- 5 hours ago
Grand Designs NZ S10E04 Bendigo
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00:02We humans are social animals.
00:05Most of us, at least, want to belong.
00:08Now, sometimes that's characterized as belonging to a tribe,
00:13a group of people with common interests and shared beliefs.
00:18Often, the tribe is made up of people related to each other,
00:21but that's not always the case.
00:23There's always a strong sense of family.
00:27I'm talking about this because, as an architect,
00:30I've noticed a growing interest in multi-generational living.
00:34Now, there are many good reasons why you might want to do that.
00:39But the question remains,
00:41no matter what your love and connection for your extended family,
00:46why would you want to live with them?
01:11It's easy to appreciate the appeal of central Otago,
01:15breathtaking natural beauty, invigorating outdoor adventure,
01:19and a rich history of opportunity and aspiration.
01:26So, the Pinot Noir looking good for us here?
01:28It's definitely looking good.
01:32At Moco Hills Vineyard in Bendigo,
01:35the same promise is embedded in the new growing season
01:38for Andrés van de Westhazen and his son Donald.
01:41Luckily, we've had low wind this spring, which is always good.
01:46Andrés and his wife Izette bought 40 hectares here in 2017
01:50with the dream of establishing a vineyard.
01:53It wasn't easy.
01:56There was no fences, run out over by rabbits, overgrazed by sheep.
02:02We took out 7,000 tons of rock.
02:05The rest is history.
02:09The van de Westhazen family emigrated from South Africa
02:13in the late 1990s and settled in Auckland.
02:16Andrés worked as a project manager,
02:18while young Donald was passionate about marine biology.
02:23His dad, though, had other ideas.
02:25He said, why don't you study viticulture?
02:27I said, mate, you are dreaming.
02:30Why would I study viticulture?
02:32We're never going to have a vineyard.
02:34Fast forward a few years.
02:36Now Donald and his partner live in a house on the estate
02:38where he is, indeed, the winemaker.
02:42It's not easy.
02:44By no means easy.
02:45But it's extremely rewarding.
02:50Donald's sister DeLint and her husband Sam
02:52live with Andrés and Izette in Auckland
02:54but have now also relocated down south.
02:59It will be good to have the kids grow up here one day.
03:02Yeah.
03:03Get them dirt bikes.
03:05Can I get a dirt bike too?
03:06Yeah.
03:07We all knew eventually we will all move down here.
03:11So Donald was the first one to move
03:13and then we slowly all started migrating down.
03:16DeLint is on maternity leave from her teaching job
03:18and Sam is a supply chain manager.
03:21He's also a very welcome visitor to the vineyard.
03:26I'm more the muscle.
03:27If there's manual labour to be done, I'm that guy.
03:34And now there are plans to build a new house here
03:36so that the rest of the family can live amongst the vines too.
03:41It's important for me, the family, to stay together.
03:46For us to live here in the same vicinity,
03:49I think it is any grandparent's dream
03:53to see the grandchildren growing up.
04:00But hang on, there's someone missing.
04:03Someone whose absence is felt very much indeed.
04:08Morning, morning.
04:10Family matriarch Izette has lived with Parkinson's disease
04:13for the past 14 years.
04:14It was being well managed.
04:17But seven months ago, an E. coli bacterial infection
04:20put her in Dunedin hospital, dangerously ill.
04:23I'll go through your list again.
04:25Take it off.
04:26Izette is now in a rehabilitation unit
04:29and Andres shuttles between the family home at Warrington,
04:33just north of Dunedin, the hospital in the city
04:36and the vineyard at Bendigo, another three hours drive away.
04:41If it wasn't for Andres coming every day,
04:43I think I would have sat in a corner and cried every day.
04:47Because he's the highlight of the day,
04:49to hear his footsteps coming down the corridor.
04:51I know exactly his footsteps.
04:53But while Izette's desperate to leave hospital
04:56and be back with her loved ones,
04:58she needs a house set up with her welfare
05:00and independence first and foremost.
05:06That's going to be my safe haven.
05:08That is going to be the place where I'm with my family,
05:11the people that are closest to my heart,
05:14that means everything in my life.
05:15You know, have a life with them that's still worthwhile
05:18and, you know, can still contribute and spend time with them.
05:29This is the heart of gold country.
05:33150 years ago, you wouldn't have seen vines here.
05:36Instead, this would have been the centre of prospecting,
05:40people labouring and dreaming.
05:43And I suspect we're going to see a bit more of that here soon.
05:49With no time to waste getting Izette home,
05:51the build is already well underway
05:54for what will be a multi-generational house.
05:59You're all going to be living here together?
06:01Yep.
06:02We're the lucky ones to be able to come in and move in with the oldies.
06:06Yes.
06:07So how does this work as a team?
06:09Do you all sit together and decide, or is there a leader?
06:13There's a leader.
06:15Yeah?
06:15The leader's not here.
06:16Oh.
06:18So this is Izette.
06:19Yeah.
06:20She has the final say in all of the bits and bobs.
06:23We come up with the ideas and then she will agree to it.
06:26I'm just meeting with the minions today.
06:28Yeah, just the minions.
06:28Right, yeah.
06:29We'll pick up with Izette, I'm sure.
06:31On this rocky, windswept site,
06:34the house is designed for two families living separately
06:37and together around a large central courtyard.
06:41Enter across wide wooden decking,
06:44straight ahead to the courtyard,
06:46right into the main house,
06:47or left into Salmond de Lint's pod.
06:49Here, three bedrooms and a family bathroom
06:52surround a kitchen bench and lounge.
06:55Next door, a broad walkway leads down to the courtyard,
06:58whilst the adjoining pod contains a wine cellar, storage,
07:03and a self-contained guest bedroom, en suite and deck.
07:07The southern side of the house is Andrés and Izette's
07:10master bedroom, dressing room and en suite,
07:13kitted out to cater for all of Izette's needs.
07:17A private deck links to the living pod,
07:21featuring a generously sized lounge, kitchen with scullery
07:24that Salmond de Lint will also use.
07:26A dining room with family sized round table,
07:29small office and a powder room.
07:32The largely open plan courtyard is sheltered within the house
07:35with long wide eaves and a feature specimen tree,
07:39providing shade and extra protection from the elements.
07:43Arranged around the front of the house,
07:45three different patios, all with easy wheelchair access,
07:49means there's always a protected option wherever the wind is blowing from.
07:53Black steel cladding helps the low-slung, flat roof house blend into the landscape,
07:59while extensive glazing takes in the expansive views
08:03and completes a multi-generational home of strength and purpose.
08:11I love this team effort, building a house together.
08:15But I wonder, Sam, what's it like being the in-law, you know,
08:19coming into this family and being part of it?
08:23Oh, I didn't win a lotto ticket there, did I?
08:27We have a close relationship, so we want to keep that tight family unit.
08:32So it's clear it's been tried and tested then?
08:34Trial, tested, and yeah, we can do it.
08:37This is the way it should be, maybe?
08:39Uh, we think so.
08:41Yeah, and so you're heading towards something.
08:43How long will it take to get a finished house and be in that dream?
08:47It will take about a year to bolt.
08:49Yeah, it's more just timing, trying to make sure it's really in time for mum
08:53when she gets out of rehab, that it's really for her,
08:58that she's not sitting in limbo, not waiting where we are, where is she going to go?
09:02Yeah, so that's the concern.
09:04Yeah.
09:05And budget?
09:06Uh, as low as possible.
09:08Always.
09:09It's 2.1 million for the whole bolt, uh, architect, uh, cost, utilities.
09:15Yeah, okay.
09:16Yeah, 330 square metres.
09:18It's okay for a bespoke architectural house.
09:22Yep.
09:22But it's still a chunk of money.
09:24When we sell the property in Warrington,
09:27that will also go against that house budget.
09:30And the rest will be a small mortgage that they need to serve.
09:35So you guys will take a mortgage for the rest of it?
09:37A small one, I hope.
09:39Yeah.
09:39Right.
09:40You said small, right?
09:41That's it.
09:42You must be really looking forward to it.
09:43Yes.
09:44You can't wait.
09:46Yeah?
09:46Fingers crossed that there won't be any delays.
09:55Forget about creating a sexy piece of architecture in a stunning location.
10:01Construction woes, budget worries.
10:03Okay, so those might be factors, but what's important here is that this building is going
10:11to be a home for an extended multi-generational family to live together in harmony in one place.
10:17And what's more, it's got to suit Izette's needs.
10:20It's got to allow her to live freely.
10:23And that is what this house has to deliver on.
10:39During autumn, the priority on the build is getting the framing and roof trusses up,
10:44before the bracingly cold central Otago winter arrives.
10:51Lead builder Ben and his team fully back the family's goal of moving in with Izette by Christmas.
10:57This Christmas, a few short months away, a massive challenge, especially here.
11:04It's one of those places that we get extreme heat and then extreme cold.
11:08So, yeah, we want to sort of beat the elements and get tighter and nice,
11:12and so we've got some nice warm winter work.
11:17Although momentum must be maintained to have any chance of finishing by Christmas,
11:22this is a big house with lots of detail needing close attention.
11:28Was that the shoe rack?
11:29There's your seat in that.
11:31I hope that one's a seat.
11:32Yeah, that one's a seat.
11:33Architectural designer Adam Schell is keenly aware of his responsibility
11:38to design a house appropriate to this amazing site.
11:42I kind of wanted it just to nestle itself into the landscape because it is all about the surroundings.
11:47It's kind of less about the house in a way, and more about how the occupants connect to this.
11:55Adam's also had to consider additions and modifications for Izette as someone living with Parkinson's.
12:01This low window in the master bedroom, for instance, is designed so that the view can be seen from the
12:06bed or a wheelchair.
12:10That's pretty lucky, eh?
12:12That's perfect.
12:13So, yeah, I'm stoked with that, eh? That's awesome.
12:16Your client is always at the centre of your projects, and so the fact that it's going to be long
12:21-term for them,
12:21it's not going to be something that's going to be sold in a year, you know, they're going to be
12:25in this house for decades,
12:26and it's, you know, it's pretty special for sure.
12:29That overlap, so will it be flushed?
12:33Andries is so often on the road, travelling between the family home in Warrington,
12:38visiting Izette in Dunedin Hospital and the building site in Bendigo.
12:42He's determined progress here is never held up waiting for decisions from him.
12:48Rather than have one drawer going out, it needs to be two separate drawers.
12:54But while he's heavily involved in the build, his focus is on Izette,
13:00who the hospital now says has recovered enough to be discharged.
13:04She can't go to the family home in Warrington, though.
13:07It's not wheelchair-friendly and simply not safe.
13:10For Andries, it's an increasingly stressful and emotional situation.
13:16We're trying to get her accommodation.
13:23It's close by, but she can be a bit more part of us.
13:29It's tough on her.
13:32She would love for me to be there every day,
13:36but she understands that I've got things to do here.
13:40We've been married for, what, 41 years?
13:44And you get used to somebody next to you.
14:03On site in Bendigo in central Otago,
14:07the big push is on to get the van de Vesthaisen family build watertight
14:11and locked off with the official start of winter only days away.
14:17The roof is on and everything's nearly ready for the glaziers to install the windows.
14:22Andries, however, has his mind on a feature of the house
14:25he has challenged designer Adam to get exactly right.
14:29When I spoke to Adam to look at the site, I said to him,
14:34I want a place in the middle that you can use year-round,
14:39irrespective of the weather or the wind.
14:43And I think from there that the courtyard just evolved.
14:47Everything revolves around the courtyard.
14:49It's easy for Isette to get to and use.
14:53It's a space for family and friends to enjoy
14:55and it brings natural light and ventilation deep into the house.
14:59Literally and socially, the courtyard is the centre.
15:10A few weeks later, progress in Warrington.
15:13Andries is packing up the old family home.
15:20We've sold, so it's another chapter that we close.
15:25He's also found a rental for Isette and himself about 30 minutes drive from Bendigo.
15:31It's not completely set up for Isette's needs,
15:33but it will do for now and allow her to finally leave the rehab unit at Dunedin Hospital.
15:40A bit of a relief.
15:42If a house didn't sell and the rental, we still need to pay for a rental,
15:48so it's two houses that we need to maintain.
15:54But now, things start to fall in place.
16:02DeLint and Sam and their two young children are still in their rental in nearby Cromwell,
16:07and the cramped conditions are wearing pretty thin.
16:11OK, you need to eat, because you don't have a lot of time left here.
16:16Five-year-old Taysa's happy wherever her arts and crafts are.
16:20But her mum has more practical considerations.
16:23Her room is extremely cold and space.
16:26As you can see, when she gets creative,
16:28it's feathers and buttons and crayons and everything everywhere.
16:37Baby Brendon is bright as a button,
16:40which is surprising, since he's had very little sleep.
16:44Something that thrilled his parents sharing the same bedroom.
16:47I've been up all night.
16:49Or that one.
16:52Frankly, for this family too,
16:54moving into the new house in Bendigo
16:56will be the Christmas present they really need.
17:04Isette is now out of hospital and with Andris in their new rental.
17:08It's also a new space for her and Taysa to paint together.
17:12Use a bit more water, Taysa.
17:16Isette's determined that despite her Parkinson's condition,
17:19nothing will get in the way of these special times.
17:23Let the paint do the work.
17:26However, she has had to change from her beloved pastel painting
17:30to another medium altogether.
17:32First day at rehab, I said to them,
17:35I want to try pastels.
17:36And I cried.
17:37Because I draw a picture like a two-year-old.
17:40My fingers couldn't cope with it.
17:42So I just thought about myself,
17:43stop this.
17:44You need to find a way.
17:46And then I thought about watercolour
17:48because it's very sort of forgiving.
17:50You know, it's fluid.
17:52And if you make a mess, you can cover the mess.
17:55And it was very good for me.
17:57It made me realise that there's much more I can do
18:00that I haven't thought about even yet.
18:05Isette's family has always looked to her
18:08to make the decisions and get things done.
18:10She is the leader.
18:13They rely on me, especially the colours.
18:16You know, I'm the colour person.
18:18I feel I own something.
18:20It's not that they just...
18:22Because like Andy said to me the other day,
18:24everything was sorted until I came out of rehab.
18:26And I changed everything.
18:27And I changed it a few times.
18:29And I might still change it.
18:32One thing I suspect won't change, though,
18:35is Isette and Taysa's determination
18:37to have their own art studio in the new house.
18:42I think we can spend many hours
18:45doing what we're doing now.
18:47You know, you think so, Taysa?
18:48The time you have no one in there.
18:50No, just hours.
18:52Yeah, just you and me.
18:54It's a dream come true.
18:56Honestly, it's a dream come true.
19:05By June, the pace of progress on site
19:08continues to exceed expectations,
19:11despite the freezing cold.
19:13It's good for us to keep warm.
19:15I smoke a good time,
19:15sitting next door and that sort of thing.
19:17But, yeah,
19:17don't want the boys sitting there for too long.
19:22The glaziers are installing the windows
19:24so the house can be closed off
19:26and work can focus on the interior.
19:29Something everyone's looking forward to.
19:34This is the time when we all come in
19:35and we're punching details here.
19:37What colour scheme here?
19:38What are we going to put in this area here, this here?
19:41I'm not part of that discussion
19:43because I don't have the imagination
19:45and I just pull myself out of it.
19:47It's easier for me to just say,
19:50mm-hmm, yes for me.
19:56Ben and the building team have done an incredible job
19:58getting a complicated home to this stage so quickly.
20:04I can't believe I'm actually walking on a slab
20:06with throwing me around, windows in.
20:08Yeah.
20:08How have you done it?
20:10Honestly, we've just had a really good team on deck
20:14from my guys as well as the sub-trades and that sort of thing.
20:17The other thing I noticed is that all of your stud work,
20:20all your nogs and everything, these are LVL.
20:23Yeah, yeah, yeah.
20:24This is expensive stuff.
20:25This is laminated vened lumber.
20:28Yeah, yeah, yeah.
20:29Instead of just...
20:30Well, I mean, the other materials are like pine and Oregon
20:33and that sort of thing.
20:34They just move too much down in central.
20:36Like we have days where it can get up to 30 degrees
20:38and the next day it might be 10 degrees.
20:40So what this does essentially,
20:42it saves us time on site from having us straight on all the walls.
20:45Yeah, Ben, I just noticed I can wobble this wall.
20:47Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
20:48Don't lean on that one.
20:49Okay, that's to be fixed.
20:53Now Andres has sold the Warrington house
20:55and Izet has left hospital.
20:57I'm really hoping he can take a breath
20:59and take in what's happening here.
21:03Does it feel how you imagined it?
21:06I think the courtyard is, I would say, even better.
21:10Yeah.
21:12It's quite satisfying, isn't it?
21:13Being able to see all of the house wrap around you.
21:16And it feels really protective.
21:17I guess that's the point, isn't it?
21:19Yes.
21:19With the little views you get, now framed,
21:23are lovely, really lovely.
21:26Before the bacterial infection dramatically worsened
21:29with the Lisette Parkinson's condition,
21:30the house didn't have so many modifications and additions.
21:34Now, though, everything has to be usable, reachable,
21:38wheelchair-friendly and safe.
21:42There will be a long rail there,
21:45and then there will be a bench on the side,
21:49but you can open it.
21:51So you can sit on the bench and shower,
21:52have a seated shower, yeah.
22:00At the stage of a build where most people would be absorbed
22:03by interior design and quality finishing,
22:05the focus here is firmly on Lisette
22:09and her continued well-being.
22:10I'm genuinely astounded at the progress of this project.
22:15What's happening here is that the project has huge meaning,
22:19and the meaning is about getting Lisette back with her family.
22:23That's what it's all about.
22:25And so the builders are going above and beyond to get there.
22:29And to see that is genuinely moving.
22:49July, an all-go inside the Bendigo build,
22:52with electrical, plumbing and heating installations fully underway,
22:55the builders remain laser-focused
22:58on getting the families in by Christmas.
23:03At this stage, we're hoping to have Jib go on next month.
23:06So, yeah, we're all working towards that target,
23:08and that means that we've got a good back end
23:10to a bit of grace to get things done before Christmas.
23:13With the build racing ahead,
23:15Sam can start to visualise what his family's part of the house
23:19will be like.
23:20The first bedroom here, this is allocated for my daughter, Teisa.
23:28Bedroom will be whatever she decides.
23:30Closet will be whatever she decides.
23:33And this area here is going to be a little desk area
23:37where she can do her work.
23:40She says art, drawing, painting, whatever.
23:43But yeah, that's what this area is dedicated for,
23:46and she's lucky she gets a big window.
23:48I don't know how she got that, but...
23:51The house is steadily taking shape,
23:54so I'm wondering what life will be like
23:56in this multi-generational home.
23:58Which begs the question,
24:00what actually makes a successful multi-generational design?
24:08Well, just outside Christchurch,
24:10I've come to visit a house that might provide a few clues.
24:15I'm about to show you a house unlike any you've seen before.
24:19A real architectural treat,
24:21but also a unique spin on multi-generational living.
24:25I mean, is that a house, or is that a spaceship?
24:30This 80-metre-long house is divided into two halves,
24:33with Bridie and Hamish McKinnon
24:35and their three sons at one end,
24:37and Bridie's parents at the other.
24:42I love this window.
24:44It links all the way along.
24:45The kids' desks there.
24:47Yeah, and big long hallway,
24:49and everything comes off that.
24:51And every space, even though we're on this continuation,
24:54every space feels different as you move along.
24:57Yeah, yeah.
24:57Three bedrooms, two kids' bedrooms,
24:59and then there's us at the end.
25:01And this is you at the end.
25:02You've got your own cabin.
25:04It's been quite a meander, actually, through your house,
25:06and this is only half of the hall.
25:08That's right.
25:11Down the other end, I find the older generation,
25:14Rob and Christine.
25:16Tom, nice to meet you.
25:17Tom, hi Tom.
25:18So this is a bit shorter, this side,
25:20so you don't have the kids' room.
25:21Slightly, we don't have the kids' room,
25:22one less bedroom.
25:23We do get the pitter-patter little feet some mornings,
25:27and then we knock on the door.
25:29Yeah.
25:29Isn't that nice, all those extra experiences
25:31that you wouldn't get when you even live a few doors up the road?
25:35Yes.
25:36And then you can give them back quickly as well.
25:37Yeah, yeah, that's right.
25:39We can lock and leave, which we do a bit,
25:42so there's no downside for us.
25:46Perhaps the secret to success here
25:48is this house is designed to let the three generations
25:52connect easily while still giving everyone the space
25:55to retreat when they want privacy.
25:58We can go weeks without seeing each other,
26:01and then sometimes we'll see each other every day.
26:04It's a deliberate choice, isn't it?
26:06I love having them around,
26:07and, you know, we get along really well,
26:09and it's great to have them nearby.
26:14Multi-generational living, of course,
26:15has never completely gone away.
26:18However, longer life expectancy,
26:19the cost of housing,
26:20and the increasing cost of living
26:22may all be factors in bringing it back.
26:25I think for people who are incredulous about it,
26:29it probably wouldn't work for them.
26:31But for us, we see lots of benefit for our kids
26:34and for us living so close to family,
26:37and it's a deliberate thing that we've chosen to do here.
26:40Yeah.
26:40Yeah.
26:42The key here is thoughtful design.
26:44The owners knew what they wanted and what would work,
26:47and this stunning purpose-built house delivered.
26:52The question is,
26:54will a courtyard house be as successful?
27:03With the big move to the new house on schedule,
27:06Andres and Izette are getting on with their life
27:08in their rental just outside the town of Clyde.
27:13Hello.
27:14Hi, Izette.
27:15Hi, Tom.
27:16How are you?
27:16Good, and you?
27:18With so much upheaval and stress in the last year,
27:22I'm hoping life has settled down.
27:24Being here now, I'm closer to the family,
27:26and I see the new house getting built
27:28and getting to a stage that I can move in,
27:30hopefully before Christmas.
27:32So, yeah, this is awesome.
27:34Going to my happy place.
27:35Yeah.
27:36So, in fact, everybody should be living like this,
27:38extended family together.
27:40Otherwise, you miss out on so many things.
27:42I mean, it will have its challenges
27:44because I sometimes see the old bull and the young bull,
27:47you know.
27:47There you go.
27:48Yep.
27:49Sort of coming together with the, bumping their heads.
27:51But I think we all, you know,
27:54recognise that,
27:55and we all need to realise to give each other
27:57a bit of, you know, slack.
28:00Dylanta, you are now making decisions together
28:02about the interior of the house and so on.
28:05So, how's that going?
28:06It's actually going pretty well.
28:08Me and Dylant are more like friends
28:09than mother and daughter.
28:10I think she's my best mate.
28:12And we've got a very, very good relationship.
28:15I mean, remember, I was the project manager.
28:18And I manage huge projects
28:20and I had lots of people responsible for.
28:22And now here I am.
28:24I have to ask for help and say, you know,
28:27please help me.
28:28Can you tie my shoelaces for me?
28:31Parkinson's is not the end of the world.
28:33You know, there is something that you can still enjoy.
28:36It's harder.
28:38You're never going to get better.
28:39You just need to learn to manage it better.
28:42It feels like your motivation has kind of trickled out
28:45and percolated amongst your family and the whole team.
28:48You've inspired them.
28:49And that's why I had to get better is for these guys.
28:53I had to get better because I couldn't just fall apart
28:57because, you know, they're too important to me.
29:02This, however, is clearly the calm before the storm.
29:05The fast approaching whirlwind of finishing the new home
29:09and making sure Izet is safe and well in her happy place.
29:24August on site in Bendigo.
29:27Only four months till Christmas,
29:28when, hopefully, the house will be finished
29:31and the families can move in.
29:35It's a big day for Izet.
29:41She's making a rare visit to site with her new support person, Liti,
29:45and can see the tireless work so many people have put in so far
29:49getting the house ready for her.
29:52We've widened this whole door so it's easy to come in.
29:56But she's also here on business,
29:59inspecting the custom-designed features to accommodate her needs
30:02and to sign off her interior colour choices.
30:08You wanted these walls painted like that.
30:10Yeah.
30:11It's a beautiful colour but it's too dark.
30:13Yep.
30:14I mean, people won't see this, it's just us,
30:15but so we need to be happy with it.
30:17Yep.
30:17Yep.
30:18It seems Andris has thought of everything,
30:21even Izet and Teysa's new art studio.
30:26Okay.
30:26The plan is to take it out there against the rocks.
30:30Okay.
30:31But it doesn't block the view, but it's easy, accessible for you.
30:35But don't go out there now.
30:37It might be wobbly.
30:39I might never come back.
30:40Yeah.
30:42Proud.
30:43Feel proud.
30:44This showed me that, you know,
30:46hanging in there, the dream comes true.
30:48I'm in my happy place.
30:56Rolling into November and Christmas in the new house
30:59is now looking highly likely.
31:04Lead builder Ben and his team have moved heaven and earth
31:07and the move-in date has actually been brought forward.
31:13We had a date of just around Christmas.
31:15We've pulled that forward, given a bit of time to prep for Christmas.
31:18So we agree that the seventh was probably achievable for that.
31:23Hardly the time then, you'd think, for last-minute design changes.
31:28However...
31:29We've got a core 10 steel pit that's going to go in.
31:32It's going to be a circular in the deck,
31:34so that's going to be Izet's tree.
31:37I don't know what tree it is going to be yet,
31:38but, yeah, it's going to look really, really cool in the middle of the deck.
31:42But it's not just the builders feeling the pressure.
31:45Sam and DeLint are having some issues in their wing of the house.
31:48That's small.
31:50I told you, that couch is massive. I think it's too big.
31:53I think you got the measurements wrong.
31:55Aye.
31:56Here.
31:57There's no such couch that big.
31:59There is.
32:00We have to be out of our rental very, very soon,
32:04even before this house is done,
32:05so the pressure's really on to get it done,
32:08because otherwise we're going to be homeless and nowhere to go.
32:11I want to have to go look at the shop and see if it's actually 3.150 that way and
32:16that way.
32:17And if it is, then it's a no.
32:19Then it's a no.
32:20OK.
32:26The earlier move-in date had me scrambling to get down for my last progress visit
32:31and to catch up with Donald,
32:33the family member who's been quietly living here for some time already.
32:38Things are changing.
32:39Yeah.
32:40You were kind of in a peaceful idyll on your own with the land
32:45and now you're being invaded by all of the family.
32:48Yeah.
32:49How does it feel?
32:50Interesting.
32:51I'm seeing them definitely more and more often now,
32:53which is not a bad thing.
32:55It's good.
32:56They're all going to live together in this wraparound house.
33:00Luckily it's not me.
33:01Yeah.
33:01And you're, you know, a little bit away.
33:03Yeah.
33:03The outlier.
33:04Yeah.
33:05And as I keep saying is luckily there's at least two lock gates between us
33:09and so there's a little bit more of a buffer as well.
33:12Does this mean that Sam and DeLint, they'll be working as hard as you do?
33:17Hopefully.
33:17Hopefully.
33:18Sam definitely helps a lot.
33:19He's the muscle.
33:21Usually I don't even have to lift it myself.
33:22He just picks it up.
33:23Get out of the way, Donald.
33:24Come on.
33:25Exactly.
33:25You're going to hurt yourself, Donald.
33:27The project, yes, really good for your mum to have a focus.
33:30It's also a thing that brings a family back together.
33:33Yeah.
33:33Yeah.
33:34Well, it requires, I think, collaboration within the family.
33:38Like otherwise you'd never get anywhere with a project,
33:41either the house or the vineyard or any in terms of family projects.
33:46So it requires collaboration and it just basically gets us closer really.
33:56I'm sure the builders and Andres have a detailed plan for the final push in the next few weeks.
34:01But I tell you what, I can smell the Christmas roast already.
34:07Well, this is the family table room where we're standing.
34:10Yes.
34:11So are you already imagining that Christmas dinner or is that a little bit too far off?
34:16No, no.
34:17I can imagine.
34:19I know Isette has already invited the world to a kinder on Christmas.
34:26So it's great that we now, yes.
34:31Yeah.
34:32We will be ready.
34:33Well, I believe it.
34:35I can see the spreadsheet before me planning out those days for the seventh.
34:40Pressure's on Ben.
34:41I believe I will make it.
34:47Andres exudes such confidence, doesn't he?
34:50And you know what?
34:52I believe him.
34:53They're going to be in before Christmas.
34:54People say it.
34:55These guys, I think, will do it.
34:57The only thing is, with this house, as has always been the case, there's a different story.
35:04Christmas isn't always that relaxing, despite best intentions.
35:09And here, at Christmas, is when the real test begins.
35:21It's remarkable that just 53 weeks ago, I was here on site, first day, no house.
35:28And in that time, a house has been built that does so much more than most.
35:32All those overlays, two families, Isette's needs, built on a rock.
35:38And so I wonder, what will we find?
35:41Will we find multi-generational domestic bless?
35:44Will there be something else?
35:53And look, the house finally reveals itself.
35:56Could only just, I mean, it sits so quietly in this landscape.
36:07it feels like they've moved heaven and earth and giant boulders to make this place then
36:13these little glimpses of transparency through to the valley beyond it's lovely
36:22andres how are you welcome back thank you well it doesn't feel like i've been away very much
36:28at all i mean the house was in pieces but now yes we see to the boulder the 7th of
36:33december and
36:34the 7th of december we moved in fantastic please come in oh now look you see it's a courtyard house
36:44straight away it's right there is it always wanted that tree in the middle and she got it yeah i
36:51can
36:51imagine a big tree there shading this courtyard yep but at the moment what you get is this lovely range
36:57of little views it's a complex house isn't it apparently simple as you approach it yep but
37:04then full of sophistication maybe a bit like you yeah well i'm just plain simple
37:14oh now this is a treat oh the vineyard view it stretches right up beyond our eyeline above
37:22the hills there and then kitchens in the center of the house that's where all the different ages
37:31come together you're not isolated you can connect to the lounge through to the dining or when people's
37:38in the courtyard see what everybody's doing yeah yeah
37:44but while the house is designed to support what everybody is doing
37:47it's primary focus has always been on the well-being of one family member in particular
37:55hey hi hi hi how are you i'm spectacular really excited to be here and see you again good to
38:03see
38:03you too and you look gorgeous thank you yeah i love the red hair i love the red hair yeah
38:08yeah yeah i'm on
38:09fire and this house i mean you're finally at home yes that's awesome this is what we wanted this
38:16what we were dreaming about it's real yes real and the house kind of reflects the outside as well doesn't
38:23it that's right the colors of timbers yeah i mean what we try to do is to get the central
38:28otago colors
38:30through the house and i think we achieved that
38:39this is uh we is it can sit in the afternoon and this is where we will have the art
38:45studio
38:46that's to come it never stops does it you thought you'd finished no
38:51also on the western side the couple's master suite including a large wardrobe and bathroom with the
38:57comfort and safety features that is that needs oh and is that's here you've beaten us to it always
39:05yeah this is the very specialist window yeah this is this is my height yeah yeah yeah and then on
39:13that
39:13side if you look out you see the stars and i have to say the hardware in there it's all
39:19really finely
39:19designed and that's really difficult with an accessible bathroom it is but i wanted to make sure it
39:25it doesn't look like the old glazed bathroom but it definitely doesn't look like that i love it yeah
39:30i do love it completing the western side of the house is separate guest accommodation
39:36and a well-stocked wine cellar hardly surprising for a house on a vineyard
39:43across the courtyard on the eastern side is the family unit for sam de lint taser and brendon
39:52so this is how it works just a little short hop across and you're in your own private area yes
39:58it's
39:58great yeah like we're close enough to do everything together but then we also have our own private
40:04areas to do what we need to do so you can slide the doors closed yeah and then yeah but
40:08that doesn't
40:09help you still hear dad on the tv right and you can still see him yeah so you know he's
40:15there yeah can
40:16you still maintain that family unit here you know can you can you be just you guys when you want
40:21to be
40:21yes because obviously mum needs her quiet time so we keep the kids here they keep themselves entertained
40:27yeah so you recommend it to anybody yeah it's great so that's the lint and her parents happy
40:33but what about son-in-law sam everything's just different more space more time a bit of peace
40:44peace but peace amongst chaos well okay family life's chaotic isn't it you can't you can't escape
40:50that we you know you don't want to you're you're all here together so does it make that easier
40:54having everybody here now yeah it draws you nearer just having family together we can all work together
41:00and support each other myself and is it we just always say how lucky we are
41:17this is a very cool house and from where i'm sitting spectacular views i can say that about quite a
41:24few
41:24houses what is remarkable here is that this house shows what a builder can do to change your life
41:31that's the idea right well it uplifted my spirit basically yeah this is where i wanted to be now i'm
41:37here should other people do this it depends on the family dynamics yeah because it can be chaos i think
41:44yeah is that why donald's slightly downhill 2.1 million i think was the ambition here do you know how
42:04much the house cost yes of course you do are you going to tell me yeah it's around about uh
42:12just over 2.2
42:14yeah well that's very close yeah yeah you had a remarkably fast construction process you must be
42:20pretty happy if you choose the right team it makes life a lot easier
42:32it's great to have the grandchildren here uh we can hear uh little brendon in the in the morning crawl
42:40all the way to our place some mornings taser will come and just jump in bed and cuddle with us
42:48and i
42:49think that's something special and now i'm here that it just makes me feel like i need to be alive
42:55i've
42:55got so much to deliver i have to pinch myself sometimes to realize that it's really happened
43:06yeah it's just amazing so dreams can come true
43:16this isn't a flashy house instead it's one that sits quietly nestled in and connecting with this
43:23stunning landscape whilst at the same time being quietly brilliant brilliant brilliant because it
43:30delivers on so many levels it's given is that her freedom back a freedom to enjoy being herself
43:38and living with extended family and by having those extra considerations and dealing with them so
43:44effortlessly this house isn't one that's compromised or adapted it's one that is empowered
43:51and isn't that what good design should do take challenge and create opportunity and this
43:59is opportunity delivered
44:06so
44:15so
44:16I'm pretty strong.
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