YOU'VE HEARD THE STORY OF THE THREE LITTLE PIGS? WELL, IN THAT STORY, BUILDING A HOUSE OUT OF STRAW DIDN'T WORK OUT SO WELL. HERE IN OTAGO, ONE COUPLE ARE PUTTING EVERYTHING THEY HAVE INTO BUILDING A STRAW HOME THEY HOPE WILL LAST FOREVER. BUT WITH BESPOKE BUILDS, THERE'S ALWAYS A BIG BAD WOLF. ETHEREAL MUSIC CAPTIONS BY SHELLEY UPCHURCH AND DESNEY SHAW. WWW.ABLE.CO.NZ CAPTIONS WERE MADE POSSIBLE WITH FUNDING FROM NZ ON AIR. COPYRIGHT ABLE 2015 BRING YOUR GRAND PLAN INTO LIFE WITH ANZ ` PROUD SPONSOR OF GRAND DESIGNS NZ. RELAXED MUSIC MIKE HODGES HAS LIVED IN DUNEDIN FOR 40 YEARS AND HAS THREE DAUGHTERS. HIS PARTNER OF NINE YEARS, CATHERINE MANN, AND HER FOUR CHILDREN, HAVE BEEN LIVING ACROSS TOWN IN ANOTHER HOUSE. BUT NOW THEIR MUTUAL NESTS ARE EMPTY, AND THEY'RE ABOUT TO FINALLY LIVE TOGETHER. THEY'RE GIVING UP THEIR DAY JOBS AND COMFORTABLE LIVES IN THE SUBURBS TO BUILD A UNIQUE HOME IN THE COUNTRY. FOR THE LAST EIGHT YEARS WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO ESCAPE OUR SHACKLES AND CHILDREN AND HOUSES AND JOBS AND ALL THAT THINGS. THIS IS GOING TO BE OUR FIRST HOME TOGETHER THAT WE SHARE, AND WE'RE REALLY HOPING, YOU KNOW, WITH A BLENDED FAMILY, THAT THIS WILL BE A PLACE WHERE MIKE'S GIRLS AND MY GUYS CAN ALL COME AND FEEL THAT IT'S THEIR HOME AS WELL ` A PLACE WHERE WE CAN GROW GRANDCHILDREN, HOPEFULLY, AND EVERYONE WILL BE HAPPY. THEIR DESTINATION IS CENTRAL OTAGO. EIGHT YEARS AGO THEY SPENT $325,000 ON A 9HA SITE IN LUGGATE, WHERE THEY PLAN TO HANDCRAFT THEIR FIRST SHARED HOME ` ALL BY THEMSELVES. HOW'D YOU GUS COME ACROSS THIS SITE? WE CAME AND EXPLORED AROUND THE HILLS HERE, JUST FELL IN LOVE WITH THE VIEWS AND THE MOUNTAIN SCENERY. AND THEN WE CAME WALKING AWAY THROUGH HERE AND DISCOVERED THIS BIG OUTCROP OF ROCKS HERE, WHICH WE FELL IN LOVE WITH. SOME WOULD SAY THAT IT'S 25HA OF GORGEOUS NATIVE BUSH NEAR WANAKA. OR YOU COULD SAY THAT IT'S 25HA OF RABBIT-INFESTED SCRUB NEAR LUGGATE, SO... (LAUGHS) YOU'VE HAD THIS LAND FOR EIGHT YEARS NOW, SO YOU'VE HAD THE TIME TO HAVE A GOOD THINK ABOUT IT AND WHAT TO DO WITH IT. WE'VE GOT EXTREME CLIMATE, SO EXTREME HEAT, EXTREME COLD, AND YOU WANT A HOUSE THAT'S ABLE TO CARRY THROUGH THOSE. WE DID A WEEK-LONG COURSE TOGETHER ON STRAW BALE AND JUST WERE BLOWN AWAY BY ALL THE ELEMENTS THAT IT PROVIDES. UP UNTIL THEN WE WERE GOING TO BUILD A MORE CONSERVATIVE, CLASSIC DESIGN, AND MIKE CAME AWAY FROM THE COURSE AND SAID TO ME,'DO YOU MIND IF I JUST GO CRAZY CREATIVE?' AND I SAYS, 'GO FOR IT.' AND HE JUST CAME UP WITH A MOST AMAZING DESIGN. WHAT MIKE HAS DREAMED UP IS FAR FROM CONSERVATIVE. HE AND CATHY WANT TO BUILD A HUGE 350M2 HOME FEATURING CURVED WALLS AND INSULATED WITH HUNDREDS OF STRAW BALES. THE HEART OF THE HOUSE WILL BE A DOUBLE HEIGHT CURVED LIVING AREA WITH A MEZZANINE FLOOR OPENING ON TO A BALCONY. INSIDE THE LIVING ROOM, A SPIRAL STAIRCASE WITH A HANDCRAFTED KANUKA BALUSTRADE WILL CONNECT THE TWO LEVELS, WHICH WILL OFFER BIRDS-EYE VIEWS OF THE VALLEY AND THE MOUNTAINS. MIKE AND CATHY HOPE TO ACHIEVE A NZ FIRST BY PUTTING STRAW BALES IN THEIR UNUSUAL FLYOVER STEEL ROOFS, WHICH WILL RESEMBLE GIANT SHADE SAILS STRETCHED OVER THE HOUSE. THE WALLS WILL BE CLAD INSIDE AND OUT IN PLY AND SEALED WITH EARTH COB AND LIME RENDERS. A SOFT, CURVACEOUS HOME ON A ROCKY OUTCROP, AND AN AMBITIOUS EXPERIMENT FOR MIKE AND CATHY. WAS THIS INSPIRED BY THE FORMS IN THE LAND? YOU'VE GOT THE CURVES WHICH REALLY ARE A FEATURE OF THIS PARTICULAR LANDSCAPE. WE TRY TO EMULATE ASPECTS OF THE CURVES INTO THE DESIGN. HOW LONG WILL THE BUILD TAKE? HOPING TO BE DONE IN A YEAR. WE WANT TO BE WARM BY NEXT WINTER. I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT. SO AM I! (LAUGHS) MIKE AND CATHY RUN A SOFTWARE DESIGN BUSINESS TOGETHER, BUT THEY'RE BOTH TAKING A YEAR OFF WORK TO BUILD THEIR NEW HOUSE. THEIR BUDGET OF $300,000 INCLUDES THEIR OWN WAGES. IT'S TIGHT, SO TO SAVE MONEY, CATHY AND MIKE AND THEIR FUR-BABY, MAC, ARE LIVING TOGETHER FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A BUS ON SITE. SO EXCITING. THEY'RE DETERMINED TO SAVE MONEY WHERE THEY CAN, SO CATHY HAS BEEN SEARCHING THE INTERNET FOR TOOLS. WOW. IT'S LIKE CHRISTMAS, ISN'T IT? WHAT IS ALL THIS, CATHY? IT'S MY BARGAIN BUY OF THE CENTURY, REALLY. I GOT A GOOD DEAL OFF THE INTERNET. BOB FROM BLENHEIM ` HE'S RETIRING AT 80-SOMETHING YEARS OLD, AND FOR 65 YEARS HE'S BEEN GATHERING UP JOINERY AND WOODWORKING MACHINERY, AND HE WAS SELLING THE WHOLE LOT TOGETHER. IT'S AN UNBELIEVABLE COLLECTION. WHAT CATHY'S NOT TELLING YOU IS THAT SHE WAS ONE OF THE FIRST WOMEN JOINERS IN THE COUNTRY, AND OBVIOUSLY THAT'S A BIT UNUSUAL TO HAVE A WOMAN JOINER, EVEN TODAY. IT'S NOT EVERY DAY YOU COME ACROSS SOMEBODY WHO CAN DO THEIR OWN JOINERY. I'M A BIT RUSTY. IT'S BEEN ABOUT SEVEN YEARS SINCE I WAS ON THE TOOLS, SO` BUT, UH, SO EXCITED. YES. YES, I AM. SAVING $100,000, AND THAT'S JUST THE DOORS AND WINDOWS. THAT'S A LOT OF HEAVY WORK. ALSO I HAD MAJOR BACK SURGERY THREE MONTHS AGO, SO... OH BOY. YEAH. IT'S A BIT FRUSTRATING, COS I JUST WANT TO GET IN THERE AND HELP TAKE MY OWN TOOLS OFF, BUT I CAN'T. I'M NOT ALLOWED TO LIFT ANYTHING YET. SO YOU'RE NOT LIFTING? NO. SO MIKE, WE BETTER PITCH IN HELP TAKE SOME OF THIS` I CAN TAKE SOME SMALL STUFF. OK. CATHY AND MIKE ARE SAVING A HUGE AMOUNT OF MONEY BY CATHY DOING THE JOINERY HERSELF. THERE'S A LOT RIDING ON HER GETTING BACK UP TO SPEED WITH HER JOINERY SKILLS AND RECOVERING FROM BACK SURGERY QUICKLY. BE CAREFUL OF MY PRECIOUS! (LAUGHS) TWO MONTHS LATER, CATHY'S RECOVERY HAS MEANT A SLOW START TO THE BUILD. BUT TODAY SHE'S ON THE TOOLS, HELPING MIKE EXCAVATE WHAT'S PROVING TO BE A CHALLENGING SITE. THIS IS PROBABLY THE MOST DIFFICULT PART OF THE PROJECT, I ENVISAGE, BECAUSE YOU'RE DEALING WITH A LOT OF HARD ROCK. WE'VE GOT ANYTHING FROM LITTLE PEA GRAVEL IN PLACES TO BIG SOLID ROCK IN OTHER PLACES AND THEN BIG BOULDERS. SO WE'VE GOT TO BE ABLE TO EVEN ALL THAT OUT AND DRILL INTO THE GROUND AND DRIVE METAL PEGS IN AND GET FOUNDATIONS DOWN THROUGH ALL THAT, SO IT IS DIFFICULT. IT'S CERTAINLY NOT STRAIGHTFORWARD LIKE YOU WOULD SEE IN MOST SUBDIVISIONS THAT YOU COME ACROSS. I'M JUST PUTTING IN SOME LITTLE DAMS SO THAT WHEN THE CONCRETE COMES IN FOR THE FOOTINGS IT DOESN'T ALL JUST RACE AROUND HERE. SAVING MONEY. IT'S BEEN FIVE MONTHS SINCE I'VE HAD MY BACK SURGERY, AND IT'S` I'M DOING MORE AND MORE EVERY DAY. LIKE, WHEN WE STARTED DOWN THIS TRACK OF BUILDING, I COULDN'T EVEN PUT MY GUMBOOTS ON. SO, STRUGGLING A LITTLE BIT WITH IT, ESPECIALLY BENDING DOWN INTO THE FOOTINGS. THAT'S` IT'S NOT HEAVY WORK, BUT IT'S BACK-BREAKING, OR IT FEELS IT. I FEEL IT IS HOLDING ME BACK QUITE A LOT, AND THAT` I FIND THAT REALLY FRUSTRATING, COS I WANT TO GET IN AND DO BIG LONG DAYS AND HELP MIKE OUT MORE THAN WHAT I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO. THE CONSTRUCTION WORK WILL BE DONE BY CATHY AND MIKE ALONE, BUT THEIR KIDS WILL LEND A HAND WHEN THEY CAN. TODAY, CATHY'S SON BEDE AND APPRENTICE ELECTRICIAN, HAS VOLUNTEERED TO DO SOME HEAVY ROCK-LIFTING. YOU KNOW, EVERYONE WANTS TO BE INVOLVED IN THE BUILD, COS WE'VE HAD THIS SECTION SINCE WE'VE BEEN A KID, ABOUT TEN YEARS, ALMOST, SO QUITE EXCITING TO SEE IT ALL COME INTO SHOW NOW. AT FIRST I WAS A BIT SCEPTICAL ABOUT IT, YOU KNOW, STRAW BALE AND ALL THAT. I THOUGHT IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A BIT OUT OF THE ORDINARY, BUT AFTER LOOKING INTO THE PLANS AND READING A BIT ABOUT IT ` CHEAP WAY TO BUILD, AND IF YOU DO IT RIGHT, IT CAN TURN OUT QUITE GOOD. SO, NAH, SHOULD BE A GOOD FINISH, I HOPE. STRAW BALE BUILDING IS REGARDED AS A BIT HIPPY-ALTERNATIVE THESE DAYS. BUT 150 YEARS AGO, IT WAS PRETTY MUCH THE NORM AROUND HERE. IN CENTRAL OTAGO, MANY EARLY SETTLERS' COTTAGES, LIKE THIS ONE, WERE MADE OF COB ` A MIX OF STRAW AND CLAY. STRAW HAS ALWAYS BEEN ABUNDANT HERE, UNTIL NOW. STRANGELY, MIKE AND CATHY CAN'T SEEM TO FIND IT. UH, YEAH, FINDING STRAW BALES HAS PROVED TO BE A BIT OF AN ISSUE, BECAUSE THE DAIRY FARMERS BUY A LOT OF IT NOW FOR FEEDING TO THEIR COWS, AND THERE'S ALSO NOT A LOT OF THE SMALL SQUARE BALES THAT ARE BEING PRODUCED, SO WE'VE ACTUALLY BEEN REALLY STRUGGLING TO FIND THEM. THE DIFFICULTY WE'VE GOT, MORE THAN ANY OTHER STRAW BALE HOUSE THAT WOULD NORMALLY GET BUILT, IS THAT WE'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO BE PUTTING STRAW BALES INTO THE ROOF, AND THAT MEANS THAT WE'RE HAVING A THOUSAND SQUARE STRAW BALES, COMPARED TO A NORMAL HOUSE OF ABOUT 300. CATHY AND MIKE HAVE SPENT EIGHT YEARS PLANNING THIS HOUSE, BUT NEVER DREAMED THERE WOULD BE A STRAW SHORTAGE IN OTAGO. CATHY AND MIKE ARE DETERMINED TO SAVE MONEY BY BUILDING AS MUCH OF THEIR MASSIVE STRAW BALE HOUSE AS THEY CAN. CATHY'S NEVER BUILT A HOUSE BEFORE, BUT MIKE'S AN AMATEUR BUILDER WHO'S BUILT THREE, SO HE'S CONFIDENT OF WORKING ORGANICALLY. TODAY THE FOUNDATIONS FOR THE HOUSE ARE DUE TO BE POURED, BUT MIKE AND CATHY ARE RUNNING A WEE BIT BEHIND SCHEDULE. WE'RE RUNNING BEHIND BECAUSE WE'VE BASICALLY CHANGED THE WAY WE'VE DECIDED TO DO THE FOUNDATIONS, BECAUSE THE GROUND'S A COMBINATION OF VERY HARD ROCK AND GRAVEL STONE, IT MADE IT VERY DIFFICULT TO CUT OUT TRENCHES AND GETTING YOUR LEVELS AND STUFF, SO WE'VE OPTED FOR BOXING, WHICH IS TAKING A LOT LONGER AND IS MORE INTENSE. CURVED BOXING DOES TAKE A WHILE. THE BOXING IS GOING TO BE THE BIT THAT WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL WITH TODAY, COS WE'VE GOT VERY HIGH WALLS AND THERE'S A LOT OF PRESSURE BUILDS UP WITH THE AMOUNT OF WEIGHT THAT GETS PUT INTO THE BOXING. YEAH, SO IT'S 12.55, CONCRETE TRUCK'S COMING AT 1 O'CLOCK, AND WE'RE JUST UNDER A WEE BIT OF PRESSURE TO FINISH. WE THOUGHT WE HAD PLENTY OF TIME, BUT AS ALWAYS, YOU OVERESTIMATE... (LAUGHS) WHAT THERE IS TO DO. EVEN AS THE CONCRETE TRUCK BACKS IN TO POUR THE FOUNDATIONS, CATHY AND MIKE ARE FRANTICALLY RUSHING TO TRY AND FINISH HAMMERING IN THEIR BOXING. YES, THIS IS THE MOMENT OF TRUTH. IT'S QUITE HIGH, AND THERE'S SO MUCH PRESSURE WITH THE CONCRETE, SO WE'RE HOPING THAT IT DOESN'T BREAK OPEN AND THE BOXING WILL FAIL AND CONCRETE WILL BE EVERYWHERE. WE'LL BURY OUR CONCRETE PUMP GUY, WHICH WOULDN'T BE GOOD. SO FAR SO GOOD. HOLDING IT SO FAR. WE NEED ANOTHER NAIL THERE, THERE AND OVER THERE. THESE DESPERATE RESTRAINING MEASURES ARE LIKE SHUTTING THE GATE AFTER THE HORSE HAS BOLTED, AND DISASTER SEEMS INEVITABLE. CRACKING IT'S JUST THE CONTAINER. YEAH, OUR NIGHTMARE'S HAPPENED. IT'S JUST FLIPPED OUT THERE WHERE WE DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH BRACING IN. THE IMPORTANCE OF QUALITY FOUNDATIONS IS EVERYTHING FOR THE REST OF THE BUILD. THIS IS NOT A GOOD SIGN. UM, WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO IS JUST SUCK IT UP AND CARRY ON AND MAKE SURE WE CAN HOLD IT THERE UNTIL IT SETS, AND THEN JUST REPOUR THAT BIT OF SECTION WHEN WE'VE GOT A BIT OF TIME. AT THE MOMENT, WE DON'T WANT TO RISK IT ANY FURTHER. THERE'S A LOT OF WEIGHT ON THERE AT THE MOMENT, AND IT'S ALL PART OF THE JOURNEY. WHAT'S ALSO WORRYING IS THAT MIKE AND CATHY STILL HAVEN'T FOUND ANY STRAW BALES. BUT WHILE THE CONCRETE SETS, THEY'RE PUSHING AHEAD ` PREPARING THE PLASTER THEY'LL USE TO COAT WHAT WILL HOPEFULLY STILL BE STRAW WALLS. THE MIX WILL NEED TO MATURE FOR A FEW MONTHS BEFORE IT'S READY TO USE, SO THEY NEED TO BE PREPARED. THIS IS PRETTY HEAVY-DUTY STUFF, PUTTING ALL THIS ON. SO THIS IS A REALLY COMBUSTIBLE MATERIAL. IT IS. WE PICKED UP A TONNE OF CRUSHED LIME WHICH HAS BEEN BURNED. WE CAN THEN BRING IT BACK TO HERE AND MIX IT WITH WATER, AND THAT TURNS IT INTO 4 TONNES OF HYDRATED LIME. AND THAT THEN IS USED IN THREE OR FOUR MONTHS' TIME AS MATERIAL THAT WE MIX WITH SAND TO CREATE LIME PLASTER. THIS PROCESS, KNOWN AS LIME-SLAKING, ISN'T QUITE SO LABORIOUS AS EARTH WORKS, BUT IT IS DANGEROUS. WHEN WE ADD WATER IT IS QUITE VOLATILE. IT'S AN EXOTHERMIC REACTION THAT CREATES THE` SO IT'S EXPLOSIVE? IT'S EXPLOSIVE. EXACTLY. WE'VE JUST MADE THIS HOME-MADE BOMB` EXACTLY. PRETTY MUCH! OH, THERE SHE GOES! YUP, THERE SHE GOES. SLOSHING DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME. (LAUGHS) BUYING LIME PLASTER FOR THEIR HOUSE WOULD COST MIKE AND CATHY $4000. BUT WHILE THEY'RE SAVING MONEY ON ONE HAND, LEARNING NEW BUILDING TECHNIQUES AND BUILDING ALONE IS TIME-CONSUMING. I HOPE IT ALL STACKS UP. ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES THAT WE HAVE IS, UM, BECAUSE WE'RE SELF-EMPLOYED, IT'S DIFFICULT TO ACTUALLY GET MORTGAGE MONEY. SO HOW ARE YOU FINANCING THIS PROJECT? WELL, WE'VE GOT A COUPLE OF PROPERTIES IN DUNEDIN, AND ONE OF THOSE HAS BEEN SOLD. DIDN'T QUITE MEET EXPECTATIONS. WE WILL HAVE TO SELL THE OTHER PROPERTY EVENTUALLY. DO YOU FEEL STRESSED ABOUT THAT? ARE YOU SLEEPING AT NIGHT? I THINK THERE'S BEEN MOMENTS, HASN'T THERE? YEAH. I STRUGGLE WITH IT A LITTLE BIT MORE. I TEND TO WORRY MORE ABOUT THAT, WHICH IS PROBABLY WHY I'M IN CHARGE OF THE BUDGET. IT'S A GOOD THING, AND I KEEP A TIGHT REIN ON THAT, AND PROBABLY TOO TIGHT AT TIMES, MAYBE, BUT THAT SAID, YOU KNOW, UM` YEAH. I THINK WE CAN MAKE IT THROUGH ALL RIGHT. I'D EXPECT THEY'D ALSO WANT TO KEEP A TIGHT REIN ON THEIR SCHEDULE, BUT WHILE THEY HAVE A PLAN, IT'S CONSTANTLY EVOLVING. IN LUGGATE, THEY'VE COME ACROSS SOME RETIRED POWER POLES, AND DECIDED TO USE THEM IN THEIR HOME. THE DECISION TO USE POWER POLES IS A FAIRLY RECENT DECISION. THAT'S THE BEAUTY OF OWNING AND BUILDING AND DESIGNING YOUR OWN HOME, BECAUSE YOU CAN MAKE ALL THESE DECISIONS AS YOU PROCEED THROUGH THE PROCESS. THIS SHOULD LOOK LOVELY, THIS ONE. DON'T YOU THINK? THIS IS THE IRON-BARBED. IT IS IRON-BARBED. OK. THEY MAY LOVE THE LOOK OF THE WOOD, BUT THESE NZ POLES COME WITH A CATCH ` THEY'RE MADE OF AUSTRALIAN HARDWOOD THAT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO MILL. WE WERE VERY VERY LUCKY TO FIND CARL, WHO IS ABLE TO MILL THEM FOR US. COS A LOT OF MILLS JUST CAN'T DEAL WITH THE HARDWOOD. EACH POLE HAS TO BE LINED UP AND DEALT WITH INDIVIDUALLY, BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT DEALING WITH A STRAIGHT PIECE OF TIMBER. IT'S BEEN AMAZINGLY EXCITING WATCHING IT BEING MILLED ` ACTUALLY SEEING WHAT COMES OUT. ALL DIFFERENT COLOURS, LIKE THIS TALLOW WOOD AND BLOOD WOOD AND IRON BARK AND... OH, IT'S JUST GORGEOUS. 4.7, SO WE'VE GOT PLENTY. WE'VE GOT PLENTY? YEAH. THIS IS GOING TO BE A REAL FEATURE WHEN WE GO AND POLISH IT ALL UP AND HAVE IT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LOUNGE, AND LOOKING OUT THROUGH THE WINDOWS, IT'S GOING TO BE GORGEOUS. IT'S TAKEN A LOT MORE OUT OF OUR TIME BUDGET THAT WE HAD EXPECTED, BUT WE'RE HAPPY WITH THAT. THE RESULT'S WORTH IT. BY AUTUMN, MIKE AND CATHY HAVE BEEN WORKING DAWN TILL DUSK, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, FOR NINE MONTHS. THEY'VE ALMOST FINISHED THE CONVENTIONAL FRAMING FOR THEIR UNCONVENTIONAL HOUSE. BUT TODAY, THE MILLED RECYCLED TIMBERS WILL HERALD THE ONSET OF SOME CREATIVE WIZARDRY. WHOA! JUST STAY ON WITH HER NOSE. THESE AREN'T REALLY CERTIFIED POLES THAT EVERYONE HAS TO PUT IN BUILDINGS, AND HAS CAUSED A WEE BIT OF INDIGNATION FROM THE BUILDING INSPECTORS. THE POLES WILL BE SET AT ANGLES, AND WILL EVENTUALLY HOLD UP A HUGE FLYOVER ROOF THAT WILL DRAPE OVER THE HOUSE. I FEEL LIKE WE'VE GOT THESE AWESOME DINOSAURS IN OUR HOUSE, AND NOW THEY CAN RETIRE IN STYLE. YEAH. RIGHT. CATHY'S MADE A GOOD RECOVERY FROM HER BACK SURGERY LAST YEAR ` AT LEAST, I HOPE SHE HAS. YEAH, I CAN DO MOST THINGS, ACTUALLY. I THINK THE WORST WAS DOING THE FOOTINGS ` BENDING DOWN LOW. AND IT'S KINDA GOOD THAT WE` OUR TIMELINE THAT WE ARE A BIT SLOWER, BECAUSE IT'S GIVEN IT TIME TO HEAL. (LAUGHS) THE ROPE'S NOWHERE NEAR LONG ENOUGH. GOTTA GO UP. I'M IMPRESSED BY MIKE AND CATHY'S DILIGENCE, BUT I DO WORRY ABOUT THEIR SCHEDULING. INSTEAD OF CONCENTRATING ON GETTING AT LEAST SOME OF THE HOUSE CLOSED IN, THEY'VE SPENT A GOOD PART OF THE SUMMER BUILDING A SPA POOL. YEAH, WELL, MOST PEOPLE PROBABLY DO BUILD THEIR HOUSE FIRST AND THEN BUILD THE SPA POOL, BUT YOU'VE GOTTA GET YOUR PRIORITIES RIGHT. BUILDING IS MUCH EASIER IF YOU'VE GOT YOUR PRIORITIES RIGHT. THIS IS OUR ONE INDULGENCE. YOU KNOW, AT THE END OF THE DAY, A GLASS OF RED, RELAXING ` GOOD FOR THE MUSCLES. NO ROOF, AND ONLY THREE MONTHS LEFT TO FINISH THE HOUSE? CHEERS TO THAT. 10 MONTHS INTO THE BUILD, THE ANGLED POSTS AND CURVED WALLS OF MIKE AND CATHY'S UNIQUE HOME ARE NOW EVIDENT. BUT DESPITE BUILDING SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, THEIR ONE-YEAR DEADLINE NOW LOOKS WELL OUT OF REACH. THEY STILL HAVEN'T EVEN GOT THE ROOF ON. WE SAT DOWN AND DID A REALISTIC TIMELINE RECENTLY AND IT SCARED US, AND SO HEAD'S BACK IN THE BUCKET OF SAND. TIMELINE'S OUT THE WINDOW. (CHUCKLES) WHILE IT'S BEEN ONLY THE PAIR OF THEM WORKING ON SITE, A FAMILY MEMBER HAS BEEN HELPING FROM A DISTANCE. MIKE'S FATHER, LES, HAS HANDCRAFTED A SPIRAL STAIRCASE IN HIS DUNEDIN GARAGE. AND TODAY HIS GIFT IS BEING HOISTED INTO PRIDE OF PLACE IN WHAT WILL BE THE LIVING AREA. MIKE'S DAD WAS A JOINER AND A BOAT BUILDER, WHICH IS WHERE MIKE HAS GOT A LOT OF HIS CONFIDENCE WITH BUILDING CURVES FROM. SO, YEAH, IT'S RIGHT AT THE HEART OF THE HOME TOO, THE STAIRCASE, SO IT'S ALL QUITE SPECIAL, REALLY. BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS MOMENT FOR QUITE A WHILE. BEING ABLE TO SEE HOW THE CURVED STAIR WORKS WITH THE ARCHITECTURE. I'M JUST GONNA CORKSCREW IT THERE. IF YOU COME ANOTHER METRE OUT, THEN WE JUST WIND IT AROUND THIS POLE. HOPEFULLY IT'LL FIT. IT'S WHERE YOU JUST HOLD YOUR TONGUE THE RIGHT WAY, DON'T YOU? (CHUCKLES) THE STAIRCASE WILL CONNECT THE LIVING AREA TO THE MEZZANINE FLOOR AND MIKE AND CATHY'S BEDROOM. RIGHT, I THINK IT'S PRETTY GOOD. BUT THEY STILL NEED TO BUILD THESE AND THE EXTERIOR WALLS BEFORE THEY CAN START ON THAT OVERDUE ROOF. HOPEFULLY WE CAN GET THAT ALL DONE WELL AND TRULY BEFORE WE GET INTO THE WINTER MONTHS. UM, AT THIS STAGE, IT'S A BIT OF A RACE. THANK YOU. CATHY'S ALSO MAKING SLOW PROGRESS WITH THE JOINERY ` SIX SETS OF FRENCH DOORS AND 10 WINDOWS, SOME OF WHICH ARE BEING MADE FOR CURVED WALLS THAT ARE TWO STOREYS HIGH. I'M ACTUALLY FEELING A LITTLE BIT DAUNTED ON HOW IT'S ALL GONNA COME TOGETHER. IT'S BEEN ABOUT EIGHT YEARS SINCE I WORKED FULL TIME AS A JOINER. IT'S JUST A BIT DIFFICULT, BECAUSE AS A JOINER, I'M USED TO WORKING WITH STRAIGHT STUFF. NOTHING IN THIS HOUSE IS STRAIGHT. (LAUGHS) CURVED WALLS ALWAYS PROVIDE EXTRA CHALLENGES. BUT CATHY'S ALSO STRUGGLING WITH THE HARDWOOD. IT'S HEAVY AND DIFFICULT TO CUT. WE'RE DISAPPOINTED THAT OUR TIMEFRAME'S STRETCHING OUT AND OUT AND OUT. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE'VE FOUND SOME WONDERFUL TREASURES AND WE'RE INTEGRATING THEM INTO THE DESIGN AS WE GO. AND THAT'S THE JOY OF BUILDING A HOUSE YOURSELF. YOU CAN MAKE THOSE DECISIONS ALONG THE WAY. WE GET THE PRIVILEGE OF SLOWING OURSELVES DOWN. DESPITE NINE YEARS AS A COUPLE, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THEY'VE LIVED TOGETHER. BUT THEY'RE WORKING LIKE DOGS, THEY'VE GOT NO MONEY, AND THEY'VE LIVING IN A COLD BUS. I RECKON THAT WOULD PUT A BIT OF STRAIN ON ANY RELATIONSHIP. A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE QUESTIONING HOW WELL WE GET ON, AND SO FAR, THAT'S BEEN GOOD. DID YOU REALLY DRAW IT THAT BIG? IF YOU HOLD THAT, I'LL JUST GRAB ANOTHER... YEAH, WE DO WORK WELL TOGETHER. THAT'S, UM... YOU KNOW, AS LONG AS MIKE DOES WHAT HE'S TOLD. (LAUGHS) NO, AS LONG AS I DO WHAT I'M TOLD. (CHUCKLES) YEAH, NO, WE GET ON WELL. EVEN THOUGH MIKE AND CATHY SEEM ROCK SOLID, THE REALITY IS THEY CAN'T KEEP WORKING LIKE THIS. THEY STILL HAVEN'T SOLD THEIR SECOND DUNEDIN HOUSE, AND THEY'RE GOING TO RUN OUT OF MONEY. THE JOB SEEMS TO GROW AS THE MORE WE GET INTO IT. BUT WE ARE GOING TO SEE THE BANK THIS WEEK IN AN EFFORT TO MAYBE RAISE MORE FUNDS AND BRING SOME PEOPLE ON BOARD TO HELP. A FEW WEEKS LATER, A SHOCK SNOW DUMP SIGNALS AN EARLY START TO WINTER, AND TARPAULINS STILL PROVIDE THE ONLY SHELTER FOR MOST OF THE HOUSE. ABOUT NOW YOU'D BE WONDERING IF BUILDING THE SPA POOL OVER SUMMER WAS THE BEST USE OF TIME. AT THE MOMENT, WE'RE SORT OF DOING THE STAGE WHICH WE SHOULD'VE BEEN DOING AT CHRISTMASTIME. SO WE'RE ABOUT SIX MONTHS LATE. (CHUCKLES) SAW WHIRRS WE'VE HAD A BIT OF RAIN AS WELL AS THE SNOW, AND THAT HAS AFFECTED OUR PROGRESS, BECAUSE ALL THE TARPS ARE STARTING TO FAIL. YOU KNOW, THEY WEREN'T MEANT TO BE UP THIS LONG. (LAUGHS) IT'S NOW BEEN ALMOST A YEAR SINCE THEY PARKED THEIR SOFTWARE DESIGN BUSINESS TO BUILD THEIR OWN HOME. AND THERE'S NO WAY THEY'RE GOING TO FINISH AS PLANNED IN ABOUT SIX WEEKS' TIME. I DID SAY THAT I ONLY WANTED TO SPEND ONE WINTER IN THE CARAVAN, AND IT'S LOOKING LIKE I'LL BE SPENDING TWO WINTERS IN THE CARAVAN. (SHIVERS) ANOTHER GOOD CENTRAL OTAGO MORNING. (GROANS) WE COPE REALLY WELL WITH THE SPACE. IT'S MORE THE COLD. I HATE THE COLD. AND, YOU KNOW, OUTSIDE, IF IT'S MINUS-5, INSIDE THE BUS IT'S A ROARING MINUS-4. THAT'S THE BIT I STRUGGLE WITH. (CHUCKLES) CATHY AND MIKE HAVE ALSO HAD BAD NEWS. THEIR BANK HAS REFUSED TO LEND THEM ANY MORE MONEY. THEY'RE HOPING BY SCRIMPING THEY CAN KEEP WORKING FOR ANOTHER FEW MONTHS AND HOPEFULLY GET THE ROOF ON. NOT COMPLETELY OVER IT. GIVE ME A THIRD WINTER AND I WILL BE. (CHUCKLES) NO, STILL EXCITED ABOUT THE HOUSE. THERE'S ENOUGH GOING ON EVERY DAY THAT KEEPS YOU GOING. IT'S MIDWINTER, BUT THE SNOW HAS MELTED WHEN I NEXT VISIT MIKE AND CATHY. AND THEIR ONE-YEAR DEADLINE HAS COME AND GONE. HEY, HEY. HELLO. LOVELY TO SEE YOU. YOU TOO. GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN. WELCOME. THE MEZZANINE FLOOR IS BUILT AND PROVIDING A SMALL PATCH OF COVER, BUT THERE'S STILL NO SIGN OF MIKE'S CURVED STRAW BALE ROOF. GOSH, LOOK AT THIS. CATHY'S MADE SOME GOOD PROGRESS, THOUGH, WITH THE HARDWOOD WINDOW FRAMES. THEY'RE HUGE. THEY ARE HUGE. HOW HIGH ARE THOSE? HUGE AND HEAVY. UH, THE MULLION'S 4.2M. YEAH, IT'S NOT TOO BAD. (LAUGHS) I MEAN, IT MUST FEEL FANTASTIC HAVING FINALLY GOT THESE IN, THIS WINDOW. OH, IT DOES. I WAS A BIT DAUNTED BY THE SIZE OF THESE WINDOWS, AND I WAS ACTUALLY GOING TO WAIT TILL LAST TO DO THEM, BUT PSYCHOLOGICALLY, IT FEELS REALLY GOOD TO HAVE THESE OUT OF THE WAY ` THE BIGGEST ONES FIRST. USING RECYCLED POWER POLES MAY HAVE SLOWED WORK DOWN CONSIDERABLY, BUT THE OLD HARDWOOD TIMBERS HAVE COME UP A TREAT. WELL, YOU KNOW, IT ADDS ANOTHER THREE YEARS TO OUR BUILDING PROGRAMME. OH, IS THAT ALL? ALL LAUGH NO, IT IS WORTH IT, COS IT CERTAINLY ADDS A LOT OF CHARACTER AND AGE TO THE WHOLE FINISHED DESIGN, WHICH IS WHAT WE WANT. WE DON'T WANT THINGS TO LOOK SPARKLY NEW AND POLISHED. RIGHT NOW MIKE AND CATHY ARE IN DANGER OF THINGS LOOKING WEATHER DAMAGED. WITHOUT A ROOF, SOME WOODEN COMPONENTS HAVE BEEN EXPOSED FOR MONTHS. ROOFING IS A BIG ISSUE NOW, ISN'T IT? YEAH. LOTS OF WALLS. TIME FOR A ROOF. TIME FOR A ROOF. WELL, WE'RE JUST HOPEFULLY GETTING TRUSSES AND BEAMS ARRIVING SHORTLY, AND WE'LL BE PUTTING THEM UP VERY SHORTLY. THERE IS LITTLE THAT IS EASY OR STRAIGHTFORWARD ABOUT THIS HOME. MOST STRAW-BALE HOUSE WALLS ARE STRAW BALES COVERED IN PLASTER. SIMPLE AS THAT. BUT FOR EXTRA PROTECTION AGAINST THE HARSH OTAGO CLIMATE, CATHY AND MIKE WANT WALLS OF CURVED LAMINATED TIMBER WITH CAVITIES TO HOUSE THE BALES. THOSE CURVED WALLS THEN HAVE TO MARRY UP WITH THE CURVED STRAW BALE ROOF. MOST BUILDERS WOULD HATE THIS PROJECT, WOULDN'T THEY? COMPOUND ANGLES ARE BAD ENOUGH. COMPOUND CURVES! YEAH, THERE IS A LOT WORK, AND THAT'S THE REASON WHY WE'VE TAKEN SO LONG. BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE'RE BUILDING FOR THE LONG TERM, AND IF A JOB'S WORTH DOING, IT'S WORTH DOING RIGHT. WELL, YOU KNOW, WE'RE KEEPING BUSY, AND WE'RE HAPPY WITH HOW THINGS ARE LOOKING. I LOVE THAT. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THAT. I MEAN, THERE ARE GREAT WORDS OF WISDOM FROM A CRAFTSWOMAN. I THINK THAT IS FANTASTIC. A WEEK LATER, THE FULL MISERY OF WINTER ARRIVES TO COINCIDE WITH THE DELIVERY OF A FINAL BATCH OF ROOF TRUSSES. BEAUTIFUL DAY FOR IT. FINALLY. IT'S ABOUT TIME, ISN'T IT? TIME FOR A ROOF IN THE RAIN. I THINK WE'RE PROBABLY A BIT PAST DUE TIME FOR A ROOF IN THE RAIN. MIKE'S ROOF REALLY IS GOING TO BE A THING OF BEAUTY. AND ONE DAY IT WILL KEEP HUNDREDS OF BUILT-IN STRAW BALES NICE AND DRY, BUT IT'S HIGHLY UNLIKELY THAT IT WILL BE THIS WINTER. MIKE AND CATHY ARE CLEVER CREATIVES, BUT I KEEP QUESTIONING THEIR PROJECT MANAGEMENT SKILLS. YES. THAT WAS THE ORIGINAL PLAN, WAS TO COVER THE WORKSHOP IN FIRST. OVER SUMMER, THINGS WERE GOING WELL, AND WE THOUGHT, PSYCHOLOGICALLY, IT WOULD FEEL BETTER TO GET THE REST OF THE HOUSE FRAMES UP AND CARRY ON. OBVIOUSLY THINGS HAVE TAKEN A WEE BIT LONGER, SO NOW THE RAIN'S HERE. I'M JUST THINKING, YOU KNOW, UNLIKE THE BUILDER, THE JOINER IS DOING SOME QUITE PRECISE THINGS, AND YOU REALLY DO NEED A GOOD WORKSPACE, DON'T YOU? YOU DO, AND I NEED SOMEWHERE CLOSED IN. YOU KNOW, IT'S HARD TO GET ANY WORK DONE, REALLY, WHEN IT'S LIKE THIS. INCREDIBLY, A YEAR INTO THE BUILD MIKE AND CATHY ARE STILL HUNTING FOR THEIR STRAW BALES. YES, I'M JUST CALLING ABOUT THE STRAW BALES THAT YOU'VE GOT LISTED. I WAS JUST WONDERING IF YOU'VE STILL GOT ANY AVAILABLE. YEAH. HE'S NOT SURE. HE DOESN'T THINK HE'S GOT THAT MANY. SO, BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD. RIGHT. WE'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR STRAW BALES ALL OVER, REALLY. WE THOUGHT THAT WE COULD JUST GET THEM LOCALLY, BUT IT APPEARS NOT. THE BALE SHORTAGE HAS CALLED FOR A DIFFICULT DECISION TO CHANGE THEIR DESIGN. WE'VE GIVEN AWAY THAT PRECIOUS THOUGHT OF HAVING STRAW BALES IN THE ROOF, AND NOW WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO JUST BE CONVENTIONAL ABOUT THAT. WE SAT DOWN AND REALLY WORKED THROUGH THE PROCESS IN OUR MINDS THE OTHER DAY AND REALISED IT JUST WOULD'VE TAKEN A HUGE AMOUNT OF TIME. AND WE JUST REALISED THAT A BIG PART OF, PERHAPS, WHY WE WERE DOING IT WAS JUST TO SAY, 'WE'VE GOT STRAW BALES IN OUR ROOF,' AND, REALLY, AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE HAVEN'T GOT THE LUXURY OF THE TIME OR THE MONEY TO DO THAT, AND WE CAN'T FIND ENOUGH BALES ANYWAY. AT LEAST THEY'RE FREE TO PUSH ON WITH THE ROOF NOW. BUT THE HUNT CONTINUES FOR BALES FOR THE WALLS. WE WILL FIND THEM EVENTUALLY, I HOPE. (CHUCKLES) ANOTHER COOL CENTRAL OTAGO DAY. ONE OF THE MAJOR HURDLES MIKE AND CATHY FACE TO COMPLETE THEIR STRAW BALE HOME HAS IRONICALLY BEEN A SHORTAGE OF STRAW BALES. BUT AFTER A YEAR OF SEARCHING, THEY'VE FINALLY FOUND 400 OF THE SMALL BALES THEY NEED TO FILL THE WALL CAVITIES. WE WERE PRETTY LUCKY TO GET THESE BALES,... (CHUCKLES) BECAUSE THERE WAS A DROUGHT LAST YEAR AND THERE WEREN'T MANY ABOUT, SO WE WERE VERY PLEASED WHEN A NEIGHBOUR DOWN THE ROAD OFFERED TO SELL US THESE ONES, ANYWAY. OH, THEY'RE LOOKING GOOD. NO MOISTURE IN THOSE. THEY'RE REALLY NICE, SO... YEAH, WE'VE JUST HAD A LOT OF RECENT RAIN, AND, UM, RECORD FLOODING AROUND THE PLACE, AND THESE HAVE SURVIVED THROUGH THAT, SO THAT'S FANTASTIC. THE STRAW BALES WILL PROVIDE GOOD INSULATION AGAINST THE EXTREME OTAGO WEATHER BUT THEY WON'T BE KEEPING MIKE AND CATHY WARM THIS WINTER. WE WERE GOING TO BE SHIFTING IN THIS MONTH. (LAUGHS) BUT, SADLY, NO, WE'RE GOING TO BE WORKING STILL. PUTTING THE ROOF ON IS GOING TO BE OUR MAIN GOAL NOW. WE MIGHT GET THE ROOF ON AFTER WINTER, SO WE'RE GONNA PROBABLY BE SUFFERING THROUGH ALL THE COLD NIGHTS AND DAYS AHEAD OF US. I THINK THE NICE THING IS THAT WE'RE DOING IT TOGETHER, AND I'VE ALWAYS WORRIED I ALWAYS FELT THAT I'M QUITE SLOW WHEN I'M BUILDING OR DOING JOINERY WORK, SO IT'S NICE TO` NOW YOU KNOW I'M SLOW AS WELL. NOW I KNOW THAT MIKE'S SLOW AS WELL. AS THERE'S STILL NO ROOF ON MIKE AND CATHY'S HOME, LOCAL FARMER HERBIE ILLINGWORTH HAS OFFERED TO STORE THE STRAW BALES IN HIS BARN. THE OLD BUGGERS. WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE TODAY? (CHUCKLES) HERBIE, HE'S BEEN FANTASTIC. HE'S ONE OF THOSE NEIGHBOURS FROM HEAVEN. HE'S GOT DIGGERS, AND HE'S BEEN ABLE TO HELP US. HE'S LENT US HIS TRAILER. HE'S LENDING US HIS BARN. HE'S JUST ONE OF THOSE FABULOUS OLD GUYS. LET'S GET THAT ONE ON. I THINK WE'RE CHALLENGING SOME OF HIS IDEAS ABOUT HOW TO BUILD HOUSES. BUT HE'S BEEN VERY SUPPORTIVE EVEN THOUGH HE SOMETIMES... THINKS THERE'S POSSIBLY BETTER WAYS OF DOING THINGS THAN WE WOULD THINK. THESE THINGS WILL KEEP YOU WARM. BUT IT'S NOT MY IDEA. I JUST LIGHT A BIGGER FIRE. I SORT OF THOUGHT, 'WELL, THEY'RE NICE PEOPLE. 'I DON'T KNOW HOW IT'S GONNA WORK, BUT IT DIDN'T LOOK TOO BLOODY GOOD ON PAPER.' I DON'T KNOW A LOT ABOUT BUILDING. I'VE BUILT ONE HOUSE MYSELF, BUT IT WAS PRETTY SQUARE. BUT WHEN YOU SEE ROUND THINGS ON A SQUARE PIECE OF PAPER, IT'S SORT OF PRETTY BLOODY HARD TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT. BUT, UH, THEY'VE STUCK WITH IT ` IN THE SNOW AND IN THE MUD AND IN THE RAIN AND EVERYTHING ELSE. AND I THINK THEY NEED TO GET THAT ROOF ON IN A HELL OF A HURRY. IT'S BEEN THREE MONTHS SINCE MIKE AND CATHY'S BUILD DEADLINE PASSED, BUT THEY'RE DETERMINED TO GET AS MUCH DONE AS THEY CAN BEFORE THEIR MONEY RUNS OUT. IN SPRING, THEY FINALLY START PUTTING ON THE CURVED ROOF. DEFINITELY NEED TWO PEOPLE, COS YOU SORT OF NEED SOMEONE... CONTROLLING EACH END OF THE PIECE OF IRON JUST IN CASE THE WIND COMES UP. WE HAVE HAD ONE OR TWO HAIRY MOMENTS. WHEN WE WERE DOING THE GARAGE, WE WERE ON THE SECOND TO LAST SHEET. WE WERE WATCHING THE WEATHER ALL AROUND THE HILLS, AND IT WAS SORT OF COMING TOWARDS US AND COMING, AND THEN IT DECIDED TO HIT, AND IT WAS INCREDIBLY QUICK. IT WENT FROM CALM TO GALE-FORCE WINDS, AND THAT WAS REALLY INTERESTING. WE WERE UP THERE WITH A SHEET OF IRON, AND I'M SORT OF LYING ON IT, TRYING TO HOLD IT DOWN WHILE WE'RE TRYING TO SCREW IT DOWN. YEAH. LESSON LEARNED. WE KEEP A GOOD EYE ON THE WEATHER AND LOTS OF THINGS HANDY TO TIE STUFF DOWN AS WE GO. WE ARE BEING VERY CAREFUL, SO NO ACCIDENTS SO FAR, TOUCH WOOD. I ADMIRE MIKE AND CATHY'S CAN-DO ATTITUDE, BUT WORKING DAWN TO DUSK FOR 15 MONTHS NOW MUST BE TAKING ITS TOLL. THE WHOLE PROCESS OF WORKING CONTINUOUSLY SEVEN DAYS A WEEK DOES HAVE A BIT OF A STRESS ON BOTH OF US. GOT TO HOLD ON AND GET TO THE END OF THE PROCESS, I GUESS. MIKE AND CATHY HAVE NO MONEY TO HIRE ANYONE ELSE TO FINISH THEIR HOME, SO THEY'RE MAKING SURE THEY LOOK AFTER THEMSELVES. WE FIND THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO STAY FIT. IT HELPS ENERGY LEVELS ` MENTAL ENERGY LEVELS AND PHYSICAL ENERGY LEVELS ` JUST TO DO A BIT OF CARDIO. WE'VE BEEN DOING A LOT OF CLIMBING ON ROOFS AND BALANCING OVER LITTLE PRECIPICES, AND STARTING TO FEEL THE SORT OF ACHES AND PAINS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, AND SO CERTAINLY REALISING THAT YOU'RE NOT 21 ANY MORE. YOU NEED TO JUST KEEP REASONABLY ACTIVE AND FIT SO WE CAN LAST THE WHOLE JOURNEY. IT'S A BIT LIKE A MARATHON, REALLY. IT'S FEELING LIKE THAT AT THE MOMENT. THERE IS ONLY US, AND WE'VE OFTEN TALKED IF WE GET REALLY CROOK OR CAN'T PHYSICALLY DO IT, THEN WE'RE IN A SPOT OF BOTHER. SO THAT'S PROBABLY OUR BIGGEST RISK ` IS IF ONE OF US GETS BADLY HURT AND CAN'T CARRY ON. SINCE THEY STARTED BUILDING, MIKE AND CATHY HAVEN'T STOPPED ONCE FOR A BREAK. THEY HARDLY EVER LEAVE THE SITE. WELL, LIFE IS JUST WORK AT THE MOMENT. YOU KNOW, WE'RE VERY OUT OF BALANCE, AND WE KNOW THAT. BUT ONCE THAT ROOF'S ON, WE CAN MAYBE GET A BIT MORE OF A LIFE BACK. WE'RE PLANNING TO HAVE A DAY A MONTH INITIALLY JUST OFF TO GO AND DO SOMETHING COMPLETELY UNRELATED TO HOUSE-BUILDING. A WHOLE DAY. A WHOLE DAY. (CHUCKLES) WON'T EVEN BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT IT MAYBE. WOW. (LAUGHS) AFTER MORE THAN A YEAR OF SEARCHING, CATHY AND MIKE HAVE NOW FOUND ALL THE BALES THEY NEED TO FILL THE WALLS OF THEIR HOME. AND IT'S GOOD TO SEE THEM ON SITE, READY TO BE INSTALLED. BUT I'VE LEARNT BY NOW THAT WITH MIKE AND CATHY, THE BEST-LAID PLANS OFTEN CHANGE. GIDDAY, GUYS. HELLO. CHRIS, HOW ARE YOU? WHAT ARE YOU DOING? THESE BALES ARE RARE AS HEN'S TEETH, AND NOW THEY'RE RIPPING THEM APART? CHANGE OF PLANS. WE WERE IN THE PROCESS OF SETTING UP OUR NICE BALES HERE AND FOUND THAT THEY'RE TOO BIG. THEY CAN'T REALLY FIT INTO ALL THE CORNERS. TOO BIG? WELL, WE DIDN'T ACTUALLY REALISE UNTIL OUR KIND NEIGHBOUR WAS TELLING US ABOUT THESE BALES, AND HE RECOGNISED THEM. HE RECOGNISED THEM? HE RECOGNISED THEM. I'M THINKING, 'HOW CAN YOU TELL ONE STRAW BALE APART FROM ANOTHER?' AND HE SAYS, 'WELL, THEY'RE SLIGHTLY LARGER THAN A NORMAL BALE.' MIKE AND CATHY'S WALL SPACES ARE DESIGNED FOR AN AVERAGE SMALL BALE. BUT THEY'VE UNWITTINGLY BOUGHT ODD-SIZED BALES THAT ARE TOO BIG. OH DEAR. THIS IS WHY BUILDERS ALWAYS SAY MEASURE TWICE. YOU CAN SEE UP THERE, THE WIDTH OF THE WALL'S ABOUT 15MM TOO BIG, SO... THAT'S NOT GONNA WORK. YOU CAN CUT THEM TO LENGTH EASY ENOUGH. IT'S JUST TAKING THEM DOWN WIDTHWAYS IS VERY DIFFICULT. SO LUCKY THE FARMER SPOTTED THAT ONE. WELL, WE WOULD'VE FOUND OUT IN TIME, SO IT WAS A DELAYED RESPONSE. SO WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO, MIKE? WELL, WE'VE DONE SOME RESEARCH, AND WE'VE COME ACROSS THIS TECHNIQUE WHICH IS BASICALLY TAKING A BALE AND CHOPPING IT UP AND THEN ADDING A MIXTURE OF CLAY TO IT AND REPACKING IT BACK INTO THE WALL. SO IT'S NOT A STRAW BALE HOUSE ANY MORE? I DON'T KNOW. WE'RE TRYING TO DECIDE IF WE'RE ALLOWED TO CALL OURSELVES A STRAW BALE OR A STRAW BROKEN-BALE HOUSE. I'M NOT SURE. STRAW BROKEN-BALE. GIVEN THAT USING STRAW BALES WAS THE FOUNDATION FOR THEIR HOUSE DESIGN, MIKE AND CATHY SEEM REMARKABLY RELAXED ABOUT THIS LATEST CHANGE OF PLAN. THE REASON THAT YOU CHOSE STRAW BALE IN THE FIRST PLACE IS BECAUSE YOU WANTED FANTASTIC INSULATION, WASN'T IT? SO HOW IS THIS GONNA WORK? THAT WAS MY BIG QUESTION ` WAS HOW IS THAT WARMTH FACTOR? BECAUSE I WANT A WARM HOUSE. AND, YOU KNOW, AS WE RESEARCHED MORE AND MORE INTO IT, IT'S NOT FAR BEHIND STRAW BALE. SO I'M HAPPY. I DON'T KNOW OF ANYONE WHO'S PUT DECONSTRUCTED BALES IN THEIR HOUSE BEFORE. BUT AS ALWAYS, CATHY AND MIKE ARE HAPPY TO TRY NEW BUILDING TECHNIQUES. LET'S HOPE THIS LATEST EXPERIMENT DOES WORK. What do you think? Yeah. Nah, good. Hey, hon. How's the painting? Oh, hi, Kev. What do you think? Yeah. Nah, good. Be honest. Nice. Kev, honesty. Uh, I like it. (SIGHS) What? What's wrong? (SIGHS) You've changed your mind, haven't you? Pink?! Magenta. We should've gone with magenta. Oh, pink, magenta ` same thing, isn't it? They're not the same thing, Kev. When you paint with Valspar, if you're not in love with your colour, you can change it for free. IT'S BEEN NINE YEARS SINCE MIKE AND CATHY BOUGHT THEIR LAND IN THE RUGGED OTAGO HILLS AND ABOUT 16 MONTHS SINCE THEY STARTED SINGLE-HANDEDLY BUILDING THEIR DREAM HOME TOGETHER. I'M HEADING BACK TO WHAT SHOULD BE A COMPLETED HOUSE. MIKE AND CATHY INITIALLY THOUGHT THEY'D BE DONE IN A YEAR. BUT I THINK IT'LL TAKE MUCH LONGER THAN THAT. TODAY, HOWEVER, THEY'RE GONNA MARK A MAJOR MILESTONE. MIKE AND CATHY HAVE FINALLY GOT THEIR ROOF ON ` A SERIES OF SCULPTURAL STEEL CURVES RESEMBLING THE WINGS OF SOARING BIRDS. THE GENIUS OF MIKE'S DESIGN IS THE GEOMETRY. EACH CURVE HAS THE SAME RADIUS, TRIMMED AT VARIOUS ANGLES TO APPEAR DIFFERENT. AND THE RESULT IS STRIKING. I CAN'T WAIT TO LOOK AROUND. HI, GUYS. HELLO, CHRIS. GOOD TO SEE YOU. LOVELY TO SEE YOU, CATHY. CHRIS, GOOD TO SEE YOU. HI, MIKE. HOW ARE YOU? GOSH, THE ROOF IS LOOKING MAGNIFICENT. IT'S SO IMPRESSIVE. THANK YOU. THANKS. AND A VERY SIGNIFICANT DAY TODAY, COS IT ENABLES YOU TO GO THE NEXT STEP. STUFFING OUR STRAW, YES. WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT ` TO GET THE STRAW FINALLY IN THE STRAW HOUSE. CLEARLY YOU NEED ALL THE HELP YOU CAN GET. (CHUCKLES) CLEARLY. LET'S GO GET DIRTY. COOL. HERE YOU GO, MIKE. THANK YOU. COMMUNITY WALL-RAISING PARTIES ARE A TRADITION IN STRAW-BALE BUILDS. MIKE AND CATHY'S WALLS AREN'T BUILT OF STRAW; THEY'RE STUFFED WITH IT. HI, PEOPLE. WELCOME AND THANK YOU FOR COMING HERE TO HELP US OUT TODAY AND DOING THE BIG STRAW BALE DAY. WE APPRECIATE THAT YOU'VE COME ALL THIS WAY JUST TO COME JOIN US FOR A DAY OF MADNESS. TODAY STRAW ENTHUSIASTS ARE JOINING FORCES WITH EARTH BUILDERS, LOCALS AND MIKE AND CATHY'S FAMILIES TO WRAP THIS HOUSE IN ONE OF THE BEST INSULATORS NATURE PROVIDES. THERE'S A REAL COMMUNITY SPIRIT, IN STARK CONTRAST TO THE MANY SOLITARY HOURS MIKE AND CATHY HAVE SPENT ON THIS HOUSE. BUT AGAIN, THERE'S ANOTHER CHANGE OF PLAN. YEAH, WE'VE BEEN SORT OF DOING SOME THINKING OVERNIGHT, AND ONE OF OUR GUYS HAS ARRIVED WITH AN IDEA TO ACTUALLY REUSE SOME OF THE BALES, SO WE'RE GONNA PROBABLY END UP USING BOTH THE BALES AND STRAW CLAY TOGETHER. YOU MEAN, YOU'VE CHANGED YOUR PLANS AGAIN? YEAH, NEW PLAN. I WAS NEVER CONVINCED THAT THERE WERE NOT GONNA BE BALES IN THE HOUSE. (LAUGHS) WHEN I SAW THE BANDSAW, I REALISED THAT MAYBE THERE IS A CHANCE OF RESIZING THESE BALES SO THAT WE CAN GET THEM IN THE WALL. WHAT WE'VE COME UP WITH IS, REALLY, A HYBRID WALL SYSTEM WHERE THERE ARE SOME BALES GOING IN WHICH HAVE BEEN RE-MILLED, RE-DIMENSIONED IN THE BANDSAW MILL. IT'S TAKEN A LITTLE BIT OF TIME THIS MORNING TO WORK OUT WHAT PARTS OF THE WALL ARE GONNA BE BALE AND WHAT NEEDS TO BE STUFFED BEFORE WE CAN PUT BALES IN AND MOVE THE WIRING OUT OF THE WAY AND, YEAH, MAKE IT ALL WORK. WHILE SOME BALES ARE TRIMMED TO SIZE, I'M HELPING PREPARE THE EXPERIMENTAL STRAW AND CLAY STUFFING. BEAUTIFUL MESSY PROCESS. IF YOU GET HAYFEVER, DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME. (CHUCKLES) BUT IT'S WONDERFUL, AND CLEARLY YOU CAN SEE THAT THIS IS VERY MALLEABLE. IT CAN GO INTO ANY CURVED WALL. SO, HOW'S THE DAY GOING SO FAR, CATHY? REALLY GOOD, YEAH. WONDERFUL TO HAVE FAMILY HERE? IT'S BEEN A LOT OF FUN, YEAH. AND I GUESS BY SAYING FAMILY, I'M TALKING ABOUT BOTH. I MEAN, YOU'VE GOT ONE OF YOUR SONS HERE, CHARLIE'S AROUND SOMEWHERE TOO. YEAH, YEAH. TWO OF MY BOYS ARE HERE, AND MIKE'S THREE GIRLS ARE HERE. SO, BEDE, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF MIKE AND CATHY'S UNDERTAKING? WELL, WHEN I FIRST SEEN THE INITIAL PLANS AT THE START, I WAS THINKING IT'S JUST GONNA BE THIS UGLY SORT OF SCULPTURE THAT WON'T REALLY FIT IN. BUT AS IT'S GONE ON, THEY'VE PROVED ME WRONG ON A LOT OF ASPECTS OF WHAT THEY WERE GONNA DO, AND IT'S ACTUALLY COME TOGETHER QUITE NICELY, I RECKON. WE'RE BUILDING THIS HOUSE AS A TOGETHER HOUSE, AND WE WANT CHILDREN AND FAMILIES TO COME AND ENJOY IT, SO, YEAH, THEY'VE HAD A PART IN IT NOW. IT'S CHEAP LABOUR. ALL LAUGH ALL RIGHT, IT'S CHEAP LABOUR. YOU'VE BROUGHT TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FAMILIES TOGETHER, AND THIS IS ACTUALLY YOUR FIRST FAMILY HOME, ISN'T IT? HOW DOES THAT FEEL? DEFINITELY FELT THAT ALL OF THE CHILDREN HAVE TAKEN OWNERSHIP OF THIS PROCESS AND THIS PLACE. IT'S REALLY KNITTED OUR FAMILY TOGETHER IN A NICE WAY. ARE YOU GONNA BE CLOSED IN BEFORE WINTER? YES. (LAUGHS) THERE YOU GO. IS THE INTERIOR GOING TO BE PLASTERED BEFORE WINTER? NO. WE'RE AT A STAGE WHERE WE CAN STOP FOR A BIT AND TAKE A BREATH, AND, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN GOING CONTINUOUSLY SINCE WE STARTED. MIKE'S GOT A PROJECT OR TWO TO DO, COS OBVIOUSLY WE CAN'T INDEFINITELY FUND OURSELVES TO BUILD, AND I WILL CARRY ON WORKING ON THE DOORS AND WINDOWS. WE'VE GOT ENOUGH FUNDS TO CARRY ON BUILDING BUT NOT LIVING. (CHUCKLES) THAT PLAN IS TO OBVIOUSLY, YEAH, TRY AND GET THE EXTERIOR DONE BEFORE CHRISTMAS WHILE THE WEATHER'S IN THE SUITABLE SORT OF MODE AND THEN GET BACK HERE, GET THAT PLASTER ON THE OUTSIDE AND THEN HOPEFULLY BE ALL CLOSED IN AND WATERTIGHT BY THE COLDER SEASONS, AND THEN WE'LL HIT INTO THE PLASTERING ON THE INSIDE. WHAT WAS THE BUDGET AGAIN AT THE BEGINNING? I CAN'T REMEMBER. UH, IT WAS $1000 A METRE. OUR BUDGET ISN'T REALLY BLOWING OUT FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF MATERIAL COST. YOU KNOW, WE'VE DONE SOME SWINGS AND ROUNDABOUTS WHICH HAVE KEPT EVERYTHING REASONABLY ON TRACK. OUR TIMEFRAME HAS BLOWN OUT, WHICH HAS MEANT OUR LIVING COSTS HAVE PROBABLY EXTENDED OUT. ARE YOU SERIOUS, THOUGH, THAT IT'S $1000 A SQUARE METRE? YEP. BECAUSE ANYBODY IN AUCKLAND OR CHRISTCHURCH RIGHT NOW, THEIR EYES WOULD BE WATERING HEARING THAT. IF YOU CAN BUILD FOR $1000 A SQUARE METRE, THEN YOU CAN AFFORD TO GO SLOWLY, CAN YOU NOT? EXACTLY. WHAT I'M HEARING IS ` ABANDON YOUR JOB. IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE. MUCH BETTER TO BUY SMART, CHEAP MATERIALS AND DO IT YOURSELF. I THINK THERE'S A REAL OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE BRAVE ENOUGH TO JUMP OFF THE SYSTEM, COS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALL ON A CONVEYOR BELT, AND IT SEEMS THAT, YOU KNOW, THE RULE OF THUMB IS YOU GO OUT AND GET A JOB, GET A MORTGAGE AND DIE. THAT SEEMS TO BE THE BRIEF SUMMARY OF LIFE. SO IF YOU CAN STEP OUT OF THAT TREADMILL AND DO SOMETHING SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT, THEN THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES TO DO IT THAT WAY. IT'S JUST WHO WE ARE TOO. WE'RE MAKERS, YOU KNOW. WE'RE ARTISTS. WE'RE DOERS. WE USE OUR HANDS. AND WE LIKE TO DO THAT. YOU KNOW, I DON'T THINK IT WOULD WORK FOR EVERYONE. I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE IT FINISHED. I THINK WE SHARE THAT SENTIMENT. WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE DAY THAT WE CAN MOVE IN. BUT IT'S NOT ABOUT THE TIME, YOU KNOW. AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE WILL FINISH, AND WE WILL BE WELL OVER OUR TIME, BUT, YOU KNOW, IT'S A HOUSE THAT'S GONNA LAST FOR A LONG, LONG TIME, SO IT'S WORTH IT, ISN'T IT? MIKE AND CATHY PLAN TO KEEP LIVING IN THE BUS ON SITE, BUT THEY NOW HAVE TO JUGGLE BUILDING WITH PAID JOBS. WHILE MANY HANDS HAVE MADE LIGHT WORK OF THE STRAW STUFFING, MIKE AND CATHY STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO. BUT WHAT'S HERE IS THE START OF SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY. MIKE'S CURVED ROOF ATOP CURVED WALLS IS A FEAT OF DESIGN. CATHY'S TOWERING HARDWOOD WINDOWS ` A LABOUR OF LOVE. THEIR HOME IS HUGE, AMBITIOUS AND CONSTANTLY EVOLVING. TOO MANY OF US FALL INTO A SUPERMARKET MENTALITY WHEN IT COMES TO BUILDING. TO MINIMISE RISK AND MEET REGULATIONS, WE TEND TO USE OFF-THE-SHELF DESIGNS AND PRODUCTS. MIKE AND CATHY ARE NOT BUYING INTO THAT. THEY'VE SLOWED DOWN. THEY'RE QUESTIONING, RESEARCHING AND TESTING AS THEY BUILD, EMBRACING THE OPPORTUNITY TO INNOVATE, AND IT'S PAYING OFF. SLOWLY, BUT IT'S PAYING OFF. MY DAD'S BUILT THREE HOUSES THAT WE'VE LIVED IN, AND ALL HAVE BECOME PROGRESSIVELY MORE CURVED AS WE'VE GROWN UP. SO THIS IS DEFINITELY BY FAR THE MOST CURVED HOUSE WE'VE LIVED IN. THE NEXT ONE WILL BE A CIRCLE, EH? ALL LAUGH CHEERS TO THE HOUSE. CHEERS. WELL DONE, GUYS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK. YOU GET ONE FREE NIGHT. ALL LAUGH YEAH, ONE FREE NIGHT IN THE BUS. ALL LAUGH COPYRIGHT ABLE 2015