the build, but like the process.
38:45No, it's the build.
38:50Let's imagine we were COVID free. We were in a normal world. Um, if you put together, knowing what you
38:57know now, the time that you would have needed for design, recognising with the approvals.
39:01I mean, you can't really second guess approvals because at the end of the day, you do what you think
39:05is right and you go through the process to get what you get.
39:08You know, how long do you think it should have taken?
39:10I think 18 months would have been realistic.
39:13Oh, Archie, you sweetheart.
39:16Oh, cuddle.
39:17Flour.
39:19In terms of what you budgeted and where you landed up.
39:22The total build with our money plus the sponsorship, I thought was going to be sitting at around 1.1.
39:29Yeah.
39:29Um, the builds ended up costing 1.3, including the sponsorship 1.35.
39:35Yeah.
39:35Um, so, you know, we have gone about 250 over budget.
39:42It wasn't us making really expensive choices.
39:45The selections were all the same.
39:47I think a huge factor of that is just the increase in cost of materials.
39:52Perfect example of the tiles that I picked, when I'd originally selected them, they are sitting at about $100 a
39:57square metre.
39:58When we actually needed to order them, they were $143.
40:01Yeah, yeah.
40:02That's a perfect example of $43 a square metre, when we've got that many tiles going full height.
40:09I mean, you saw our bathrooms.
40:10Yeah, yeah.
40:10All of those little expenses, $2,000 here, $5,000 there, they add up.
40:15If things like that hadn't happened to affect it, we probably would have been close to being on budget.
40:20Yeah, yeah.
40:20But we ended up spending way over our budget, and it was due to cost of material and increasing labour
40:27costs.
40:28Yeah.
40:30So really, the only question left in my mind is, was it all worth it?
40:34And I think I know the answer to that question, but how do you feel now that all the dust
40:38has settled?
40:39I think we definitely feel a sense of relief that it's over.
40:45We've both said that we don't plan on doing it again anytime soon.
40:49I think we both just want to enjoy our children.
40:54Yeah.
40:54And just enjoy maybe not having something so stressful going on in the background.
40:59Yeah.
41:00But I think now seeing the kids in here, it does make it worth it.
41:04And little, it sounds so silly, but little things like cooking in that kitchen,
41:08and appreciating that I've designed it for exactly how I'll use it, does make it worth it.
41:18Every project has its own story.
41:20And this is a story of perseverance.
41:22Beck and George have not only had to deal with a global epidemic,
41:25they've had to deal with price increases, a very challenging process through council,
41:30and then the very pleasant surprise of a third child along the way.
41:34But what they've managed to do is to come together as a team and support each other
41:38to design and to build an exquisitely detailed and really beautifully built house
41:44that really does communicate the kind of passion and intensity that this project is all about.
41:51And not only have they done something of architectural merit,
41:54but they've produced a family home for their family to enjoy for years to come
41:58in this amazing suburb of Williamstown.
42:01And if this is a story about anything in the end,
42:03what it shows is that hard work and commitment to an idea really does pay off.
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