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00:00While building a dream house is for some,
00:08This is brilliant.
00:09This is where we're up to.
00:11Many others are transforming existing homes.
00:14Got it.
00:15Got it.
00:17Smashing down walls, ripping out kitchens and digging up gardens.
00:23Oh, there you go.
00:25As they reimagine their homes as places to live, work and thrive.
00:30It's gonna be a bathhouse.
00:32Why not, eh?
00:33Bathrooms are the hardest thing to renovate.
00:35I'll go turn that off.
00:37No, Mum.
00:39I'm gonna die before we move into this house.
00:42I'm Anthony Burke, a professor of architecture.
00:46And I'm interior designer Yasmeen Janine.
00:50And in each episode of this new series of Grand Designs transformations,
00:54Every single person has kind of said, you're crazy.
00:57We follow the makeover masterminds behind two very different projects.
01:02I do question the stupidity of doing something like this.
01:06Okay.
01:07This is good.
01:14In this episode, I'm in the Sydney suburb of Arncliffe.
01:18How are you?
01:19Lovely to meet your home.
01:20With Buddy.
01:21That black frame that goes inside this flat.
01:23The world's busiest builder.
01:24Take the borough over there, spin that around.
01:26We'll six pack and quickly load him up.
01:28It's not only his business, he's transforming the family home too.
01:33And we've hit rock.
01:35So good.
01:37I was hoping to be up to the first floor by now.
01:39We need to start dedicating a lot of time here.
01:41Otherwise, we're just going to be here forever.
01:43So...
01:44Something's got to give.
01:45Hey.
01:46More work.
01:47More work.
01:48And I'm in Tookley, on the New South Wales central coast.
01:52Where a much loved aunt needs a home.
01:55I cannot remember how I need time, so I have packed and unpacked.
01:59She is absolutely an angel.
02:02The family wants to build her one.
02:05It's something for me that I really wanted to do for her.
02:08But the budget?
02:09Well, that's going to be a challenge.
02:12Wow.
02:13We're going to have a fish.
02:14You have to hold on his hand.
02:15Ready?
02:16Who's going to catch a big fish today?
02:19Me.
02:20Yellowtail.
02:21Yellowtail.
02:22Who?
02:23Hopefully.
02:24I'm just going to say it right off the bat.
02:28Have you ever...
02:30A big fish.
02:31A big fish.
02:32A big fish.
02:33A big fish.
02:34A big fish.
02:35A big fish.
02:36A big fish.
02:37A big fish.
02:38A big fish.
02:39A fish.
02:40A fish.
02:41A fish.
02:42A fish.
02:43seen a more picture-perfect family.
02:45Where is it? There it is.
02:46Lock it in. Reel it up.
02:48Buddy and Deanne Scharbell and their three kids,
02:50Jacob, Rose and Cara,
02:52living the life on Botany Bay in Sydney's southern suburbs.
02:58Oh, hey, you got it!
02:59Yeah!
03:00Awesome!
03:01No prizes for guessing how Deanne and Buddy met.
03:06We met at school. High school.
03:09High school sweetheart.
03:11Yep. A school dance.
03:17It wasn't on Facebook or anything.
03:19High school sweethearts because, of course, they were.
03:23They've got the kids...
03:25Oh, no! I got porn on me!
03:27OK, go wash your hands in the bucket. Go.
03:29..and now all they need to complete the picture
03:32is the dream home.
03:35And here it is.
03:36Deanne found it years ago.
03:38Just like with Buddy, it was love at first sight.
03:42The first time I saw the house, I was actually a young girl.
03:46So my father did maintenance across the road,
03:48so I used to always stare at it.
03:50It was old, it was a charming home,
03:52but it just always had a beautiful feeling about it, the house.
03:56There's a lot to love.
03:58130 years old, heritage-listed, dripping in history,
04:03in the southern suburb of Arncliffe.
04:05It came on the market right when they were looking to buy.
04:09To be honest with you, it was like, I see Deanne,
04:13she was all, like, star-struck, and I was like, you know,
04:16I think just whatever we've got to do to buy the house,
04:19we've got to buy the house,
04:20cos I just knew that she really loved it.
04:23I loved it as well, but I just...
04:25I knew it could be something special.
04:27And, yeah, and then just sort of the rollercoaster
04:30started from that day, you know?
04:33Rollercoaster is right.
04:36The walls have already been stripped,
04:38but this place showed all the signs of its decline
04:41from a once stately home to a boarding house.
04:45But in amongst the rubble, Deanne can see potential.
04:49A heritage, family home mixed with a touch of her Italian roots.
04:54A little slice of clifftop Positano magic, no less,
04:58all arches in open air, right here in Arncliffe.
05:02It's quite the leap, but Buddy's a builder.
05:05And he's got a fire in his belly.
05:08I see all the work and all the effort to restore a house
05:13and the skill required to do it.
05:15Once all those elements come together,
05:17it'll just be a fantastic place.
05:21So, Buddy, when do you think you might finish...
05:25..to be able to move in there?
05:26Not that I'm pushing, cos I'm not.
05:28I love it. I love you guys here.
05:30The family has moved in with Deanne's parents
05:32during the renovation.
05:33Oh, that's right, yeah.
05:35There's a lot of food and laughter and love...
05:38..and disbelief about the job ahead.
05:41What made you go into heritage?
05:42I've always liked old things, haven't I?
05:44Yes.
05:45And that particular house.
05:47She's never liked modern architecture.
05:49She loves this old furniture. I can't believe it.
05:51She wants old cupboards, old chairs, old tables. Why?
05:54She likes restoring.
05:56I think she's...
05:57She likes restoring.
05:58Oh, she's crazy, Adam.
05:59I've got three children.
06:00I've got a crazy one.
06:01I mean, I've got a crazy one.
06:18Wow.
06:19This is much bigger than I thought.
06:20thought. Dan! Buddy! Anthony, how are you going? How are you? Lovely to meet you. You too. Lovely to meet your home. Yes. Well, your house, not your home yet. Until we move in, it's just a house. Just a house. And what about, I mean, this is a family home. It feels really big on the street. Does it feel big to you? I don't, to me, it doesn't. I can see, I think it, I think it does though have a presence because it's on the hill. Yeah. You can see the airport. What else can you see? I guess the city's over there.
06:50We've got the city to the north. We've got the bay over there. On the south side. Yep. So you've basically got a 180 degree view right out there and just taking full advantage of the hill position. Yeah. So that's pretty special. Yeah, it's beautiful. Yeah. And we knew that this area had this kind of, these kinds of homes. Yeah. Because my parents actually own the house across the road and I used to just stare at it. Dream. Dream. Visualise its future. Dream. So there's a kind of a sense of destiny here, isn't there? You've known the house for a long time. Yes. And you actually
07:20haven't moved too far from where you kind of, well, you're, you know, you're patched in a sense. Yeah, pretty much. Yeah. Can you take me in? Yes. Let's go. Let's go.
07:27Okay. Welcome to the dream house. The dream house. Wow. Actually, this is, this is not what I expected. Very imposing out the front. It's actually quite modestly scaled in here. The back door, it's not very deep.
07:44Yeah. No, it feels very short. Yeah, a little bit short. Having said that, give me a sense. What, what is it going to feel like when I come and visit you as a guest? What's, what's this feel like to me?
07:54So we'd love to, we'd love to know that we're living in an old house, but we don't want it to feel. Old. Old. Are you sure you've got the right property? Yeah, I know.
08:07An old house that feels new? Okay. And out the back is where the Italian influence comes in. Just watch your stare.
08:16With a brand new two-storey extension, Deanne hopes will transport her to the Mediterranean.
08:21Wow, you're really getting a head start out here, aren't you? Yeah, yeah.
08:25I would like it to feel a little bit... Positano. Positano-ish.
08:32It's a long way from Arncliffe to Positano, but they're giving it a crack.
08:38Heritage restrictions mean the existing house can't change much. Features like the front balcony will be restored.
08:45Inside, Buddy plans to repair and reuse the existing timber floors and skirting boards,
08:52but give the whole place a crisp new feel. On the ground floor, there's a large study,
08:57lounge and formal dining room, and upstairs, a bedroom each for the kids,
09:03with period features like fireplaces kept.
09:07Then old meets new. Existing outhouses are demolished,
09:11and a bridge leads across to the very modern extension.
09:17Upstairs is a parents' retreat, deck, main bedroom, walk-in robe and ensuite.
09:24Downstairs, a large kitchen, pantry and living room.
09:28Then, outside to a pool, and Deanne's Italian-inspired alfresco,
09:33where they plan to entertain the whole extended family.
09:36So, we've got a bit of work to do then, really?
09:42Yes, we've got a bit of work ahead of us.
09:44How long do you think it's going to take you to do this build?
09:47I've always sort of wanted to be in, so early next year, so most likely like 10 months.
09:52Normally I'd sort of go, well, I don't know, but you're a builder,
09:55so if anyone can answer that question, you can.
09:57Adding on the pressure.
09:59That's right, more pressure.
10:00Yeah.
10:01And what about the budget?
10:02We'd like to be at half a million, to be honest, ideally,
10:06but I think most likely, I think we would be around 600.
10:08Okay.
10:09And I guess your kids must be, they're only young, right?
10:12Yeah.
10:13But they must be kind of pretty excited by the prospect of what all this is.
10:17Like, you know, that too, like, adds a bit of pressure for me,
10:19because I'm just like, I really want to give them that experience, like, now sort of thing, you know?
10:23But, you know, you just have to be patient.
10:25I suppose.
10:25Yeah, yeah.
10:32It's quite the challenge that Buddy and Deanne have set for themselves here.
10:37On the one hand, can they restore and update this wonderful old slice of Australian history,
10:43and on the other, create a brand new building with more than a passing nod to Deanne's Italian heritage.
10:49They have the skills, but they still seem unclear about the vision.
10:53And, usually, that uncertainty is where the problems begin.
11:02It's a chilly mid-winter's morning when Buddy breaks ground with the build's first major earthworks.
11:11Digging the pool.
11:13Exciting times, first bucket!
11:16Usually, like, excavation day is a big day.
11:19You see the machine on site, and you see things happening,
11:22it just feels like a big relief, like, yep, we're going to get started, we're moving,
11:26and hopefully now it's just a smooth sailing to the end, so...
11:30Smooth sailing?
11:32I've got my doubts.
11:34Because, in addition to this house...
11:36Back, lift the camera up.
11:38...Buddy's business has several more under construction.
11:40That black phone that goes...
11:41He's being pulled every which way.
11:43Left, left, no, no, left.
11:45How's that product working?
11:46The calls are coming thick and fast.
11:49I end up with 2,700.
11:51Truth is, every site needs his full attention.
11:56Particularly this one.
11:57That's not a good sound.
12:02We've hit rock.
12:04We've hit rock!
12:09Sandstone.
12:10It looks like we've got a bit of salt cutting and Jack coming to get the pool depth.
12:14Be a shallow pool.
12:15This is going to add days to the job.
12:23It's all wrong.
12:25Oh, well.
12:26It's all good.
12:27It's far from smooth sailing.
12:36It's hard, like, you're trying to put attention to everything and, you know, you're investing
12:43your heart and your own money into this project.
12:46And, you know, the rock situation obviously puts a spanner in the works, but, like, it is
12:54what it is, I guess.
12:55There's nothing you can do about it.
12:56It's just, like, mixed emotions.
12:57So, it's part of the game, they say.
12:59Part of the building game.
13:00In Tookley, on the New South Wales central coast, a young family is about to start playing
13:14its own game.
13:15To Mummy?
13:18To Mummy?
13:20Priced out of Sydney, Danielle and her mob moved here just over a year ago.
13:24So, I guess there's four, but really five, in our immediate family, in that there's myself
13:33and Brian and our two beautiful little children, you know, who's two and a half and Mikal, who's
13:38seven and a half, but then we've also got Aunty Carol, who helps take care of our children.
13:46Yeah, she is absolutely an angel.
13:50Come on, Mickey.
13:51I used to look after Danielle when she was younger than Ina, and my other nieces and nephews,
13:58and I feel privileged.
14:04For several years, Aunty Carol has lived a nomadic existence.
14:08No permanent home of her own, she's been staying with family members.
14:12I've been moving and living with my brother at his villa at Foster, and I've been coming
14:22back and forward, back and forward, back and forward.
14:25Go, Ina!
14:26Go!
14:27It's a tough way to live.
14:29As much as her helping with the kids is priceless, Aunty Carol really needs some help herself.
14:36I think a lot of women her age find themselves in that situation now, where if they haven't
14:42had that big career, or they weren't, you know, they were never married, they find themselves
14:47in that position, where they don't have a lot of money behind them, and they don't have
14:52a way of giving themselves that security.
14:55Go, Mickey!
14:57Brianne and Danielle reckon they found a solution for Aunty Carol when they bought their Tookley
15:01home.
15:02It's only got two bedrooms, but there's a granny flat out the back.
15:08Well, kind of.
15:10It's really just a shed, and a pretty basic one at that.
15:14Happily though, Brianne is a carpenter, and has grand plans to transform it and Aunty Carol's
15:22life.
15:23Good one, Micah!
15:24Family is life, family is love, family is enjoyment, and Carol's part of our family,
15:28and yeah, we want to be able to enjoy our time together.
15:41This project sounds like it's got a lot of heart, but it's going to take more than that
15:46to make it work.
15:49Hi guys!
15:50Oh, yes, hi!
15:51Hi guys, Danielle and Brianne.
15:52Yeah.
15:53So you've got this fibroshack in your backyard.
15:56Yeah.
15:56And your aunt is currently staying with her brother?
15:59Yep.
16:00And so this is going to be her house?
16:02It is.
16:03And what does that mean to her?
16:05Everything.
16:06Um, this will be her very first home of her own.
16:10Well, you're rather nice, aren't you?
16:13Yeah, well, she's rather nice.
16:15Oh, that's incredible.
16:17The old shack looks pretty, pretty old.
16:20I gotta say, like these things are so known for not having insulation.
16:25And the windows and doors are completely unsealed, I'd imagine.
16:30It might not look like much, but it actually had pretty good bones,
16:33some nice old Oregon timber in there.
16:35A lot of it was put together pretty well back in the day.
16:38All right.
16:38So it's not going to look like a fibroshack in the end?
16:40Oh, look, we've got plans and ideas.
16:43I'm definitely going to give it a facelift.
16:45Okay.
16:45Absolutely.
16:46We haven't convinced me entirely, so I want to see inside.
16:50Come this way.
16:51Let's go.
16:53Well, they won't be holding a cat swinging competition in here.
16:56It's just eight by four meters, and that's a challenge.
17:01It was always our intention with this to make it as livable as possible for her.
17:06It's going to be smart, make the best use out of the space,
17:09and just make life easier for her.
17:11So it's Carol popping in from time to time and, hey, how's it going?
17:15Um, we have mapped it all out for her.
17:17We've given her drawings and sketches and everything.
17:19So she's got a good impression.
17:20So she's got visuals.
17:21She knows what she's getting.
17:22Yeah, right.
17:25To make this tiny flat livable will require a space-saving ninja.
17:31Straight in the front door, a galley kitchen and a study nook.
17:36Opposite, a TV and entertainment zone for Aunty Carol's rather large music collection.
17:43A partition wall gives separation between the living area and the bedroom.
17:48There's a custom-made single bed with clever storage underneath.
17:51Next to a tidy en-suite.
17:54Although it's small, the plan is to generate a sense of space
17:57by creating a very neutral colour palette.
18:00And additional windows will draw in more natural light.
18:04There's a deck and timber cladding to lift the hard-to-love exterior.
18:09I'm getting the impression the budget's pretty tight.
18:12Yeah.
18:13Dubbed 10 grand.
18:14Around.
18:15Yeah, that face.
18:1710 grand.
18:18Yeah.
18:18Yeah.
18:20Wow.
18:20Yeah.
18:21For everything.
18:23For everything.
18:24That's not a lot of money.
18:26Yep.
18:28Let's focus on the positive.
18:29We've got 10k.
18:30All right.
18:31That's what we do.
18:33What's the timing like to deliver this?
18:35There was no official kind of let's put a pin in the calendar on it,
18:39but we gave ourselves a three-month window to get the inside livable and usable.
18:46Three months and 10 grand.
18:50That's ambitious.
18:52And it's not their only challenge.
18:55Extended family living is really great in theory, but it often falls apart in reality,
19:01when the spaces provided are functional, but not super comfortable.
19:06And that's the challenge they face here.
19:08Are they going to make that space feel homey enough for Aunty Carol to even want to hang out in?
19:14Successful family living isn't just about coming together.
19:18It's sometimes the time apart that's even more important.
19:21Dawn is not long cracked and Brian is hard at work on his day job.
19:35Carpenter and foreman on a luxury home build.
19:38Building houses is really what I enjoy.
19:41Not so much just, you know, turning up and working away.
19:46Actually seeing a house from start to finish is really, yeah, what I get my enjoyment from.
19:52Any chippy will tell you building is hard work, physically tiring, mentally taxing.
20:01The problem for Brian is, come knock off, there's no putting his feet up.
20:09Nicky, did you put your things away properly?
20:12Or did you just leave them in a pile?
20:14While Danielle wrangles the kids,
20:17he gets down to the night shift on Aunty Carol's place.
20:20First job, installing extra windows to let more daylight into this dim shed.
20:27So we've picked up this window from the local reclaimed yard.
20:31Cut it to suit the opening, essentially.
20:35Things-wise, this window has worked out perfectly for our room size.
20:40Most of the tiny 10k budget will go on big ticket items like white goods and specialist trades like electricians.
20:50Nearly all the materials will be second hand and Brian's time is, well, free.
20:55To make this happen, the work's got to be done by someone.
20:59I'm capable and willing, so I guess that's me.
21:05I guess my hand's up for it.
21:06So I just have to do what I have to do.
21:09OK. Made to measure.
21:17Back in Sydney's Arncliffe...
21:20..but he's also got his hands full,
21:23trying to marry this heritage Victorian rambler with a slice of Italy.
21:28It cost an extra $13,000, but the pool's been dug.
21:40And now Buddy's turning his attention to the floors.
21:43They're a problem. The joists are rotten and have to go.
21:49But Buddy wants to salvage the history-soaked floorboards.
21:54We're going to try to save as many, because we're thinking, like,
21:56if we can put them back into the hallway, we'll reuse them in the hallway,
22:00maybe just to, you know, have some type of connection. I don't know.
22:04So we'll try to save as many as we can.
22:07On a normal house, stripping a room like this would take half an hour.
22:12Carefully rescuing those boards means Buddy will be here for days.
22:16I nearly got there.
22:18Can you still save it?
22:21Everything takes time, do you know what I mean?
22:22And it's just, like, you just want to live in here,
22:25and it's just time-consuming, you know,
22:29and trying to keep as much as you can and pay its respects, you know?
22:34But it's hard. It takes a toll.
22:37Hey, more work, more work.
22:40So, anyway, it is what it is.
22:44It is what it is, is Buddy's motto.
22:49And what it is out the back with the new extension is a complete standstill.
22:53In part because Deanne's nervous about the look of her Positano-inspired alfresco.
23:04She's come to see designer Anthony, who's Buddy's brother,
23:07and architect friends Laura and Wally.
23:11What I'd like to sort out or get final is what the facade looks like, the back of the house,
23:17because it has kept me up all night, all multiple nights.
23:20Buddy and I have had many arguments about it.
23:23I just need someone to just kind of give me what it could look like, the finishes,
23:28and help with the interior.
23:30Deanne had been seeing this property or watching this property for years,
23:35because her parents own a property within the area.
23:37So she's been, and when it came up for sale, there was a lot of emotion.
23:40There was a lot of, uh, tied in with Deanne.
23:42That's what I would love to see, just for it to be softened a little bit.
23:46I, and I always say this, I've said this before, to give it a bit of a vibe.
23:50I don't like using that word, but to give it some kind of, some kind of feeling at the back.
23:55That's what I would like to see.
23:56It's taken on Dee's, uh, thoughts and opinion of, you know, having that arch colonnade to help
24:02tie into the Mediterranean vibe. I do love archers, yeah.
24:06The Positano, uh, colony feel. Yes, give me Mediterranean.
24:09How do you feel? So the detail on it, you've got like a shampoo.
24:13You can't blame Deanne for wanting the house to be perfect.
24:16It's been her dream home forever.
24:22But it's six months into the 10-month build before the design vibe is right,
24:29and Buddy can pour the slab for the extension.
24:35You know, at this time now we should, in my mind,
24:38I was hoping to have, be up to the first floor by now.
24:41But obviously, you know, a few elements in the building changed that we wanted to do,
24:44so we just delayed the, uh, process a bit, in that sense.
24:49It is what it is. Like, that's how I live by. Like, can't change anything at the moment,
24:55so you just have to go through it and try not to get stressed too much.
24:58But as the slab is laid out, it becomes clear just how ambitious this build is.
25:11It's really two builds with very different challenges, restoring the old place and building
25:18the new extension.
25:21Frankly, it's hard to see how Deanne's dream home won't take twice as long as they planned.
25:29There's been a lot of worrying about how to get all the work done
25:32with everything going on with Buddy's business, with the kids.
25:35I don't know. I don't know what the answer is, but I just think we need to start dedicating a lot of
25:40time here. And I think once this back slab's done and the extension's done, I feel like we'll have
25:45more control back over the house. Otherwise, we're just going to be here forever.
25:49There are some worrying tidings at Tukli on the central coast as well. Three months into the shed
26:03transformation, the already stretched finish line just got even further away.
26:11Bree got a call from his sister. His dad's been really quite unwell in hospital and
26:18he got told that things didn't look great for his dad. So he's gone back to hopefully spend some
26:26quality last moments with his dad.
26:34While Brian's away in the UK, it's also going to be tough on Danielle. She works full-time.
26:41Managing that and the kids means she desperately needs help.
26:48Aunty Carol's coming to the rescue.
26:51I'm still between Tukli and Foster, Foster and Tukli. I haven't got much space at the moment,
26:59so I'm trying to squeeze everything in.
27:05It's not ideal, but her options are limited.
27:09Being single at this stage, rents is very expensive.
27:13And you're okay for a couple of years and then they decide they want to put the rent up.
27:20And you find that being a senior, it's a bit hard and a bit hard to manage.
27:27Home to me is family and the people that you love and the people that are kind to you and look after you.
27:37They're the people that you have time for.
27:44Okay, excuse me.
27:45I'm going to do a bird.
27:47I do a lot of projects with the kids, noughts and crosses, colouring in, games.
27:52Cross it one more time, just brightly.
27:56Look out, look out.
27:58I love it. Yes, I do.
27:59And they love it too, actually.
28:05But loving the kids is one thing.
28:08Couch surfing is another thing altogether.
28:11I have to make the bed each night.
28:16And come morning, it gets packed away and it gets a bit tedious.
28:23I'm hoping soon that I can move into my own space where I can make my bed and not put anybody else out.
28:44It's no surprise Brian and Danielle are trying to make the most of the space they've got.
28:48It's really the design challenge of the moment.
28:53But I've found an amazing little place in Sydney that offers more than a few brilliant solutions.
28:59Well, I sure hope you've brought me somewhere that is inspiring for maximising space.
29:06We're in Gleeb and here space is at an absolute premium.
29:08And this is a beautiful example of how to do just that.
29:12A small footprint, a lot of usage and a great design outcome.
29:15Lead the way.
29:17Let me show you.
29:24This was a cramped dark terrace, but a transformation by architect David Boyle shows just what's possible.
29:35The old boards from the old house become this.
29:39I bet you didn't expect four metre height ceilings and that beautiful north facing window.
29:46Oh my God.
29:46Look at that.
29:47It's that amazing.
29:48The space is kind of like unfolds like this in front of you and the tree kind of grows in front of your eyes almost.
29:53All of that is north facing.
29:55So we're getting the best light all day coming into this glorious space here.
30:03Accessing light is at the heart of the design.
30:06Dappled sunshine on the neighbour's wall, the soaring bush-like view from the bay windows.
30:14The space the terrace lacks in width is made up for with height.
30:21There's room to breathe.
30:23And building in furniture around the walls creates more room to move about.
30:28And upstairs, massive light wells funnel in sunshine.
30:38The bright white palette reflecting it around the belly of the building.
30:42I want to show you the bathroom up here.
30:47Look at this.
30:48Yeah.
30:48So fresh.
30:50Yeah.
30:50Another tight little space that's been maximised by this beautiful light well.
30:55Wow.
30:56Yeah.
30:56I love this detail.
30:58The light.
30:59Look at this.
30:59Oh my God, look at this.
31:00The light well all the way down to the bathroom below.
31:02Oh, wow.
31:04Cut bricks, a nice little shelf to catch the light.
31:07I love it.
31:07Mmm, that fly.
31:08Yeah, look at this.
31:11All these smaller spaces kind of nest together.
31:13This is the main bedroom.
31:18Every nook and cranny, there's storage.
31:21Everywhere.
31:22Like Tookely, again.
31:23This is a great book storage that then turns into a sofa.
31:28You know, this door sort of pulls right through.
31:30But look at this.
31:31Shut yourself off from the world.
31:32Yeah.
31:33Ah, so clever.
31:35Yeah, even the wardrobe out here.
31:37Wow.
31:38The storage in here is great.
31:40Yeah.
31:41So the last surprise, though, is on the roof.
31:44Okay.
31:45Show me.
31:49That surprise...
31:52..is a rooftop garden.
31:56We're in a tiny terrace, but you'd swear we were in the bush,
32:01with all the space and light that it brings.
32:03Every single inch of this house has been used to its full potential.
32:09Absolutely.
32:10And this is magnificent.
32:12Yeah, they've woven all these little intricate, you know,
32:16winds in terms of storage and space out of the whole design,
32:19and they've managed to sort of weave the garden into every single level.
32:22It's a real triumph.
32:32But they're a long way from any kind of triumph in Arncliffe.
32:36In fact, it's more of a mixed bag.
32:38The good news is Buddy's business is booming.
32:43The bad news is he's too busy to work on their own house.
32:47Looks like that lintel's just rusted a little bit.
32:50I'm a very hands-on sort of builder,
32:52so I'm very heavily involved in every project,
32:55whether it be framing, structural work, being on top of it.
32:57We've got a few projects running along Sydney at the moment now,
33:02and obviously they're sort of, I shouldn't put it this way,
33:04but they're sort of prioritised at the moment
33:06in comparison to the restoration.
33:08The only reason is those jobs actually pay for the restoration.
33:11So, yeah, like, it is a bit stressful,
33:14because when they're back on mind,
33:15they're always thinking about the house,
33:17and, you know, the next stages.
33:19The kids are always like, you know,
33:20when's the house going to get done, papa?
33:22When are we going to move in?
33:22When are we going to swim in the pool?
33:24You know, so all those factors play onto it.
33:26And then on top of that, you know, we're busy
33:28with all our other jobs at the moment now,
33:29and trying to be everywhere.
33:30It's spread so thin, you know, like, it's stressful.
33:35At this rate, I'm worried Deanne will fall out of love
33:39with her second great romance, this house.
33:44Standing here with the roof open like that,
33:47Yeah.
33:48You really kind of realise, wow, not much has happened, right?
33:50No, no.
33:52I know Buddy's all kind of like, don't worry, it'll all get done.
33:54But how are you feeling?
33:55Because this was sort of your dream in a way.
33:58Yeah.
33:58You kind of grew up with this across the road.
34:00Yeah.
34:00Look, there's nothing really much I can do.
34:03There's no point in arguing and, yeah, I just,
34:07and I know how hard he works and I know he's not doing nothing.
34:09I think it would be different if he was doing nothing or going out,
34:12but I know how hard he works.
34:14So for me, it's like, I respect that when he can, he will finish it.
34:20Yeah.
34:20You must be getting frustrated though.
34:21Yeah, I do.
34:22There's a point where you're like, actually, you know, the family,
34:25we've got to get in.
34:26I do.
34:26Yeah, I do.
34:27And part of me is like, should we just move on from it or should we just draw a little bit?
34:31Have you thought about walking away?
34:33I've talked, I've raised it with him.
34:35Yeah.
34:36Um, but then whenever we come back here, we're like, no, we've just got to finish it.
34:39And also, how can we sell it in this state?
34:41Sure.
34:42Yeah, that's true.
34:42So, um, no, we're in it now to finish it.
34:52In Tookley on the New South Wales central coast,
34:55after farewelling his late father, Brian's back from the UK.
34:59Hello, Daddy.
35:00Hey, buddy.
35:01And hard at it.
35:07I do a lot of this thinking man pose.
35:11Started drawing some plans for what I want to do in the bedroom.
35:17The whole bed, everything's all built in.
35:18But, uh, intention is to make a couple of shoe drawers, so that all our shoes can just go into
35:25one spot.
35:27With Brian back on the job...
35:29What have we got?
35:32Oh, that's actually kind of cute.
35:34Danielle and the gang are scouring the local recycling yard for bargains.
35:38So cool.
35:41Induction cooktops.
35:42Really cool.
35:43Lots of cute, cool little mirrors.
35:45We've gotten some stuff for the bathroom, so all the taps and that kind of thing,
35:51like the mixers, all those things.
35:53Oh, splash backs and stuff.
35:55Today, the mission is tiles.
35:58These are like $60, $70 a square metre, possibly more.
36:04And this is like you can get a whole box for like $50 or something.
36:09The big test is getting Aunty Carol on board with the design.
36:16That kind of thing.
36:17It's the only way she'll feel really connected to the space.
36:20Yeah, see, even those two together are nice.
36:23Yeah.
36:24For me.
36:24And I'm partial to jade and green.
36:30It's a spiritual colour.
36:32What about my guitars?
36:33Is there going to be room for my babies?
36:38Yes, I've got a special plan for them.
36:40I think I had an idea.
36:44I cannot wait to have her in that space.
36:47It's something for me that I really wanted to do for her.
36:50That's just going to be out of this world for her.
36:53It's just nothing she's ever really had before.
36:56Back in Arncliffe, Buddy's so busy, it's been three months since he's even been on site.
37:10It's been standing completely idle.
37:15But at last, there's some action.
37:19The rotten floor joists have been removed and a concrete slab is going down to replace them.
37:24The salvaged boards will be laid on top.
37:29It's such a red-letter day, even the kids are here.
37:33Yeah, it's good to see them.
37:35It sort of lifts your spirits a little bit too, like, you know,
37:38because, you know, they know it's like I'm doing it for them.
37:40Like, you know, I'm not doing it for me, it's more for them, so.
37:43Take the burrow over there, spin it around, we'll six-pack and quickly load him up.
37:46Buddy's making the most of his time on site.
37:49Out the back, the walls are going up on the new extension.
37:55No, no, no, no, Lintu, it goes all the way up.
37:56Yeah.
37:57I think we're just all really eager to get in.
37:59And I just think, like, seeing progress just sort of re-energises the whole process.
38:05It feels like in the last three days, I can see the whole structure of the house.
38:10Every day I come here, the walls are higher and higher, it's amazing.
38:14I don't, it's just awesome, it's awesome watching it.
38:19But this productive little window is closing fast.
38:23Buddy's attention is constantly being dragged away to other projects.
38:27So cut it like that, we build the frame and then we'll pack the top out to plumb it,
38:31you know what I'm trying to say?
38:32Just trying to, like anything, it's like a balancing act,
38:35trying to balance my wife's expectations for here.
38:39Days go quick and you can just sort of like, oh, I'll get to it next week, get to it next week,
38:43and then before you know it, you're in June, you know, like halfway through the year.
38:47Let's do one more double check.
38:53Forget June, it's now August, four months past the 10-month deadline.
38:59And any momentum Buddy had built up is long gone.
39:03Just one brickie is left on site, with about 10,000 bricks to go.
39:17Well, he's going to be here well into the next century.
39:23And while Buddy spends his days building homes for other people,
39:26his own is grinding to a halt.
39:30Again.
39:36In better news, it's still full steam ahead with the Tookley granny flat.
39:41Bad news is, it's now six months into the build.
39:45Three months was the plan.
39:46But Brienne's been non-stop, racing from work to, well, work,
39:53desperate to get Aunty Carol into her first ever home.
39:58Pretty tired.
39:59I've obviously had to go away.
40:02And so when I came back, I set myself a pretty strict deadline,
40:07which I've been clawing away to try and meet.
40:11I can definitely see the end point.
40:13There's certainly been progress.
40:18There's now a sense of the different spaces.
40:21But working alone, everything takes longer than Brienne hoped.
40:28Quite a lot of work to create such a dainty little thing.
40:32But there are some clever ideas to make more space in the bathroom.
40:38And he's crafting a bed head to add a sense of comfort.
40:43Trying to bring in some soft edges and stuff like that to kind of make it comfortable.
40:47But also a little bit luxurious.
40:53So that's the actual bed head part.
40:57And we're going to give this some detail.
41:01So I'll be getting the router out and putting some kind of nice detail into that.
41:09But yeah, that fits in there.
41:12Yeah, it's a good size.
41:13And then all this is storage, obviously.
41:14So we're going to have drawers in through under here.
41:21Aunty Carol is counting the days.
41:23She has been for months.
41:26Having her own place close to the family will be truly life-changing.
41:32It's only a little granny flat.
41:34And it's compact.
41:36And you have to think about what you want to take with you.
41:40The most important one is my photos.
41:43Because they've got a lot of memories in history.
41:45There, that's young Danielle and myself.
41:50God, I was so young there.
41:52Can you believe it?
41:58And then the music stuff.
42:01My beautiful vinyl.
42:03We've got the Rolling Stones.
42:04Congratulations.
42:06Time is on my side.
42:08Doesn't this bring back memories?
42:11I cannot remember how many times I have packed and unpacked it,
42:15because I've moved a few times.
42:17Packed it up, unpacked it, packed it up, unpacked it.
42:20I can't really remember.
42:22Really looking forward to having all my important stuff in one place
42:28and in one abode, where I don't have to move anymore.
42:38It's now three years since Buddy and Deanne set out
42:47to build their perfect home in Arncliffe.
42:52A whimsical blend of old and new, with a dash of Positano style.
43:00The backbreaking job of dragging that into reality all fell to Buddy.
43:06Which is a problem, because he's the busiest man on the planet.
43:14Builders, designers, architects and tradies, they all know the truth.
43:18Everyone else's house comes first.
43:20Paying projects are at the top of the list and yours at the bottom.
43:24And I get it, but in this case, I fear Buddy is heading towards catastrophe.
43:29A family home languishing in construction purgatory indefinitely.
43:34Unless, of course, he's pulled off a miracle I don't know about.
43:50Ooh.
43:54Ah, no miracle.
43:57Just scaffolding, weeds, and a distinct lack of progress.
44:09I can't believe it, but here we are.
44:14Hello, hello, Deanne, Buddy.
44:16Hello.
44:17There they are.
44:19How are you?
44:20What is, what's going on?
44:23This place looks exactly the same as the last time I was here.
44:26You sound like Deanne.
44:28I'm sorry to say.
44:30Business has sort of just exploded in a way.
44:32Well, that's good news.
44:33Yeah, it's good news, but it's bad news for someone else.
44:36Bad news for me.
44:37Not such good news.
44:38The house is, it was on hold for about 10 months.
44:41Whoa.
44:41So no one was on site.
44:43Right.
44:43It is hard because, you know, the kids are always like, you know,
44:46when are we going to get to, you know, finish?
44:48I want to have people over.
44:49I want to use the pool, you know, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
44:51And I get it, you know.
44:52And it's hard to say to them, yeah, we're going to be there soon.
44:55And, you know, I think they've given up.
44:58They've given up on me as well, you know what I mean?
45:01Sorry.
45:02I've dropped the real life story.
45:04Yep.
45:04This is what happens all the time, right?
45:06All the time.
45:07So you said the thing about sitting down and talking about the house?
45:15So tell me again, why is it taking so long?
45:17It's on other people's houses.
45:20In fairness, there has been progress on the new part of the house,
45:32its scale and shape emerging.
45:35This is where, one day, the whole extended family
45:39will come and enjoy the fruits of Buddy's labour,
45:42splash around in the pool,
45:44sip a drink in the cool shade of the pergola.
45:47One day.
45:51All right, I've got to have a look at the new section out the back here.
45:54Yeah.
45:55Yeah, this is where the dream's coming true, right?
45:56This is where the living's going to be happening.
46:00Look at all of this.
46:00Yeah.
46:01It's pretty big.
46:02This is great.
46:03Yeah.
46:03Yeah?
46:04It is good.
46:04This was, I'm sort of thinking this is your space.
46:07This was my space.
46:08Yeah?
46:08Because we had, we armed and armed about what this should look like.
46:12Yeah.
46:12And I think it's come together.
46:14Okay.
46:15We wanted it to be, you know, reflect how we live.
46:17We wanted it to have a connection to outside.
46:19I wanted it a little bit of a European vibe.
46:22Yep.
46:22Hence the arches.
46:24And I'm thinking, you know, garden.
46:26So yeah, I think it has turned out how we, how we thought.
46:29Well, I don't know, let's see how we go.
46:30But it's getting there.
46:32Yeah.
46:32I said to Buddy this morning,
46:34what will we do when this house is finished?
46:35Yeah.
46:36It's like, I like it how it's going.
46:37What will they do?
46:44I'm guessing they'll take a well-earned rest.
46:47And when it's done, this will be just the place to do it.
46:53This is actually quite nice sitting here, isn't it?
46:55It is.
46:56I'm imagining the green vines above our heads.
46:59These arches all sort of finished and a nice render on it.
47:02Slabs done down here with some beautiful stone paving.
47:05Garden's finished.
47:07That's, that's my picture of your house.
47:09Yes, that's it.
47:10Are you seeing?
47:10We can see the vision.
47:11We've just got to put it together.
47:13You've got to do the damn work.
47:14Yeah.
47:15How many houses you finished this year while you've been doing this one?
47:17Four.
47:18Four houses, okay.
47:19Yeah.
47:20So you've definitely not been slouching.
47:22No one can accuse you of laziness or anything like that.
47:25No, no, no.
47:25Yeah.
47:26Just pretty, pretty naive in the sense that, you know, like, you know,
47:28I can do this, I can do that, we can do this, we can do that sort of thing.
47:31And then it just sort of blows out.
47:32Um, let's talk about when then you're actually going to finally get in here.
47:39Um, can you give me like a completion date?
47:43In my mind, like, I really want to be in before Deanne's birthday.
47:47Oh really?
47:48Yes.
47:48That's good.
47:48Sorry, when is that?
47:49That's September.
47:50September next year.
47:51Yeah.
47:52Okay, so we're 10 months.
47:5310 months out.
47:54From now.
47:55So that would make the whole project from start to finish how long?
47:58Oh, I think from the moment you started, is that like maybe four years?
48:03Four years?
48:04Time out of that, yeah.
48:05That's a long time.
48:06It is.
48:07To be hopeful.
48:09Yeah.
48:09Yeah.
48:10Yeah.
48:11So I remember you talking about a budget of around $600,000 when we first spoke.
48:16Yep.
48:18What do you think you'll finish it for?
48:19Um, I think we'll be finished, uh, probably like early eights.
48:24Early $800,000.
48:26Yeah.
48:27For this?
48:27Yeah, but that's.
48:28There's a lot of house for $800,000.
48:31Yeah, I know, I know.
48:32That's a, that's a pretty low number.
48:33That's amazing.
48:34Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
48:34How confident are you about that?
48:36Oh, I'm confident because I've done most of the work myself, so.
48:39Yeah, you know the building better than anyone.
48:40Yeah, so.
48:41I can't wait to see this place just full of people, full of laughs and smiles and all of
48:45that stuff that you're imagining in here, because I can imagine it too.
48:49I am going to come back though, and I'm going to visit when you're finished.
48:52Great.
48:53Can't wait.
48:53So that's my promise to you.
48:54Can't wait.
48:54Okay.
48:56I'll be here for the party.
48:57I'll be here for the party.
48:57Excellent.
48:58Yeah.
49:08Seems to me Deanne's been waiting for this dream home ever since she was a little girl.
49:14So maybe another 10 months is not so long.
49:18If it is, only 10 months.
49:22Pressure's on, buddy.
49:40Meanwhile in Tookley,
49:41it's more than a year since Brian and Danielle started converting their backyard into a home
49:50for their much loved Aunty Carol.
49:56But with virtually no budget and no help, this well-intentioned mission was always at risk of
50:03falling short and creating little more for Carol than a cramped shack.
50:08She deserves so much more.
50:17Oh, Kaz is going to be beside herself.
50:22It's so cute.
50:23Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes?
50:30Look at me again.
50:31It's lovely to see.
50:32Lovely to see you too.
50:33Oh, fantastic.
50:34Kaz, I'm giving you a hug outside your own home.
50:39Welcome to the mini Taj Mahal.
50:42Oh my God.
50:43Why, thank you.
50:43Bree, look at this.
50:45Yeah.
50:45Danny, look what you guys have created.
50:47Yeah, we got there.
50:48Incredible.
50:49You've got to show me what's inside the Taj.
50:51Come.
50:51Let's get in there.
50:53Oh, it's finally finished.
50:56Look at our door.
50:57Wow.
50:59Wow.
50:59What?
51:00Finished product.
51:01Kaz, it really is the finished product.
51:04This is the finished product.
51:06I can't believe it, Yaz.
51:11This really, truly is magnificent.
51:13You've got a home.
51:15The granny flat feels twice the size of when I first saw it.
51:22For a start, there's no clutter thanks to plenty of clever storage.
51:28Everything has its place and everything is in proportion.
51:34But it's more than just functional.
51:36There's craftsmanship and elegance I didn't expect.
51:39The patterned ceiling.
51:46The shell motif.
51:49And everywhere, Aunty Carol's things making the house hers.
51:57I am astounded at how spacious this feels.
52:01You've got a living room, a kitchen, a study, a bedroom and an ensuite.
52:08Like, how did you fit it all in?
52:09And have it look like it's not on top of one another.
52:12Exactly.
52:13It's amazing.
52:15Brienne, I've got to commend you on the joinery,
52:17because the storage solutions for a really small space works so well.
52:23Yeah, me and Danny put our brains together and we managed to squeeze it in.
52:29You didn't have to go that far.
52:30You didn't have to do a beautiful coffered little ceiling.
52:33You didn't have to have the different panelling from here
52:37onto the bedroom.
52:38I know.
52:38You didn't have to curve that detail on the corner there
52:41just to make it a little bit softer.
52:43Everything's got intention and that is so lovely to see.
52:47I think mostly for me it was just being able to translate
52:51the little things that she loves into a space that was just going to be beautiful for her.
52:58It was going to be modern but it was also going to be all the touches of the things
53:01that she really loves and know that it, you know, is going to be here tomorrow for 10 years to help.
53:08Yes, that's right.
53:09As long as she needs it.
53:10Yeah.
53:10And it's just perfect.
53:12It's actually too nice, really.
53:16Oh.
53:16Oh.
53:18Oh, Kaz.
53:20To the flower bedini.
53:29I am so thrilled for Aunty Carol.
53:35If nothing else, it must be such a relief.
53:41Carol, it's a big deal getting your own place, right?
53:45Having a permanent home that you can call your own, how does that make you feel?
53:50It feels absolutely fantastic, yes?
53:53Yeah.
53:53And I never thought it would come to that point, fruition, but apparently it has and I'm over the moon.
54:00Have you found it more difficult or have you loved the independence?
54:04Oh, I love the independence.
54:06That was great.
54:08Did you stick to the 10K?
54:11No, we were a little bit over budget.
54:17About 14 and a half.
54:19Okay, that's nuts.
54:20That's nuts still.
54:2214 and a half.
54:23Yeah, it's relevant to the scale and relevant to the fact that we've done every single last scrap of
54:28the work ourselves.
54:29If you'd have got someone else to do it, I don't think it would have been as good.
54:33Oh, absolutely not.
54:34To be honest, it would not have, because they would not have put the thought or the effort,
54:39the heart and soul very good.
54:41Yeah, heart and soul into it.
54:43Originally, you guys had 12 weeks for this.
54:47How long did it end up taking?
54:48Yeah, you know, we've ended up 12 months, but if you were to actually take all of those hours
54:54and condense it, you're probably sitting up close to that three-month time frame.
54:59So yeah, it was three months of solid work, but stretched out over 12 months of actual work.
55:07Well, Dani, it was never about money though, about how much it was going to cost or how long
55:12it was going to take.
55:13It was really about providing her with a beautiful new permanent home.
55:18Mm-hmm.
55:18And you guys did that.
55:20Yeah.
55:21How do you, how does that make you feel?
55:23Amazing.
55:26Yeah.
55:27I always said I wanted to give her home and I've done it.
55:30You have given Kaz purpose and she feels like a wanted part of the family.
55:35Yes.
55:36And good on you guys for doing that.
55:39Congrats, congrats, congrats.
55:40Kaz, come on.
55:44Thank you, yes.
55:52Home to me is about family, friends, community.
55:56For others, it's about security, a safety net.
56:00So what Brianne and Danielle have given Kaz is truly, truly special.
56:06A sanctuary surrounded by those who care for her the most, providing stability, certainty
56:13and peace of mind.
56:19In other countries in the world, many people don't talk about it.
56:30Yeah.
56:32Where are you in my life?
56:34Where are you in my life?
56:37Yeah.
56:37I'm so sorry.
56:38I'm so sorry.
56:40I'm so sorry.
56:41Yeah.
56:42I'm so sorry.
56:43It's about this.
56:44I have a lack of memory.
56:45My heart is incredible.
56:46I'm so sorry.
56:47I'm so sorry.
56:47I'm so sorry.
56:48I'm so sorry.
56:48I'm so sorry.
56:49I'm so sorry.
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