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Grand Designs NZ (2026) S10E01
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00:01In a garden or landscape context,
00:04a folly is the name given to a building with no practical purpose.
00:10These follies are normally just ornamental,
00:13designed to be visually interesting.
00:16They could even be considered works of art.
00:23But ultimately, they're just a bit of fun.
00:27And there's nothing wrong with that.
00:28The name, of course, comes about because in human terms,
00:32a folly means a touch of silliness,
00:35a foolish endeavour, a touch of madness,
00:39like maybe building your own home,
00:42or even restoring and renovating a heritage property.
00:46Except, of course, that could be much worse,
00:49full of unknown perils.
00:51That could go disastrously wrong,
00:55cost so much, take so long.
00:56And that's no fun at all.
01:22The small town of Clyde in central Otago
01:25is just over an hour's drive from the adventure capital of Queenstown.
01:29And while life here is much more sedate,
01:33Clyde still has plenty to offer, visitors and locals alike.
01:37Just as long as they can cope with some of the coldest temperatures
01:41in the whole country each and every winter.
01:44How are you going for a coffee?
01:46Yeah.
01:47Nice.
01:48In Clyde this morning are Marco Kramers and Ryan Sanders,
01:51recently arrived from Auckland and looking, of course, for a latte.
01:57Do you think we'll get used to the cold?
01:59I reckon you will.
02:00I don't know.
02:01The fencer said to me the other day,
02:03it's not cold till you can walk on the puddles.
02:07In Auckland, Marco and Ryan live in a penthouse apartment
02:11and thoroughly enjoy the big city lifestyle.
02:14But with Marco about to retire after more than 30 years in property management
02:19and Ryan selling his tourism business,
02:22the time is right to make a move south.
02:25Being in South Island myself
02:26was always part of my strategy to get Marco down here.
02:29He didn't know that, but I was always going to lure him down.
02:33Winning participant.
02:35The bit to be down here, that's not a surprise,
02:37but the building that we've purchased
02:39and the journey that we're on, that's a surprise.
02:44The surprise was Ernst Clough Castle,
02:48a central Otago landmark,
02:50just a few minutes' drive from Clyde
02:52on what was the Ernst Clough sheep station.
02:55Although Marco and Ryan wanted a bit of space
02:58for themselves and their dogs, Jake and George,
03:00they hadn't counted on a huge historic homestead
03:05and 12 hectares of land.
03:08But it was love at first sight.
03:13And coming in over those cattle stocks
03:15and into the garden, main garden.
03:17Oh, my God.
03:20And as soon as we drove on up...
03:22Oh, my God. Halfway down the drive, didn't we?
03:24We were like, we're going to buy this, aren't we?
03:27We haven't even been inside.
03:28And I was like, here we go.
03:32The castle was built in the early 1920s
03:35for Stephen and Marian Spain,
03:37who leased Ernst Clough's sheep station,
03:39but made a fortune from its rabbits,
03:42operating a canning factory in nearby Alexandra
03:44and exporting meat and skins to Europe and America.
03:48But when the bottom dropped out of the overseas market,
03:51the Spains ran out of money
03:53and the castle was never finished.
03:55However, the family stayed living in what would become known
03:58as Spain's Folly until the early 1940s.
04:02After that, different owners came and went.
04:05But by 2022, when Ryan and Marco arrived,
04:08the castle had been empty for several years
04:10and was very run down.
04:15We just went straight into strategising mode,
04:17then we got it across the line.
04:19And then we're just like, party!
04:32What a miserable day.
04:35But that is a glorious building.
04:40Good day!
04:42Well, is it a good day? I don't know.
04:45How are you?
04:45Hey, Tom. I'm Ryan. How are you, Matty?
04:46Hi, Ryan. Very good.
04:47Marko.
04:48Hi, Marko.
04:48Welcome.
04:49So I've been really excited to come and see this building,
04:52but also to see who takes on a building like this.
04:56Some crazies.
04:57Some crazies.
04:58Well, big ideas.
04:59Yeah?
05:00Just come in and have a look.
05:02After you.
05:06Ah.
05:07Wow, the first grand room.
05:09Pretty interesting two churubs up here.
05:11Slightly creepy looking, but we love them.
05:14And then through to some light here.
05:17Yeah, here's the ballroom.
05:18Originally a billiard room,
05:20but I think it'll be a ballroom.
05:21Well, you need a ballroom in a place like this.
05:23It goes without saying, of course, yeah.
05:25And in really good condition.
05:26I mean, well, actually, don't look through there.
05:29But it feels okay, doesn't it?
05:31Yeah.
05:31The joinery.
05:32I think the materials in this building.
05:34Mm, it's incredible.
05:35Oh, you're just going to rebuild it again?
05:37At some expense.
05:38Yeah.
05:40The scale of this house
05:41and what Marco and Ryan are taking on
05:44is frankly enormous.
05:46So this is another lounge.
05:48I think I'm going to have to start keeping a tally.
05:50Yeah.
05:51I think I know where I am still.
05:53There's some water damage there.
05:54There is, yeah.
05:55Some state-of-the-art duct tape
05:56to stop all the draft coming through.
05:58And then, oh, there's signs of this room being altered.
06:02Yeah.
06:03Yeah.
06:03There was a window originally here,
06:06and rumour has it,
06:07and look, it's just a rumour at this stage,
06:09but there was two families,
06:11and they basically didn't want to see one another,
06:13so they blocked in that window.
06:15A few windows, right?
06:16So a family feud in the past.
06:19Yeah.
06:20Right.
06:21Well, interesting.
06:23I wonder if there's more to that story.
06:25For now, though,
06:26there's much more to see upstairs.
06:31Well, this is pretty quirky, isn't it?
06:34It doesn't feel quite right inside.
06:37It's a very low ceiling.
06:38Mm.
06:39Very light.
06:40Portal window.
06:41Yeah.
06:41Yeah.
06:42Ah, and then here.
06:44Yeah.
06:44That's great.
06:45It's light.
06:46She's a narrow house.
06:48With lots of windows.
06:49You're right, yeah.
06:50So the back of the house
06:51is just the back of these rooms here.
06:53Yeah.
06:53It's only about seven metres wide or something.
06:55Twinned with a bathroom.
06:58A not-so-private bathroom.
06:59No, no.
07:00A bathroom with a great big window,
07:02and then a toilet on a different level.
07:03Yeah.
07:03Steps up there.
07:04There's a bit of rejigging to do here, though.
07:06Yeah.
07:06Yeah, significant rejigging.
07:08And we're here to finish it, aren't we, Marco?
07:09Yeah.
07:10The grand scale of Ernst Clue Castle
07:13combines architectural styles
07:14from the 19th and early 20th centuries
07:16in two symmetrical wings.
07:19In the east wing,
07:21Ryan and Marco's redesign renovates the drawing room
07:23with an open-air balcony,
07:25and the ballroom with its own kitchen and powder rooms.
07:28A large terrace with outdoor dining
07:31winds right round the back
07:32to a small west wing terrace.
07:34Beside the laundry, a designated dog room,
07:37large multi-purpose butler's kitchen,
07:40more powder rooms, and a mud room.
07:43Decking down the side leads onto the castle's swimming pool,
07:46sauna, and facilities block.
07:48Inside, relax in the vast living room,
07:51or create in the kitchen, complete with top-line cast-iron stove.
07:55Enjoy a sumptuous repast at the dining table here,
07:59or, more formally, in the actual dining room next door.
08:03Make a grand entrance from the entry porch
08:06into the double-height lobby,
08:07and up the winding staircase to the top-floor sunroom.
08:11A broad hallway with a balcony leads into the expansive master bedroom,
08:17dressing room, private balcony, and en suite.
08:20Guest bedrooms two and three and en suites complete the upper east wing,
08:24while across in the upper west wing,
08:26the library has four to-ceiling bookshelves
08:29and a sliding library ladder.
08:33Guest bedrooms four, five, six, and seven,
08:36all with en suites complete the west wing,
08:38with a full-length balcony down the side,
08:41and a rear deck and fire escape.
08:43The exterior features decorative brickwork,
08:46large windows, and symmetrical repetition.
08:49The ornate corner brickwork will stay,
08:52but the rest will be plastered over,
08:54finally completing Ernst Glew Castle as originally intended.
08:57as it enters a new era as a luxury B&B
09:00and Ryan and Marco's country seat.
09:06It looks great, but the challenges ahead are as significant,
09:11maybe more significant, than starting with a new place, right?
09:14Mmm, yeah. Category one listed buildings, so...
09:16That's as serious as it gets.
09:17It is. It's as serious as it gets.
09:19So thank God Marco's got some experience doing this stuff before,
09:22because if I was flying solo,
09:23yeah, there's no way I'd be able to do something like this.
09:25But you share that vision and dream and excitement.
09:28Yeah, I mean, we've got the same idea.
09:29We're both really passionate about honouring the original plans from 1920
09:34and finishing off this 102-year-old building to what it should be like.
09:38They ran out of money in the Depression,
09:40and they've never completed the exterior.
09:42It's got missing pieces in the parapets.
09:45Yep, the very top.
09:46The columns haven't been completed,
09:48and the plaster of the façade.
09:51And, of course, you've got all of this non-visual-grade concrete.
09:55Mm-hmm. Yeah.
09:55It was all supposed to be dressed.
09:57How much did you pay for the building?
09:59We paid two and a half.
10:00Two and a half.
10:01Two and a half million.
10:02Yeah. Big cost there.
10:03But then, is the cost of renovating this place...
10:07Yeah.
10:07...is that going to be more than the cost of buying?
10:10Oh.
10:10It would be about four.
10:12Yeah.
10:12Four and a half, yeah, max.
10:14That'll be stretching us.
10:16Yeah.
10:16Yeah, so we've got to bring it in way below that.
10:19Three, max, maybe.
10:20Yeah.
10:20Yeah.
10:21So, when do you move here?
10:23What's the plan?
10:24So, the rough plan is to get all our consents this year,
10:30and then another 12 months to do the house.
10:33We think the house has got to end up telling a story of our lives.
10:37So, we're going to bring everything we've got,
10:40and we're going to incorporate it into the house.
10:48This is an incredible opportunity to breathe new life
10:51into an important and unique building.
10:54Now, Marco and Ryan's vision and excitement is clear,
10:58but so is their challenge.
11:00A category one heritage building
11:02is officially recognized as needing the highest level of protection.
11:06So, Marco and Ryan's renovation
11:08will be subject to the most intense scrutiny.
11:14I just hope that when they're in the thicker things,
11:17a year and a million dollars down the track,
11:20with all the complications that this building will surely throw at them,
11:23they still think it's the right decision.
11:25And this great house finally gets the finish it deserves.
11:46Six months down the track, and just as I feared,
11:50Marco and Ryan are mired in the resource and building consent processes with the local council.
11:54And without the official paperwork, they can't do very much.
12:01All going well, they'll be welcoming visitors to their B&B next December.
12:06For now though, everything hinges on the council and the consents.
12:12We've got three building consents being lodged,
12:15one for the coach house, one for the stables building,
12:17and one for the main house.
12:18For all of those consents to be lodged,
12:20you have to actually have completed design.
12:26Because it's a category we aren't enlisting,
12:28we've had to consider everything on the outside,
12:31even right down to where the barbecue goes around the pool.
12:34It all has to be signed off.
12:37But that process has hit a major snag.
12:41A council heritage consultant disagrees with their plans
12:45to repair the broken bricks and seal the exterior with plaster.
12:48The consultant argues that the unfinished look
12:51is now part of the castle's heritage value
12:54and therefore shouldn't be changed.
12:58Maybe we could leave that piece unplastered
13:01so you could see the history of the house.
13:04Yeah.
13:04Yeah, that might be a compromise.
13:06Yeah.
13:07We're just trying to complete what was the original vision.
13:10So it's a bit unfortunate that we're getting a bit of pushback.
13:14The council has now ruled the consents issue
13:17must go to what's called a notified public hearing,
13:20where all interested parties present their case.
13:23But all that will take time and cost a lot of money.
13:27And Marco and Ryan are furious.
13:30It's one of the worst decisions I've ever had
13:33in my 30 years of dealing with councils.
13:37I went to work the next day and I just couldn't work the whole day.
13:41I was just like, oh, what are we going to do?
13:45What makes Ryan and Marco even more frustrated
13:48is that their restoration plans
13:50already have the full backing of Heritage New Zealand,
13:53the government agency charged with protecting buildings
13:56like Ernst Clue Castle.
13:59I thought having them on board was a no brainer.
14:04We're earthquakes strengthening the building with the plaster,
14:08making it water tight, finishing the original designs from 1920.
14:12So completing it, yeah, it just seems crazy
14:15that we're up against a brick wall.
14:19I just can't believe that Heritage New Zealand
14:22can get trumped by the local council.
14:27There's no question that the state of the castle's walls
14:30have contributed to its steady decline over the years.
14:33Marco and Ryan believe that their plastering plans
14:36will give the building a future.
14:38But if they lose the consents hearing,
14:40they fear it will be the castle's fate that's sealed.
14:52By the middle of 2023, Ryan and Marco are pushing ahead
14:56with their renovation of historic Ernst Clue Castle
14:58in central Otago.
15:02The kitchen's been completely gutted.
15:04Wow. Yeah, so...
15:05Oh, my God.
15:07Only one dead rat as well.
15:09Only one. A little bit of a few more.
15:11Yeah.
15:13Marco has covered over the old swimming pool
15:16to create an area where building materials can be stored.
15:18And while Ryan still spends most of his time in Auckland
15:21with work commitments, Marco has been spending up large.
15:27So this is one chandelier.
15:28This is the chandelier for the main entranceway,
15:30but Marco's actually bought 17 so far.
15:33And we actually haven't even kicked off renovation works
15:36in the main building.
15:37But we've got 17 chandeliers.
15:38That's the most important thing.
15:40Well, it's going to be amazing.
15:41Like, when you come in, you drive in at night,
15:43we have a function.
15:44You drive in at night, you come around,
15:45the whole house will be sparkling through the windows,
15:48all the chandeliers when you come round.
15:52But Marco and Ryan's confidence and good humour
15:55has been hard won.
15:57Their battle to restore the heritage-listed castle
16:00had to go through a public hearing at the local council,
16:03where they put their case for resource consent.
16:08We're completely humbled, because we ended up getting 98 submissions
16:13to our application, and 100% of them were supporting.
16:18They all support us. It's amazing.
16:24But it's been a huge amount of work.
16:26Yeah, huge. Really expensive.
16:28Like, I can't believe how expensive a process like that is.
16:30Yeah.
16:31Well, it's about 150 grand.
16:32Just for this hearing?
16:33Just to do the hearing.
16:35Plus, it's in Taima, we've lost the whole summer.
16:39The main collateral damage is that the third building on the property,
16:43the stables, we just need to park that for the time being.
16:47Yeah, basically.
16:48That's meant the money we had for that is gone.
17:01But if there's one positive that comes from the costly and time-consuming battle for the consent,
17:06it's been all the related publicity that attracted people wanting to help.
17:12People like Penny Clark, a former Queenstown Lakes district counsellor,
17:16who was so enthused, she bought herself a caravan and moved in.
17:25My job here is caretaker extraordinaire.
17:28And I put that name on myself because it covers a multitude of sins.
17:32If you can think of something, I'm probably doing it.
17:37The castle itself had a huge menagerie of creatures on board
17:42that I realised quite quickly had to be removed.
17:47The roof was leaking like a sieve, so I had to run round with buckets
17:50and then proceeded to catch possums, rats, mice.
17:55And although Penny's not alone in recognising how special the castle is,
17:59she does seem to be connected on another level altogether.
18:04I'm from England and we used to live in a big old house,
18:07so I had empathy, I understood.
18:09You had to talk to the bricks and talk to the ghosts.
18:14I have sat on the steps in the castle and had a chat with the ghost
18:18and explained to the building what's happening.
18:21This is all right, you are going to be magical.
18:24And I think she's cottoned on to that.
18:30She said, this is a really important building for the area
18:33and I'm going to come and help you.
18:35We thought at first, oh, crazy.
18:38We're crazy here.
18:40But she is amazing.
18:41Yeah, she's just passionate about the place.
18:43She's like an energiser bunny.
18:45She's just got so much energy.
18:47I think she needs a place like this to burn it all off.
18:53To be fair, you'd have to question the sanity of anyone involved in a project.
18:58It only seems to get bigger and more complicated every day.
19:04Of course, it would be much easier to clear everything out,
19:08get rid of the old and bring in the new.
19:10But that's not happening here.
19:12I'm buying no new internal joinery.
19:16Everything's being reused.
19:17So stripping all that polyurethane and paint off all the stuff.
19:22Every item that I take out or alter I have to record and store.
19:26So this architrave has been taken out, numbered,
19:31wrapped in a little bundle and stored so it can go back later.
19:34It just goes to show how demanding this restoration project really is.
19:40And the depth of Marco's patience and dedication.
19:53By August 2023, it's a full 15 months since I first visited Owensklu Castle.
20:00And the build is a year behind where Marco and Ryan hoped it would be.
20:05That's mainly because of the consent issue.
20:07But carefully removing materials to be reused,
20:11such as the bricks, has proved very time consuming.
20:16Morning.
20:16Morning.
20:17How are you, Marco?
20:19All right.
20:19Welcome back.
20:20Thank you very much.
20:21But really good to see that things are happening.
20:22There's a big hole in the West Wing.
20:24There are ladders, there are people, there are windows out.
20:26I can't wait to see what's behind the door.
20:28What will we find?
20:29Mayhem.
20:30Mayhem.
20:31Ryan's working in Auckland as usual,
20:34but clearly they've been busy here too.
20:38Wow, no ceiling.
20:40Yeah, we've done heaps.
20:41No door.
20:42But I don't recognise that big hole in the wall.
20:44I am there.
20:45Taking those windows out to put French doors in for a balcony.
20:49That was okay with the consenting crew?
20:52Yeah.
20:53And out into that.
20:54Yeah.
20:55Sunshine.
20:56Grounds.
21:00Oh, and then lovely pink light through here.
21:03Yeah.
21:04And the temptation would be now to, in a modern home,
21:07to put a big open piece of glass against the view,
21:10but it's actually quite lovely to have this window size.
21:12How long does it take to change from this state to you walking in?
21:17Two years, I think.
21:18I'm quite patient.
21:20Right.
21:20Ryan?
21:22Not so.
21:23Okay.
21:25Ryan's impatience is no doubt exacerbated by this separation,
21:29but the sale of his tourism business is conditional on him continuing to work in it,
21:35in Auckland, for some time to come.
21:42I don't think that's something we really thought through so much when we thought we could handle it,
21:47but it's proving to be quite tough being away from each other so much.
21:51Mm-hmm.
21:52But how can you not love it?
21:54Quite.
21:55No, you're right.
21:56You're right.
21:57And it feels like a home to us already, even though it's not ready for us to live in.
22:03Ooh.
22:04Oh, God.
22:04Well, of course.
22:07It's a special thing.
22:08Leave it.
22:11Better than we found it.
22:12Yeah.
22:13Absolutely.
22:14Absolutely.
22:14I mean, what better ambition could you have?
22:17Yeah.
22:21I've come here today and found a man quietly in love with what he's doing.
22:26But I think that word love is really important because he's got to love what he's doing.
22:31I mean, he's got two years, or God forbid more, ahead of him of hard graft.
22:37And so let's hope that love will conquer all.
22:53With the promise of another long, hot central Otago summer just around the corner,
22:58the painstaking repair and restoration of Ernst Klu Castle continues.
23:03Just as dusty, demanding, and noisy as usual.
23:09Just one of many jobs underway is the installation of the new membrane roof.
23:14So, finally, the house will be watertight.
23:19It's a massive achievement.
23:21Like, we won't be shifting buckets around after all every rain.
23:25The new roof will also be insulated, so the house will be much warmer.
23:30But it's a big job.
23:32Highly specialized and very expensive.
23:35One of many financial hits Marco and Ryan are taking.
23:42We have gone maybe slightly over budget.
23:45Yeah, burning through the money.
23:47Oh, my God.
23:48I think we're a bit worried right now how we're going to pay for it,
23:51how we're going to finish it.
23:51It's all hinging on my payout for my main business, which is next year.
23:56So I get paid out based on how we perform for the calendar year of 2024.
24:02So I'm just up in Auckland just pushing as hard as I can to make sure we get a good
24:05payout.
24:07Fingers crossed.
24:09And investing quite heavily in crypto.
24:11That's my backup.
24:13I know with a big project like this your plan B plan shouldn't be crypto investing and trading.
24:19But it is for us.
24:30Downstairs, the builders are remodeling the front entrance way.
24:33Cut these choice off and then open up.
24:38Marco and Ryan have determined it needs to look a lot more grand.
24:42That is so cool.
24:45I've been waiting for this for a long time.
24:48The ceiling was halfway up the stairs with the bathroom immediately above.
24:52Now Marco and Ryan have finally got the building consent to remove all that
24:57to create an impressive double height stairway.
25:04That looks amazing.
25:07How cool is that?
25:08Now this looks like a real entrance, right?
25:10Yeah.
25:19That looks amazing.
25:20However, creating the new entrance means that the stairwell balustrade has to be extended,
25:26with Rimu timber matching the original.
25:28That's over a hundred years old.
25:30So very rare, and most likely very expensive.
25:35Wow.
25:36Beautiful.
25:38It was quite a search, but Marco, with his forensic tracking ability,
25:43eventually found exactly what they needed at an Auckland company specialising in recycled native New Zealand timber.
25:52These pieces we probably had seven or eight years, and I've been holding on to them.
25:59Because I didn't really know if I wanted to sell them or not.
26:02Yeah.
26:02Waiting for the right home.
26:03Yeah.
26:05They're buying, from my point of view, once in a lifetime bits of wood.
26:08They're so big, and so thick, that in all my years of dealing with wood,
26:16I've never seen pieces like this before.
26:18I'm never going to see a bit of wood like that again.
26:20I almost guarantee it.
26:30By the turn of the new year, the castle's new roof is on,
26:33and the finishing paintwork is being applied.
26:36The parapets are also being capped to ensure they're completely watertight.
26:45In the house itself, most of the new or restored doors and windows have been installed.
26:51A total of 76 over the two floors.
26:54Just one huge job of many the builders have to tackle.
26:59I've done a few big renos before, but nothing quite to the scale.
27:09It's like doing about 10 houses at once.
27:13I worked here when I was a young lad as an apprentice.
27:16I knew how big and how grand it was.
27:21I was just keen to be a part of it.
27:26Every day is a challenge.
27:30You've just got to keep going, I guess.
27:36But although the work seems never-ending, and possibly is,
27:41Marco's somehow finding time for a local upholstery class.
27:46So intense.
27:49Lessons he's using to restore an original 1920s Chesterfield sofa,
27:54which may have been here since the castle was built.
27:59I spent the last, pretty much the last 60 years out there on the front porch.
28:09It was a mess.
28:11But it'll be cool when it's all finished and go,
28:14I, I, I, I, ow, shoot.
28:16I, um, I did that.
28:20I prick myself like I'm bleeding.
28:23Bleeding all over the Chesterfield.
28:28All up, Marco estimates that restoring the Chesterfield will take him 12 full days' work.
28:34So a big commitment for such a busy man.
28:37But this build must be taking a toll.
28:40And while Ryan's far away in Auckland trying to earn money to finish their dream,
28:46Marco's essentially going it alone.
28:49Like the old Chesterfield, I bet he'll be looking for a new lease of life too.
29:02The depths of winter now at Ernst Glew Castle.
29:06So beautiful.
29:08So cold.
29:09And architect Richard Naish is down from Auckland for a site visit.
29:14Just taking that floor out, Marco, has just made an incredible difference, hasn't it?
29:18Yeah.
29:19It's amazing.
29:21Richard and Marco have worked together for 25 years on different projects.
29:25But this one is certainly unique.
29:28Expensive too.
29:29When I first came here, Marco and Ryan said their budget was $3 million tops.
29:34And while a fair chunk of that has now gone, looking around today, what it's been spent on is not
29:41that obvious.
29:41This wall is so skinny now, isn't it? Just single brick masonry wall, no supports.
29:48Well, that's the carbon fibre that's slid in there that gives it its strength.
29:52But without that, you just wouldn't want to be sleeping next to it, would you?
29:55You certainly wouldn't, no.
29:56You know, 1920s house meets modern composite technology.
30:01Yes.
30:01It's really interesting to see a house like this being completely operated on.
30:07You know, it's almost like five or six major operations at the same time.
30:11Before you can then put it back together and hide all of the work you've done.
30:15Yeah, you won't see in it.
30:16No.
30:19I can't think of another example of something so bold and optimistic of its time.
30:25It's a homestead for a huge station and then it's got an amazing history in behind it.
30:32So it's a really unique project and one of a kind in New Zealand.
30:35I think the time aspect of it has probably surprised all of us, but we'll get there in the end.
30:42But while the focus is on the castle's future, I'm still fascinated by stories from the 1940s of a bitter
30:50family feud,
30:50leading to bricked up windows and a wall dividing the whole house.
30:57It's become the stuff of legend over the years, but I haven't found anyone with actual first-hand knowledge until
31:05now.
31:05You lived in Anne's Clue until what age?
31:09Until I was about nine.
31:11Bridget Denniston and her family moved into the castle to live with her grandparents, the original owners, Stephen and Marian
31:18Spain.
31:18They built the castle with a fortune they made from exporting rabbit meat and skins.
31:24And rabbits also provided an opportunity for enterprising young Bridget.
31:32What you put on here and you cut it here under the, behind the head.
31:39Pull the skin off.
31:40Yes, pull the skin off.
31:41Ex-rabbit.
31:42And we got a shilling, I think, for each one.
31:47And we had our bike fund.
31:49Yes, we were saving up for a bike.
31:51Oh yeah.
31:53Did it feel like a hard life? Was it a fun...
31:55No, it didn't feel like a hard life, but it felt quite isolated.
32:00It always seemed to be a special part of my life.
32:05The castle was also home to Bridget's uncle and aunt and their family.
32:09And this is where the story about the feud has its roots.
32:15Brothers at war is something I saw.
32:18One brother living one side and one the other and not speaking and...
32:22Yeah.
32:23Not your experience?
32:24Not at all.
32:25Our parents had always wanted their own place.
32:28And when our grandparents died, most people would agree they don't want to live with their brother and his wife
32:35and family.
32:36Right, so this is it.
32:37All in the same house.
32:38So there was a wall put through.
32:42Of course there are disagreements in any family running businesses and things like that.
32:47But I feel like the wall was about the most sensible thing anybody would ever want to do.
32:52If my brother and I were going to live in the same house, I would like him to have his
32:56own business.
32:57Sure.
32:58So this is about privacy and having your own family unit rather than some unresolved conflict?
33:06Yes.
33:07Yes.
33:07And so it appears that the truth about the Great Wall of Earnsklew doesn't quite match the legend.
33:14Even so, there's something mythical about the castle.
33:17So much past and now, so much future.
33:21I'm sure there'll be plenty more stories to come.
33:28I've extended my visit to catch up with Ryan, who's arrived from Auckland, where he's still living and working.
33:34As the one most impatient to finish, I'm keen for his take on current progress and the potential final cost.
33:44Yeah, definitely stressful on the financial side, we've definitely blown the budget.
33:48We're about 40% over on the house.
33:51Yeah.
33:52Yeah.
33:52You know, the exterior plastering and part of the earthquake strengthening program included in that, you know, that's come out
33:57to about 600k.
33:59So that's a little bit more than expected.
34:00Oof.
34:00Do you build a house for our roof cost?
34:03Yeah.
34:03How much was that?
34:04Was it about 600 again?
34:05This is a high maintenance child.
34:08It is.
34:09A lot of energy and time and thoughts.
34:13So can you detach from this, Marco?
34:16Day to day.
34:16Or is it just ever present?
34:18I'll answer that for him.
34:18No, he can't.
34:19He's got OCD.
34:20You know, I go to bed late at night.
34:22We go to bed and he's sitting on his phone, like finding like the perfect umbrella holder.
34:28Or finding, you know, the next chandelier that he's going to buy.
34:31I've got to stop this man buying chandeliers.
34:32That's okay, yeah.
34:33That's the fun stuff.
34:35You know, you're not just building a house, are you?
34:37You actually have to be true to that vision that this is something really special.
34:41Yeah.
34:42And maybe not just for you guys, you know.
34:45There's a lot of investment from everybody else in this, the community and so on.
34:49There's definitely a lot of buy-in.
34:50Yeah, yeah.
34:54Two years since I first got here, blur your eyes and it looks exactly the same.
35:02I mean, that's remarkable as it stands, but they've also got another year and a half
35:07to go before they finish it.
35:09So, when I pose that question, how will Mark and Ryan feel when they're a million dollars
35:15in the hole and months, years down the line, will they still have the same enthusiasm?
35:20And today we found out that the answer is yes.
35:24Well, they're either remarkable liars or truly unique individuals.
35:32I mean, actually, I get the sense that it might be the latter.
35:47Mark and Ryan's little renovation project here in Ernst Glew is pretty extraordinary.
35:53To take on a category one listed building that's long been forgotten.
35:58The effort, you have to say, is bordering on the heroic.
36:03But, you know, I have a feeling that this house, now finished, will be spectacular.
36:16Well, I can immediately see they haven't plastered over the bricks.
36:19But since that's already been delayed by over a hundred years, I'm sure a little longer won't matter.
36:29Guilted lanterns, urns everywhere.
36:32This house has come back to life.
36:37Ah!
36:38There you are.
36:39I think that balcony is made for you two.
36:43How are you?
36:44Good.
36:44The question is, how did you get past the guard dogs?
36:47What, you didn't release the hounds in time?
36:49We'll meet you downstairs.
36:50Okay, great.
36:55Hi!
36:57You're not the most effective guard dogs.
36:58Well, they did try.
36:59It's fantastic to be here.
37:02Finally.
37:12I know, this is amazing.
37:15Yeah, no more crouching underneath the bathroom that was there.
37:18This is how the hallway should be.
37:19Yeah.
37:20That's the first of the chandeliers.
37:22Seven foot, 294 kg.
37:25Needs a custom winch to bring her down.
37:28Oh, it's incredible.
37:32But now I'm guided by the light.
37:34There's another chandelier.
37:35What, two?
37:35Yeah, there's quite a few chandeliers.
37:37And then that amazing ceiling.
37:39Yeah.
37:39Ryan's favourite sheriffs.
37:41Love that ceiling.
37:45Ah, now the ballroom.
37:47Yeah.
37:48And I love the colours, these heritage colours.
37:50Yeah, we definitely don't want to play it safe.
37:54No, it's a bit of a relaxing space.
37:56It gets the sun.
37:57This is east.
37:58So, yeah, breakfast in the morning.
38:00Bit of a function space if we have people over.
38:02And a bit of a serving kitchen behind us.
38:05This is the Chesterfield.
38:07Yeah.
38:07Yeah.
38:08Yeah.
38:08Yeah, that you slaved over.
38:09The three families that have lived here before, you know, they've grown up having that couch
38:13on the front deck and here it is, looking better than ever.
38:18The small ballroom kitchen is one of three in the castle.
38:22At the other end of the ground floor is a commercial kitchen with heavy duty equipment
38:26and high volume capacity which will cater to large events.
38:30Whilst right next door, the transformation of Marco and Ryan's own kitchen is remarkable.
38:42Now, this room has changed so much.
38:45It has.
38:46Ah, just beautifully, beautifully crafted.
38:49We took our keys from this old piece of scullery furniture.
38:54Ah, so this is renovated?
38:56Yeah.
38:57Ah.
38:57So a bit of kitchen archaeology here in the cabinetry.
39:01And there are other signs of the past.
39:03Yeah.
39:04There's a curiously placed tile in there.
39:06The old hearth.
39:07Ah, yes.
39:08So we kept a nod to that there.
39:09We thought those are some beautiful tiles.
39:10Yeah, it tells a story, doesn't it?
39:12That layer of history.
39:13And we see that in this room, don't we?
39:15Yeah.
39:15Because this wasn't just one room.
39:17No, it's initially five rooms.
39:18This is the cook's kitchen and the cook's lounge.
39:20And you've added that window, right?
39:22We've reinstated that window.
39:23Yes.
39:24So that window was bricked in.
39:25That's right.
39:26Yes.
39:26Part of that blocking off of the house.
39:29We think it's beautiful.
39:30We love keeping those stories alive.
39:33The Western Wing also contains another luxurious living space with inviting views out to the pool.
39:40But no time to relax just yet.
39:42There's a whole other floor to inspect.
39:48This is where we used those big rimu beams that we got.
39:52It's an incredible piece of timber, yeah.
39:55Yeah.
39:55It just feels right.
39:56Totally.
39:57Yeah.
39:57And of course, another thing that feels right is this grand stairway.
40:01The architecture experience, the volume.
40:04It's grand.
40:05It's appropriate for this house.
40:07It's how it's meant to be.
40:08Mm.
40:11The balconies here are now enclosed with glazing instead of open to the elements.
40:16Plus, every castle needs a library.
40:19Of course.
40:20And this is another new addition featuring bookshelves made of timber recycled from the Christchurch earthquake.
40:27There are also six guest bedrooms up here.
40:30Six all with en suites.
40:33And so, to the end of the upstairs eastern wing and the master suite.
40:40Oh, this is such a different room.
40:43It's delightful.
40:44We're up amongst the trees and you've reflected that in these curtains.
40:48This autumnal theme.
40:49It's a great place to wake up.
40:51Facing east.
40:52All the morning sun.
40:53It's an Ipswich dream.
41:13I dare say that this house has probably never looked so good.
41:19And one that, it's fair to say, has taken a while to get to this point.
41:23Sure has.
41:24We just can't believe we're sitting here right now.
41:26Like, we've been thinking about this moment for so long.
41:28And now, actually, to be here after close to four years of hustle, it feels surreal.
41:38Did you know how hard it would be?
41:41No.
41:42No, not at all.
41:43I think we knew what was involved, but I don't think we knew how emotional it was going to be.
41:51Completely personal.
41:52Yeah.
41:58You have many, many people help.
42:00So many people.
42:01Yeah.
42:01Give their time.
42:02Yeah.
42:03We've had lots of volunteers.
42:04The amount of people that have picked up a paintbrush or helped with sanding or just got involved without us
42:09even asking has been incredible.
42:11Approaching us in the street, the supermarket, it's been amazing.
42:16So it's not just Penny who's omnipresent.
42:19No.
42:20Lady Penelope.
42:21Yeah.
42:21She's been absolutely incredible.
42:22She's probably out there now, isn't she, doing something?
42:24She will be.
42:25She's tireless.
42:25I've never seen the lady yawn.
42:32Two and a half million to buy this place.
42:35Yeah.
42:35And then you wanted to spend four, then maybe three.
42:39Yeah.
42:40Something around there.
42:41What happened?
42:43So if we, in terms of what we've spent in its entirety to date, not excluding what we bought it
42:49for, we've spent just a tad over 11 million.
42:54Yeah.
42:55Goodness.
42:56Yeah.
42:5611 million?
42:59Yeah, there was a fair bet.
43:01I'm still blindsided by that figure.
43:05And, and yes, so.
43:06So are we.
43:08How do you, how do you, you seem philosophical about it, Ryan.
43:12It's just, yeah?
43:13We're pretty humbled by it.
43:14Yeah.
43:15Okay, it's a lot of money, but we love where we are.
43:18It feels like we belong here.
43:21Yeah.
43:22Yeah.
43:34In the process of making a home here, Marco and Ryan have reignited the spirit of this place.
43:41And by lavishing so much time and money and love on it, they have realized its full potential of building
43:48of outstanding cultural and historical significance.
43:51I'm convinced now that it will start giving back all that is demanded of them and more.
44:21He should've tried to end this year for him while Derek's speaking, so, Oohh.
44:30And how are you doing with that??
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