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Grand Designs NZ S10E08 Rock House

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00:01New Zealand seems to be full of stunning, yet stubbornly difficult, build sites.
00:08Perhaps that's because, at least in some locations, all the easy ones have long gone.
00:16Now that doesn't stop people trying to tame the apparently untameable,
00:22all the while, of course, trying to stay on budget and on time.
00:27Perhaps what's needed on these difficult sites is to break with convention,
00:33challenge traditional construction, and build differently.
00:37Yeah, that could work.
00:39But then again, what if by trying to solve one problem, you end up creating a whole set of new
00:47ones?
00:56What if by trying to solve one problem?
01:11Drive about 90 minutes northeast of Queenstown and you enter central Otago's Mania Toto Plain.
01:17Two and a half thousand square kilometers of wide open tussock land.
01:22A few sheep and even fewer people.
01:25And that's exactly the way Hans and Susie rates like it.
01:30All just day.
01:31That's not bad.
01:32And the mighty Mania Toto.
01:34German-born Hans emigrated to New Zealand in 1998, settling in Queenstown, where he met Susie.
01:44We both got divorced in 2003 and then decided that, you know, there's no better offers around.
01:51Oh, Hans!
01:57The couple are keen cyclists and often ride with their friends throughout the Mania Toto's famous cycleways,
02:04then relax at Susie's old family home that she and Hans bought and renovated.
02:09He's your friend.
02:11Hello.
02:12Come on, Edie.
02:13My father said it's all about friends, not anything about the money.
02:18And that's what we love.
02:20And I've got Susie because I haven't got any friends.
02:22Hans doesn't have any friends.
02:24Yes, you do.
02:26People think that he's quite a gruff person, you know.
02:31He doesn't hold back with what he thinks, and I really like that about him.
02:35But honestly, he's got a heart of gold and he's really quite a softie.
02:41But much as Susie and Hans cherish their time in the Mania Toto,
02:45they both lead very busy lives as medical professionals in Queenstown.
02:52Good morning, Susie. How are you?
02:54Good. Very good.
02:56They're part of a nationwide chain of clinics, with Susie as a registered nurse
03:01concentrating on cosmetic medicine and Dr. Hans on skin cancer and varicose veins.
03:09As they're based in Queenstown, Susie and Hans bought and renovated a house in nearby Arrowtown.
03:15Although they've now sold it, they haven't quite moved out.
03:20We have been living in the garage that we converted into, like an apartment.
03:26It's so small, you can't have anyone over for dinner.
03:29You can't even have anyone in for a drink, and we're quite social people.
03:32You've got a brewery here.
03:35Hans' solution is to build again.
03:38Two houses, one for them and one to sell.
03:41Both built on the same site, high above Queenstown.
03:45Susie, though, was very sceptical.
03:49He nagged at me for two years to go and look at this site.
03:53And he said, it's really good, Susie.
03:55You know, the views.
03:55I said, no, I'm not even going to look at it.
03:57I do not want to know.
03:59It's on a piece of rock.
04:00No.
04:01And he just slowly just wears me down.
04:04And naturally, when I did go up and have a look, I went, oh, okay.
04:08Can you build a house on here?
04:09Sorry, I'm just going to have to get down for the show.
04:12So, with Susie finally on side, the couple are pushing ahead with the project.
04:17One that Hans is determined to enjoy.
04:19In fact, he's already celebrating.
04:21Thank you, thank you.
04:22Great ride.
04:23Thank you, thank you.
04:33You can never get used to just how stunningly beautiful this place is.
04:38To build a house on a hillside in Queenstown.
04:42What an opportunity.
04:45I can see a cliff, but not a section.
04:49So, how on earth can you build here?
04:51You brought me to a cul-de-sac.
04:53Yes.
04:54Yes.
04:55The section is actually over that hill here.
04:57So, we have to go over here and then come down onto the section.
05:01I noticed that cliff face on the way up.
05:03Yes.
05:04Yes.
05:04Of course.
05:06Let's go and have a look.
05:08Sure.
05:11They don't call Queenstown New Zealand's adventure capital for nothing.
05:15And that extends to construction as well.
05:19Especially up here.
05:21We're going to build the house essentially on that sort of first plateau here.
05:25And then bring the decks out the front.
05:27They're so high up you can't see the road either.
05:29So, it just keeps going.
05:30Yeah.
05:31Unfortunately, I had to convince my better half, which took me two years.
05:35But there you go.
05:35Took him two years.
05:36I had actually drawn something up for her to have a look at that it was easy to build on.
05:40And she fell for it.
05:41So, there you go.
05:42I needed to keep him occupied.
05:45What does that mean?
05:46So, I agreed to it.
05:56What does that mean?
05:58The building is built with twin back cave style subterranean garages connecting via a steel staircase and two lifts to
06:05the houses above.
06:06Four prefabricated modules built off site will be craned up and joined together forming two 80 square meter dwellings.
06:15Module one contains Hans and Susie's lounge, dining room and kitchen for relaxing and the all-important entertaining.
06:23Module two includes Hans and Susie's bedroom, bathroom and toilet, a small hallway and guest bedroom.
06:31Module four is the bedroom wing of the second house.
06:34The unit Hans and Susie will sell.
06:36Mezzanine floors for storage above both bathrooms are accessed through hatches in the small hallways.
06:42Module three is the living space of the second house with the lift from the garage opening into the kitchen.
06:50Each house has its own large deck with glass balustrades for magnificent uninterrupted views.
06:58A central masonry structure with flues for outdoor fireplaces on both decks is also where the lift stops for Hans
07:05and Susie's house.
07:07Triangular shaped windows sit high up in the house's gables to frame the surrounding views.
07:12While the gables themselves have been cut in half and turned high side out emblematic of the cliff the houses
07:18have been built on.
07:19The green roof on top of the garage and plantings around the houses complete the rocky mountain aesthetic so appropriate
07:28to this spectacular location.
07:33There's a bit of work to do here. How do you build here?
07:36So the problem that we obviously had is excess, as you have noticed.
07:40We decided to bring the garage in from one of the roads and then bring access through the garage up
07:47into the house.
07:49And because the building access was so difficult we went for a modular design so we're having the houses built
07:54off-site.
07:55And the crane is so big it has to park in the garage so we've got a bit of a
07:58sort of a puzzle how to build the garage but not build it so we can actually get the crane
08:03on site first.
08:04So it's going to be fun.
08:06Yeah, I like how you describe it as fun.
08:09It's fun for Hans.
08:11Yeah.
08:12The four modules are actually built in Cromwell and have to come through on trucks through the gorge.
08:18Well that's part of the fun.
08:19Part of the fun.
08:20And then up this road.
08:22You're moving a house through a gorge.
08:24Yeah, so the problem is...
08:25And it's fun.
08:25It's fun. I think it's fun.
08:31So how long will this take?
08:33So we're hopefully starting the off-site building process in about four weeks and then we have that process going
08:42on till about March.
08:44Six months off-site.
08:45Six months off-site.
08:46Yeah.
08:46When do you expect to be sitting in your lounge looking at the view?
08:50Probably October next year.
08:55The costs.
08:56So we're probably looking overall at around about 2.1 to get bits without the section.
09:03Your section, which cost?
09:05Well the section was 600 grand.
09:08So 2.1 million.
09:10Plus the section cost.
09:11Yep.
09:122.7 million.
09:13Two houses.
09:14Two houses.
09:15This guy's the optimist of course.
09:17Always.
09:17Do you worry about anything Hans?
09:19No.
09:19He should have been a builder or an architect in his previous life.
09:24Yeah.
09:25It's his passion.
09:26He loves it.
09:26And you're good at it.
09:28You're good at it.
09:29I'm not.
09:30So where will you be during...?
09:32On the golf course.
09:33Okay.
09:34I think it's going to be great fun.
09:36I want to be here when that happens.
09:37What could possibly go wrong?
09:38Well, it could fall off the crown.
09:40Yeah.
09:40That's one.
09:45I feel like I've been logicked here.
09:48A little bit like Susie perhaps.
09:50Brought to a stunning hillside and convinced by Hans's enthusiasm
09:54that this will be a straightforward and fun project.
09:59And to be fair, there are elements of Hans's logic that I really like.
10:03Principally, disconnecting the challenges of this site.
10:06A rock with poor access from the nuts and bolts and complexities of building a house,
10:12which will happen off-site and simultaneously.
10:15But there's logic and there's reality.
10:19And that very disconnection has meant that this project is logistically more complicated.
10:26He needs a whole bunch of moving parts and people to come together at the right time
10:31for this to work as he wants it to.
10:34Otherwise, Susie is going to be playing the world's longest game of golf.
10:5260 kilometres down the road from Queenstown is Cromwell, where the modules for Hans and Susie's house will be built
10:59on a tight 400 square metre site underneath a big awning.
11:04Sorry, now I've just been speaking to Maz.
11:06Mariano Croce, the Argentinian entrepreneur who owns the business, has a lot of experience and belief in this sort of
11:14construction.
11:16We want to build quicker, cost-efficiently and architectural design.
11:21However, the height of the modules has caused issues even before work has started, as Mariano explains to Hans.
11:30I wanted to give you an update. We removed around 200 cubic metres of dirt because we have to lower.
11:38I kind of told you that your little shade was a bit too low.
11:41Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. We had to create those rails that you can see.
11:47And then the houses, when finished, will be railed outside the shelter, lifted up with a crane to be shifted
11:56to your amazing site in Queenstown.
11:59You've got a conveyor belt. Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly, exactly.
12:06Although modular housing can be built faster and cheaper than building on site,
12:11it's usually done in a factory in a more controlled environment than outside under an awning.
12:18Roller skates.
12:19And Mariano is all too aware that when the units are connected together in Queenstown, there's no margin for error.
12:26If there's a mistake or a problem or a difference between one modular and the other, we can see it
12:32here and we can amend it here.
12:34So we need precision. It needs to be 100% perfect, basically.
12:38OK, so we're looking at pretty much a finished house outside and in.
12:45That then has to be transported by road from Cromwell, through a gorge, up a mountain and onto site.
12:55Until that day, I will be awake at night every couple of nights.
13:02Mariano and Hans both talk a good game and clearly love a challenge.
13:08There's also that word fun being bandied about, but seriously, with so much at stake, that's the last thing I'd
13:16be saying.
13:27To the new year and building Hans and Susie's house under the awning in Cromwell, instead of the actual site
13:33in Queenstown, is certainly proving its worth.
13:36So far. To you.
13:41The flooring of the four modules has already been put together and the builders have moved quickly onto framing.
13:50Nice not having a clamber up the sides of hills and a nice, clean, tidy, well organised way of doing
13:56it.
13:58The interesting day will be when we roll it on out here and try and get it to Queenstown.
14:03That might be pushing boundaries. We'll see.
14:05Project manager Mariano knows Hans has built before and is used to being closely involved in everything.
14:12He's also someone who expects a lot from everyone.
14:16Come on, Molly.
14:18Hop. Hop.
14:21Honestly.
14:22He's like...
14:25Building four separate modules was the only way of transporting them to site, and therefore being able to capitalise on
14:33the advantages of prefabrication.
14:35But while the units are the maximum weight and height permitted for the move, the house is still reasonably small.
14:43And it's two houses, really. One for Hans and Susie, and one to be sold.
14:49I was a bit concerned that when I walked around the first time it's going to be smaller than I
14:53was hoping for, but no, it's fine.
14:55It's actually the right size. So, it's cool. I like it.
14:59You like it?
15:00Yeah. Yeah.
15:02Hans and Susie are joining a growing trend in New Zealand towards prefabricated, modular housing, with about 10% of
15:09new builds now constructed this way.
15:12And because these homes are generally smaller, every square millimetre must be put to its best use.
15:19And the key is good design.
15:24So, I'm keen to see that in practice by visiting one of the country's most acclaimed small modular houses.
15:33I'm looking out for the signs that this is a modular house. And there are some, but the overall feeling
15:41is that this is a lovely small piece of great architecture, that delicate overselling roof, articulated details. Beautiful.
15:50The house, called First Light, was designed by four architectural students at Victoria University in Wellington.
15:58Just like Hans and Susie's, it was built off site, then trucked to Wellington Waterfront, put together and put on
16:06show.
16:06It was then taken apart, shipped to America, where it finished third in a global competition for solar powered houses.
16:14Finally, first light settled here in Waimarama.
16:20Almost like a bird spreading its wings.
16:23And everywhere, signs of really thoughtful details.
16:30And actually, this is kind of celebrating the fact that the house has been bolted together.
16:34You can see how this thing connects to its substructure, not just onto simple piles.
16:43This thing can be picked up and taken away.
16:47But maybe its travelling days are over.
16:50It's been here for 15 years now.
16:53A much loved beach house belonging to Michelle Kitto and her family.
16:58This is clever. So you've got seating and a bed and storage.
17:02That bed that you're just sitting down on comes out to form a double.
17:06Right. Because it's modular, because it's compact, everything's being considered together and built as one machine for living.
17:14Yeah, and I guess all designed at the same time rather than added on to.
17:19And we haven't changed a thing.
17:23Surely that's a glowing endorsement of good design right there.
17:27And even in such a small space, there's still plenty more to appreciate.
17:33Compact house, there's quite a few different zones going on.
17:36A bedroom here. Yeah.
17:38Hiding behind some furniture.
17:40So this came with the house?
17:42Yes, that's original.
17:43Oh, and there's a little office.
17:45So, work from home.
17:47Yeah, I don't know if I'd manage it though, with a view like that.
17:50Yeah, I would too.
17:56People might think that a modular house might be a cheaper alternative to a real house.
18:01Yeah.
18:02But that's not what this is.
18:04No, it has a solidness about it that you wouldn't expect to get.
18:07Although it's a smaller place, it's been really well crafted.
18:11There's not a huge amount of room to play with, so you've got to get it right.
18:15Yes, it's very efficiently planned.
18:18Yeah, it's hard to imagine that it actually is just one room.
18:21Well, true, it is. Yeah, it is one room.
18:24Yeah, everything's incorporated and everything's here that we would want or need.
18:36There are a couple of things that have really struck me about this house that Hans and Susie will want
18:42to get right with theirs.
18:43And the first is that there's a real sense of permanence about this place.
18:48It feels like it's always been here.
18:51How do you guarantee that your home will feel like that when it's arrived on the back of a lorry?
18:59And the second thing is this sense of cohesion.
19:03This feels like a hole rather than a patchwork of parts being put together.
19:16On to April, six months into the build now, and Mariano's team is about to start the exterior cladding for
19:22the four modules.
19:26The weather's been terrible recently, but no problem under the awning.
19:31No time is lost at all. In fact, the build's going so fast, Susie's had to rush to make her
19:38first site visit with Mariano before it's all done.
19:41We have main bathroom here.
19:45Right. Well, it's not big, is it?
19:47And the toilet.
19:49It's not massive. It's not massive.
19:52But it's okay. It's a small house.
19:55Thankfully, Susie isn't measuring success in square metres.
19:59Her markers are light, warmth, comfort and the view.
20:04I can see myself in my neat kitchen and just having, you know, lots of family, friends around, sitting with
20:12a nice glass Chardonnay, looking out at the view.
20:15Oh, it's just going to be, no, I'm super excited about it. Really am. Yeah.
20:20But lurking alongside the excitement is the uncomfortable reality that this house is still a long way from home.
20:31Craning them onto this piece of rock, I just think, I do not want to be around.
20:37I think I'll be beside myself.
20:39And the bill at the end, of course.
20:42I do not want to know.
20:43That was the deal. I do not want to know.
20:59A misty midwinter morning in central Otago and plenty going on under the awning at Cromwell.
21:07Joining the builders today, a roofing gang is working on the four units for Hans and Susie's house.
21:13Modules that will be relocated once they're finished.
21:17You need to be dropped on site and then we've got the next block coming hard against.
21:21And then you've got the next block coming and then the fourth one.
21:25So it's, there's a lot of things could go wrong.
21:31Of course, that's something Mariano knows all too well.
21:34Even so, he's making sure everything inside the modules is as complete as possible before being shifted to site.
21:42The wall and floor finishes, the fixtures, even the appliances.
21:47We have some cabinetry here.
21:49We have the integrated fridge already installed.
21:54But while it's great to see the modules being built and fitted out, they're also steadily becoming more valuable with
22:01expensive interiors that could be damaged on the big move to Queenstown.
22:07We are hoping that it's going to be okay. We don't know until we get there.
22:20On site itself, it's very slow going, getting the build out of the ground.
22:27Before the foundations can be formed, top soil and rock has to be removed.
22:31Literally hundreds of truckloads so far.
22:35It's also not helping that the rock here is variable in quality.
22:41One side of it is softer than the other.
22:48We have to put the hydraulic breaker on the digger and smash it out.
22:53But that's just part of the job. Rock, if it's easy, everyone do it.
22:59Constructing the modules off-site has allowed building to start before the foundations have been finished.
23:04But while that's a neat reversal of the usual process, it hasn't quite worked out as well as Hans hoped.
23:12The idea is to only have to go for half a metre or a metre into the rock to get
23:15good anchoring.
23:18But now we probably have to extend the pillars further out of the ground than we thought.
23:23It will take potentially more time and more concrete and more reinforcing steel than what we originally expected.
23:30So, more materials, more time, more money, big bucks that stop with Hans and Susie who, up until now, have
23:39financed the build themselves.
23:41In large part, that's because banks generally won't loan against homes being built off-site.
23:47If you build a building somewhere else, you can't borrow on it until the building is secure on-site.
23:53Because the banks can't or won't take security over that building, so they won't give you any money for that
23:58building, even if it's finished.
24:00And this is a problem that you've discovered on the way?
24:04I kind of knew that was going to be a problem, but I'd just ignore that and I would deal
24:07with it when it comes to it, which is exactly what happens.
24:10You just put your fingers in your ears to the problems, get on with exciting stuff.
24:15Yeah, I get on with exciting stuff.
24:17You find out a lot of stuff in the building process, which is kind of the whole fun of it,
24:21isn't it?
24:22Is it?
24:22Well, if you wouldn't know what you're going to do all the time, life's boring, isn't it?
24:27So, it's fun to deal with stuff that goes wrong.
24:35By August, though, just a month later, the lack of suitable hard rock for the foundations has proved such an
24:42issue at the front of the site, it's forced a significant design change.
24:48We have nothing to support the garage roof, and I don't want to put any walls in because I quite
24:53like the rock faces.
24:54So, we've basically done away with the garage. So, we've got a stand-alone staircase with bridges now.
24:59So, it'll look pretty cool. It's not a garage, but it's cool. So, there you go. So, that's a couple
25:05hundred grand saved.
25:08Where the garaging wants to go, there'll be two off-road parking spaces instead, plus the staircase and the two
25:15lifts up to the houses.
25:17For Susie, the changes are a win-win.
25:20I actually like the design better, because I think it really highlights the rock, sort of showcases it a little
25:27bit better, and anything that saves money is fine by me.
25:31Hans and Susie have also come up with a plan to get a bank loan earlier than they thought possible.
25:39We decided to split the build, and we're bringing one half of the house over, so one of the two
25:44units over earlier.
25:45We just have to put the floor in. That's the only thing that isn't finished.
25:49Having two modules on site will mean half the house can be valued and a mortgage drawn down.
25:56We would have been probably two, three hundred over, if we didn't do the few changes on the garage side.
26:02We're probably still about a hundred, 150 over, but I can live with that.
26:06All they need to do now is finish the modules and truck them through a gorge, up a mountain, and
26:12onto a cliff.
26:19October already, and after months of construction in Mariano's Cromwell yard, the two rear bedroom and bathroom modules are ready
26:27to go on site tomorrow.
26:30We are pushing the boundaries, because every project is different, but this one has all the difficulties that a project
26:37can have.
26:38The team uses a digger to pull the first unit along steel rails out from underneath the awning.
26:49Hydraulic jacks lift the first module up, so the truck can get underneath.
26:57Mariano watches intently.
27:00He's concerned the cladding or the floor could be damaged.
27:05Hopefully the ground is solid enough.
27:09Sometimes we put blocking under the platforms.
27:12With each module weighing about 13 tons and almost fully fitted out inside,
27:18there's a lot of money on the line and a heavy weight on Mariano's shoulders.
27:25By his own admission, this is his most ambitious project to date.
27:31One with a very fine line between success and failure.
27:39And the first test of which way it goes is about to take place.
27:46Tomorrow, we need all the brains together, because it's going to be hard.
28:00At Mariano's yard in Cromwell, it's fine and clear for the exacting next stage in this prefabricated build.
28:08The long awaited move to Queenstown.
28:11We are trying to put two modules together today by the end of the day.
28:16We know that it's tricky.
28:18We have no margin of error.
28:20Zero.
28:22Hans and Susie plan to swing by the yard for the first module leaving.
28:26But there's no sign of them.
28:28And no time to wait around.
28:34It's a 60-kilometre trip from Cromwell to Queenstown and plenty of potential peril along the way for this valuable
28:42payload.
28:45The steep and narrow Carwero Gorge is particularly demanding with its twists and turns and often heavy traffic.
28:58Power lines are another big concern.
29:04The module will fit underneath, but only just.
29:13It's a long, slow, careful journey before the module arrives at its lofty location above Queenstown.
29:23The first move couldn't have gone any better, unlike Hans and Susie's trip to get here.
29:31It started all well.
29:33Walk up at the petrol station, walk around, tip my number into the machine, turn around and my car's on
29:40fire.
29:40How is that?
29:41I just leapt out, grabbed the dog and then all hell broke loose.
29:46I did think that moving the house was pretty nerve-wracking, but actually the truck going on fire was pretty
29:55major, to be honest.
29:58With their nerves understandably a bit shredded, the last thing the couple probably need is seeing part of their multi
30:05-million dollar home dangling in mid-air.
30:11It's a lot of money on a crane.
30:16At 13 tons, the module is well under the weight limit for the crane.
30:20Even so, it's a tricky operation.
30:26Jeepers!
30:28I think it's a bit dangerous.
30:33The module has to be perfectly aligned in position on its foundations before being released by the crane.
30:47Look at that!
30:49That's what the doctor ordered.
30:51With the first module safely on site, Mariano wants the truck back in Cromwell loading up the second one.
30:57The truck driver, though, has other ideas.
31:00You don't want to do the second today?
31:02Well, how am I going to get down and load that and get back before all the traffic's going that
31:06way?
31:07That's not going to happen.
31:08No? No, you don't like it?
31:09Everyone from Queenstown is going to go home.
31:11Yeah.
31:12And we've got too much traffic.
31:14Okay.
31:15Susie, however, is looking on the bright side.
31:21They survived the petrol station fire unscathed and the first module is safe and sound where it belongs.
31:28Perfect!
31:29Cheers!
31:32Here's to the next three coming safely.
31:42A few days later, with two modules on site, I make it back to Cromwell to catch up with Mariano.
31:51The most important part of the puzzle is still undone.
31:56It's going to be a little bit more harder to connect the four pieces in once.
32:01We need to be honest.
32:03You're always a confident man, Mariano, but, you know, there were a few new things going on, a few untested
32:09procedures.
32:10We will see when we put all together how it performs.
32:13Because we haven't seen all together connected yet.
32:17Ever.
32:18Ever.
32:18Yeah, it doesn't compute for me.
32:20You...
32:21I'm used to a sequence.
32:23And this throws everything up in the air.
32:26This is outside the mall.
32:27We have painters, we have people doing finishes at the same time that we have rock breakers, concrete, steel.
32:35So, there's a big mess, but...
32:38But a beautiful mess.
32:39Yeah, it's a beautiful mess.
32:50A few weeks later, and the last two modules have been trucked up to Queenstown overnight.
32:57Great weather for ducks, that's for sure.
33:00Never mind.
33:02It is what it is.
33:04Nothing we can do about it.
33:05Ducks aside, the bigger issue is the wind.
33:08If it gets any stronger, it won't be safe for the crane to operate.
33:13This is the most important and critical day of the past two years.
33:19And these conditions are extreme.
33:22I'm quite anxious.
33:26Mariano knows the team has to be doubly careful and focused in these treacherous conditions.
33:37After months of meticulous planning and the nerve-wracking transportation to site,
33:43it all comes down to this.
33:45The most precise and delicate operation of all.
33:49A multi-ton module swings in the air just millimetres from the one already in position.
33:57One extra strong gust of wind could mean serious damage.
34:01and weeks of delay.
34:05Almost there.
34:09Yep, that's good.
34:12Nicely done boys, nicely done.
34:17Once both modules are in place, the next step in Mariano's puzzle
34:21is to connect everything together seamlessly, as he's always said.
34:26For now though, the team should take today's win
34:30and accept Hans and Susie's heartfelt thanks for a job well done.
34:35It's actually fantastic.
34:37But, yeah, I need to get away a little bit and have a look from down from the valley.
34:43And what about the man of the moment?
35:03I'm genuinely excited about this project, a clever solution to building on a difficult site,
35:09four pieces constructed 60 kilometres away and brought together.
35:13And they did come together successfully.
35:16But the making of a home, well, takes a bit more than that, doesn't it?
35:20Will these houses feel like they've been stitched together?
35:24Will they feel like they've been imposed on the landscape?
35:27Will this feel like an awkward arranged marriage?
35:30Or will it be a true love match?
35:43Goodness, look at that.
35:45That's so far removed from prefabricated boxes.
35:48Amazing roof line, that sawtooth roof and...
35:52Goodness, what street presence.
36:00Look at this, we arrive right underneath the house.
36:03And that's sometimes a problem.
36:04You see all the inner workings of a house.
36:06But here, it's been considered.
36:08It's really dramatic, strong, canted steel structures.
36:12And I love those concrete blocks.
36:15They're kind of rough and machined like the rock around us.
36:18Amazing.
36:19How do I get in?
36:19Ah, a cylindrical lift.
36:23That's cool.
36:42Hello.
36:44That's fantastic.
36:46Hi, Tom.
36:47How are you?
36:47Come on, see you again.
36:48You too, Susie.
36:49Good to see you.
36:50Yeah.
36:51Good to see you.
36:52Now that is an amazing way to arrive at a house.
36:54It's like being in one of those vacuum tubes at an old bank.
36:58You've been sucked up.
36:59Sucked up, yeah.
37:01It's very cool.
37:01And what a place to arrive.
37:02It's so cool.
37:03Right up here above the lake, your house here looking fabulous.
37:08It's like being in a movie.
37:09It's pretty special.
37:11Now the last time I was in this house, it was underneath a tarpaulin in Cromwell.
37:16So this I'm really looking forward to.
37:19Come in.
37:19Yeah.
37:27Straight away, triangular windows and little views of the cliff and the hillside behind.
37:32And then that view is stunning.
37:35Yes.
37:36Not too bad.
37:37And the other thing I'm enjoying at the moment is the fact that the view is sort of sliced
37:41up, isn't it?
37:41You've got one, two, three, four, five or six, seven different views.
37:45Some triangular.
37:46Yeah.
37:47Even the very 60s inspired fireplace levitating there.
37:51Yeah.
37:51I always wanted one of these ones.
37:52And I tried to get it into my design language and have it painted in burnt orange.
37:58No way.
38:00You're not going to get that past quality control.
38:03Quality control, taste control, is it?
38:07Yeah.
38:07So these six Marilyn Monroe's, are they're not Susie's then?
38:11No, they're not.
38:12I inherited those when I inherited halves.
38:15It came as a package.
38:16It came as a package.
38:17I bought them as a medical student.
38:18And then my whole money went on to these ones.
38:27Another thing that's catching my eye is this beautiful copper wall.
38:30Mm.
38:32And this is also beautiful.
38:34I was a wee bit anti this table.
38:37I just felt there might be a little bit too much wood that's growing on me.
38:42And another material that has huge presence is the cliff face just behind us.
38:49Beautiful, dramatic.
38:51Straight through to the main bedroom where the high ceiling gives a fairly small space,
38:56much appreciated breathing room.
38:59The large internal window though, what's that about?
39:04Very little privacy.
39:06So this, is this some kind of smart glass?
39:08Who's going to log in?
39:10There is a blind that comes down.
39:12Right.
39:13Okay.
39:13It's just not there yet.
39:15So because it's just you two.
39:16Exactly.
39:17You're just enjoying the freedom.
39:18We didn't need it.
39:19And it's absolutely magic lying in bed and looking out there.
39:22It really is.
39:25And there's even like a timber ladder.
39:27Now that must be the access to the mezzanine.
39:31It's for our grandies.
39:32Oh yeah.
39:33They're going to love the ladder.
39:35Now this must be the ultimate kid's den.
39:39That's for little people out there.
39:41Not for big people.
39:43I think I might just stay.
39:50In the rest of the house, the bathroom has a black and brass theme.
39:55There's a tower shower in a well of natural light.
39:58And the guest bedroom, calm and quietly composed.
40:05Across the front deck, and past where the two outdoor fireplaces will eventually sit, is the second house.
40:12A mirror image of Hans and Susie's.
40:15Ah, so this is a touch of deja vu.
40:17Spot the difference.
40:19Oh, there are a few.
40:20So the lift arrives in the house this time.
40:23Yes.
40:24And that's why the layout is just slightly different inside here.
40:28But I think it has worked out quite well.
40:30I'm quite like it.
40:33Have you chosen the right house is the question.
40:35No, I think we're really happy with our decision.
40:38You could perhaps try this for a couple of months.
40:40We could.
40:41We could.
40:42Yeah.
40:43Will we?
40:43No.
40:56Hans, this was going to be a fun project.
40:59Susie, perhaps you've been persuaded into this whole thing.
41:03But now you're here, how do you feel about the houses?
41:06Blown away.
41:07Absolutely blown away, actually.
41:11Yeah, all credit to Hans, to Mariano, to Mitchell, the architect.
41:16This is just absolutely unbelievable.
41:23Did you make the right choice with how you built it?
41:26Yeah, I think the choice to go for a design that was built elsewhere and pulled on side was correct.
41:32The design was a huge stretch for Mariano.
41:35It was a very hard build and he stuck with it and he made it happen.
41:40He's a superhero.
41:42He's had to put up with Hans every five minutes.
41:50I did make a slight mistake maybe with how much I thought was the work that had to get into
41:56the site.
41:57But because we have done what we've done with it, it's brought out the assets of the site.
42:16The cost of the project.
42:18I have no idea.
42:20I do not want to know.
42:21That was the whole thing.
42:22Do you need to leave the room?
42:24Potentially.
42:25So here we go.
42:27Overall build was well north of three million.
42:33How far north?
42:36Three five.
42:37Right.
42:39We probably overspend close to a million bucks.
42:42Based on?
42:44The houses came in on the money that I agreed on with Mariano.
42:47No problem on that one.
42:49The million is all in the site.
42:51I'm now looking at Susie.
42:53So you know now.
42:55What were you expecting?
42:56Were you expecting anything?
42:58Oh, I've been with Hans for far too many years.
43:02Not to get a shock.
43:03I know what he's like.
43:05It will work out.
43:07Okay.
43:07I'll leave you two with that.
43:09But I have to say this is such an interesting, bold, dynamic house.
43:12I think I'm going to go and stand across the road and just look at it for the next half
43:16hour.
43:17It's a great place.
43:19Unfortunately, I think this is my last house that I've built.
43:22It is your last house.
43:23Definitely your last house.
43:24Sorry.
43:29What a villain sight turned out to be.
43:32Much more so than anybody anticipated.
43:34And that makes the certainty provided by the modular part of this equation all the more poignant.
43:41Built to a fixed price over a short time frame and completely detached from the chaos of sight.
43:47A great success story then.
43:50All the more satisfied because these houses are dynamic, unique, striking and empowered by our villain.
43:58Sight is now all about views, elevation and the striking visual presence of these incredible excavated rock faces.
44:09As it is, we are ready to go, he's going.
44:13You are ready to go there.
44:17It is, we are ready to go.
44:20This is it.
44:33TheÙ‚ is into the ether.
44:35We are ready to go.
44:36This is the main for the main purpose.
44:37A real difference, the good man.
44:37The main partner will be taken over the main purpose of the main purpose of this.
44:37The main player of the wall we are now two hundred and the bookstore.
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