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00:09For most of us, recycling's a simple affair.
00:12Separating your paper from your bottles, job done.
00:17But what if you wanted to take it much more seriously?
00:21What if you wanted to build your house out of materials like plastic bags and old milk cartons?
00:29What if you had an architecturally designed three-bedroom house in mind, but only a couple
00:35of hundred grand to spend?
00:37You've got to worry, wouldn't it all look just a bit rubbish?
01:12Let's go and have a look at the orchard.
01:14Up the gate.
01:17You definitely need to have an orchard though.
01:20Ooh, look at those juicy lemons.
01:23What do you think, Hugo?
01:24By rights, James LeCompte and Rita Ordonez should never have met.
01:29He's the son of a builder in Sydney.
01:32She grew up in the mountains of Ecuador, but here they are living in Newcastle after fate
01:38brought them together.
01:39Rita and I met at a backpackers in New Orleans after a rather crazy evening of heavy rain and
01:46the ceiling of the hostel collapsing.
01:50We had a long distance relationship until Rita moved out in 2006.
01:57I wanted to come to see this guy in Australia, told all my family about this gringo, you know,
02:03that I met.
02:04Not too bad.
02:06Gringo or not, things just clicked.
02:08They married and had kids, Hugo and Celeste.
02:13Together, there's nothing they enjoy more than being out in nature.
02:17The connection to earth for me, it's definitely my childhood, being on my dad's farm and my
02:24grandparents' farm, picking fresh fruit from the trees and eating berries until you feel
02:31sick in the tummy.
02:32So all of that is very important for me.
02:34Let me see your turn, Hugo.
02:37Let's get some fruit and veggies, shall we?
02:39The family spent years travelling the world, living in five different countries.
02:44Rita teaching and James working in international trade development.
02:51But their lives changed with a move to Ecuador, where Rita's dad farmed cacao trees, used to
02:57make the world's best dark chocolate.
03:01I decided to take the leap into, I guess, a passion project, which was investing in a
03:08luxury chocolate business from Ecuador.
03:11And that's where I'm working today, and I do that remotely.
03:16It's exquisite handmade stuff.
03:19How exquisite?
03:20As much as $8,000 a kilo for the very best quality.
03:26You'll find it in high-end stores and James' personal stash.
03:32I love the crunchiness of the caramel.
03:34It's a good combo.
03:36After all that travelling, they moved back to Australia, looking for somewhere to dig roots
03:42deep into the earth.
03:44They found that place in an idyllic little community nestled among the rolling hills of
03:50the Hunter Valley, 45 minutes from Newcastle.
03:54It's a big farm that's owned by 29 families.
03:58We're all shareholders in the farm.
03:59And the idea is that we build in a way that's sustainable and it's sensitive to the environment
04:05that we're building in as well.
04:08The first time we came, I said to James, James, look at the hills.
04:12It's like Ecuador.
04:13I love it.
04:14For me especially, I would like to see my children growing up in a place where they can see the
04:19stars, where they can interact with animals, where they can be around neighbours and friends.
04:26And that's a huge part of this place.
04:29They call it an intentional community, which involves everyone working together towards a shared goal of sustainability.
04:41This is an extraordinary place you've got here, yeah?
04:43It is.
04:44The landscape is pretty remarkable looking around.
04:47Wow.
04:48It is.
04:48But it comes with a catch, right?
04:49Because it's not just on its own.
04:50It's got this community wrapped around it.
04:52That's right.
04:53Yeah.
04:53Yeah, we love that aspect of it actually.
04:55Yeah?
04:56Yeah, we didn't want to be isolated on a farm all by ourselves.
04:59So having our neighbours and our friends nearby is a big plus.
05:04It's a good thing.
05:05It is, yeah.
05:06And there's also going to be a real social aspect to the build as well.
05:10The fact that my dad and my father-in-law are going to be building it with me, you know.
05:16Hang on a second.
05:17Just go back one step now.
05:19Your dad and your father-in-law.
05:21Yeah, my dad said that he's probably not able to live as a huge inheritance or something
05:27like that, but he wants to help and this is part of his contribution.
05:32That's really, that's lovely.
05:33It's a nice gift.
05:34It's a lovely gift, isn't it?
05:36Yeah.
05:36Tell me, you know, paint the picture for me.
05:37What is the dream?
05:39We're going to build a single-storey house.
05:42We've got this philosophy about building with materials that are recyclable or biodegradable
05:50and, you know, zero toxin.
05:53Simple to say, but difficult to execute.
05:57And it's all got to be off-grid.
06:01Designed by architect Morten Pedersen, this house embodies environmental ambitions,
06:07starting with an earthen floor made from layers of granite, pumice and clay.
06:13James and Rita want a barefoot connection to the planet.
06:16A recyclable steel frame will be clad in biodegradable wood fibre panels.
06:22On one side, a study and two bedrooms for the kids.
06:26Feature walls will be built of bricks, hand-made on-site.
06:33The two bathrooms will sit back-to-back, one for the kids, the other, James and Rita's
06:38ensuite.
06:40In the main living space, the eco-factor really cranks up.
06:45Rita will hand-craft kitchen tiles for the splash-back, while the kitchen walls and ceiling
06:50are ingeniously fashioned from recycled plastic bags, those environmental terrorists.
06:57Upstairs, there's a mezzanine art space.
07:00The house will be fully off-grid.
07:03Solar power, rainwater tanks, composting toilets and, of course, double-glazed windows.
07:09Finally, corrugated iron cladding, brilliantly bent to wrap around corners, forms a seamless barrier
07:15to bugs and bushfires.
07:17On paper, it's eco-excellence.
07:20But, of course, nothing's ever built on paper.
07:25How long is this thing going to take you to build?
07:28Best case would be eight months.
07:31How did you arrive at that number?
07:34Spreadsheets.
07:34Yeah.
07:35So, I spend quite a bit of time in spreadsheets in my day job.
07:39They're only as good as the information you put in, you know.
07:40That's right, yeah.
07:41That's a pretty ambitious timeline, only because, not the scale so much as the experience.
07:45Knowing where you're going and those are things, and you'll have to make the mistakes
07:48in order to correct them and move along.
07:50Correct.
07:50What about budget?
07:53Yeah, there's not a lot of it.
07:56So, 230 grand.
07:58Really?
07:59You serious?
08:00Yep.
08:01Yep.
08:04That's not very much money at all.
08:06If you look at it in a new build, it can be up to 50% of the cost can
08:11be in the labour.
08:12You know, 230, multiply that by two, it's a $460,000 house.
08:17Okay.
08:18And in a year and a half from now, when I'm standing here talking to you and we're still
08:21looking at the building that's about to go into lock up, what will you be telling me then?
08:27Which, that's not ours.
08:30That's the neighbour's house.
08:31That's the neighbour's house.
08:31This one is ours.
08:32Because we're going to finish.
08:35Really?
08:36In my book, something doesn't quite add up.
08:42It's not just the short timeframe and the minuscule budget, but the thing that really
08:47worries me is that these guys are novice builders working with new and experimental methods
08:52and materials.
08:54It's a bit like fancy chocolate.
08:56If you want the really good stuff made with organic, hand-picked ingredients from the
09:01hills of the gods, that's going to cost you.
09:05Big time.
09:12There's a mid-winter chill in the air, but you couldn't get a more perfect morning to start
09:18the adventure of a lifetime.
09:20Well, today's a really big day.
09:22It's the first day that we're going to be breaking ground.
09:24I've got this little beauty with me.
09:27She's a five-and-a-half tonne excavator.
09:29I just finished a five-day crash course on exactly this machine, actually, which is great,
09:36so I'm feeling quietly confident.
09:39Leveling a block is a skill that can take months to master.
09:43James is bravely taking it on with just a few days' instruction.
09:48Permission.
09:50Engage the hydraulics.
09:54Lift the ribs a bit.
09:58Lift up the blade a little bit.
10:01Here we go.
10:12That's what I'm talking about.
10:15Ooh.
10:19Well, this is me breaking ground on my own property.
10:22I've got to say, it feels pretty good.
10:25Kind of pleasurable watching the earth sort of curl up a little bit like butter.
10:34James is in heaven moving earth, and he's in good company.
10:38As promised, Dad's army is here to help.
10:42Secret weapon number one is father-in-law Italo, a retired politician.
10:47Some places, the just thing is, you see, you go a little bit deeper.
10:51Yeah.
10:52He's flown out from Ecuador to lend a hand.
10:55I am really very happy because I am sure I am helping my family.
11:01And I am sure we are going to overcome this challenge.
11:06I'll give you some instruction on the blade with the razor.
11:09James' dad, Steve, is secret weapon number two.
11:13And while he'll be coming and going from the site, the best news is, he's a retired builder.
11:20What are you thinking, Dad?
11:22Well, you're probably going a little bit deep.
11:24Up a bit, or...?
11:25Yeah, up a bit.
11:27I run that lot right through now.
11:29He's doing well.
11:30It's a bit tougher than I think he thought it would be.
11:32But, you know, when you're on a new piece of equipment, something you haven't used before,
11:37it's not easy.
11:38But he's making a good job of it.
11:40I'm quite proud of him.
11:41He's doing well.
11:4845 minutes away at their rental in Newcastle, Rita and the kids are settling into a different existence.
11:55James has been staying at the build site because sometimes driving back takes a long time.
12:01I think it's more productive at the build site when James is there early, early in the morning.
12:08It's a lot for Rita to take on solo.
12:11To pay the bills, she's working full time as a teacher, as well as looking after the kids.
12:17Let's make these tiles with the clay that you collected, Hugo.
12:21But she's still finding time for everyone to stay connected to the build.
12:26They're making tiles for the kitchen.
12:28What makes it so special is that we're making them together.
12:32And we are using the soil from the sides, which makes it even more special because it feels like our
12:40house is really providing everything for us.
12:44The tiles won't just save money on the tiny budget.
12:47They're taking Rita back to her roots.
12:50These tiles are definitely inspired by Ecuadorian pottery.
12:57It's definitely a bit of going down memory lane.
13:00The colour of my city where I come from is all terracottas because it's huge, pottery is huge where I
13:07come from.
13:07So it's good to bring that bit of home to Australia.
13:16Even at this early stage, Rita is clearly thinking more about a home than a house.
13:23I just hope it lives up to her dreams.
13:26You know, if we are successful, we can make the bathroom tiles.
13:31Maybe not.
13:32Maybe not.
13:40Before embarking on this build, James researched every aspect, looking for sustainable options and ways to save money.
13:48Lots of money.
13:50One of the tools he'll need has arrived from a most unexpected place.
13:55We just drove back from Sydney at the docks where I picked up this big box that arrived from India.
14:02It is a compressed-earth brick-making machine, so we're going to be able to make our own bricks with
14:06this.
14:08You've got to hand it to James.
14:10He's not afraid to think outside the box.
14:18If they can get it open.
14:23This is against theft.
14:26Anti-theft.
14:28Anti-theft.
14:28Anti-theft packaging.
14:29Anti-theft packaging.
14:32Yeah, I love the energy of having the two dads around.
14:36They just get stuck into it straight away.
14:41Woo!
14:42There she is in all her glory.
14:44A little brick machine.
14:46This is an exciting moment, I think, for Italo, because he's been designated chief brick maker for the job.
14:53Yes.
14:54We're going to see a good quantity of bricks coming out.
14:59Isn't that right, Italo?
15:00Yes, sir.
15:06James needs about 6,000 bricks to make three internal feature walls.
15:12Italo has his work cut out.
15:14I never made blocks, but I think it's going to be my new profession.
15:24Much like Rita's tiles, these bricks will be highly sustainable, made largely from clay and soil found on site, mixed
15:32with a little cement and water.
15:34More water?
15:35A bit more water, yeah.
15:37Unlike conventional bricks, the mix isn't fired in a kiln.
15:42This is the...
15:44It makes the pressure.
15:46It's compressed, using nothing but human muscle.
16:00There you go.
16:04Look at those beauties.
16:06Steven and myself did a good job.
16:10Put them on the rack to dry.
16:12Yeah.
16:13I think we've started production.
16:16Two down, 5,998 to go.
16:21Did they really say this house would be finished in eight months?
16:24Good job, mister.
16:25Good job.
16:26We must be proud of ourselves.
16:28We are.
16:29Absolutely, absolutely.
16:30We are.
16:35It's taken James two months to level and set out the site.
16:39A fair effort for a first-timer, but there's a deadline looming large.
16:45Rita's favourite part of the entire build is the concrete pour, so she's been eager to see that happen.
16:52But before we can do any of that, we needed to really finish the excavation work, a huge amount of
16:56earthworks.
16:58Had to level the site, mark out all of the trench lines, dig the trenches, put up the formwork.
17:05With the concrete trucks beelining to site, some of the neighbours are chipping in to get it ready.
17:11Then we've got the trench.
17:12Yeah, that runs into the pit.
17:14Yeah.
17:16Been working really closely today with Marco on setting out the land.
17:19Marco's gone through all of this before and he's worked on a number of the houses here.
17:24One of the great things about being on a community is that you can, at fairly short notice, give some
17:29help to a friend and neighbour.
17:31I'm just helping out as an extra set of hands to prepare for this big moment, which is the concrete
17:37pour.
17:38It's a bit of a cliché, but as we all know, getting out of the ground is the hardest bit
17:42of building a house.
17:43There's a few more hard bits to come. James will learn that as he goes.
17:50Dave's here too, and he's a good man to know. He's a concreter.
17:54In a community, a place like this, there's really a different feel.
18:00Everyone's vibe here is really, really lovely.
18:01So it rubs off, we rub off on each other, you know, we help each other.
18:05There's humour, there's kindness, you know, there are people coming out and offer you lunch and all sorts of things.
18:12And you know, people walk around and they're happy, yeah.
18:14So what a beautiful place to work in.
18:23While concrete has a huge carbon footprint, James has minimised the impact by only using strip footings, not a whole
18:32slab.
18:33Even better, he's found a greener variety.
18:37We chose to go with an eco packed concrete because apparently it's about 30 to 90% more environmentally friendly
18:45than regular concrete.
18:47This concrete reduces carbon emissions by using recycled demolition material in the mix.
18:53And it's healthy for the budget too.
18:5620% cheaper than many traditional products.
19:01Hola, Mum. Hola. Hola. Hola. Hola. Hola.
19:06I just called my mum in Ecuador because she of course has to be part of it.
19:11She was like, wow, the house looks big and beautiful and so excited.
19:16Yeah, my mum's really excited.
19:18She's always telling me, oh, I can't wait, we're going to plant the mango tree here.
19:22And then when you, when my grandchildren are older, they'll climb it and eat mango and there'll be an old
19:28lady thinking, oh, I planted that.
19:30And she's always, she loves it a lot, my mum.
19:35I think I'm going to change careers. What do you think?
19:38I'm going to make a smiley face. What do you think?
19:40What do you think?
19:43In just four hours, the start of the family's ethereal hopes and dreams has been set solid in concrete.
19:51I guess it's quite a milestone, you know, it's, it's getting the concrete poured.
19:55It's the footings that are going to hold up our family home, which we're, you know, planned to live in
20:01for a very long time.
20:02So, yeah, it's a special moment today.
20:04We're going to enjoy the rest of today together, admiring, admiring the work, I think.
20:14But there's no time for dilly dallying on this building site.
20:18James and Rita want to build with zero waste.
20:22Not easy in an industry renowned for it, which means a lot of research into recycled products.
20:28And they've managed to source what could be a great solution to the planet's plastic plague.
20:34I hired a truck. I've loaded it up with a bunch of soft plastic waste from the building site.
20:40Which I was hoping not to send to landfill and very excited to have found a company that turns soft
20:47plastics into boards that we're going to use to line our walls and ceilings.
20:52So looking forward to checking it all out at the factory.
21:03Oh, how are you going?
21:04Nice to meet you.
21:04How are you going, James?
21:05Yeah, Paul.
21:06Nice to meet you.
21:06Paul Charteris is behind the operation, which is, frankly, a near-perfect example of recycling.
21:12The company creates building panels out of soft plastics combined with old milk cartons.
21:19James plans to paint them and use them as internal walls.
21:23Instead of actually using trees, we're actually using packaging fibre.
21:27Consumer waste.
21:28Consumer waste.
21:28So, I mean, I basically brought a bunch of soft plastic.
21:34Yeah, this is low-density polyethylene and it's our glue, basically.
21:39There we go.
21:43It's not even complicated.
21:45First, the plastic and cartons are chopped up.
21:53Heated to 250 degrees, the plastic becomes a kind of glue.
22:01Then it's pressed flat under 200 tonnes of pressure.
22:07If you're wondering, that's just steam.
22:10There are no toxic chemical emissions.
22:14And this is your finished board.
22:16Wow.
22:17Under here.
22:17I'll pull this back and you can sort of see this is the exposed black.
22:21Uh-huh.
22:22Which is what you're looking at putting in your place.
22:26100% upcycled.
22:27You'd be able to see some of the different plastics and cartons.
22:30But, you know, it's all your waste and, you know, post-consumer waste that's gone into it.
22:38I mean, I just feel really good about the fact that I haven't had to take it all to landfill.
22:43I've thrown it into this conveyor belt which spits out new building materials which are going to go on our
22:49ceiling, on our walls.
22:54The euphoria of the plastic doesn't last long.
22:58Three months into the eight month schedule, it's replaced by hot, hard graft.
23:04It's a drudgery of James and Rita's own making.
23:07They want the house to be deeply connected to the planet through an earthen floor.
23:14One of the coolest things about the earthen floor is that it recreates the sensation and the exact feeling of
23:22walking barefoot on the earth.
23:24One of the big benefits of that is that it allows you to still be connected to the energetic vibrations
23:32of the earth.
23:32And that's something that, as humans, we've been enjoying for millions and millions of years.
23:37And we'll be able to enjoy it in our house, walking bare feet.
23:40Bare feet and energy flows.
23:43Interesting.
23:44And it's far from the easy option.
23:46A traditional house like this would probably have a concrete slab across the entire base.
23:52But that's got a huge amount of embodied energy.
23:56And it wasn't really the feel, the natural feel, that we wanted for this house.
24:01The earthen floor will consist of compacted layers of granite aggregate for waterproofing,
24:07then pumice for insulation, then road base, then polished clay.
24:12It might be terrific for energy flow, but it sure sounds heavy.
24:18It's, you know, Italo and myself now, and tons and tons and tons of material to move.
24:25So we've shifted 25 tonne of granite.
24:28We've shifted about 15 tonne of pumice.
24:32We've had some really hot days as well, so it's just been a really laborious part of the build.
24:39The upside of all that mass?
24:42The floor should keep the house warm in winter and cool in summer.
24:47How Italo is keeping his cool, I'll never know.
24:51But he is.
24:52And I'm doing with great pleasure.
24:56Besides, the people around here are the best I've ever seen.
25:02So I feel very well.
25:13Where's this one going on top?
25:18Unfortunately, two months later, very well is not how you describe progress.
25:25The floor still isn't finished.
25:28In his inexperience, James has underestimated just how long everything takes.
25:34That spreadsheet schedule's in trouble.
25:38But now there should be visible progress.
25:43Today is a, I guess you'd say, momentous day.
25:46We're aiming to put up the first part of the frame.
25:49I've got some good mates here to help, as well as my dad and Italo.
25:55You know I'm an old man, I was sore back.
25:57James has chosen steel frames, which at first glance don't scream sustainable.
26:03But he has his reasons.
26:05We didn't want to use any treated timber products in the house.
26:08Because it's, you know, coated in really toxic material.
26:11And we don't want that in our house.
26:13We're trying to build a really healthy home for the family.
26:15There's no perfect solution, of course, because we opted with steel,
26:18which has a lot of issues as well.
26:21But at the end of the day, the steel is 100% recyclable.
26:26I can't see a number on this one.
26:29The frame comes in pieces like a giant jigsaw puzzle.
26:32It was delivered on schedule months ago.
26:35And the floor delay hasn't helped.
26:37The frames are all numbered, but unfortunately they've been here for so long
26:41that the numbers have faded in the sun, so sometimes they're a bit difficult to read.
26:46Plus, as you can see, the grass is growing up around them.
26:50Look here, here it is. W4.
26:53W4 is over in that corner.
26:57This would be a sliding door.
26:59This is a sliding door.
27:02The right pieces are eventually unearthed.
27:05They're right here, I think, isn't it?
27:07But for the first time on the build, James has the jitters.
27:12I've never put up a frame before, and I really don't like putting together furniture,
27:18and so this is like putting together a giant piece of furniture.
27:20So it's a little overwhelming and confusing.
27:23What dimension did you get, James?
27:2411 metres to the millimetre.
27:2611 metres to the millimetre.
27:28I guess I don't think I would have gone into this if I didn't have a dad who was a
27:33builder.
27:33In the moment when you're doing something for the first time
27:36and you really want to make sure you get it right,
27:39having somebody who knows what they're doing
27:40and has done it so many times before,
27:43having them right there is priceless.
27:45I think we should get some timber braces.
27:47Timber we've got, okay.
27:48And then put this one up.
27:50That's the bottom.
27:51Steve's earning his keep today, leading the team to erect the first frame.
27:56That goes right on this corner, right?
27:58Yep.
27:58Yeah, go on the inside.
28:01If you can just hold that there.
28:02Yep.
28:07And are we okay with the position of it and everything?
28:10Yep.
28:14It's so exciting.
28:16It's good.
28:17It's happening.
28:19We're getting a house, I think.
28:23The lightweight frames are slotting in perfectly.
28:26Those frames have been lying on the ground next to the site,
28:30haunting me for months, saying,
28:32put me up, put me up.
28:35We'll get it easily.
28:36Nice.
28:40Cool.
28:42It's good vibes all round.
28:44James and Rita aren't just building a house,
28:46they're building a place in this unique community.
28:50CJ has been cheering them on from the sidelines.
28:54You know, I'll walk past this place.
28:56How's it going, James?
28:57Oh, yeah, we're getting there.
29:00He's always positive.
29:01He's always optimistic.
29:02While John has been on sundowner refreshments.
29:05Their spirit is infectious.
29:08You know, it draws in people to come and stand in the blazing sun
29:11and howl, you know, just hold things up
29:14while somebody drills a hole in something, you know?
29:17You enjoy it and you have a beer and a barbecue afterwards.
29:25Every Wednesday, the village gets together to sort out local issues.
29:30They have their share.
29:33Margie Breville has been here since day dot, eight years ago.
29:37People who would buy into this sort of a situation
29:41are very strong individuals.
29:44And to get a lot of very strong individuals
29:49to live in harmony is, I guess, our challenge.
29:57No individual here is stronger than Jane Perkis.
30:01She built the ecovillages' very first house.
30:04Hello, Jane.
30:05Hello, Anthony.
30:07How are you?
30:08And I can't help but wonder what motivated her
30:10to take such a radical step
30:12on what was quite an unconventional project.
30:15Jane, you have the honour, I suppose,
30:18of building the first house here.
30:20Is that right?
30:20I do have that honour.
30:22And when I hear that said, I think,
30:23I actually did that and I get really excited.
30:26How long ago was that?
30:27That was seven years ago when I...
30:30Just before I turned 80, I walked into here.
30:32So that was wonderful, yeah.
30:34What makes it so special?
30:35It's special because a lot of people got together,
30:39a number of people got together,
30:41with the idea that we needed to live differently on the earth,
30:44to care for the earth, to do it with others,
30:47and just to recreate the idea of a rural farm and village.
30:52None of us could have afforded this absolutely glorious land by ourselves.
30:57Yeah, right.
30:58But we could do that when we got together.
31:00Yeah.
31:00We all have our own home sites that we build on,
31:03but we've got all the rest of the property that we share.
31:06Yeah.
31:06And it's quite a magic thing to do.
31:12Certainly, James and Rita have fallen under the village's spell.
31:18Fantastic.
31:19Hi, welcome.
31:21Hello.
31:22Look at you two.
31:23This is the idea becoming reality.
31:26It is.
31:27Welcome.
31:28Congratulations.
31:29I feel like you're making some real progress here.
31:31You're out of the ground.
31:32This is what your dream looks like.
31:34You're starting to see it now.
31:35How does it feel?
31:36It is great.
31:37To me, it's just perfect.
31:39It's not anything else or anything more.
31:43It's just perfect.
31:44Any surprises so far?
31:45I think it's the flaws, the whole process of the earthen flaws,
31:49that we really want to make it happen,
31:51that I think probably so far has been the hardest part of the house.
31:55Yeah.
31:55This is a really important thing for you, isn't it?
31:57Yeah.
31:57Yeah.
31:57To feel the earth that way.
31:59Yeah.
32:00It really ties into that idea of a healthy home,
32:02and a home that doesn't just have zero toxins,
32:06but actually adds health benefits.
32:10It's health positive.
32:11Health positive.
32:11Yeah.
32:12When I look around, forgive me for saying this,
32:14but I see steel in the walls,
32:16I see a steel-clad building,
32:18I see, yeah, self-made bricks and all that stuff,
32:20but I'm not seeing the usual trappings
32:22of what I'd expect to see for a sustainable home.
32:25Sure.
32:25There's no hemp.
32:27There's no mud.
32:28There's none of these sorts of traditional materials and so on.
32:31How do we read sustainable out of the house?
32:33Yeah.
32:33It's a great question.
32:34And so the principles were using biodegradable materials or recyclable or recycled materials.
32:42Mm-hmm.
32:42So steel is recyclable, endlessly recyclable.
32:46But in terms of getting that sustainable feel,
32:49the whole steel frame will be completely hidden.
32:52Sure.
32:52It will be wrapped in, you know, in wood fibre panels,
32:55and then it will be finished with a lovely clay plaster on the inside.
33:00So how are you going?
33:01I mean, you're doing this to save money,
33:02but how are you going on the budget then?
33:03Because $230,000 is what you're aiming for.
33:06Yeah.
33:06It's an exceedingly small amount of money.
33:09Yeah.
33:10Budget's probably creeped up to $250,000.
33:12Okay.
33:14Around about $250,000.
33:15So $20,000 in that scheme of things.
33:17Doesn't sound like much, but...
33:18It is.
33:19With this tiny budget, it's quite a lot.
33:20Yeah, it's quite a lot.
33:21Yeah, 10, 15%.
33:22And you're five months in.
33:23So, what, you said eight months was your total build time?
33:26Yeah.
33:27I think so.
33:28I'm pretty sure, actually.
33:30Thinking that we need to realistically add another
33:34possibly month and a half, two months to that original timeframe.
33:37Yeah, okay.
33:37And that's at the moment.
33:39I mean, I don't know if there'll be any surprises, you know.
33:41I will bet you there will be some more surprises.
33:43There will be some more surprises.
33:47The biggest surprise to me will be if James gets this done
33:51in anything like 10 months.
33:55Doubly so come the new year.
33:58He's staying on site in a neighbour's shed,
34:01but he's very much alone.
34:04Italo's visa was up.
34:06He's back in Ecuador.
34:09Things have noticeably slowed down,
34:11and it's not just Italo being away,
34:13but, you know, my own dad hasn't been here
34:16as much as either of us would like, I think.
34:18He's got some health issues.
34:20He's got Parkinson's.
34:22So, I guess, just brought into focus for me
34:25the importance of choosing healthy building materials
34:28because a lot of the, you know,
34:31a lot of the exposure that Dad had in the building industry
34:33to chemicals and the like
34:37have really, you know, influenced his current health.
34:41Dad's army was James' secret weapon
34:44and only chance of meeting the schedule.
34:47Now it's gone.
34:50Yeah, just there's definitely moments when I'm on my own
34:54and I'm thinking, you know, what am I doing?
34:56How am I going to move this thing forward?
35:00You know, I don't even know what I need to think about.
35:04I don't know what I don't know.
35:08For all his concerns, James is making progress.
35:12He's finished the frame and started cladding it
35:15using remarkable wood panels
35:17made from up-cycled waste sawdust.
35:20They're both breathable and repel water.
35:23We'll have these boards wrapping the entire steel frame on the outside
35:27and then they'll also wrap the entire steel frame on the inside.
35:31And so we'll get around this issue that a lot of houses have
35:34where they're not breathable
35:36and you have all sorts of mould and health issues.
35:39This actually forms an integral part of the entire house
35:43functioning as a healthy, comfortable living space for us.
35:50Whatever progress James was making
35:52soon grinds to a halt.
35:56The chocolate business in Ecuador is in need of his business expertise.
36:01So he's had to down tools entirely.
36:05So this is Quito, Ecuador, 2,500 metres above sea level.
36:11It used to be the place that we called home for a number of years.
36:15So it's a city and a country that holds a very special place in my heart.
36:20And I'm here because I have to attend
36:23to some pretty urgent business matters with the chocolate business.
36:27It's not an ideal time to be travelling
36:31and I'm really hoping that I can get back as soon as possible to the build.
36:36Alright, let's have breakfast.
36:37I would like to have some eggs.
36:39James has been living on site most of the time anyway,
36:42but this unplanned trip and the ballooning budget
36:46has magnified the pressure on Rita.
36:49Get your avocado on your top.
36:50Being on my own managing the home and the kids and my job
36:55has been a little bit tricky.
37:00We're running out of money, running out of time.
37:04It's been really, really difficult for me to manage on my own.
37:10But on top of that we keep getting more animals, aren't we?
37:14Hey?
37:15When we're leaving for school everything's kind of like a rush
37:18and I often forget things and like, oh, my homework.
37:22Oh, what a shame, you know?
37:23Because we're kind of always brushing around
37:25because my dad's not here, I guess.
37:29It has been really tricky, especially for Sele too.
37:33And, oh gosh, I'm getting emotional.
37:35And not, um, being able to do the things she usually likes to do,
37:42like being in her room and being dragged to come.
37:49And I don't know why I got emotional.
37:53Um, I keep telling the kids it's all worth it.
37:57At the end of the day, all this hard work
37:59is going to be really, really worth it.
38:06Come June, it's still hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
38:11Reality waved goodbye
38:12to the spreadsheet's initial eight-month schedule ages ago.
38:18But with the chocolate business back on track,
38:20James has been relentlessly grinding on,
38:23finishing the wood panels and installing double-glazed windows.
38:29Today, a new chapter cladding the house in corrugated iron.
38:33It will finally be watertight.
38:36And for the first time in months,
38:39Dad's army is back on deck with all of its members.
38:43The exciting news is that Italo's back from Ecuador.
38:47I think he would probably say I dragged him out,
38:50but truth be told, he was just, uh, raring to come back.
38:55And, uh, it's pretty exciting to have the team back again.
38:59It's so great to be back this second time.
39:02And I am happy because I am sure
39:04that I am helping James, Rita and my grandchildren
39:08to build their dream.
39:10They say that.
39:11So if I am part of building the dream,
39:15that's very good for everyone.
39:18Like everything with this house, James has done his research.
39:22He's found special corrugated iron panels
39:25that will elevate the home from shed to chic.
39:29Normally, with corrugated iron,
39:31two sheets meet at a corner, leaving a gap.
39:33This new invention is a clear case of simple brilliance.
39:38Have a look at these beautiful curves.
39:40That's the bend.
39:42That's what we're all excited about.
39:44Um, it's, uh, yeah, got this beautiful wavy look
39:48down the corner of the building on each corner.
39:51And, uh, it's not just beautiful, but it's very functional.
39:54It, uh, makes sure that if we have a bushfire,
39:57there's no embers that are gonna get in.
39:59Uh, no gaps.
40:00Uh, also keeps the creepy crawlies out,
40:02which, uh, everyone's happy about.
40:04So, um, yeah, it's beautiful.
40:06I'm really, really excited to have it on.
40:09The manufacturers borrowed from origami
40:12to pull off this little trick.
40:14Believe it or not,
40:15they're the first in the world to manage it.
40:19The only shame is it doesn't put itself up.
40:28A month on, now 12 months into the build.
40:31It's a mud bath here today.
40:32James is still working on the panels.
40:36Like everything on this job,
40:37it's taking much, much longer than he thought.
40:40Grab one side of it.
40:42The labour of love has become a daily grind.
40:46Feels like it's taking forever to get...
40:50get a few things done.
40:51But, yeah, I mean, I think getting the cladding done
40:54is gonna be, um, a big milestone.
40:57OK, thanks.
40:58Oh, it's cool.
41:00There we go.
41:02Good.
41:02We're ready to move in.
41:03Almost.
41:04Never been closer.
41:08Truth is, they're not close.
41:11Not by any stretch of the imagination.
41:14The earthen floor isn't done.
41:16The insulation isn't done.
41:18It's not even close to liveable
41:20and, frankly, won't be any time soon.
41:24This bold attempt to build a super cheap,
41:28super green, healthy house
41:29might just be an impossible dream.
41:34We're kind of running out of money,
41:36so we're really trying to find ways to save money
41:39with the rent, with the bills, petrol and time.
41:43So, yeah, definitely ready and we need to move.
41:58James is feeling the stress too.
42:00When not on sight,
42:03the forest surrounding it is proving a refuge
42:06to calm his anxiety.
42:11I guess as time goes on,
42:13I'm finding now there are more and more moments
42:17of stress, anxiety, overwhelm.
42:21When's this going to finish?
42:23Have we got enough money?
42:24We really hit a brick wall with finances earlier
42:29and had to take some tough decisions
42:33to sell a little apartment we had in Ecuador
42:40that we thought was part of our retirement.
42:43One of the big things here
42:44was not just that it's a healthy home,
42:47but that you're trying to do it in a budget
42:49which is really, it's microscopic
42:52compared to a standard build in Australia right now.
42:55That to me has always been a massive challenge
42:57you've set for yourself.
42:58Yeah.
42:58Yeah, my estimate is that
43:02it'll be closer to the 350 mark.
43:06Yep.
43:07So time-wise, when we first met,
43:10you said this was going to take eight months.
43:12You're pushing 13 months now.
43:15Where are we at?
43:16I've been trying not to focus too much
43:19on the timeframe.
43:22That's a lie.
43:23I'm thinking about it all the time.
43:24That's all you think about.
43:25That's all I think about.
43:28Yeah, I'd say we are another
43:31four to six months away from the finish line.
43:35A hundred and thirty thousand over budget
43:38and the schedule has almost doubled.
43:41No wonder James needs the odd walk in the woods.
43:46This actually, you know,
43:48brings things back to, I guess,
43:51like the simple pleasures and the reality that,
43:55you know, I'm trying to put my values into practice.
44:01You know, I'm trying to walk the talk, if you like.
44:05You know, it's really for me about being authentic.
44:11Turns out that that is a lot harder than it looks.
44:32It's now 13 months since I last visited James and Rita.
44:37And I'm afraid to say the past year has been even tougher for them.
44:44On top of the very difficult build and financial worries,
44:48there's been a family tragedy.
44:51James' mother, Moira, died unexpectedly after a short illness.
44:59With all that going on, I'm not sure what I'm going to find here.
45:10Oh, that is such a relief.
45:13It looks finished.
45:14At least it looks finished from the outside.
45:18Wow, it's far more industrial-looking
45:21than the shabby sustainable shack I was imagining.
45:24This is going to be interesting.
45:38Congratulations, guys!
45:40Hi, Anthony.
45:40Hi, Anthony.
45:42This is extraordinary.
45:45You got there, didn't you?
45:48Bienvenido.
45:49Muchas gracias.
45:52Do you love it?
45:53We do.
45:54So much.
45:54So much, so much, so much.
45:56She's a baby.
45:58It's a creation.
45:59Yeah.
45:59I think we're in love with each other.
46:01Yeah.
46:01So, yeah, it's all fantastic.
46:02A big journey, yeah?
46:03Yeah.
46:04Yeah.
46:04And, James, I'm very sorry to hear about your mum.
46:07Thanks, Anthony.
46:08Yeah?
46:09And that's relatively recent, too.
46:10So that would have put a whole different layer over all of this.
46:13Are you guys okay?
46:15Yeah, I think...
46:16Yeah, okay.
46:17We feel her, I think, in the house.
46:19Yeah.
46:19Definitely.
46:20Her presence is definitely felt.
46:22Yeah.
46:22And we had a really, really beautiful last week with mum,
46:25and so that was something special.
46:28The big ambition here, too, was to do the non-toxic,
46:31fully sustainable, as recycled as possible, home.
46:35That was the mission.
46:36Yeah.
46:37We pretty much did it, I think.
46:39Can I have a look?
46:40Yeah, of course.
46:41Let's go.
46:41Okay, show me.
46:46While the landscaping is yet to bed in,
46:48the completed house is modestly scaled and looks great.
46:53Enough for the family is enough.
46:57Its off-grid credentials are easy to see.
47:00The water tanks, the solar panels.
47:03The whole thing wrapped in that cleverly folded, corrugated iron.
47:08This is no ordinary eco-house.
47:12And shoes off?
47:13Yeah, shoes off if you want to enjoy the full benefits of the earthen floor.
47:17I certainly do.
47:18Will my socks survive?
47:20That is the question.
47:21We'll see.
47:22We'll find out.
47:23Of course, we're in the welcoming space of the home,
47:25the central part of the home in that courtyard,
47:27with that view out there.
47:29It's a really fantastic way to come in from a shaded sort of veranda space,
47:34back into the light again.
47:36Yeah, it really opens up.
47:38But I want to get into the kitchen now,
47:39because I know that there's a lot of detail that you've been thinking about in there,
47:43so if we can go and look at that.
47:43Yeah, that's one of our favourite parts of the house.
47:45I would love to see your favourite room in the house.
47:46Show me.
47:49Come, come.
47:51So this is our living dining room.
47:55The floors, and oh wow, this space.
47:58Suddenly from that compressed entry space in the middle of the house here,
48:00all this sort of volume, it's magic.
48:03And then this ceiling, with the batten panels up there,
48:06these are the recycled panels you were always thinking about?
48:10Yeah, soft plastics, milk cartons, cardboard, et cetera,
48:14and it's pressed into this board which we, you know,
48:17had to use a bit of muscle and balance to pin to the ceiling,
48:21and then we covered it with a spray of cork paint.
48:24And then these walls here, same, same?
48:26Same material again,
48:27and that was a really natural lime fresco that was troweled on.
48:31So that's the result.
48:33And then the tiles, they made it to the kitchen.
48:36Don't they look fabulous?
48:37They look great.
48:38Come, have a little bit of moment of pride.
48:39You know, wonderful job.
48:41Well, yeah, they remind me of home a lot, actually.
48:43Yeah, right.
48:45I mean, all the textures in here are very warm,
48:47have that kind of sense of earthiness about them, if you like.
48:50I can't, I have to mention the floor.
48:52The floor, though, is like a whole other level of chocolate.
48:56I know you know chocolate, right?
48:57It feels unreal.
49:00I mean, you're kind of curling up your toes all the time,
49:02just sort of making sure you're grounded.
49:03Yeah.
49:04It's really lovely.
49:05It's almost like walking outside, I think.
49:07You have that sensation.
49:08The touch is like you're walking barefoot outside.
49:13The floor is sealed, solid and beautifully cool
49:16on days when the temperature rises.
49:20It's a hot day outside today.
49:21It's about 40, it's more than 40 degrees outside.
49:23Very hot.
49:24But in here, I'm going to say...
49:25You're wearing your jacket.
49:26I've got a jacket on.
49:27I mean, it's warm up.
49:28There's no AC.
49:29No AC.
49:29We've only got ceiling fans.
49:30That's what I was going to say.
49:31Just the fans doing their work, yeah?
49:32And the insulation, of course.
49:34And the insulation.
49:34So that's the payoff for all of this effort,
49:37is actually you've got a really kind of minimal,
49:39you know, heating and cooling system,
49:41because it's all happening passively.
49:42That's right.
49:45Speaking of cool,
49:46every stick of furniture in here is recycled.
49:50From the workbench kitchen island
49:52to the vintage stereo.
49:56Somehow, everything works together
49:58and makes this brand new home feel cosy
50:01and lived in and welcoming.
50:05Same goes in the main bedroom.
50:08And ensuite...
50:10And the kids' rooms.
50:13Ah, look, all the beautiful colours.
50:16And this must be Celeste's room.
50:17Sharks on the wall.
50:18Yeah.
50:19Which means this must be Hugo's room.
50:21All the dinosaurs are very happy.
50:25And...
50:26So then this, another warm, generous, comfy space.
50:30What are we calling this room?
50:32Our second, third, fourth bedroom?
50:32Yeah, this is my study and our guest room.
50:36So we're hoping to have a lot of friends and family come and stay.
50:39A line of mattresses here.
50:41The bunkhouse.
50:42Yeah.
50:42That's right.
50:43That's right.
50:43I also think this room must have a few difficult memories.
50:47Mm.
50:48Because I know...
50:49Referring to the brick wall?
50:51Exactly.
50:51Memories of endurance.
50:52So much effort and work from your dads went into this particular brick wall, right?
50:58Making these bricks one by one.
51:00How hard, really, was it?
51:02Would you do it again?
51:03No.
51:03No way.
51:04We planned to make three brick walls out of our own bricks.
51:07We made one brick wall and then I've never seen that brick machine again.
51:11Yeah, right.
51:11Don't know what happened to it.
51:12It's so hard.
51:12Painful.
51:13I'm thinking about your dads now, too, though.
51:15They have been such a big part of this build.
51:18I mean, Steve kind of giving you the, I guess, the advice and the confidence, maybe,
51:23to lead into the project?
51:25Totally.
51:25There's no way I would have even dreamt about building a house for the family if it wasn't
51:31for my dad being, you know, behind me, supporting me.
51:34And then Italo.
51:36Yes.
51:36He was going to come once.
51:38How many times did he end up coming?
51:40I mean, he'd have some great frequent flyer miles at this point, wouldn't he?
51:43Yeah.
51:43He came three times.
51:45And even though he's not here today, he has been part of this every single day.
51:51Even, like, Italo gave me one of the most beautiful gifts I could have ever asked for.
51:56Before he came back on the third visit and he said that he wanted me to be able to spend
52:03more time with mum.
52:05Yeah.
52:06And so he came back for a third visit to make that possible.
52:10To make that possible.
52:11That's...
52:11That's...
52:12Yeah, which was an incredible gift.
52:14Yeah.
52:24This house is greater than the sum of its parts.
52:31James and Rita's ambition for a clean, green home elevated the humble materials they chose
52:37to build it with.
52:39Their efforts given buoyancy by the family and friends who helped make it happen.
52:46It's a home that has really tangible and beautiful feels about it.
52:52Like, it just feels very lovely and very welcoming and very warm and all those wonderful things.
52:56What do you think makes it so special?
52:59I think there's a real kindness to the house.
53:02There's a reflection of that human experience, you know, which has come through all of the
53:07many hands and hearts that have contributed to the build process.
53:12Rita, are you proud of what James has created here?
53:15Yeah, I've...
53:16I don't even think proud is the word.
53:18I'm just...
53:19I don't know.
53:20In awe.
53:22I have never met someone with such determination.
53:27I usually call him very stubborn.
53:30He's just so determined.
53:32After a while, I knew that if something went wrong, he'll fix it.
53:36Yeah.
53:36But then, you know, Rita's just held the fabric of the family together.
53:41And I've...
53:42I guess that's given me the privilege of being able to focus on the house.
53:47When we first met, you gave yourself eight months to the whole house.
53:50In fact, you were adamant.
53:52Eight months.
53:53That's it.
53:54Must have been my English.
53:57No.
53:58I think...
53:59What happened?
54:00It cooked three times...
54:01Over three times longer.
54:03Earthen floors, massively more labour-intensive and time-consuming
54:07than we ever could have imagined.
54:08Yeah.
54:09And then, I think, just the naivety, to be honest.
54:12I've never built a house before.
54:13And so, yeah, there was just that, you know, innocence.
54:16We'd never done it before.
54:18I think you had an initial budget of $230,000?
54:22Mm-hmm.
54:23So, how did you go?
54:23Yeah.
54:24I think I just confused the digits slightly.
54:27So, we pulled it off for $320,000.
54:30Oh, so just swapped the first two around?
54:32Yeah, just swapped the first two around.
54:33Okay.
54:34I feel like it's a really good outcome.
54:36Oh, that's brilliant.
54:38That's pretty remarkable.
54:39Yeah.
54:39Yeah.
54:40Do you feel, with all that being said then, that this really is the dream?
54:44It's our dream.
54:45Yeah.
54:46It is a dream, yeah.
54:47It's better than a dream.
54:49It's now, you know.
54:50It's so good.
54:51It's happening.
54:51Yeah.
54:52I'm sort of really glad to hear that.
54:53And I'm also really glad that my socks are still quite clean, actually.
54:56So, the floors are doing really well.
54:59Who would have thought?
55:03James and Rita wanted a healthy home.
55:06One that made their lives better.
55:21Finally finished and filled with goodwill and laughter and friendship, this place just
55:28makes you feel so good.
55:30I reckon they've done it.
55:32What do you reckon about sharing a little piece of chocolate to celebrate at the end of
55:37the build?
55:38OK, James.
55:39Alright.
55:39We finally got there.
55:41We did it.
55:46This project has been a great teacher.
55:49And the lessons?
55:50Bigger is not always better.
55:53Creating a beautiful and rich home is not about the money.
55:57To create a sustainable home is not only about environmental considerations, but about
56:04community and connection.
56:05Literally, sustenance for the soul.
56:08James and Rita have created a home here that is chock-a-block, full of all of that good
56:14stuff.
56:15So, here's to a sweet life ahead.
56:42So, here's to a sweet life ahead.
56:46And let's hope!
56:48We'll see you in the next one.
56:48Oh, where's your best way?
56:49You're still there?
56:49We'll see you in the next one.
56:49But here's our story or our story.
56:55We'll see you next one.
56:56We'll see you in the next one.
56:56We'll see you next time.
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