Grand Designs New Zealand Season 9 Episode 5 follows two psychologists as they face their own stress test while building a striking Mountain Modern home overlooking Otago Harbour. Inspired by Lake Tahoe design principles, this ambitious project blends contemporary architecture with dramatic natural surroundings.
As pressures mount and challenges arise, the journey reveals the emotional and practical realities of creating a dream home in a breathtaking coastal landscape. Perfect for fans of modern architecture, luxury homes, and inspirational building stories.
#GrandDesignsNewZealand #MountainModern #OtagoHarbour #ModernArchitecture #GrandDesigns
As pressures mount and challenges arise, the journey reveals the emotional and practical realities of creating a dream home in a breathtaking coastal landscape. Perfect for fans of modern architecture, luxury homes, and inspirational building stories.
#GrandDesignsNewZealand #MountainModern #OtagoHarbour #ModernArchitecture #GrandDesigns
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FunTranscript
00:01When you were small, I bet your significant elders took you on adventurous excursions
00:06to appreciate the view.
00:09Except, of course, you didn't really appreciate it, did you?
00:13Perhaps you thought, how boring.
00:18Once you get older, though, things change and you'll go to great efforts for a good view.
00:25But it's not just the view that attracts us, there's something more at play here.
00:30You see, deep in the human psyche, we're looking for a vantage point to survey our surroundings,
00:36to find safety and security.
00:38And with that high ground, there's more than just a little bit of prestige.
00:44And that's why people want to build like this, often at significant costs.
00:50But architecture should be about stretching the boundaries, reaching for the skies.
00:55The only thing is, you might just end up with your head in the clouds.
01:24Dunedin is a city of character, of history, of knowledge and learning.
01:29All set in a stunning natural environment.
01:38Jamin Haiderstadt and Cindy Hall have been living in Dunedin for the last 25 years.
01:43A world away from where they were born and raised.
01:48Indiana is the state that I'm from, which is known as part of the Bible Belt of the U.S.
01:56And lots of corn and soybean fields and flat as.
02:00Cindy and Jamin met while studying psychology in Washington, D.C.
02:04Both graduated with PhDs, but with employment hard to find in the U.S., they started looking further afield.
02:13This job came up in New Zealand, and I don't think we knew where New Zealand was at the time.
02:17But that definitely sounded like the most exotic place.
02:21I don't think we thought we would stay here like our old wives.
02:24Before you know it, it's, you know, 25 years later.
02:28They quickly put down roots, buying a villa on the city side of Otago Harbour, near Port Chalmers, starting a
02:35family and settling into their careers.
02:42Nowadays, Jamin is head of the psychology department at Otago University, and Cindy runs a private clinical psychology practice.
02:50Their two sons have grown up and moved into town, leaving their parents to consider making a change themselves.
02:59I had this dream when I was a little kid, growing up on a farm, that I was going to
03:03live somewhere with the ocean in front of me and a mountain behind me.
03:10I said to Jamin, I have this idea. What do you think about maybe selling and building a new house?
03:20Cindy went further, finding a harbourside section for sale at nearby St Leonard's. Still, it wasn't quite her dream site.
03:28I said to Jamin, it's a really beautiful spot. It's really, really nice.
03:32But I'd like the one on the top, because that would be fantastic, wouldn't it?
03:38And then Jamin and I actually hiked up like the hill to get up there and looked at the views.
03:43And it was just that was the one.
03:48Cindy and Jamin decided to take the plunge. And now there's no going back.
03:54We sold the beautiful villa to partially finance the new house. And now we're renting in town until the house
04:01is ready.
04:02I feel like we took this very big risk in a way, but we wanted to try something new, a
04:08new kind of adventure for the two of us.
04:10And so we just went for it.
04:15They're not going for it.
04:15Their plan hasn't got universal approval, though. The younger members of the family are openly sceptical.
04:22Building an entire house from scratch is a pretty crazy undertaking, even when you're not sort of working a very,
04:29very high intensity job.
04:31I think that it's going to be harder for them than they think it is.
04:44What an astonishing view. Some very lucky people here.
04:51How are you?
04:52Jamin.
04:53Good to meet you.
04:54You, too. And Cindy.
04:55Hi. Nice to meet you, Tom.
04:56You, too. And what a fantastic piece of coastline. I could look at that all day.
05:01Yeah, well, that's the plan.
05:02Right.
05:02Not going to leave ever. People come to us.
05:05Probably won't be able to afford to leave.
05:08It's a steep site.
05:09Yes.
05:10Yeah. It's very, it's long and narrow.
05:12We designed a version initially that was, that was tall and squat, but it involved taking out a huge piece
05:18of the hill.
05:19So we redesigned and now it's, now it's skinny, but it's a long walk from one end to the other.
05:25Right. A long house.
05:27Yeah.
05:27A long house.
05:29Building a long house here needs a long retaining wall. 80 meters long, in fact, and up to four meters
05:35high.
05:36Enter the living wing through an oversized rolled steel front door. The stud here is a massive 6.3 meters
05:44at its highest point.
05:47Showcasing the view is a wall of framed glass in the mountain modern architectural style. While outside, decking runs the
05:54length of the whole wing.
05:55A super sized entertainers kitchen features a four meter long black granite island, a restaurant style pantry, and a cozy
06:03breakfast nook.
06:04Right by the view.
06:06A double sided fireplace warns the lounge and Cindy's office library. Featuring a domed ceiling and fresco designed by son
06:13Percy.
06:14The generous master bedroom with walk-in wardrobe and ensuite leads out to a private deck with a hot tub
06:20for two.
06:21The living wing also includes a large laundry, an American style mudroom, and a bathroom.
06:28Following the curve of the hill, the garage wing contains a spacious media room, bathroom, two guest bedrooms, Cindy's music
06:37and crafts room, and a two car garage.
06:41Cladding is a combination of steel and timber, and the gable roof is higher than you'd normally see in New
06:47Zealand.
06:48In fact, everything about this house is big. American big. Proving perhaps you can take the couple out of the
06:55US, but not the US out of the couple.
06:59We think we've come up with something that's gonna be really cool.
07:03What are the gems for you in this house?
07:06Well, I have to give credit to my sister who had the idea for the dome ceiling.
07:11A dome ceiling in the library?
07:13Yeah, in the library.
07:15Right.
07:16We kind of like things that are a little different, a little quirky.
07:19Our oldest kid and one of my friends who's in art school are gonna fresco it for us.
07:26So I'm excited about that. The living room has got a massive open wood fire.
07:31So you hope to spend, you know, I honestly, I don't, I don't know. We budgeted about 1.4 million.
07:40Really? 1.4? That doesn't seem like enough.
07:46I feel like I'd be really happy if we came in under 1.6.
07:51Under 1.6. Well, it's a big house.
07:53Yep.
07:54Yeah.
07:55Good luck with that.
07:56Yeah.
07:57Yeah.
07:57When do you hope to finish?
07:59I'm hoping that 10 months to a year of actual building.
08:05Okay.
08:05Of the construction of the house. That's what I was sort of imagined in my mind.
08:09Okay.
08:10And this is the first house you've built?
08:12Yeah.
08:12First and, yeah.
08:13And last.
08:14And probably only, I'm sure.
08:14Well.
08:15I mean, that's our goal.
08:16So, a lot of hope, dreams, energy, money.
08:21I think it's an ambitious plan for the budget that you have.
08:25But I wish you the very best of luck.
08:27Thanks.
08:28Yeah.
08:33Cindy and Jamin's Mountain Modern Home is gonna be quite some undertaking.
08:38A complex design on a steep and exposed site.
08:42And it's their first build.
08:45No baby steps here.
08:46It's gonna be a bit like trying to climb Everest on your first hike.
08:50I certainly wouldn't be brave enough to do it.
08:53But I think these two are.
09:00I want to be supportive at this early stage, but alarm bells are already ringing.
09:05The budget is fantastic.
09:07And not in a good way.
09:09And the timeframe, 10 to 12 months, is far-fetched.
09:13Bravery alone won't be enough to get these two over the line.
09:16They'll need all the help they can get.
09:21I came to meet Jamin and Cindy through a builder that I know.
09:27He called me up one day and said,
09:28Hey, I've got some American clients.
09:30They want to do a house up on the hill.
09:32He said, They've got some pretty out there ideas.
09:36See how you go with them.
09:37And that was the start.
09:40Alison certainly had her work cut out for her.
09:45Because it's such a steep site,
09:47we need a massive retaining wall.
09:49And because there's some underlying rock,
09:52we can't do giant round timber piles.
09:57So that left us with doing a Gabion basket type wall.
10:04Any 80 metre long retaining wall up to 4 metres high
10:07is a very expensive undertaking.
10:10Especially on this site.
10:11Even so, when the builder's estimate for the whole project comes through,
10:16it's far beyond what anyone expected.
10:20We had a little bit of a setback.
10:22The estimate turned out to be about $4.3 million.
10:29I just put my head in my hands and went,
10:31Oh, how do I bring them back from that?
10:36I actually couldn't believe it.
10:37I was expecting it to be high, but not that high.
10:41I think it was 600 truckloads of dirt they were imagining they would have to take out.
10:46And like 300 truckloads of rocks to bring in to build the wall that was at some point,
10:52it's going to have to be 4 metres high.
10:54So it's like basically building your own mountain to accommodate the house.
11:01I definitely thought, yeah, this is a fantasy as opposed to a dream that's going to come.
11:10The figures do not lie.
11:12Cindy and Jamin were hoping to spend no more than $1.6 million.
11:16$4.3 million is out of the question.
11:21So all options are on the table.
11:23They have to be.
11:26So the idea is that we bring the house up in elevation by about a metre.
11:31So bring it up out of the ground.
11:33Right.
11:34But the other thing we need to do was to slim the house down
11:37so that it stretches across less number of contours.
11:40Because the more contours it stretches across, the more we've got to either dig out or retain it
11:46or form a foundation for it up front.
11:48OK.
11:48And you can see all of this suddenly we don't have to make room for.
11:52Behind.
11:53Behind, that's right.
11:54OK.
11:55So we can just bring that wall down closer to the house.
11:59If anything that reduces the Great Wall of Dunedin is good.
12:04Professionally, I'd be recommending a complete redesign.
12:07Whatever happens, it will have to be radical.
12:11Perhaps you reduce the size of the house
12:14or you don't build one wing of the house until the following year or something.
12:19Or don't have a garage and a powder room and...
12:22Yeah.
12:23Sadly, it appears the only way to save the project is to demolish the dream.
12:30Like I had named my children before they were conceived,
12:32I also had this house planned, decorated, everything years ago at the beginning.
12:39So it's really, really hard to not even be in a place where we think we can even start.
12:48Yeah.
12:49OK.
12:50I just think it's over.
12:51Like we're not, it's not going to happen.
13:03It's now eight months since I first met Cindy Hall and Jamin Halberstadt
13:07on their section high above Otago Harbour in Dunedin.
13:12And in all that time, there's been no building at all.
13:16Not here, anyway.
13:19All those other people have houses.
13:21Yeah.
13:22It does seem like we've fallen behind a bit.
13:24Well, those two hadn't even bought the sections when we bought the section.
13:28I know.
13:29And ours is looking still a little bare.
13:31There's no house.
13:34There's also no chance of it starting any time soon.
13:37With the builder's estimate of $4.3 million and the couple's budget a mere $1.6 million,
13:44obviously something's got to give.
13:47So far, that hasn't been Cindy.
13:53I can't think of anything I don't want.
13:55Like we want that cantilevered deck, so we basically are just looking over all that down there
14:00and just straight out to the view.
14:01It's just full view.
14:04Compounding their problems, there's a construction boom going on.
14:07A shortage of tradespeople, and the price of materials is going through the roof.
14:14I guess we could always get a tiny house.
14:18Or maybe a whole village of tiny houses.
14:21No, no.
14:23For the price of that estimate, we could probably build a little city.
14:26No.
14:27We've got to figure out a way to get the house that we want, Jame.
14:32But while the lack of progress is frustrating, one part of the project is providing a welcome distraction.
14:41Where the house actually sits, and all around it, has been sheet paddock for, I don't even know, maybe decades.
14:47Who even knows?
14:49And Jamin and I are really serious about bringing our section back to what it originally was, what it's meant
14:54to be.
14:54We want to have the native plants and the native wildlife all around, so that's the goal.
15:01Inspired by the large scenic reserve above the property, Cindy and Jamin have prepared a detailed native planting plan.
15:07That could be very expensive, but Cindy, who had a huge garden at her previous house, aims to do it
15:14for next to nothing.
15:17I go around collecting seeds wherever I can and just see what I can grow.
15:23You know, we're not going to change the direction of global warming.
15:27You know, we're not going to repopulate New Zealand in all of its native flora and fauna that's disappearing.
15:34But we can do our little bit.
15:36Of course, the priority is actually building on the site.
15:39And that means tough decisions have to be made on reducing the astonishing estimated cost of the whole house.
15:51Advising on how that could possibly be done, Cindy's mother, aunt and niece are calling in from the United States.
15:59Love you, Jamin.
16:01I would take out the music craft room, and that would snug it up, then make it shorter.
16:06But where am I going to do my crafts?
16:11In the kitchen.
16:12In the kitchen? No, no.
16:16Clearly, compromise is not a concept Cindy readily embraces.
16:22Yeah, was there like loft space? Yeah, Hannah.
16:25Well, that was going to be storage.
16:28But you don't need storage.
16:30Anything you put up there, just get rid of it.
16:33You won't see it again after you put it up there anyway.
16:39It doesn't sound like much progress is being made.
16:42It's more an exercise in moral support.
16:44$4.25 million.
16:48That's ridiculous.
16:50You shouldn't have to pay that for this very nice house.
16:53I think it's way overpriced on their end.
16:57You're going to get your house, Cindy.
16:59Just hang in there.
17:06By June 2022, it's a full 16 months since I first met Cindy and Jamin.
17:12And, lo and behold, their build is finally underway.
17:17Look, you can see the end of the platform.
17:20Oh, my gosh.
17:22We got building consent, what, like 10 days ago?
17:25Yeah, we finally got building consent.
17:27A little change around of the design along the way.
17:30We have changed to long and skinny.
17:32We changed a lot of the cladding to aluminium, which didn't cost as much.
17:36We took a room out and plopped it on top of the garage.
17:39We did, yes.
17:40So, he's going to have an office up there and I'm going to have, like, my craft room up in
17:46the loft part.
17:47And a lowering of the wall.
17:49That was the essential thing so that we could actually afford it.
17:52Yeah, so we made it work.
17:54And day two of excavation right now.
17:58The couple have followed architectural designer Alison's idea to straighten the house and push it all further back on site.
18:05It's also higher out of the ground so the retaining wall can be lower.
18:09These are big changes that should mean big cost savings.
18:14But we don't know how much it's going to cost and we don't know how much money we have.
18:20So, we only got our bank to approve a loan until this July.
18:26And then they told us that actually they're going to review it even sooner.
18:30So, like, this month.
18:31So, we don't even, like, we actually don't even know how much money we can borrow.
18:37Because the site is narrow, with limited access, the plan's always been to build the living wing first, then borrow
18:44against it for the garage wing.
18:45So, even though the cost estimate for the whole project is astronomical, Cindy and Jamin can still believe, in time,
18:53both wings will be completed.
18:55However, they still have to come up with ideas to save money.
19:00We own the land and this is a place, like, that we can physically live, like, this actual spot, like,
19:06in a camper van, if necessary, until the whole house is built.
19:09Jamie, I don't know if I can live in a caravan.
19:12Not forever, just for a little while.
19:14Just while they're building.
19:16These are certainly challenging times, but I wonder how much of that reality is sinking in.
19:30I wonder how much of that.
19:31Into the new year, and Cindy and Jamin have managed to secure finance to at least cover the cost of
19:36the present work.
19:38Go, guys! Go, guys!
19:42They've even found a builder, close to home, too.
19:45Alison's husband, Peter.
19:47The concrete blocks are going to be as tall as this, over there.
19:51About 150 mil down from there.
19:53Wow.
19:54So it's going to actually start to look like...
19:56Yeah.
19:57..like a big building.
19:58Yeah.
19:58Pretty soon. Okay.
20:01It's also a relationship that goes beyond the build.
20:06Cindy and Jamin have moved into one of Peter and Alison's rental properties, so Peter is now their landlord.
20:13I hope the build goes well.
20:18They'll kick us off the job, we'll evict them.
20:20No.
20:20No.
20:22Today, the reinforcing steel for the concrete footings is going in.
20:25But while it's great to see more progress, the skyrocketing cost of construction is chewing up more of the couple's
20:32budget.
20:33And work on this site won't get any easier.
20:42For Cindy and Jamin, access to finance is a major stumbling block.
20:46Hi.
20:47Hey.
20:47One of those, please.
20:48Yeah, sure.
20:49Lots.
20:50They've been forced to face facts.
20:53The garage wing of their house won't be built any time soon.
20:58A radical scything of this project has occurred.
21:01Cindy and Jamin have literally cut the house in two.
21:04Of course, it was always their plan to build the house in two stages, one after the other.
21:10But for the foreseeable future, until their financial situation improves, they'll have to settle for a half measure.
21:18The guest bedrooms, the media room, the crafting room, who knows when that will be built?
21:24They're essentially left with an enormous one-bedroom house.
21:31Now, sometimes getting only half of what you want isn't all that satisfying.
21:37Unless, of course, the half remaining is really good.
21:41We'll see.
21:54It's July 2023.
21:57Well over two years since I first visited Cindy and Jamin on their Dunedin section.
22:02It's been a long, slow haul so far on the long, narrow site.
22:07For Cindy, though, the laborious progress is only part of the problem.
22:16How have you been coping?
22:18Not that well.
22:20Yeah, it looks like a public toilet or a bunker.
22:22And neither of those is what I want to live in or want people to think I'm living in.
22:26Come on, that's just the base.
22:28Everything good happens above that.
22:30There's a lot of base there.
22:32Hundreds of thousands of dollars already in that.
22:35You kind of have to do that.
22:36Particularly on a site like this.
22:38I know.
22:38It's always going to be expensive until you get to this thing.
22:40I know.
22:41Everybody told me that.
22:42Yeah.
22:42It doesn't mean that it's not frustrating and, like, yeah.
22:48While Cindy's having trouble coming to terms with the reality of building in this difficult location,
22:53Jamin is his usual calm and collected self.
22:56And with good reason.
22:58He's not here.
22:59He's on a business trip overseas.
23:04You're obviously relaxed enough to leave the project.
23:08Well, not really.
23:10It makes me a little nervous to see so many work people there at once, just knowing how much they
23:15got.
23:16And am I right?
23:17I understand.
23:18Everyone says that it starts happening really quickly now, now that we're out of the ground.
23:23We're officially out of the ground.
23:24Oh, absolutely.
23:25Supersonic speed now, of course.
23:27Well, maybe.
23:28We'll see.
23:29It's a big house, Jamin.
23:30And we're only looking at, well, half of it, almost.
23:34There's a way to go.
23:38I don't know if Cindy and Jamin's attitude to the build has changed that much.
23:43Cindy's still impatient.
23:44Jamin still pretty much goes with the flow.
23:47And I'm not sure either is the best approach when building such a complex and expensive house.
23:59What I do know is Cindy and Jamin's motivation is to build a home to enjoy as a family.
24:06Even though sons Percy and Paxton now live elsewhere, their dinners together are quite the occasion.
24:12This is why we're going to need a big kitchen.
24:15Because we're big people with big ambitions.
24:20Our island is going to be one that we can put hot stuff straight on and not worry about.
24:27Cindy has carefully planned the interior design and fit out.
24:30And while she's had to change some elements and materials to save money,
24:35she's determined to be as creative as possible with what she can afford.
24:39What we want to try to do is not necessarily have to pay for a bunch of rolled steel items
24:47in the house,
24:48because that's really expensive, but makes the door, all the doors in the house, look like rolled steel.
24:54The bespoke painter has done up a sample board.
24:59So what he's going to do now is go back and maybe do like a bluish wash over it.
25:05So it's not as warm.
25:07It's rust.
25:10Yeah, they kind of all look the same to me.
25:21One feature of the house that was always going to survive any budget cuts is the dome ceiling for Cindy's
25:27office.
25:28She's keeping some of the work in the family too.
25:30Keen artist Percy is designing the dome's painted fresco.
25:37I think that what we want to go for is just sort of the illusion of stars on the ceiling
25:43and then have a few little individual details that my mom wants to focus on.
25:48Like for example, our different star sign constellations, but I think the main thing is the way that it's going
25:54to look.
25:54Looks like you're looking through the ceiling and it's sort of kind of creating this very unique space within sort
26:01of the library, I guess, nook.
26:06Percy's working on the dome as well as casting his artistic eye over the interior design of the whole house,
26:11all the while going through a gender transition.
26:15Getting surgery and things like that.
26:18I tried to sort of plan it around the house building process because I didn't want it to get, you
26:25know, in the way, even though it was a really important thing for me.
26:27But it was equally important that that, you know, we didn't all feel like we were being really overwhelmed by
26:33a million things at the same time.
26:36We've definitely sort of figured out where like our boundaries are and what does and doesn't stress us out and
26:42how we interact with each other in the same space.
26:45And that's been really significant for like my own personal development as well.
26:59Rolling on to November 2023 and the build has steadily progressed all year.
27:04And now the framing is up. Cindy and Jamin can walk through their house for the first time and appreciate
27:10just how big it is.
27:13Look, you really can get a good idea of what it's like finally.
27:17Wow, it's going to be so amazing. And the deck out this way.
27:20I know, I'm very excited about the deck.
27:25As I understand it, the psychology behind making the studs so high is to give Cindy and Jamin the space
27:31to relax and unwind away from their busy professional lives.
27:36However, the height has caused a bit of stress for Builder Peter.
27:42I actually had quite a fright when I saw how high it actually was.
27:46When you say six metres, yeah, you think six metres, but when you actually see it, it's high.
27:56The house is now a long way from a bunker, or heaven forbid, a public toilet, and Cindy and Jamin
28:02finally appear to be happy.
28:04And no one's happier about that than architectural designer Alison, who's here for a lighting meeting with the electrician.
28:11Remember, I'm kind of a lamp person. So, yeah, not so much overhead stuff.
28:19While lamps are pretty standard, lighting a domed ceiling is something else again.
28:25It's a feature of the house Cindy and Jamin have fought very hard to keep, and they want it just
28:31right.
28:32It's going to be plaster cast, but not sticking out of the roof.
28:37Fitted into the ceiling, yeah.
28:38But while the finer points are now being discussed, I trust someone's keeping a close eye on the money.
28:46Cindy and Jamin have taken their house and literally cut it in half to come in on budget.
28:51It will be devastating if they don't.
29:03It's autumn 2024 at Cindy and Jamin's house.
29:06The framing is all up, the roof is on, and the windows won't be too far away.
29:11And youngest son Paxton is taking a look around.
29:19Wow. This is pretty big.
29:22It's absolutely massive. And it's all one storey as well.
29:25But I'm a bit worried. It doesn't look like there's anywhere for me to sleep in here.
29:29There's no bedroom for me.
29:32This entire area is pretty much all my mum and dad's domain.
29:38With Paxton flatting in central Dunedin and Percy in Scotland, their bedrooms will have to wait until the garage ring
29:45is built, whenever that is.
29:49It's a lot bigger than I'm used to.
29:52A lot more opulent than I'm used to.
29:55I do think it's a little overkill.
29:58I really hope they can enjoy their lives and just relax after this.
30:08Right now, though, Cindy has only one thing on her mind.
30:12The dome ceiling for her library office.
30:18So this is the first coat?
30:20Yep. Which is called the face.
30:24To make the dome, the couple have engaged the Dunedin company specialising in fibrous plaster mouldings.
30:30Decorative features normally associated with stately homes and grand traditional buildings.
30:38Because the plaster sets in about 20 minutes, we've got to keep it moving.
30:44Cindy and Jamin have worked hard to save their dome from budget cuts.
30:48And now it's being made one quarter at a time.
30:52A lot of skill involved and Dave's probably the best around to do that sort of work, aren't you, Dave?
30:58You're the best around.
31:00Yep.
31:01I'm going to have the poshest office in the South Island, I think.
31:06The dome is the star of the show, but it needs a rim surrounding it.
31:10And making one is another skilled operation.
31:14Definitely feel stressed.
31:16I don't want to say it too much because I don't want to put it on them.
31:20Don't be stressed.
31:21But, like, you wouldn't want to mess this up because then you'd have to start over.
31:29Historically, dome ceilings are associated with classical architecture.
31:33And certainly not with North American mountain modern.
31:38Except, perhaps, in what Cindy has in her mind for her house.
31:45Mountain modern with, just once in a while, some really, some jewel-like things.
31:50That's kind of the idea.
31:51I want to have spaces that are like, ooh, but just spaces.
31:55Not the whole thing.
31:56Yeah, so I think this is going to work perfectly, especially with the pretty extravagant painting that's going to be
32:02on the dome.
32:09I've timed my visit to witness the dome being installed.
32:13Hopefully, it's something special because there hasn't been much to celebrate so far on this build.
32:19Here we are, though, with a house that's starting to look like it belongs on the hill.
32:23Albeit, only half the house they wanted.
32:27Now that's a bit better.
32:31Today, the builders are continuing to put the linings on the walls.
32:35Stylistically, a little bit country farmhouse, perhaps.
32:38And yet, the huge windows are very industrial.
32:42Whatever's going on with the design, though, it's easy to be distracted by the amazing view of Otago Harbour.
32:48And by the sheer height of this room.
32:52I mean, you really have to be in this house to feel the volume.
32:58I mean, it's so tall.
32:59And this is only half of the house.
33:01I know, I can't even think of a, I know.
33:03Do you like it?
33:04Do you like the house?
33:05Do I like your house?
33:06Yeah.
33:06Gosh, I better say the right thing here.
33:09Yeah, I...
33:10No, seriously.
33:12Seriously?
33:13Yeah, seriously.
33:13Seriously, here we go.
33:14So, I've been worried about your house.
33:17But you stand in here, and it feels lovely.
33:22Yes.
33:23You don't need my approval.
33:25But...
33:26But you've been waiting for it for the past three years.
33:29And...
33:31Well, you know, we're not finished yet.
33:33No?
33:33Let's hold that hug for later.
33:36Yeah, exactly.
33:38On the library ceiling, the dome is going in, quarter by quarter.
33:45Well, that's the theory anyway.
33:47Yeah.
33:47It's not long yet.
33:51Possibly not the best time for the clients to walk into the room.
33:54Plus that guy off the TV.
33:58So, what's happening?
34:00Yes, sir.
34:00Okay.
34:01Okay.
34:01Piece of cake.
34:02Right.
34:03Okay.
34:04Yeah.
34:04That's what they're all trained to say.
34:06Piece of cake, no worries.
34:07Everybody look and they smile.
34:10Uh-huh.
34:10Okay, how's it going?
34:14Needless to say, the quarters do have to line up precisely.
34:18There's only one way this dome goes together.
34:22Yeah.
34:22Well, the truth is, there's a reason why we don't build spheres very often.
34:26Yeah.
34:26You know, they're very difficult to construct.
34:29There's no mistakes in art, they're just, they're features.
34:32Ah.
34:33Well, that's a good thing to hold onto.
34:34Okay.
34:35Who needs perfection?
34:37Or what do you do?
34:38Well, I'd like, I'd like us to aim for it.
34:41And then I know we're going to get really good, at least.
34:49Okay, no pressure, man.
34:57And before too long, after some patient and expert persuasion, the four quarters make up the hole.
35:06Woo!
35:07Yes!
35:10Yeah, I can tell it was stressful.
35:14Yay!
35:15Yay!
35:19We're starting to see the first glimpses of all of those things that Jamin and Cindy have been dreaming about.
35:24Turning this construction shell into a house.
35:28And to be honest, it's a bit of a relief, isn't it?
35:31I mean, it's been some time.
35:33And remember, they've cut their coat to suit their cloth.
35:36They're only getting half of that original dream.
35:38The question is, with their lofty expectations, will half be good enough?
35:55I'm trying to imagine how Cindy and Jamin are feeling right now.
35:59After four long years of wrangling this build, countless hours and money spent.
36:05A few highs, but probably a few too many lows.
36:09And remember, we're only going to see an incomplete version of the house that they wanted.
36:15So how are they feeling right now?
36:17Let's find out.
36:36Well, for half a house, that's a deck and a half, isn't it?
36:40It would grace any good public beauty spot, which feels appropriate.
36:45Actually, the scale here is amazing.
36:47It could be walking up to a little hut.
36:49But as you approach, it gets bigger and bigger.
36:55Oh, and an enormous front door, of course.
37:01Hey.
37:02Hello.
37:02Hi.
37:03How are you?
37:04Really good to see you.
37:05Finally.
37:06Jamin.
37:07Hey, Tom.
37:08Good to see you again.
37:10I have to say, this is astounding.
37:19The quality of light, that view.
37:24And I love how the fact that it's so tall, you sort of forget about ideas of roofs and ceilings.
37:29It floats away and you're just connected with that view.
37:35What I was intrigued to find out was, how do you fit normal-sized furniture in such a big space?
37:41And here, well, it's all antique, so there's quite a contrast with the style of the house.
37:45Yeah, I guess that's the mountain part of the mountain modern design.
37:54And this is, well, it's not an island, is it? It's a continent.
37:59Enormous.
38:00We finally got the chef's kitchen for Jamin.
38:02That was our second big necessity after the windows.
38:06Yes.
38:06And this is an intercontinental landing strip of a light.
38:10It's amazing.
38:10It's got these lovely little delicate curved corners and slots where you get a flash of light through.
38:16Hmm.
38:17No, it's fantastic.
38:23The size comes at a cost, though.
38:26Literally half the house is kitchen and living.
38:29And there's only one bedroom.
38:30The other two bedrooms planned were in the wing that hasn't been built.
38:34And the only spare space here has a higher purpose.
38:41So here's the library in my office.
38:44What do you think?
38:48I told you magic.
38:50Yeah, it is a bit of magic.
38:51So this is Percy's design.
38:52And what are we looking at?
38:53Is that Gemini twins?
38:55Yeah, you're looking at feminized astrological symbols superimposed on a southern night sky.
39:01Yeah.
39:01It's magic, eh?
39:02Yeah.
39:03It elevates this room, doesn't it?
39:05This is a room for thinkers and stargazers and dreamers.
39:08And this is your desk.
39:10Yep.
39:10Right?
39:11So this is Cindy's experience.
39:12Yep.
39:14Which is, well, it's one of contemplation, isn't it?
39:18The earth and the sea, the heavens, a bit of academia.
39:22The only thing is, I don't know how much the computer would be turned on.
39:26That's the only problem.
39:30Each room in the house offers a distinctly different experience.
39:33The living room with its antique furniture, the kitchen with its industrial look and feel.
39:39And the library office, a study in Victorian style, perhaps.
39:43And the bathroom, well, this is in a category all on its own.
39:48Well, I wasn't expecting this.
39:51Ha!
39:52The wall covering it.
39:53It's a trompe l'oeil, isn't it?
39:55It feels like riveted steel.
39:58Sexy prison cell is what we call it.
40:01Ha!
40:02Ha!
40:02Yeah, well, I'll leave that to you to describe.
40:05But, um, gosh, yeah.
40:07Yeah.
40:07It's a strong look.
40:09Mm, thanks.
40:12The distinctly gridded windows provide another strong aesthetic.
40:16From the social spaces right down to the master bedroom.
40:20With its light and airy en suite, a big contrast to the bathroom we just left.
40:27Wow, the eyes open again.
40:29Mm.
40:30After the dark bathroom.
40:31Wow.
40:32I feel like we get to appreciate the bush a lot from this room.
40:35It's almost coming in.
40:37It is. It's growing towards you, isn't it?
40:38Yeah.
40:38Otherwise, four years of growth there.
40:41Ooh.
40:42Yes.
40:43So there'll be a hot tub out here eventually.
40:46But until then.
40:47Until then.
40:48More gazing.
40:49Yeah, we can just scan and look.
40:52It's been a real journey through this house.
40:55Very different feelings in all the rooms.
40:58And, uh, very stimulating.
40:59Thanks.
41:00Well, we love it.
41:08Do you know what I'm curious about?
41:10Is that you've got this great house, but you got here through a process that was quite the opposite.
41:17It was, you know, financially terrifying at times.
41:20Mm-hmm.
41:20Lengthy.
41:21And so is this just one big psychological experiment with you two as the test subjects?
41:26Is that what's going on?
41:28Uh, it does.
41:29It could seem that way in retrospect.
41:31I agree.
41:32But it wasn't meant to be that way.
41:34I think it was harder for me.
41:36And Jamin was amazing balance to my stress and impatience and frustration about how long things took.
41:44The steadying influence in the storm.
41:51There was a sense that you were also diving into quite a lot of unknown territory.
41:55With budget, which was tiny, that massive.
41:58Building on a hill.
41:59All of the things that you don't understand until you do it.
42:03Yeah, totally.
42:04There was that horrible 4.25, 4.3 million figure that meant you had to rethink.
42:09Yes.
42:10Quite drastically.
42:12Uh, and so we now have a really big one-bedroom house.
42:16Yep.
42:16Your family people.
42:17Where are you going to put them?
42:19Uh, well, Paxton just slept on the couch the other night, so he didn't really love it.
42:23Yeah, I think that they'll be happy when stage two happens and there's a place.
42:27Well, let's talk about that stage two.
42:29So it is going to happen.
42:30Yeah.
42:30Yeah.
42:31So how does that work?
42:32How much have you spent to date?
42:34We haven't gotten the final invoice, but I believe it'll be about 2.1 million on what
42:40we've done so far.
42:41And so the next part.
42:43We have an estimate from, um, Alison and Peter of about 800,000 for the edition.
42:50Yeah, it'll, it will depend on what we can negotiate from the bank and if it, you know,
42:56if we need to, we'll change the design.
43:02I would say, enjoy this part.
43:05You've got to where you want it to be.
43:07Soak in what you have.
43:09Hmm.
43:09And hopefully those four years will be just a distant memory.
43:13Looking forward, right?
43:14Hmm.
43:14Everyone who comes here is just, first they're stunned and then they feel calm.
43:20Add me to that list.
43:21And, like, how could you want anything more?
43:30This house, for me, represents an intriguing dichotomy.
43:35Cindy and Jamin were more than a little naive about what it would take to build this house,
43:39but at the same time, and as it turns out, entirely resolved in the idea of the home and
43:45what it would be like.
43:46Yeah, they fought the battles, didn't they?
43:48I mean, at that stage where the budget costings came back at three times what they wanted
43:53to spend, most people would have rightly folded, compromised, pulled back, built something
43:58simple.
43:58But they didn't.
44:00Okay, so phase two.
44:02Let's call that a rain check, but play this one out and they will get the home they've
44:07dreamt of, the ideal home.
44:09And for me, that resolve is truly inspirational.
44:15Bit like the view.
44:18Oh, so please.
44:19Oh.
44:21Heh
44:42I'm very happy for you, you too.
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