- 3 weeks ago
Grand Designs New Zealand Season 10 Episode 7
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Short filmTranscript
00:02There are certain fundamentals that all buildings must provide.
00:07Practical things like shelter, functionality, durability.
00:11But add the overlay of great architecture.
00:14And some buildings can become powerful tools for artistic innovation and cultural expression.
00:23This is Te Oror, a music and arts center in East Auckland.
00:27Bold, surprising buildings like this inspire curiosity and connection.
00:33They become iconic landmarks, enhancing the identity of local communities.
00:40This kind of visionary approach works really well with public buildings.
00:44But when you're making a bold statement with your own home, it can be risky.
00:49What you hope might become an inspiring landmark could just as easily be seen as an eyesore.
00:55And you may find yourself struggling to win the affection of your neighbors.
01:30It's a great day during the summer.
01:30It's a great day during this, and it's a great day during this.
01:30Mark and Lisa Darrow had been searching for a quiet coastal retreat within an easy drive of Auckland for months
01:38until they finally came across a site on the sparkling white court sands of Ormaha.
01:46It was magical. It was like being in Hawaii.
01:51For Mark and Lisa, romance first blossomed 37 years ago in an accountant's office in Palmerston North.
01:59I broke the photocopier. She came over and fixed it. The rest is history.
02:05That was the lightning bolt moment, so I still remember that.
02:11I think we make a really good team.
02:14He's extremely hardworking, extremely loyal, and he dotes over me. So that's lovely.
02:25Despite struggling with photocopiers, Mark now sits on the boards of eight large organisations.
02:33I don't know how he keeps it all organised up here.
02:37It's the old adage, you've got something done, ask a busy person, and that kind of keeps me energised.
02:44Mark may be busy, but he and Lisa always have time for their kids, Jordan, Troy, and Brooke,
02:50who've all left home but often return for catch-ups at the family home in Remuera.
02:56My life revolves around my family.
03:01Family is everything. It's the reason for being, I suppose.
03:05And the kids have a lot of time for their parents.
03:11Very generous people. So whether it's time, whether it's advice, whether it's helping people in the community.
03:20Mark and Lisa plan to downsize their Auckland home, so soon Ormaha will become the primary family hub.
03:29First and foremost, it's a sanctuary, but it's also for families, so all the chaos that comes with that.
03:34And the chaos is fun.
03:35Good wine and games and movies and it's that base.
03:44Ormaha has some of the most expensive coastal properties in the country.
03:49Sites are highly prized and hard to come by.
03:54And it seems, in Mark and Lisa's case, hard to locate.
03:58The address has taken me to the bins behind the dairy.
04:03I've been assured there's a lovely seaside section here somewhere.
04:07But this is all pretty industrial, isn't it?
04:10Although that's more promising.
04:15How are you?
04:16Tom.
04:16Nice to meet you.
04:17Welcome to my house.
04:18Lisa.
04:19Hi.
04:19So, well, this is lovely, isn't it?
04:21A really nice winding strip of grass.
04:24So, what's happening here?
04:25Tell me about your section.
04:26Well, this is going to be our driveway.
04:28This here is a midden, which is quite special.
04:31So, that's protected?
04:33That's protected with the local iwi, Ngāti Manuheti.
04:36So, it's pretty special to have this actually on your property.
04:39That's incredibly special.
04:40The section goes all the way from there, all the way to the, well, the dunes, right?
04:44Yeah, it's actually the largest beachfront section in Omaha.
04:47So, it's over 1,800 metres.
04:49The site, which has been vacant for years, is in a prime beachfront spot.
04:55But it does come with some significant drawbacks.
04:59There's a surf club.
05:01And there's a public car park here.
05:03Yep.
05:04So, how does the house address that?
05:07Being next to a public space, and it's north-facing too.
05:10So, we've got to build for the east, which is the view.
05:13Okay, straight down there.
05:14That's right, we've got to build for the west, for the beautiful sunsets you get here, and then build in
05:19from the privacy from the public space.
05:21So, I think that's probably the reason no one's ever built on the site before, just those interesting challenges.
05:27Yeah, fortune favors the brave.
05:29The house takes up almost the entire width of its site.
05:33Plenty of room, then, for a three-car garage and grand double-height entrance.
05:38Next to which is a media room.
05:41Also, on this level, there's a laundry and bathroom, a bunk room, and two guest bedrooms.
05:46A living area and kitchenette means that guests can be semi-self-contained.
05:51And if they're lucky, they might be granted access to Mark's wine cellar, tucked away behind a steel-framed, crittal
05:57glass wall.
05:58Outside, a steel-spiral stair leads up to the west deck, a perfect spot for sunsets, and perhaps a tipple
06:06from Mark's collection.
06:08The upper level contains the primary living spaces, with windows that stretch along the entire north facade,
06:15illuminating the oak and stone kitchen, an elegant open-plan dining area, whilst cleverly screening the car park below.
06:23But facing east, expansive ocean views can be enjoyed unhindered from the east deck and Mark and Lisa's bedroom,
06:31which adjoins another guest's room.
06:34The exterior is bold and unrelenting, with huge, scalloped glass-reinforced concrete panels that provide a buffer from the very
06:42public site.
06:43These are softened by sections of cedar, including an elegant curved wall on the eastern facade.
06:49A slim, subtly-pitched roof settles lightly on top of this bold, sculptural home that's most definitely not your typical
06:58beach house.
07:00Well, there are many things to be impressed with here.
07:03It's such a special section, presumably an expensive section.
07:08You're paying more than $4 million now for a beachfront section, so that's a pretty big number to start with.
07:15And the cost of the house will be what, do you know?
07:17Look, I think if we get all done under $10 million, I'll be very happy.
07:24Oh my God!
07:25No, that's a, that sounds like that's a surprise to you, that figure, $10 million.
07:30It's a big figure.
07:30Hang on, that was including the section?
07:31Including the section, yeah.
07:33Okay, yeah.
07:33How long will this project last?
07:36We're hoping to do it within 18 months.
07:37Okay.
07:38So that's the target.
07:3918 months.
07:41Yeah.
07:41To two years.
07:41It's got to be good, and we're putting our heart and soul into this, so, um...
07:45This has to be right.
07:46This has to be a great house.
07:48Yep.
07:48You know, building anything's really exciting, and you've got to, you've got to enjoy it.
07:52So that's how it feels.
07:53You've got the exciting, it's exciting.
07:54It's really exciting.
07:55Yeah.
07:55Yeah.
07:59I really respect Mark and Lisa's ambition for this special and significant section.
08:04What they're trying to build is something that is bold, different, but there's a clash
08:09here, isn't there?
08:10I mean, this is public domain.
08:13There's lots of foot traffic, which means babies, boats, surfboards, rowdy teenagers, and
08:20yet, at the same time, they want this to be their quiet retreat away from the city.
08:25So my question is, are they really ready to have the most impactful building at the very
08:31heart of this coastal community, and everything that comes with that?
08:44Just a few doors down from the site are a couple of people who know this coastal community
08:49extremely well.
08:51Mark and Lisa's architects, mother and son, Lindy and Luke Lojska.
08:56Hey.
08:57Nice to meet you.
08:58Hey, hey, Lindy.
09:01They built this home in 2010, but when designing their place, they didn't have to contend with
09:06a public car park.
09:08We had to do a lot of analysis around that, and we did a lot of cross sections showing if
09:14the...
09:15I think that there's one here.
09:16Yeah.
09:17Yeah.
09:17It's really interesting to see that.
09:19Yes.
09:20But what strikes me, you know, is the proximity.
09:22Here is activity, public, and noise, and cars, and here's a private home.
09:27Yes.
09:28So, two metres from the burnouts.
09:30Yeah, yeah, yeah.
09:31Yeah.
09:31Right.
09:31So, your solution is this great wall, the great wall of Omaha.
09:37Yeah.
09:38A story and a half tall.
09:39Yes.
09:39And that could be potentially quite oppressive.
09:41Yes.
09:42And so, what did he do?
09:44What's the word?
09:44Well, it's treated softly.
09:46That's like a motif for, you know, I guess, scalloping the scallop shell or, you know, how the wind
09:52would affect the sand, that sort of organic form.
09:58The roof also offers a counterbalance to the great wall.
10:02The roof has got a very, very narrow little edge, so it's very nice.
10:07Delicate.
10:07So, it's like a sort of like a tent sitting on the fortress, in a way.
10:12Yeah, yeah.
10:12So, could this house happen anywhere else?
10:14If there wasn't the car park next door, you wouldn't have this response.
10:18There you go.
10:19So, it's very much of its section.
10:21Yes.
10:22Yeah.
10:22And its place.
10:23Definitely.
10:29As dawn breaks in Omaha on a crisp August morning, a group is quietly gathering on Mark and Lisa's site.
10:37We're doing a karaki of the Whakawatea this morning by one of the local kamatawa before we start building on
10:43the site.
10:45We're doing it just out of respect for the land, which we, which is pretty special.
10:58With the centuries-old protected midden on the site, the blessing is all the more significant.
11:03Te aroha, te whakapono, me te rani marie, e tātou tātou e.
11:23We appreciate it.
11:30It's not until mid-summer, a full six months after the karakiya, that work begins on site.
11:38We had, um, some issues with the council around the consents for the geotech.
11:42The original foundation design, made of 120 driven piles, wasn't approved by the council.
11:50So we've taken the path of least resistance, we're just digging out the whole site.
11:55Instead of piles, they're having to use a concrete slab, which entails removing over 70 truckloads of sand and replacing
12:03it with hard fill.
12:07I can't let it bother you. It is frustrating, but you've got to get it right.
12:12This change has delayed the build's original start date by three months.
12:16Yet Mark seems remarkably calm.
12:21It's like a duck analogy, isn't it? You're very calm on top, you're heading like crazy underneath.
12:28Mark's unflappable demeanour could be due to the fact that he's built five houses before this one.
12:33Plus, he has a very experienced project manager, Brad, who's already constructed several high-end Ormaha homes.
12:42Mark's a very astute businessman. He's very direct. He knows what he wants.
12:48We're going to have to be on our game as far as budget, timing, quality, which is a great challenge.
12:57Beginning the build three months behind schedule is a great way to ramp up the challenge.
13:03We were trying to get closed in possibly before winter, but there's no chance.
13:18The winterless north is earning its name on a glorious June morning.
13:25Perfect conditions for laying a concrete slab.
13:32I think we're up to like the third or fourth track out of maybe about eight.
13:41Good foundations set you up. So, yeah, they're doing a great job.
13:48For years, this site has effectively been a thoroughfare between the ice cream shop and the beach.
13:54So, today's activity has been attracting some interest.
13:59We've definitely had a lot of questions from the public about what's going in here.
14:03Shop fronts and bars and, yeah, there's been a few wild guesses.
14:07No one's actually hit the mark with just a house so far.
14:11Even once complete, it won't look like a regular house because it will be clad in unique glass reinforced concrete
14:19or GRC panels.
14:21Today, Lisa's brought color samples for those panels to site.
14:26How did you come up with the color?
14:29We were going to go with the pearl, which looked like the seashell.
14:33When we got the sample here, it just was blinding.
14:37Like, the residents in the area would need sunglasses to be able to even walk past our house.
14:44Instead, they're going for a greyer shade.
14:47But grey or pearl, these panels are going to stand out because there won't be anything else quite like them
14:54in Ormaha.
14:58Glass reinforced concrete, or GRC, is not often used in residential buildings in New Zealand.
15:04But there are great examples in other building typologies, like this office building Cumulus in Auckland.
15:10Now, GRC is concrete, but it's reinforced with very fine glass fibers rather than heavy steel cages.
15:17And so, it can be cast much thinner.
15:23GRC is also lightweight, typically 75% lighter than a traditional panel.
15:29And so we can see here, the panels are literally hung upside down, wrapping the whole building.
15:35And it can be cast in incredibly fine textured sculptural forms.
15:42This building shows us that, at scale, on an office building in the city, GRC can make for a striking
15:49piece of architecture.
15:51The question is, by the soft sand dunes of Omaha Beach on a house, is it the appropriate choice?
16:04By late winter, a forest of framing has sprung up on site.
16:12And today, the steel for the ground floor is being installed.
16:19After the significant delay getting the house started, it's great to see this positive progress.
16:25We were, we are, definitely miles behind schedule, but we will make it up, hopefully.
16:31We're in the winterless north.
16:35As the ground floor of Mark and Lisa's house begins to take shape, their son Troy, who's also a furniture
16:41designer,
16:42is finalising drawings for one of the rooms there.
16:46As well as the bunk room, Troy's designed two sofas for the upstairs living area.
16:51The desire to build and make things is in the blood.
16:57My grandfather, he'd always have a garage that was pristine with all of his tools,
17:02and they were just divine things that he cherished a lot.
17:08When his health was failing, Troy's grandfather gifted him his prize tools.
17:15There's a lot of pride when I do use them, when I can use them properly.
17:19Like my veneer, veneer calipers, I use them every day for work, because they are so, so great.
17:25The house Mark and Lisa are building is all about family, so it's fitting that Troy is contributing to it.
17:33My whole life is going to be devoted to making things, and being able to make something for my parents
17:41is doubling up on that fulfilment.
17:44Maybe the bunk room is Lisa and Mark's way of future-proofing the house for more family.
17:51I get it every second week that they're looking for grandchildren,
17:55but I hope they haven't told me to design it just to also have grandchildren for them.
18:02I don't put it past them.
18:04But yeah, they will be a maid and grandparents, regardless, whenever that time does come.
18:15It's spring, and Mark and Lisa's house has significantly grown in stature.
18:21The upper floor steel structure is now almost complete.
18:25It's been a very long time.
18:27It's been a while.
18:28Things have changed, haven't they? Look.
18:30The house has arrived. It's visually quite imposing.
18:34It looks huge.
18:36Lisa and Mark chose to have their main living areas upstairs, to be above the dunes and capture the views.
18:44Ah, yes.
18:46Yeah, this works.
18:47Yeah.
18:48We got a better result on this floor than we were expecting.
18:52And we're above the car pot as well, which is really important.
18:55And then this lovely hillscape in the background as well.
18:59It's phenomenal. I'm really happy.
19:06This is a very well-considered house, with a lot of sophisticated elements.
19:12But that doesn't make for a quick build.
19:14Planning for this place began over two and a half years ago.
19:21The journey you're on at the moment is taking a while.
19:24You could have brought a house maybe here. There are a few of them around.
19:28Oh, that would have been so easy.
19:30Yeah.
19:31Yeah?
19:31Yeah, no turning back now.
19:33Yeah, yeah.
19:39How's the schedule tracking?
19:40I think the GRC panels are a month or two late.
19:43It's a long story, but the company changed hands, and they've gone back through redesign.
19:48Two sets of engineers peer reviewing it to get it absolutely right.
19:51And so it's probably the big risk that's remaining in the build.
19:55So that's when you have a slight sigh of relief when those panels are in.
19:59I'll be a lot happier.
20:01The GRC cladding was always a bold choice.
20:05Just getting it fabricated is a mission.
20:07And even once installed, I do wonder,
20:10will it provide both the privacy and the coherent interface
20:14between the beach and car park that Mark and Lisa are hoping for?
20:25A new year has rolled around, and the subtle roof form of Mark and Lisa's house is emerging.
20:35Its slim profile that will counterbalance the fortress-like walls
20:39is largely achieved by the use of a bespoke membrane-covered gutter.
20:44It's been a bit of a bane of the builders' life,
20:47but they've done an amazing job getting all the falls correct to make sure it drains away.
20:52It is complex, with its undulating ply substrate feeding into multiple drains.
20:58But it's becoming clear to me that Mark isn't fazed by complexity.
21:03In fact, I think he embraces it.
21:08You don't get to see this from down below, which is a shame,
21:11because it's a beautiful piece of architecture and a beautiful piece of building.
21:15While the roof may be progressing,
21:18there's still no sign of the GRC panels.
21:21But new shop drawings have arrived,
21:24with a lot of extra engineering.
21:28It's probably 25% more work in that part of the job than was first anticipated anyway.
21:36Much of that extra work involves adding heavy-duty laminate timber nogs
21:41to ensure the panels won't get ripped off the building in high winds.
21:48So you're looking at probably the biggest nogs in history,
21:51and there's about 48 nails going to every single one,
21:54and this has to go right round the whole house.
21:57And of course, this extra work means extra time.
22:03The schedule is out of the gate at the moment.
22:07We're at least two to three months behind.
22:12Mark and Lisa had been hoping that the house would be finished by October,
22:16but they've had to adjust expectations.
22:21We're going to be in by Christmas, whether it's finished or not.
22:30The GRC panel delays are partly because they're a highly specialised product.
22:35In fact, there are only two main companies in the country that produce them.
22:42Accurately applying the very fine layers of concrete,
22:45and exactly the right amount of strengthening glass strands,
22:49requires a lot of expertise.
22:53The guys here are creating an outdoor table,
22:56but they have a much bigger challenge with Mark and Lisa's huge scallop panels.
23:01And today, the very first one of these is about to be lifted from its mould.
23:07This is a big day.
23:09It's a big day. It's the most important part of the build, optically.
23:12It's the one thing that's kind of kept me awake at night going,
23:15we've got to get this bit right.
23:16Yeah, you're such a cool customer normally, so you've been worrying about it.
23:19It has had me a bit worried, yeah.
23:22The panels are also one of the most expensive elements of the build.
23:26This one alone is $20,000, so they really do need to look right.
23:37It feels like an incredibly delicate thing being hoisted up by these grunty machines.
23:44If it just gets too low to the ground, or swings quickly onto the forklift, or gets out of balance,
23:50that's where we run the risk of damage.
23:59So first panel, here it is.
24:01This is number one of 22, I think there are.
24:04So what do you think? Exciting?
24:06Just the magnitude of it, it's just epic.
24:09And the finish? Yeah, there's a few marks here, aren't there?
24:13Well, it's just water coming out.
24:17So those will dry out?
24:18Yep.
24:18You're told?
24:19I'm told, yep.
24:20But you also don't want these panels too perfect, because then it's going to look very plasticky.
24:24Ah, I totally agree.
24:25It's having a bit of texture, and it's not a bad thing.
24:27I'm very happy.
24:28Happy?
24:28Happy.
24:29Well, that's a relief.
24:31One panel down, 21 left to go.
24:41Winter has officially arrived in Omaha.
24:44The beach may be deserted, but there's plenty happening on site.
24:52Today, the temporary boxing is being removed from the in-situ east-facing concrete staircase.
25:01There's always a little bit of nervousness to see if it all turned out all right.
25:05So we'll see what it looks like.
25:06Hopefully no big holes in it.
25:10It's a significant moment for 20-year-old apprentice Lewis.
25:21It's turned out mint, actually.
25:23This is a crazy house to be building, with curved walls and, like, these stairs.
25:28A big learning experience, like, as an apprentice.
25:30I'm definitely loving it.
25:36The mastermind behind this unique build is architect Lindy Loishka, who's popped over to check out the newly unboxed and
25:45unconventional stairs.
25:46There are secret parts and open parts, so it's deliberately complex.
25:51It doesn't say exactly this is a staircase.
25:54So when you actually go to the bottom of it, then you see the staircase revealed behind the triangular wall.
26:03It's really exciting how the house is coming together.
26:06I'm just delighted.
26:08But there's a key feature that's still conspicuously absent, the GRC panels.
26:15When Brad test-fitted one of the panel frames to the bracing on the side of the house, it didn't
26:21fit.
26:22I realised that the measurements are out in our shop drawings by, sort of, 10-15mm.
26:29So I put a bit of a stop to everything.
26:33The frame fixings are now having to be adjusted, which has knock-on effects.
26:39Until the panels are up, the windows along the northern wall can't be installed.
26:47Winter's here. We've already had two storms, so we've boarded up the exterior, so we can keep all the framing
26:55and inside the building dry.
26:58And rain's not the only issue.
27:02Because we're so close to the ocean, the sea spray just sticks to everything, so we can't afford too many
27:09more delays.
27:10I feel for Brad. He has a lot on his shoulders completing this challenging build to the highest standards expected.
27:18And the public interest in this place must only be amplifying that pressure.
27:31In Omaha, it's a big day for the build.
27:35Adjustments to the GRC panel fixings have been completed, and the builders are hoping they'll finally be able to install
27:41them.
27:45But it's a painstaking process.
27:48Are we catching something? Hold on.
27:51We must be here. Nah, it's got to come down.
27:54We haven't done this before. There's a bit of adjustment. There's zero tolerance in this stuff.
28:02It's a nervous time for Brad, who needs the panels to slot into the brackets and seamlessly interlock with each
28:09other.
28:14Yeah, we might need to take it back to where the bin is and chuck it on some tall saw
28:18stools.
28:19So far, every single panel has needed modifying in order to fit.
28:26The plan really was to pick them straight off the truck and straight in, but it hasn't worked out like
28:32that, so...
28:37It's definitely frustrating. We'll carry on. We'll persevere. It is what it is.
28:49While the build team's full attention is on the exterior, Mark and Lisa are addressing details for the interior.
28:58This one is from Bredville.
29:01That's very cool.
29:03Natural stone is going to be a key feature throughout the house.
29:09There's over 3,000 pieces just in this warehouse, so it's like kids in a lolly shop.
29:14Oh, wow.
29:16Mark and Lisa, who are tackling the interior design themselves, have chosen a quartzite from Brazil.
29:23This is going to look amazing. It's starting to feel more real now. Yeah.
29:28And today they're selecting the specific slabs for the kitchen, bathrooms and wine cellar.
29:34I'm looking for slabs that have got quite a dynamic grain through them, exactly how we want it.
29:41Mark, in particular, has very exacting standards for every element of this house.
29:49You've got to get it right. This is probably our last project, so we want to make this one a
29:52really good one.
29:54Last project.
29:56We'll see.
30:03Mark vowed that the family would be in for Christmas, which is now just three days away.
30:08So, sadly, that ship has sailed.
30:13Something bringing a little fist of cheer, though, is the arrival of the steel spiral staircase that will provide external
30:19access to the west deck.
30:22It's really functional art, and it's looking really good.
30:26Can't wait for it to get in the next few minutes.
30:37It's a huge piece of needle. Oh, my God. Take out two tons there? Like, I'm half a knot.
30:51Yeah, same here. Yeah.
30:52The measurements are bang on, and the stair locks into place.
31:00Brooke, who's up from Wellington for the festive break, got to witness this milestone moment.
31:06My parents are definitely a power duo.
31:10Seeing my dad's vision just coming together with my mom has just been gorgeous.
31:16And I love the stairs. It's just worked out better than I thought.
31:20It visually softens the whole side of the building now.
31:23Feels very integrated.
31:25It also has an industrial aesthetic that Lisa and Mark are aiming to achieve with the interior.
31:31And you can see that in the steel frame crittal dividing walls that have been recently installed.
31:38The original concept inside was very, like, New York loft.
31:43Like the rest of this place, not your typical beach house.
31:48The place just looks so grand. I don't think there's any other word to describe it.
31:57But grand homes take time.
31:59And it could be months beyond Christmas before this one's complete.
32:04Fortunately, a very welcome distraction has come along.
32:10We have a new baby at home.
32:12Ten days ago, Troy and his partner, LJ, delivered the family's much-longed-for first grandchild, Theodore.
32:24We feel as though we've already had our Christmas gifts.
32:27You know, just having a happy, healthy baby.
32:31It was good.
32:32No, exactly.
32:33And then by the time the place is finished, hopefully Theodore will be able to come and enjoy it with
32:37us.
32:51Another new year has begun, and I'm eager to see how the final stages of Mark and Lisa's Ormaha vision
32:58are coming together.
33:02So much thought and effort has gone into this house, making it a generational asset for the family.
33:08Which, of course, has already begun to expand.
33:12So this is Troy's design work in progress.
33:15This is it coming to life.
33:16Yeah, you talk about that with your eyes lit up.
33:19Are you enjoying being a grandfather?
33:21Oh, it's fantastic.
33:22Yeah, one day they might have cousins and brothers and sisters, so it's a good place to get the kids
33:26down into a bit of a play area in a bunk room.
33:29This family story will expand and expand.
33:32Yep, I hope so.
33:35With swathes of the oak flooring now laid and tiling underway, Mark and Lisa's palette choice of soft, neutral tones
33:42is emerging.
33:43I'll be interested to see how well this integrates with the hard-edged industrial look of the critter glazing.
33:50Now, remind me what this room was.
33:53This is our wine cellar.
33:56A little treat for me, really.
34:00It even has a small tasting area, which is receiving a bespoke plaster treatment selected by Mark and Lisa to
34:08create a cave-like feel.
34:11The way you've chosen to run this project is pretty hands-on.
34:14And so I just wonder how you find the time to do that, because this isn't a simple build.
34:20This is technically ambitious.
34:22It is, and I'm busy everywhere else too, but it's just a special part of my brain that is dedicated
34:27to this.
34:28Generally, how are you feeling? Are you feeling punch drunk? This is Lisa as well.
34:32No, I think we're really excited. It's been a four-year project since we bought the land here, so I'm
34:38looking forward to having it done.
34:42It's tempting to think that this house is very close to the finish line, but of course, there's a lot
34:47still to do.
34:48And so we can't really judge Mark and Lisa's vision, can we?
34:51A house that's both grand in scale and ambition, and a house that sits right next to the public realm,
34:57but wants to be a private beach sanctuary.
35:00We'll just have to wait then, won't we, to see what the impact this statement piece of architecture will have
35:06on both the landscape and the community.
35:17Mark and Lisa definitely made a brave choice with their site in Omaha.
35:21It was one overlooked by many because of the challenges, the surf club, the public thoroughfare, the car park.
35:28To overcome those challenges, they chose a bold design.
35:32So I'm really curious now to find out whether the risks they took have paid off.
35:46Oh, the middle looks great. The planting's coming up.
35:50A very glamorous house sitting at the end of this sweeping driveway.
36:02I'm really interested to see this relationship between the car park, which is right here, and this glorious sculptural house.
36:11This kind of feels more like an art gallery than a house.
36:15Whatever it is, it's gorgeous.
36:19Oh, I love this. So the concrete has this sort of material-like feel, almost like curtains.
36:26And at this point here, they've been drawn open, revealing beautiful soft timber.
36:32Yeah, this is an entrance and a half.
36:36Hello. Hey, Lisa.
36:39Hi. Tom, how are you? Welcome.
36:41Yeah, I'm very good. Even better for seeing this place. I mean, this is amazing.
36:45Finally got there. Yeah, what a house.
36:47It feels so delicate and sculptural and welcoming and impressive and, ah, I could go on.
36:54Come on up.
37:02What a way to arrive in a house.
37:06And unlike some houses with big entrance lobbies, it doesn't feel empty.
37:11This is so full of things to look at, not least this amazing wine wall.
37:17I've been collecting wine for about 12 years and finally got a house I can do this in.
37:21Yeah.
37:22So a full wine cellar.
37:23Somebody should hide it all in one spot.
37:25Hide it in plain sight, though.
37:26Yeah.
37:28This has really affected the critical glazed wall up here for light and visual connection.
37:34It's a great way for bringing the light all the way down into the corridor.
37:44The rest of this lower floor is generously geared up for guests, in particular family, who will be regulars here
37:51now that this place has become the new family HQ.
37:56And with Troy's bunk room complete, the Darrow clan can continue to expand.
38:06Ah, I like this.
38:08The glass all the way down to the floor, so you see the floor, but you sort of rise through
38:11it.
38:14Ah, it's so light and bright and transparent everywhere.
38:20Those windows are so effective all the way along the northern side, and so we're flooded with light, and only
38:27a tiny bit of car park, just a slither.
38:29Yeah, I don't really see the cars out there.
38:31Yeah, well, alright, so from your vantage point, Lisa, yeah, there's no car park, it's just green.
38:36Oh, it's gorgeous.
38:37We're so close to the public realm, and yet here, it feels really calm.
38:41I think you've solved the problem here.
38:45Then kitchen in the middle.
38:47Ah, now this is your Brazilian quartzite.
38:49Yep.
38:50You've got the leathered look, which is very tactile.
38:53Yeah, it is, isn't it?
38:53It feels beautiful.
38:54Yeah.
38:56So this is part of a project for you two, the interior design.
39:00So you took it on yourselves, this whole big house.
39:03Yep.
39:04We wanted the black and white crispness, then the warmth coming through of the wood, and I think it's worked
39:09really well together.
39:10It's cohesive.
39:11Yeah, I think you've done very well.
39:13Yeah, that's pretty good.
39:13I think we did well.
39:14We've done well.
39:15Yeah.
39:20There's a soothing, understated elegance to the spaces here.
39:24From the upstairs guest suite to the cosy lounge that flows effortlessly out to the large west deck.
39:36So here you've got the same cedar cladding inside.
39:39Yeah, we've brought the outside cedar in just to have the two areas blend.
39:43And when the doors are open, it just acts as one space.
39:46Yeah, very effective.
39:47I like that.
39:48It also has a little surprise.
39:50Oh, yeah.
39:51You want to see?
39:51Yeah, I'm intrigued.
39:53A surprise.
39:55Oh, a hidden door.
39:57Yes, very good.
39:58Look at that.
40:03Wow, the most cosy little bedroom here with the most amazing view.
40:08Yeah, it's a pretty nice view to wake up to in the morning.
40:10It's very, very special.
40:12Yeah, we have our little private sanctuary here away from everyone else.
40:16They can be doing their thing, and then we can just hide away and look at that view.
40:21Yeah, yeah.
40:21Just you and the view.
40:25So only a couple of steps through a big opening, and you're on a deck.
40:30Oh, what a place to be.
40:31Complete connection with the coast, the dunes, the landscape.
40:36That's really what this is all about.
40:39The complexity here is really working for me.
40:41There's a lot going on here.
40:43The curving wall, this staircase tucked away.
40:46And I love this, the over-sailing roof completely protecting us.
40:51It sort of compresses your view, which becomes very landscape in proportion,
40:56which is perfect for a stretch of water like that.
41:09I'm enjoying this, sitting on Troy's sofas in your lovely house.
41:14Beautiful view.
41:15It's pretty good, isn't it?
41:17Yeah, this is probably the first time I've actually sat down and relaxed.
41:20It's fair to say there were some challenges with this section.
41:23A few risks building next to the car park, and yet wanting a house that was a sanctuary.
41:29Do you get a sense of whether that's worked as well as you wanted it to?
41:33I think what we managed to do, which other people couldn't find a way to do,
41:36was unlock the magic of the site.
41:37The privacy that we've created within our own boundaries.
41:42Being able to pull off something pretty incredible.
41:45Fantastic.
41:53Great work by the architects, I have to say.
41:55Yeah, the architects done a great job, and we had amazing builders.
41:59Brad's been really fussy, and that's been great.
42:02Have you got a feeling from the community about what they think of this house and what you've done?
42:07The first 18 months, I think everyone wondered what the heck we were doing.
42:11The last six months, as it's come to life and got the character,
42:14people are just unanimously really, really positive, and we're getting so many good wishes now.
42:25So when we met two years ago, you'd bought the land for $4 million,
42:29and then you were going to spend $6 million to build this house.
42:33How did you go?
42:35Well, we ended up almost exactly on the number, so we've done pretty well budget-wise.
42:40And that wasn't because it hasn't cost a lot, because it has.
42:43I think we were just really realistic going into it, knowing how much it was going to cost.
42:48I have to say, this house is pretty remarkable.
42:51It's a landmark, isn't it?
42:52Looking up and down this bay, this is the house that people remember.
42:58It is. It's certainly unique.
43:01And we're just delighted the way it's turned out.
43:03There's a lot of both of us in this house.
43:05It's been a good team effort.
43:08It's been great.
43:10You made me cry.
43:20It's really pleasing to discover that Mark and Lisa's four years of hard work and home building
43:26have given them what they wanted.
43:28A beautiful home, a quiet sanctuary by the sea.
43:31But the big takeaway for me is that the public-facing issues here have been solved with a clever, confident
43:39architectural solution.
43:40It's the architecture here that have made this home somewhat of a local landmark already.
43:47And I think in time, its enduring quality will make this house iconic to Omaha.
43:56How much is that happening?
44:11What would you think about Saga's house?
44:16What do you think about Saga's house during this event?
44:17It's good for you.
44:22You don't know what happened to me.
44:23That's how I think about Saga's house until you do this.
44:24I'm ready to go to theопark, and see what happens to this place.
44:24What is it?
44:25Is that the vegetable shape- ruins?
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