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Grand Designs NZ S10E05 Kawau
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00:02There's something deeply alluring about the thought of building your own private hideaway
00:08on a beautiful island. Far removed from the pace and pressure of modern life,
00:17peace and quiet, broken only by the occasional bird song and the lulling sound of waves lapping
00:24on the shore. Perhaps it relates to a primal part of us that craves a Robinson Crusoe-esque
00:33experience, living in harmony with nature, cut free from societal demands. But then again,
00:42island life has a habit of testing that romantic vision. Isolation, complex logistics, exposure
00:51to maritime weather, storms. And that could cause even the most ardently held Paradise Island
01:00dream to be dashed.
01:3150km north of Auckland, rising from the sparkling waters of the whole Raki Gulf, is Karwo Island.
01:42This 5,000 acre oasis has almost no roads, very little infrastructure, and a permanent population
01:51of just 80 people. You can lead the way, Charlie Brown. So only those with determination and a true
01:59passion for this place would entertain the notion of building here. Whoa, good throw, Charlie.
02:04Auckland couple Rita and Alistair, along with daughter Charlie, are about to do just that.
02:12Can you see any unicorn horns?
02:14Yeah.
02:15Your blood pressure starts dropping before you even get here. And once you're here, it is literally
02:20like 50 years back in time. It's not for everybody.
02:24Keep it, I've got to crack it open.
02:25Okay. For Charlie to have the opportunity to connect with nature and all these simple things
02:33in life, it's a great way for her to grow up.
02:38This place will be a tranquil retreat from their busy lives in Auckland. Rita and Alistair both
02:47work in real estate, which is how they first met. Rita almost drove into me in the car park
02:53at work. It was the first encounter, and the second encounter was on the staircase, and I
03:00leaned over to say hello, and she completely ignored me and walked past.
03:08Fortunately, that promising start didn't stand in the way of love.
03:13We make a very good team, actually. I'm very practical.
03:18Very good on the tools, as our Rita. I'm a bit clumsy.
03:23Their teamwork was put to the test when they renovated the Georgian-style villa they bought
03:28ten years ago. It was huge, well above our skill set.
03:37They tackled a lot of the work themselves, and it took six years to complete.
03:43We're still together, and we are about to walk into our next adventure.
03:51But initially, another house project was not an adventure Alistair was eager to walk into.
03:58We gave her a bit of a budget, which I thought she'd never achieve for a site.
04:02It was very stingy.
04:04And it had to have the million dollar view, and access to water, and it had to tick all
04:09the boxes. And we accidentally sort of came across something wonderful, and lo and behold,
04:14it was well within budget. So I was in whether I liked it or not.
04:19I was thinking, oh, you're not getting out of this. I gotcha.
04:39This is an appropriately adventurous driveway, steep and full of switchbacks. I hope the juice
04:46is worth the squeeze.
04:53After what feels like a never-ending climb, I can now see why Rita and Alistair chose this
04:59spot.
05:01Ha-ha! Look at this!
05:03Yeah, the view opens up quite nicely, doesn't it?
05:05Yes, I love it. It's right on the ridge line.
05:09Even these kanuka here, you're going to be above them.
05:11That's right.
05:12Uninterrupted views.
05:13Mm-hmm. A big part of buying the site was what we're going to catch out there, hopefully.
05:17Yeah, you need a long rod from here, but you can get down to the water, can you?
05:20Yeah, it's a five-minute walk that way.
05:22So I imagine a big picture window there, looking out, and you sitting behind it, watching Alistair
05:27probably on the water.
05:28That's right. Did you catch dinner?
05:30Yeah.
05:31A bit of.
05:32With this steep island site, Rita and Alistair have opted for a pragmatic, paired-back design.
05:40Fifty-six piles anchor the house down, and prefabricated steel forms the framing, because
05:47it's lighter and cheaper to chop it over than timber.
05:50The house is just 100 square metres, but it packs in a lot.
05:56The master bedroom, complete with en suite, Charlie's room next door, and a guest room,
06:02which adjoins the bathroom.
06:03There's even a small but perfectly formed laundry.
06:07The home then opens out to encompass a kitchen and dining area, and a cosy living space,
06:14centred around a wood-burning stove.
06:17As a counter to the elegantly restrained interior, Rita's designed a bold plywood ceiling.
06:24Outside, a very roomy wraparound deck doubles the size of the house, and thermally modified
06:31pine cladding that will silver off attunes this simple but beautifully crafted retreat
06:37to its unspoiled island setting.
06:42Oh, this is quite a project.
06:44Yeah.
06:44Yes, it will be.
06:45How do you build here?
06:46That's a big question, the how.
06:49Most of the issues are around logistics, getting things here.
06:53So how do you get stuff here?
06:55A combination of barge and helicopter.
06:58Nothing on the island, right? There's nowhere to buy anything?
07:01No.
07:02So, somebody has to be super organized.
07:05They do, and it's Rita.
07:06No pleasure.
07:07So you're taking the reins, you're project managing.
07:10I am.
07:11I am to my best abilities.
07:16What will you spend on this, ideally?
07:18We are currently at 495.
07:22So contingency, probably, what, 20%?
07:26We'll see.
07:27That's including accommodation cost.
07:29Okay, so your builders will be living on the island?
07:32Monday to Friday.
07:33Monday to Friday.
07:34Yeah.
07:35When do you finish it?
07:36I'd like to think that we will be having a conversation on the deck by late August next year.
07:44Okay.
07:44I wish you luck.
07:46Hopefully it goes like that, and we'll be here looking out on a beautiful day on the island.
07:52Watching Alistair catch his dinner.
07:54Oh yeah, he won't be with us.
07:55No.
08:00Forget for a moment the practicalities of life, and allow your inner child to dream a bit.
08:07Where would you build a house?
08:08Well, it might very well be on a beautiful island, on the best spot on the top of a hill,
08:15surrounded only by nature.
08:17But let's think about those practicalities, shall we?
08:20Because here we've got barges and helicopters, 56 piles, steep hills, weather windows, importing your own builders.
08:28Stacks up, doesn't it?
08:30And you might start to default to something a bit more mundane and suburban.
08:36But Rita and Alistair aren't, are they?
08:38They're going to live that dream, and however it turns out, it's going to be a real adventure.
08:51And on a beautiful spring morning, that adventure begins.
08:57A barge has set off carrying 16 tons worth of building materials for the foundations of Alistair and Rita's house.
09:06It's huge.
09:08It's huge.
09:09It's huge.
09:09Like, I have a big lump in my stomach, and I'm literally shaking.
09:14Because access to the build site is so steep, the entire load must be lifted from the barge to site
09:20by helicopter.
09:22And Rita has coordinated the entire operation.
09:26It's excitement and a bit of nervousness going into the unknown, that how, how is this going to pan out?
09:34Yeah.
09:37This hall includes those 56 foundation piles, and they're pretty hefty, some as much as seven metres long.
09:57Yay!
10:01There are 36 loads to shift, and the chopper costs $4,000 an hour.
10:07I'm not surprised Rita's feeling a little nervous.
10:11I'm timing him.
10:14These guys have allocated 70 grand for transportation for the entire build.
10:23Barge and chopper hire today alone will cost $11,000.
10:28I hope they haven't underestimated just how much it takes to build on this island.
10:35The good thing is, everything has gone without a hitch.
10:39That was very exciting to watch, honestly.
10:43And I'm so grateful for this beautiful weather.
10:46I couldn't have wished for a better day.
10:51Now materials have arrived, so have the builders, who'll be staying on the island not far from sight.
10:58It'll just be full on every week.
11:01Any hardware we need, we can't just race out and get it.
11:04We've had to rethink everything before we got here.
11:06But the guys do appreciate the plus sides to this unique project.
11:11The location, you just can't beat it.
11:14The scenery is just unreal.
11:17Bird life's amazing.
11:18Absolutely incredible.
11:19You just don't get this in town.
11:21I've already made a friend.
11:23He wandered in to check out our sandwiches.
11:29Getting that first delivery to site was a big achievement.
11:32But as project manager, Rita has many more to coordinate and a myriad of critical decisions to make.
11:41Like, what's the least risky, most cost-effective way to get concrete poured on an island?
11:48It is terrifying.
11:50I feel the pressure of all this decision making that, am I going to do it right or not?
11:57Because it could cost a lot if I don't do it right.
12:13On Carwo Island, Rita, Alistair and Charlie are making their way to site, where the builders have almost finished bracing
12:21the foundation piles into position.
12:25And any moment now, an important delivery is incoming, a 25,000 litre water tank, which once the house is
12:35built, will be cleverly hidden under the deck.
12:38But that means it must be positioned very close to several of the large pile poles.
12:48That's pretty exciting.
12:50It's something you don't see very often.
12:52The design of Rita and Alistair's house may be simple, but almost nothing about building it is.
13:04It's very snug.
13:16Another tricky chopper delivery successfully accomplished.
13:23But this Friday, a much more complex mission has been scheduled.
13:28OK, if we're talking anxiety levels, Friday, yes.
13:3220 cubic metres of concrete is to be helicoptered from the mainland to fill the pile holes.
13:39My understanding is there's a hopper that hangs from below the helicopter, roughly about a tonne worth of concrete.
13:46Are we using wheelbarrows or are we just going to be hovering over the hole?
13:48The team's checking in with a chopper pilot to discuss logistics.
13:53I need to move it as quick as I can.
13:55Pick up a funnel on the slider.
13:58We're still ironing our details.
14:01Would like a flexy, sturdy, plastic hose would work?
14:06Yeah, just anything that can take the weight.
14:08OK.
14:09If you need it, dump it into wheelbarrows by your wheel.
14:12As you can see, Rita is the master planner.
14:16Going high should be.
14:17She got us into this, she can get us out of it.
14:21There's no turning back now, so I don't have a choice.
14:27One way Rita and Alistair hope to reduce some of the on-site work and cost of this build is
14:33by choosing prefabricated steel framing, which I'm really interested to see being manufactured here in this family-run Auckland factory.
14:42It labels every piece, they roll through the machine, and then the machine punches out all of the notch outs,
14:48all of the screw holes, the plumbing holes.
14:52Steel is a third lighter than timber framing, so that's a significant cost advantage when you're having to chopper and
14:59barge it all to site.
15:04That's going to be your building, that roll of steel.
15:07I know.
15:08It's fascinating, really, that a building comes together from that sheet.
15:13It's incredible.
15:16In a matter of seconds, you've got something that complex.
15:23Look at that, it's locked in.
15:25It's just like origami, isn't it?
15:27Yeah, yeah.
15:29And what I also like about it, there is no wastage on site.
15:34Yeah.
15:35And we don't have to worry about any rubbish removal and all that.
15:40Before production for Rita and Alistair's steel began, they already had a clear picture of how the components would all
15:46come together.
15:49This is a great toilet, so this is the skeleton of your house.
15:53That's right.
15:53I'll take you for a walk.
15:55Yeah.
15:56Rita has been right across every aspect of this project from day one.
16:01I did want to be an architect when I was a child, about eight.
16:05I was always building things in the backyard.
16:08Right.
16:09So this is a long-held part of you.
16:12Yes, I guess.
16:14It started early.
16:15Yeah.
16:16Mum never really had the opportunity to support that part for me, so that kind of just got pushed aside.
16:24But now, it's back.
16:25Well, it seems like I have an opportunity to give in to that desire and enjoy the entire project.
16:33Yeah, and you are?
16:34I am loving it.
16:35Oh, that's great.
16:43The day of the helicopter concrete bore has arrived, and anticipation is running high.
16:53First time I've ever been involved in concrete from a helicopter.
17:00About five k's away on the mainland, Alistair is manning the concrete loading site.
17:07There's just so many moving parts, and we're all a little bit nervous.
17:14One of those moving parts has arrived.
17:19The chopper's going to transport four truckloads of wet concrete to site, which will require 50 trips.
17:30Thunderbirds are go.
17:33ETA of the first concrete bucket is two minutes.
17:35We're positioning ourselves.
17:39I'll see you on the other side.
17:41Sweet as, see you soon.
17:44That's the easy part.
17:45Now they have to get it into the hole.
17:50Oh, what can go wrong?
17:57Okay, brace yourself, my bro.
18:02Bring it back! Bring it back!
18:06Dust caused by weeks of hot weather is not making this mission any easier.
18:13He's a bit dusty, mate!
18:16The improvised chute built by one of the teams seems to be doing the trick.
18:21Good skills, bro.
18:25Well, that was a pretty quick turnaround, really, wasn't it?
18:30Very encouraging stat.
18:31Oh, well.
18:32Next hole.
18:34Shall we go this one, eh?
18:35Yeah.
18:44The chopper's round trip to reload takes just a few minutes, so the guys have to move very quickly.
18:51Hold back!
19:01Some of the pile holes are more difficult to access than others.
19:10But the guys seem to take the challenges in their stride.
19:15Wow!
19:19That one's so quick!
19:21America.
19:21Yeah.
19:23Oh, great!
19:27These guys have just done a fabulous job.
19:30That's just, it's been a real slick operation.
19:33Not too bad.
19:35And of course, none of it would have happened without the chief planner.
19:40This was the giant part and the most stressful part.
19:44But I say that now.
19:46Ask me in a month's time.
20:01On a pristine Kawao Island morning in the height of summer, Alistair's immersed in an important mission.
20:10We were here about a week ago with the barge and during the excitement and all the commotion, a bag
20:16of shackles got kicked off the side here, so they're down there.
20:20The shackles belong to the helicopter pilot and are a vital part of his kit.
20:26Oh, no bites yet.
20:29Alistair's using a recovery magnet that can retrieve items that have fallen into water.
20:35Oh dear.
20:37No, I'm not having much luck.
20:39It's not looking good.
20:41For an avid fisherman, that's got to be disappointing.
20:48Fortunately, on the build front, there's good news.
20:53It's going really well.
20:54The main thing is the weather's on our side.
20:57It's just all coming together, so real happy.
21:03The subfloor is almost complete, so soon the newly delivered steel framing can start to go up.
21:10It is exciting to come here and see so much work being done, and it's like Christmas.
21:18Something that's been a mixed blessing over the last few weeks has been the consistently high temperatures, and today's no
21:25exception, which gives Alistair an idea.
21:29They're off the end of the wharf here.
21:31Josh, the youngest member of the team, is keen for a cool off.
21:39Maybe he can succeed where Alistair failed.
21:46The shackles may be well and truly buried now.
21:50Can I get down all right?
21:52Yeah.
22:00Oh, my God!
22:02You've got them!
22:03Good man!
22:05Oh, my God, that's fantastic.
22:07I was nowhere near with the magnets.
22:09I was nowhere near them.
22:11Good work.
22:17The victory dive.
22:23By early autumn, as predicted, the prefabricated steel framing is coming together very swiftly and is almost complete.
22:34It's amazing.
22:35It's from a piece of paper, it's here, it's here.
22:42While this may be a celebratory moment, the realities of building on this island are beginning to hit home.
22:50It's all logistics, and we knew what the issues were going to be, but we didn't know how deep those
22:57issues were going to dive.
23:00Small alterations to the plans have had a knock-on effect for the budget.
23:05And on top of that, the 70 grand allocated for transport is already close to running out.
23:13No matter how you plan and how you budget, there are always things that are out of your hands.
23:20Money is just like really sinking down the hall very quickly.
23:31Of course, Rita and Alistair aren't the first people to have poured energy and resource into creating a special retreat
23:38on car work.
23:39This is Mansion House, once the home of Governor Sir George Grey.
23:43Now, Grey was an interesting character, the epitome of a colonial man.
23:48And although his legacy in office was somewhat problematic, it's his endeavours here on the island that we've come to
23:54see.
23:58In 1862, when Grey purchased his Carwo Escape, there was already a more modest brick house here,
24:05built for the manager of a copper mine that had recently closed down.
24:10Now, that wasn't quite good enough for Grey.
24:13And so he turned to his private secretary, Frederick Thatcher, who also happened to be an architect,
24:18to create this much larger grand division by adding to the original house
24:23and creating, well, effectively an English manor house in the South Pacific.
24:32Transporting anything to an island in the 1800s was no small feat.
24:37But Grey went to extreme lengths to achieve his island dream,
24:41shipping in masses of materials, books and artwork.
24:48And Grey's dream wasn't just limited to the house, he effectively created a mini kingdom here.
24:58Grey stocked the grounds here with amazing exotic plants from all around the world
25:03and equally exotic animals.
25:06Emus, wild hogs, zebras, wallabies, kangaroos and these guys, peacocks.
25:13Grey overcame huge challenges to realise his extraordinary vision.
25:18And over 160 years later, people still come here to marvel at what he achieved.
25:25Now, Rita and Alistair's Carwo Island project might be slightly less extravagant and eccentric and Greys,
25:34but they've already experienced some of the strain of constructing on the island that he had to navigate.
25:40Just hope that they get through the challenges that are coming
25:45and their very own version of an island dream lives up to their expectations.
25:59Just 14 weeks into Rita and Alistair's build, the roof is already on.
26:04And the house is really starting to emerge.
26:07You know what's cool from your bedroom?
26:10I never view.
26:11Today, a big delivery is due.
26:14$50,000 worth of window joinery, which will be helicoptered in, in a crate made by headbuilder Howard
26:20with assistance from his son Josh.
26:23This is probably the biggest risk, with all the glass and the value, so if this goes wrong...
26:34Yeah.
26:37The precious cargo has just come into view.
26:43That box is moving around quite a lot.
26:52Howard is a seasoned builder, but his helicopter crate-making skills are untested.
27:00How are you feeling, Howie?
27:02Um, it's spinning.
27:04It is spinning even more than I've hoped.
27:08It's looking like the powerful centrifugal force of the spin is causing the crate walls to start caving in.
27:19I'm shaking inside.
27:25If the crate breaks, it's not just 50 grand of joinery gone, having to reorder and fabricate it would send
27:32the schedule into free-fall.
27:47Oh, good job, Howie! This is one piece!
27:53We knew you could do it, Howie.
27:56That was a lucky escape.
27:59And a pertinent reminder of the risks and challenges that come with an island build like this.
28:12We are not doing this again.
28:25On Carwo, the house is progressing at pace.
28:29Insulation is in and some of the timber cladding is up.
28:33We could go wider to frame in.
28:35Rita has proved herself as a master organizer on this project, but it's this finishing stage where she can really
28:43express her long-held passion for design.
28:46Over here.
28:46What about the chimney? Where's that going?
28:48Well, it's going to be boxed in.
28:50With a shrinking budget though, my question is, will she have the time, energy and resources to fully realize her
28:58vision?
29:01But a clever designer doesn't let budget constraints get in the way of a great idea.
29:07To reduce waste and create a design feature, she's hatched a plan to use the cladding offcuts to create the
29:15soffites.
29:17The idea then is for your cladding to be seamless as it flows up into the soffite.
29:22That's definitely the idea, to keep it nice, clean lines, all lining up.
29:28The overall design of this house may be straightforward, but I love that Rita's finding ways to elevate it with
29:36this kind of thoughtful detailing.
29:38So I don't want any beading here, ideally.
29:42That's going to be the challenge, so that edge will have to be precise.
29:46I mean, these things are very architectural.
29:48I guess it is my lost calling.
29:53Bringing Rita's concepts to life will be a good challenge for the builders.
29:58Speaking of whom...
30:00So how come sites are quiet today?
30:03Well, we had a bit of a change around.
30:06We do have an allocated budget for this build, and we're getting close to the end of it.
30:11So we had to make a hard call, it wasn't easy, and we had to reduce the number of people
30:18on site to be able to keep going.
30:23Gosh, there is a bit to do still, but you've lost labour here.
30:28Yeah, that's right. So it was a very conscious business decision that had to be made.
30:34It was just becoming a bit expensive. We have quite a few overheads having a team here.
30:40Well, that is quite the bombshell.
30:43They're going to try and finish the house with just one local Carwo builder.
30:49That might be a bit of a worry, because the next stage for this is all about the potential,
30:55that thought and consideration being realised in beautiful finishes.
31:00So, yes, the budget might thank them for reducing the build team, but will the house?
31:14Rita and Alistair hope to be finished by late August, but it's already September.
31:19And with an ever-dwindling budget, they're having to find more ways to cut costs.
31:26This morning, two tonnes of finishing materials have arrived.
31:30But this time, there's no chopper in sight.
31:34At the pointy end of the project, where the budget's being a little bit stretched,
31:39the helicopter got chopped.
31:41Putting these things together, what?
31:43Instead, Alistair and two helpers are loading them onto vehicles
31:48and transporting them up the steep hill in conditions that are far from ideal.
31:53It's all heavy, it's all awkward, and it's raining.
32:04OK, no, that's better.
32:06Can you pull this out, please?
32:08Meanwhile, indoors, Rita and Charlie are occupied with their own industrious teamwork,
32:14building cabinetry.
32:16Good.
32:17We're learning together new skills, right?
32:21How to figure things out.
32:23And you can also learn from your mistakes.
32:27That's right.
32:27I mean, she's a good working partner.
32:32Rita's maximising storage space and the budget by using off-the-shelf kitchen cabinetry,
32:38which she'll customise and then clad with the same ply being used for the stylish ceiling she's designed.
32:51It's going to be a big job.
32:53Lucky she has an excellent assistant.
32:57Oh.
32:59One day she can look back and, oh, I remember doing this with Mum,
33:04when she will be sitting here with her own family.
33:08Everything we do together, I know I'll remember.
33:11You know that, right?
33:13Well, I do now.
33:18Right now, Rita and Alistair are relying on local help for a lot of the build.
33:23But soon that may change.
33:27And it's very likely that we're not going to be able to pay someone to do certain things that we
33:35can do anyway.
33:36We will have to roll our sleeves up to push this through the finish line.
33:42But Rita's managing to put a positive spin on it.
33:45It provides an opportunity for us to bond with the building and...
33:51Not with each other, just the building.
33:56I didn't finish my sentence.
33:59No!
34:01No!
34:02No!
34:02No!
34:05Three weeks later, Rita's bonding with the building theory is being put to the test.
34:11Together, they're tackling the tricky job of laying the porcelain floor tiles.
34:17OK, shall I quickly grind this off?
34:19Your ears!
34:22They've only ever done outdoor paving before, so they're learning on the job.
34:28The concept is the same, I suppose, but it's just a finer detail finish.
34:35I'm just having these horror thoughts that you're just going to step on that tyre that you shouldn't.
34:40What? You're calling me clumsy.
34:46From here on, they're going to try and finish the majority of the build themselves.
34:52It's the kitchen and the two bathrooms and the flooring, a bit of retaining.
34:57And if you say it really quickly, it doesn't sound like much, but it is quite a lot.
35:03It really is a lot.
35:06Particularly when they're trying to juggle this with taking care of Charlie and their day jobs.
35:11Just as the busiest time of the year for real estate begins.
35:17I don't really have much time left to drag this out.
35:23I am running out of steam, so sometimes I feel like I do have to dig deep to do it
35:31all.
35:34Having dreamed of being an architect as a child, Rita's finally getting to express herself in this house.
35:41It would be a huge blow if fading stamina and funds force her to compromise her vision.
35:47Particularly when she and Alistair have worked so hard to get this far.
36:16It would be a huge blow.
36:17Well, isn't this spectacular? A reminder of the island magic out on the water, but also a reminder of how
36:23tricky it is to build over there.
36:26Of course, Alistair and Rita are a super capable couple.
36:30But even with Rita's amazing organisational skills, I think they found it more of a stretch than they ever imagined.
36:37And so I wonder, what will we find? What state will the house be in? What state will they be
36:43in?
36:44What state will they be in? What state will they be in?
37:08First impressions up close and personal with this really finely finished cladding that flows
37:14into Rita's reclaimed soffit. The offcuts, but every board cut perfectly. Look at the
37:21precision. Signs are good.
37:26Hey. Hello. Good to see you. You too.
37:30Alistair. Hey, Tommy. Found the place okay? I did. It was a bit of a high cap. Charlie.
37:34Hey. Really good to see you. And to be here.
37:43That's glorious. And that's just the view. I mean, this place is magazine glamour in your holiday batch.
37:49It's beautiful. This is a custom kitchen. It is custom. Yes. Built by? Built by these hens.
37:58Beautiful, lovely choice of materials and curves here. You curve the timber.
38:04Yes. I thought after a couple of YouTube videos that I'll give it a go. Using leftover fly from the
38:12ceiling.
38:13There's no throwing away on this island. That's right.
38:16But you're looking around. It doesn't feel like a house that has had seconds and reused stuff.
38:21This is sophisticated.
38:30The level of resourcefulness and creativity here is so impressive. And it elevates what is essentially a modest build to
38:40something far beyond that.
38:43The lounge. And the lounge. It's a room within a room, isn't it?
38:48Big sculptural sofa.
38:50That we had to buy because Charlie wanted the ball-shaped cushions.
38:53Ah, right. And they wouldn't sell them separately.
38:55So you had to buy the whole sofa to see. Well, they're great fun, those.
38:58And this is lovely. So we've got this gently sloping ceiling which slopes down towards the cosy bit.
39:04But then back up and out to the view.
39:07And that was very important to me that your eye is being led towards the view and the openness and
39:14the height.
39:14Those black lines guiding you out.
39:22Knowing just how much Rita and Alice's energy was flagging while trying to complete this place.
39:28I was expecting to detect some compromise in the finishing.
39:33But so far, there's absolutely no evidence of that.
39:37And that attention to detail continues in the rest of the house, including the bathroom, which also serves as an
39:44en suite to the guest bedroom.
39:52Ah, this is where Charlie's been hiding.
39:54That's a lovely room. It's very calm, actually, isn't it?
39:57Yeah, yeah. No helicopters, no sirens. It's very different from the city.
40:02Yeah, it's lovely.
40:05There definitely is a lightness and sense of tranquility here that infuses the whole house.
40:13The main bedroom, you're right in your scenery.
40:17And the actual cabinetry, I wasn't 100% able to visualise what Rita was trying to create, but now it's
40:23here.
40:24It's beautiful.
40:25Started as kitchen cabinets, of course, but looks nothing like that now.
40:29In fact, you've even fitted an en suite in, which is compact, but it's there.
40:34It is compact, yeah.
40:35It's luxury.
40:36Brilliant.
40:41And then the most enormous deck, such a great sweep of water.
40:47This is the main event, isn't it?
40:48Yeah.
40:48This is why we built this place.
40:50We knew it was going to be good, but we just didn't know how good, but it actually exceeded expectations.
40:55Yeah.
40:56It was fantastic.
41:13I get a real sense here that you guys have reached a summit in life with this house, right up
41:19here on the headland.
41:20But it's been a bit of a climb to get here in many ways, right?
41:24That's right.
41:25It's been a journey.
41:27Often, we looked at each other and asked, why are we doing this to ourselves?
41:32And then you visit the island, you're here.
41:35It's like, that's why.
41:36All's forgiven.
41:37All of the headaches and complexities just wash away.
41:47Alistair, you must have been pretty impressed with what Rita's been able to do.
41:52Oh, Rita planned everything like a military operation.
41:55I've kind of jumped in to do the heavy lifting where I've needed to, but generally it has been Rita's
42:00gig.
42:01Building a house with your partner, my advice would be only go forward if the relationship is strong.
42:08There's a hundred things that will help you.
42:12Test you.
42:14Yeah.
42:15So you've been tested and not found wanting.
42:18Well, he's still breathing.
42:26I think originally you wanted to spend six, seven hundred thousand.
42:29That's right.
42:30And that was my written budget.
42:32And where did you end up?
42:33Nine.
42:34Nine?
42:35Well, a million.
42:36Right.
42:37A little bit more than we were hoping.
42:39And the land cost?
42:40I think it was $2.65 we ended up paying for it.
42:42But overall, $1.265 million.
42:46What does that get you?
42:47It gets you a lot.
42:48Yeah, it does, isn't it?
42:53Risa, you wanted to be an architect.
42:54Has that been sort of therapy, getting that architectural itch out of your system?
43:00It was therapeutic, you're right, actually.
43:03It's a very rewarding feeling to look at something that you created.
43:08But is this then closure or is this the start of something new?
43:12I don't know yet.
43:13I'd like to enjoy this first, and we'll see what the future holds.
43:18You might have got the bug.
43:25What a great adventure this has been.
43:28Of course, the idea of an island bolt hole is an attractive one.
43:32But I think on consideration of practicalities, for most people, this might have been a, hmm, maybe not.
43:40However, for Rita and Alistair, through determination, energy, focus, and a love of the island, this has been a great,
43:49big, resounding yes.
43:51Beautifully crafted, optimizing space, materials, design opportunities.
43:56It's delight.
43:57I love it.
44:00Let the new island adventures begin.
44:27Ready...
44:28...
44:29...
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