CONCRETE STARTS ITS LIFE AS A HUMBLE HANDFUL OF GRAVEL. YET IT'S ONE OF OUR MOST REVOLUTIONARY BUILDING MATERIALS. THESE DAYS, WE'VE GONE MAD FOR BUILDING OUR HOUSES WITH IT, BUT FEW PEOPLE ARE PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES LIKE THE MAN YOU'RE ABOUT TO MEET ` A SELF-TITLED CONCRETOLOGIST. GRAVEL CLATTERS 'GRAND DESIGNS' THEME CAPTIONS BY JUNE YEOW. WWW.ABLE.CO.NZ CAPTIONS WERE MADE POSSIBLE WITH FUNDING FROM NZ ON AIR. COPYRIGHT ABLE 2016 UPBEAT MUSIC ROSS BANNAN IS IN HIS ELEMENT OUT ON THE WATER, AND CITY OF SAILS AUCKLAND IS THE PERFECT PLACE TO ENJOY IT. ROSS HAS SPENT MOST OF LIFE IN THE CITY, STARTING OUT AS A BUILDER'S APPRENTICE AND EVENTUALLY FORMING HIS OWN CONSTRUCTION COMPANY. BUT IT'S HIS REPUTATION WITH EXPERIMENTING WITH CONCRETE THAT'S MADE HIM RATHER LEGENDARY. THAT LOOKS AWESOME. IT'S JUST A TOTALLY FLUID PRODUCT, SO YOU CAN DO ANYTHING WITH IT WHATSOEVER. IT JUST COMES DOWN TO IMAGINATION AND COST, YOU KNOW? IT'S QUITE A UNIQUE FINISH, ISN'T IT? YEAH. HIS WIFE, MAXINE, AND THEIR THREE CHILDREN ` JASMINE, TROY AND BLAKE ` ALL SHARE ROSS' PASSION FOR THE WATER. AND THEY'VE FOUND A PERFECT HOME IN PT CHEVALIER ` A QUIET HARBOURSIDE SUBURB THAT'S CLOSE TO THE CITY, YET SEEMS MILES AWAY FROM THE RAT RACE. HEY, CHRIS. HI. AFTER 30 YEARS' WORKING ON OTHER PEOPLE'S HOUSES, IT'S HERE THAT ROSS IS FINALLY BUILDING FOR HIS OWN FAMILY. DOES THAT MEAN THAT HE'S BEEN PRACTISING ON OTHER PEOPLE'S PROPERTIES IN ORDER TO GET IT RIGHT FOR YOU GUYS? I THINK SO, YEAH. (CHUCKLES) SHH. SOMEBODY MENTIONED TO ME THAT YOU CALL YOURSELF A CONCRETOLOGIST. YEAH. YEAH. I THOUGHT IT SOUNDED QUITE CATCHY. (CHUCKLES) SO WHAT HAVE YOU GOT PLANNED? I MEAN, I'M ASSUMING THAT IT'S ALL GOING TO BE MADE OF CONCRETE. YEAH. BASICALLY, IT'S IN TWO PIECES, SO THERE'S AN EAST WING AND WEST WING, SO TO SPEAK. SO THE EAST WING IS THE GARAGE, WHERE WE'LL LIVE INITIALLY WHILE WE BUILD THE MAIN WEST WING. AND THEN THAT'S, UH, THREE-LEVEL ` MAN CAVE AT THE BOTTOM. A MAN CAVE? YEAH. IT'S NOT AN ENTERTAINMENT ROOM. IT'S CALLED A MAN CAVE. YEP. I BEG TO DIFFER THAT ONE. (CHUCKLES) OH REALLY? WHY? WHAT WOULD YOU CALL IT, MAXINE? IT'S A FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT ROOM. I'LL BE HAVING PLENTY OF GIRLY MOVIE NIGHTS WITH MY MATES. (CHUCKLES) SO WHAT WAS THE DESIGN INSPIRATION FOR THE PROJECT? WHERE DID THAT COME FROM? THE ARCHITECTS ALL KNOW THAT WE'RE INTO YACHTING AND, YOU KNOW, THE BEACH AND ALL THOSE SORTS OF THINGS. SO THEY'VE KIND OF DESIGNED IT AROUND A BIT OF A SAIL CONCEPT. SO WHEN THEY BROUGHT THE INITIAL DESIGN ROUND TO US ONE NIGHT AND THEY, SORT OF, YOU KNOW, DO THE ARCHITECT SPEAK LIKE YOU GUYS, YOU KNOW, YOU HARDLY UNDERSTAND IT. BUT IT GOES ON AND ON. BUT THEN THEY PULLED THE PLANS OUT AFTER A COUPLE OF WINES, AND WE WERE JUST BLOWN AWAY, EH? IT WAS, LIKE, 'HOW DO YOU THINK OF THIS?' YOU KNOW? IT WAS REALLY AMAZING. MUST HAVE BEEN GOOD WINE. YEAH. IT WAS REALLY GOOD WINE. AT 600M2, ROSS AND MAXINE'S HOME WILL BE MORE THAN THREE TIMES THE SIZE OF THE AVERAGE NZ HOUSE. THE MAIN GROUND LEVEL BEGINS WITH AN ENTERTAINMENT ROOM, OR IF ROSS HAS HIS WAY, MAN CAVE. ON TOP OF THIS, MORE CONCRETE WITH FORM THE FLOATING FLOOR AND THE WALLS OF THE CANTILEVERED LIVING AREA. THIS WILL CONNECT TO A GROUND FLOOR CONCRETE GARAGE AND WORKSHOP. TOO MUCH CONCRETE? NOT ENOUGH, SAYS ROSS. A THIRD LEVEL WILL HOUSE A MASTER BEDROOM. SOARING CONCRETE FINS FRAME THE CHILDREN'S WING OF THE HOUSE, MEETING THE BACK WALL AT AN UNUSUALLY FINE CONCRETE POINT, LIKE THE BOW OF A BOAT. THE STARKNESS OF THE CONCRETE WILL BE WARMED BY THE USE OF CEDAR ON SOME INTERIOR WALLS, HUGE SKYLIGHTS AND WINDOWS FRAMING VIEWS OF THE HARBOUR. ROSS WANTS TO BUILD IT ENTIRELY FROM IN SITU POURED CONCRETE, WHICH MEANS NO ROOM FOR ERROR BUT PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITY FOR IT. SOUNDS LIKE A BIG, AMBITIOUS PROJECT. SO WHAT'S YOUR BUDGET? WHAT BUDGET, DARLING? (LAUGHS) I'M SUPREMELY CONFIDENT WE'LL GET IT UNDER FOR A MILLION BUCKS. SOUNDS TO ME LIKE YOU'RE SETTING A LOT OF CHALLENGES FOR YOURSELF. THE BAR'S ALREADY UP HERE SOMEWHERE. I AM. I HAVE, BUT, UH, IF YOU CAN'T DO IT FOR YOUR OWN HOME, YOU CAN'T DO IT FOR ANYONE, SO... I'LL GIVE IT A GO, SEE WHAT HAPPENS. GREAT. WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG (?) (LAUGHS) THE DESIGN HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE A SPECTACULAR LANDMARK. BUT ROSS AND MAX BOUGHT THE SITE NINE YEARS AGO. LIKE A MECHANIC TINKERING WITH HIS OWN CAR, ROSS HAS BEEN CHIPPING AWAY AT HIS OWN HOUSE ON EVENINGS AND WEEKENDS. AFTER NEARLY A DECADE, HE'S ONLY BUILT THE BASEMENT, OR MAN CAVE, AND WHAT WILL ONE DAY BE THE GARAGE, WHERE THE FAMILY IS CURRENTLY LIVING. IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S BEEN SITTING HERE FOREVER. YEAH, IT'S BEEN SITTING HERE A LITTLE WHILE. WELL, NOT SITTING, JUST SLOWLY MOVING, BUT, UH, WE'RE GOING TO BE PROGRESSING IT VERY QUICKLY NOW. YEAH, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING THE MAIN STRUCTURE UP AND ACTUALLY MOVING IN. IT'LL BE GREAT TO MOVE INTO HERE, RATHER THAN MOVING MY CLIENTS INTO THEIR HOUSES ALL MY LIFE. ROSS HAS REALISED IF HE DOESN'T UP THE MOMENTUM, IT WILL BECOME A LIFELONG CONSTRUCTION SITE. AND I'M HERE TO WITNESS ONE GIANT LEAP FORWARD. SO ROSS, WHAT ARE WE LOOKING AT? TODAY WE'RE GOING TO BE POURING THE MASSIVE CONCRETE IN HERE THAT CREATES THE FLOOR FOR THE LOUNGE ` THE LAST BIT OF THE FLOOR FOR THE LOUNGE. AND` WHICH CREATES THE SOFFIT FOR THE MAN CAVE BELOW. SO IT'S GOT A LOT OF STEEL IN HERE, BECAUSE IT'S A BIG CANTILEVER EFFECT AND BECAUSE IT'S SO THICK. THERE IS A REASON WHY PEOPLE DON'T POUR CONCRETE HOMES IN SITU. CREATING A HOME ON SITE REQUIRES METICULOUSLY PLANNED AND AN ENGINEERED FRAMING OR FORMWORK. ROSS HAS SPENT THREE MONTHS PREPARING THE FORM FOR HIS 6M CANTILEVERED FLOOR. WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN, ONLY WHEN WE'RE VIBRATING, COULD SHAKE THIS WAY A FRACTION. THIS`? THE WHOLE THING COULD GO THAT WAY, YOU KNOW? YEAH, YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT. SO KEEP AN EYE ON THESE LITTLE CORNERS, OK? THE CORNERS, YEP. AND ESPECIALLY THAT CORNER THERE. ALL RIGHT, MATE. YEAH, JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE, KEVIN, EH? ROSS HAS SPENT MOST OF HIS LIFE COMING UP WITH THE PERFECT CONCRETE BLEND. HIS SECRET FORMULA INCLUDES AN INGREDIENT WHICH ACTS LIKE A FABRIC SOFTENER, SMOOTHING OUT THE CONCRETE. WHAT MAKES THIS SO UNIQUE, SO SPECIAL COMPARED TO, SAY, WHAT YOU MIGHT MAKE YOUR AVERAGE FOOTPATH OUT OF? WELL, WE CLEARLY NEED FLOW` HIGH-FLOW CONCRETE AND HIGH-STRENGTH CONCRETE AS WELL. SO BY MIXING ADDITIVES IN IT WHICH REDUCES THE AMOUNT OF WATER WE'RE HAVING TO PUT INTO THE MIX, WE'RE ABLE TO ACHIEVE THAT. JUST GIVES IT THAT FLOWABILITY, SO IT MOVES IN THE MOULD. SO WHEN YOU PUT IT IN, IT DOESN'T` IT DOESN'T HANG UP LIKE THAT ` IT MOVES AROUND WHEN I VIBRATE IT. IT SHAKES AROUND AND FALLS INTO POSITION. THINGS ARE CHANGING QUITE QUICKLY, AREN'T THEY? HOW MUCH TIME HAVE WE GOT` NOT MUCH TIME. ...BEFORE I'M GLUED TO THE BUCKET? YEAH. (CHUCKLES) WELL, THESE CHEMICALS WE PUT IN ACTUALLY SET IT OFF QUICKER. SO WE'VE ONLY GOT A REAL LIMITED AMOUNT OF TIME ` ABOUT HALF AN HOUR WHEN IT ARRIVES HERE ` BEFORE WE CAN PUT IT IN THE MOULD. WITH NO TIME TO SPARE, EVERYONE FOCUSES ON GETTING ROSS' SPECIAL BLEND WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE QUICKLY. ROSS IS USING INDUSTRIAL VIBRATION UNITS TO SHAKE THE LIQUID CONCRETE FROM BELOW, HELPING TO KEEP IT EVEN AND REMOVE ANY POCKETS OF AIR. HIS YOUNGEST SON, BLAKE, HAS SPENT ALMOST HIS WHOLE LIFE LIVING ON SITE, AND HAS BEEN LEARNING THE TRICKS OF DAD'S TRADE. HEY, BLAKE, YOU'RE ON THE VIBRATOR AGAIN, EH? YEP. I'M JUST TURNING ON AND OFF THE VIBRATOR FOR KURT SO HE KNOWS HE CAN TURN` DO THE VIBRATING SO IT TAKES OUT THE BUBBLES IN THE CONCRETE. BUT ROSS SEEMS TO THINK US ARCHITECTS HAVE NO IDEA HOW THE HARD WORK IS ACTUALLY DONE. ALL RIGHT, WE'LL SEE HOW ACCURATE YOU ARE. YOU GUYS WANT US` YOU ARCHITECTS WANT US TO BE ACCURATE WITHIN A MILLIMETRE. COME ON. IT'S NOT A CAKE. WE'VE GOTTA (LAUGHS) WE'VE GOTTA GET IT UNDERWAY! (LAUGHS) OK. OK. 4MM DOWN. 4MM? 4.36, ACTUALLY. 'I'M GOING TO HAVE TO SHOW HIM THAT WE'RE NOT JUST PRETTY FACES.' OK, LET'S GIVE IT A CRACK. MACHINES WHIRR UH, NOT TOO BAD. 'I THOUGHT THAT WAS PERFECT. BUT THEN I'VE NEVER HAD MY WORK JUDGED BY A CONCRETOLOGIST BEFORE.' NOT BAD EFFORT. I WOULDN'T TRUST YOU ON THE WHOLE FLOOR. BOTH LAUGH TRANQUIL MUSIC IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF HOURS BEFORE THE 26-TON CANTILEVERED FLOOR IS DONE. CAN WE DO THIS? ABSOLUTELY. SHOULD BE ALL RIGHT. YEP. (CHUCKLES) IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE TWO HOURS AGO IT WAS BEING POURED. YEAH. AND WHAT WILL THIS BE AS A PERCENTAGE OF THE OVERALL BUILD? OH, 5%? SO 5% DONE AND 95% TO GO. YEAH, IF YOU LOOK AT IT THAT WAY. LITTLE LONG WAY TO GO. ROSS HAS AT LEAST ANOTHER 20 MORE CONCRETE POURS TO GO JUST TO GET THE MAIN STRUCTURE IN PLACE. HE HAS THE SKILLS TO DO IT, BUT AT THIS PACE, THE KIDS WILL HAVE LEFT HOME BEFORE HE'S FINISHED. WWW.ABLE.CO.NZ TRANQUIL MUSIC IN PT CHEVALIER, ROSS HAS BEEN TINKERING AWAY ON SITE FOR ALMOST 10 YEARS. CREATING AN ARCHITECTURAL HOME OF IN SITU CONCRETE TAKES TIME. BUT MOMENTUM IS BUILDING. THREE MONTHS AFTER POURING THE CANTILEVERED FLOOR, ROSS HAS THE FORMWORK READY FOR ONE OF THE MOST COMPLICATED STAGES OF THE BUILD. WE'RE POURING THE 7M-HIGH FIRST OF THE WING WALLS THAT COME DOWN THIS WAY. SO THERE'S SIX OF THEM WE'VE GOTTA DO IN TOTAL, SO THIS WALL TAKES CARE OF ALL THE FLOOR CONNECTIONS, ALL THE STRUCTURAL STEEL ELEMENTS THAT TIE THE STEEL TOGETHER. SO IT'S QUITE A DIFFICULT POUR, AND IT'S UNEQUAL SIDES TOO. SO WHEN YOU'RE POURING ON THIS SIDE, IT'S NOT LIKE YOU POUR FOR 30 SECONDS ON THIS SIDE, 30 SECONDS ON THAT SIDE. YOU'VE GOTTA BE LOOKING DOWN WITH A TORCH. CREATING A HUGE CONCRETE FIN WALL IS A FEAT OF DESIGN ENGINEERING AND BRAVADO. 24 TONS OF CONCRETE WILL E POURED FROM A HEIGHT OF ALMOST 8M, WHICH PLACES HUGE PRESSURE ON THE FORMWORK. ANY LEAK OR COLLAPSE IS ALWAYS A DISASTER WITH IN SITU CONCRETE, BUT THESE FINS ALSO SIT ON TOP OF THE NEW CANTILEVER FLOOR. THERE'S AN ART TO A POUR LIKE THIS. THESE THINGS HERE ` THESE ARE MY FEEDER TUBES. AND AS WE POUR THE CONCRETE, WE'LL LIFT THOSE, SO WE'RE REMAINING JUST ABOUT THE LEVEL OF THE CONCRETE ON BOTH OF THEM. IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO FEED THE CONCRETE DOWN CAREFULLY SO YOU DON'T SPOIL THE LOOK OF THE CONCRETE AND ALSO TAKE THE INTEGRITY OUT OF THE CONCRETE. IN A NOD TO THE NEIGHBOURHOOD'S WEATHERBOARD HOMES, ROSS HAS DESIGNED A FORM MOULD USING OVERLAPPED TIMBER, WHICH SHOULD LEAVE ITS IMPRINT ON THE FINISHED CONCRETE. POURING ALL THE CONCRETE IN SITU IS A RARE CHOICE IN THIS DAY AND AGE, AND I WOULD SAY FOR GOOD REASON. IT'S ENORMOUSLY RISKY. EACH POUR HAS TO GO PERFECTLY. IT'S NO WONDER ROSS IS LOOKING STRESSED. THERE'S A LOT RIDING ON THIS DREAM FOR ROSS AND FOR THE FAMILY, WHO ARE KEEN TO MOVE OUT OF THE GARAGE. NOT THAT CATS LACEY AND MAVERICK SEEM TO MIND. WE'VE BEEN HERE FOR COMING UP FOUR AND A HALF YEARS. VERY LONG TIME. WE'RE QUITE CRAMPED IN HERE. JASMINE'S GOT A TINY BEDROOM. THE BOYS ARE SHARING. THEY KINDA KEEP EACH OTHER AWAKE. IT'D BE QUITE GOOD TO MAYBE GET THEM TO BED A BIT EARLIER SOMETIMES, THINGS LIKE THAT. SO, YEAH, WE JUST KINDA THOUGHT WE'D BETTER GET ON WITH IT. OTHERWISE, YOU KNOW, THE KIDS WILL BE MOVING OUT AND MOVING ON AND ROSS AND I WILL BE RATTLING AROUND IN A FIVE-BEDROOM HOUSE. OH, REALLY EXCITED, COS IT'S BEEN A LONG PROJECT. AND IT'S JUST NICE SEEING THINGS COMING TOGETHER. AT THE MOMENT, IT'S A BIT OF LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL. CONCRETE MIXER BEEPS ROSS IS POURING WITH ANOTHER ONE OF HIS SECRET CONCRETE RECIPES. GETTING THE RIGHT MIX IS CRUCIAL. YEAH, SHE'S REASONABLY FIRM, EH? MAN: EH? REASONABLY FIRM. IT'S BEEN A PARTICULARLY HOT SUMMER, WITH LITTLE RAIN. AND IT'S TAKEN A TOLL ON THE MIXTURE. THEY'VE RUN OUT OF WATER AT THE QUARRY. SO THEY CAN'T WET THE STOCKPILES DOWN. SO EVERYTHING'S JUST BONE DRY. SO, UH, WE PUT THE SUPER IN, AND WHAT IT DOES IS IT LIQUEFIES THE CONCRETE A BIT. YOU COULD USE WATER, BUT THE WATER ` ALL THAT DOES IS IT WEAKENS THE CONCRETE AND IT SORT OF ENHANCES THE SHRINKAGE IN IT, WHICH IS NOT WHAT YOU WANT. ONCE HE'S HAPPY WITH THE FLOW, EVERY CONNECTION IS CHECKED AND DOUBLE CHECKED TO PREVENT ANY BLOCKAGES IN THE HOSE. GOOD. ROSS' CONCRETE BLEND ONLY HAS A SHORT WINDOW OF MALLEABILITY, AND IT'S TAKING A LONG TIME TO MAKE ITS WAY UP NEARLY 8M. TENSE MUSIC FEEL IT? IT'S COMING UP THE LINE NOW. (SHOUTS INDISTINCTLY) HE'S GOOD! EVEN WITH ALL THE TEAM'S EXPERIENCE, THIS POUR IS PARTICULARLY CHALLENGING. COMMUNICATION AND TEAMWORK ARE KEY. OK, LET'S GO TWO! MACHINERY WHIRRS GO! OK, JASE! GO. STOP. WILLIE! WILL! I THINK ROSS MIGHT HAVE GAINED A FEW MORE GREY HAIRS. ALL RIGHT. IT WAS A BIT TRICKY. IT WAS STARTING TO GO OFF ON ME A LITTLE BIT, SO, UM... YOU COULD TELL WHEN I WAS MIXING THE CONCRETE IT WAS VERY WARM. SO THAT MEANS THE EXOTHERMING HAS ALREADY STARTED. AND IT'S BECAUSE IT'S BEEN SO HOT LATELY, ALL THE AGGREGATES IN THE PLANT HAVEN'T HAD MUCH MOISTURE IN THEM, SO THEY'RE DRY. SO THE DRIER IT IS, THE QUICKER IT STARTS TO GO OFF. AND THEN WE'RE, SORT OF, A METRE AND A HALF FROM THE TOP, AND IT REALLY STARTED TO GO, SO, UM` BUT IT WASN'T` COULDN'T REALLY STOP. WE HAD TO KEEP GOING. SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE JUST ACTIVATING IT WITH ANOTHER VIBRATOR RIGHT AT THE END. BUT THE KEY THING IS TODAY IT STAYED IN THE MOULD, WHICH IS ALWAYS A BIG BONUS. NO OOZING, NO EXPLOSIONS. DON'T LIKE THOSE. NOT THAT I'VE HAD ANY. (CHUCKLES) TOUCH WOOD. ROSS WON'T KNOW HOW THE FIRST OF SIX TOWERING FIN WALLS TURNS OUT UNTIL THE CONCRETE IS CURED ENOUGH TO UNWRAP THE FORMWORK IN A COUPLE OF DAYS. THERE'S A LOT OF WORK, STRESS AND RISK INVOLVED IN CREATING THESE HUGE PERMANENT STRUCTURES ON SITE. WHILE ROSS LIKES TO TEASE US ARCHITECTS, HE MUST QUIETLY HAVE A HUGE APPRECIATION OF DESIGN. ARCHITECT DAVID PONTING FOUND INSPIRATION FOR THIS UNUSUAL STRUCTURE BY PLAYING IN THE SAND. I SPENT A FAIR BIT OF TIME WITH ROSS AND ACTUALLY... AND IS THIS HOW YOU DISCUSS THE HOUSE WITH HIM? I MEAN, IF WE DID THIS, THIS IS HOW IT WOULD LOOK? YEAH. YEAH. 'IT MAY BE AN UNUSUAL WAY TO SELL A DESIGN CONCEPT, BUT FOR DAVID, 'THE CONNECTION TO THE BEACH MADE SAND AN IDEAL STARTING POINT 'TO CREATE SOMETHING QUITE OUTSIDE THE BOX.' OH NICE. GOSH, LOOK AT THE WAY THAT CATCHES THE LIGHT. THESE ARE THE FIN WALLS, ALL JUTTING OUT TO SEA. IT'S AMAZING THAT A SIMPLE SANDCASTLE MODEL CONVINCED ROSS TO RECREATE THIS IN GIANT SLABS OF CONCRETE. IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO CONNECT WITH THE` WITH WHY THE SITE WAS BOUGHT. AND THERE WAS A BEAUTIFUL VIEW LOOKING STRAIGHT OUT NORTHWEST. AND WE HAD TO TURN THE WINDOWS 45 DEGREES AWAY FROM THE WATER ` THE OBVIOUS END OF SIGHT APPROACH TO ACHIEVE THAT CHANNEL. AND FROM WITHIN THE BUILDING, YOU'LL SEE THESE BEAUTIFUL SLOT VIEWS, AND THEY'RE ALL` THEY'RE ALL DEFINED BY THESE VERTICAL BLADES THAT HAVE THIS DOUBLE PURPOSE OF ALLOWING YOU TO SEE WHERE YOU WANT TO LOOK AND SHOWING OFF THE FORM OF THE BUILDING AS THE SUN MOVES AROUND IT. THEY'RE PLAYING WITH LIGHT, AND ON A VERY LARGE SCALE. RIGHT. SO IT'S A KIND OF MACRO SCULPTURE. OH, ABSOLUTELY. I GUESS... IT'S KIND OF INTERESTING FOR ME, BECAUSE IF I LOOK BACK AND THINK, 'OK, WHAT WAS THE EARLIEST MOST SIGNIFICANT CONCRETE BUILDING?' THEN IT HAS TO BE THE PANTHEON IN ROME. MM. UM, WITHOUT STEEL REINFORCING, BY THE WAY. BUT IT'S AL` 27FT-THICK WALLS. YEAH, THAT TOO. BUT IT'S ALSO ABOUT CRAFTING LIGHT. AND THIS INCREDIBLE SENSE OF TRANSCENDING TIME. TIMELESSNESS. YEAH. YEAH. UH, I HAVE TO ADMIT TO BEING AN OUT-AND-OUT MODERNIST, AND YET IT'S THE ONLY BUILDING THAT'S MADE ME CRY. TEARFULLY: IT'S A POWERFUL, POWERFUL BUILDING. TRANQUIL MUSIC IT'S LUCKY ROSS CAN'T SEE US ARCHITECTS NOW. ALTHOUGH I'M EVEN MORE CONVINCED HE'S HIDING A SOFT SIDE OF HIS OWN. JUST THREE DAYS AFTER POURING HIS FIRST CONCRETE FIN, ROSS IS READY TO REMOVE THE FRAMING AND SEE WHAT HE'S ` LITERALLY ` SET IN STONE. ARE YOU NERVOUS? UH, YEAH. ALWAYS NERVOUS WHEN REVEALING A FORM. (CHUCKLES) BUT, UM, QUIETLY CONFIDENT. ROSS MUST REALLY BE FEELING CONFIDENT, BECAUSE HE'S EVEN TRUSTING A MERE ARCHITECT LIKE ME TO OPERATE THE CRANE. WITH SUPERVISION, OF COURSE. WE MIGHT JUST SLEW IT A LITTLE BIT TO THE RIGHT, JUST SO WE GET IT OVER THE CENTRE. SO TROLLEY` NAH. NAH. TROLLEY IN IS THIS ONE. RIGHT. THE BLACK ONE. YOU BRING IT OVER IN ONE FLUID MOTION AND WE DON'T GET THAT SWING ON. THAT'S IT. OH. YEP. OH, OH, OH. CLANG! OH! OOPS. WRONG WAY. SORRY, GUYS. OH, LUCKY NO ONE'S STANDING UP THERE, EH? YEP. (LAUGHS) THIS IS LEGO FOR BIG KIDS. OH YEAH. (CHUCKLES) YOU'VE GOTTA HAVE BIG TOYS WHEN YOU'RE OLDER. YEAH. (CHUCKLES) ONE BY ONE, THE STEEL FRAMEWORK AND WOODEN PANELS ARE PEELED AWAY. IT'S A PAINSTAKING PROCESS, AND IT'S ONLY WHEN IT STARTS TO BE DISMANTLED THAT YOU CAN REALLY SEE THE WORK THAT'S GONE INTO CREATING THIS FORMED STRUCTURE. TROLLEY OUT. METAL SQUEALS WHOA. WHOA. OK, IAN, I'LL JUST DO ONE MOTION AT A TIME, COS HE'S JUST AN ARCHITECT. (LAUGHS) FINALLY, THE TIMBER BOARDS ARE DELICATELY PRISED AWAY TO REVEAL THE CONCRETE BENEATH. QUIRKY MUSIC LOOK AT THAT. IT'S BEAUTIFUL. IT'S GOT TOTALLY THE TONAL VARIETY OF THE TIMBER. YEP. NAH, IT'S COME OUT GREAT. THE PRECISION THAT'S GONE INTO NOT ONLY THE STRUCTURE BUT THE FINISH IS STUNNING. YOU KNOW, AN OLD FRIEND OF MINE WHO GREW UP IN ITALY ` HE TALKED ABOUT LA MURA, WHICH MEANS, IN ITALIAN, 'THE WALLS'. AND HERE YOU ARE, LIKE, BUILDING SOME REALLY KICK-ARSE PERMANENT WALLS IN NZ. HOW DOES IT`? HOW DOES THAT FEEL? UM, OH, LOOK, IT'S GREAT. I'VE STUDIED A LOT OF THE ITALIAN ARCHITECTS AND THE, UM, FORMS THEY CREATE. SO, NAH, IT'S REALLY GOOD TO SEE. I HAVEN'T SEEN THEM PERSONALLY IN ITALY, BUT, YOU KNOW, UM, TE AMO. (LAUGHS) IT'S BEAUTIFUL. AFTER YEARS OF TINKERING WITH HIS HOME, ROSS HAS NOW MADE SOME HUGE LEAPS FORWARD BUT HAS TAKEN ALMOST THREE MONTHS TO COMPLETE ONE FIN. HE HAS FIVE MORE TO GO, AND THAT'S JUST ONE SIDE OF THE HOUSE. I'M HOPING HE KEEPS UP THE MOMENTUM, BECAUSE THIS IS GOING TO BE A LONG JOURNEY. BRIGHT MUSIC ROSS AND MAXINE BANNAN ARE DETERMINED TO FINISH THEIR DREAM HOME BEFORE THEIR KIDS GROW UP AND MOVE OUT. SO ROSS IS THROWING HIMSELF INTO THE BUILD, WORKING WITH A TEAM BY DAY AND BY HIMSELF AT NIGHT, JUGGLING PAID BUILDING JOBS TO GIVE IT AS MUCH FOCUS AS POSSIBLE. AND SEVEN MONTHS AFTER POURING THE FIRST FIN, HE'S FINISHED ALL SIX OF THEM. THIS IS EXTRAORDINARY. HE'S DONE SO MUCH. HUGE AMOUNT HAS BEEN ACHIEVED SINCE I WAS HERE LAST. AND THE QUALITY OF IT IS STUNNING. ROSS, I'M JUST SO IMPRESSED. THE SHEER SCALE OF WORK HERE ` ALL THE BOXING THAT HAS GONE IN ` AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF WORK. YOU KNOW, IT WAS POINTLESS BUILDING SOMETHING NORMAL, YOU KNOW? IN MY OWN PLACE. YOU KNOW, I'VE LEARNT A LOT OF THINGS OVER THE YEARS FROM BUILDING FOR SOME GREAT CLIENTS AND THAT, AND THE IDEA WAS BRING ALL THE IDEAS TOGETHER AND ALL THE SKILLS WE'D LEARNT AND DO SOMETHING REALLY SPECIAL. SO, UM... WELL, YOU FEEL IT. YOU REALLY FEEL IT. I MEAN, THE COMPLEXITY OF THE GEOMETRY FEELS LIKE IT REALLY BELONGS TO THE SITE, TO ME. YEAH. YEAH. JUST SETTING UP THESE FINS WAS SOMETHING I WAS NEVER LOOKING FORWARD TO, JUST WITH THE ANGLES THAT THEY WERE SURVEYING. JUST... PUTTING THE IN THE RIGHT POSITION. YOU KNOW, WE'RE TRYING TO WORK OUT THE PINPOINT RAISED LEVELS TO POUR THE CONCRETE TO, AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK, 'SHIT, I HOPE IT'S HIGH ENOUGH THAT WE DON'T GO UNDERNEATH THE SOFFIT 'AND HAVE PROBLEMS.' ROSS HAS ONE MORE GIANT CONCRETE CHALLENGE AHEAD. HE'S DONE HORIZONTAL CANTILEVERED FLOORS, HE'S DONE 7M TOWERING FIN WALLS, AND NOW HE HAS TO DO A POUR ON A SLOPE. HE'S CREATING THE FORMWORK FOR A 90M SOFFIT, WHICH WILL LIE ACROSS THE TOP OF THE FIN WALLS, LINKING THEM TOGETHER. AND IT'S ANGLED AT 15 DEGREES. ALL RIGHT. HOLD IT THERE. THAT'S COOL THERE. YEP. WHAT'S MORE, CREATING A SOFFIT WILL TEST HIS MEASUREMENT ON THE FINS. JUST ONE FIN WALL AT SLIGHTLY THE WRONG HEIGHT OR ANGLE AND THE WHOLE DESIGN FAILS. ROSS' SECOND IN COMMAND, KIRK JOHNSON, IS HELPING ROSS PUSH THE BOUNDARIES OF BUILDING WITH CONCRETE. I'VE DONE QUITE A FEW COMPLICATED ONES, BUT THIS ONE'S UP THERE, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, SO MANY ANGLES AND STUFF. AND, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE DEALING WITH CONCRETE AS WELL, YOU KNOW, IN A VERTICAL FORM. IT MAKES IT HARD. HE LOVES IT. LIVES FOR IT, EH. LIVES FOR HIS CONCRETE. NO ONE COULD EVER DOUBT ROSS' ABSOLUTE PASSION FOR CONCRETE. PERSONALLY, I THINK HE'S A REAL ARTIST. BUT HE BALKS AT THE WORD. HE PRIDES HIMSELF ON GOOD, SOLID PRACTICAL BUILDING SKILLS, AND IT'S THESE HE'S KEEN TO PASS ON TO HIS BOYS. 11-YEAR-OLD BLAKE IS SHOWING EVERY SIGN OF FOLLOWING IN HIS DAD'S FOOTSTEPS. BUT ROSS IS WORRIED THAT OLDER SON TROY HAS STARTED DISPLAYING ARCHITECTURAL TENDENCIES. I HEAR YOUR SON'S THINKING ABOUT BECOMING AN ARCHITECT. UH, HOPEFULLY HE DOESN'T GO DOWN THAT SIDE AND HE COMES TO THE RIGHT SIDE. (LAUGHS) I'M TRYING TO DESIGN WHETHER I'M GOING TO HAVE A MEZZANINE ROOM OR A BIGGER WARDROBE IN MY ROOM. I LOVE THE WORK WE'D` THE ARCHITECTURE WE'D GET IN MY DAD'S JOBS. THE HOUSES MY DAD'S DONE ARE PRETTY COOL, SO... BIT OF INSPIRATION FROM THOSE ARCHITECTS. IN AN EFFORT TO KEEP HIM FROM THE DARK SIDE, ROSS HAS ENLISTED TROY'S HELP ON SITE IN THE AFTERNOONS AFTER SCHOOL. GO TO THE CONCRETE WALL. THIS ONE? YEAH, BUT SEE THE MARK TOWARDS ME? GOTTA GET IT OVER THE TOP OF IT. SAY WHEN YOU'RE ABOUT RIGHT. YEP. THIS WILL BE A TRUE FAMILY HOME IN EVERY POSSIBLE SENSE. EACH MEMBER OF THE FAMILY HAS HAD A PART TO PLAY ALONG THE WAY. WHILE ROSS IS ALL OVER THE BUILD, WIFE MAX IS IN CHARGE OF THE INTERIOR. HER HUNT FOR THE UNIQUE HAS TAKEN HER ALL THE WAY TO THE SMALL SOUTH ISLAND TOWN OF GARSTON. THINGS THAT APPEAL TO ME IS LIKE THAT ANTLERS AND METAL AND THE INTERESTING CARVED WOODEN DOORS. THAT'S JUST A REAL MIX OF STYLES, REALLY. PIECES THAT ARE QUITE OLD BUT THEY'LL SUIT THE CONCRETE HOUSE. AND JUST` THERE'S SO MUCH CHARACTER. WITH THE FINISH LINE SO NEARLY IN SIGHT NOW, MAX AND ROSS ARE FINALLY ABLE TO START VISUALISING THEIR DREAM BECOMING A REALITY. I` I'M SO PROUD OF HIM, AND I CAN'T WAIT TILL IT'S FINISHED, AND HOPEFULLY HE CAN SLOW DOWN AND ACTUALLY ENJOY IT. NOT LIKELY. ROSS HAS STILL GOT PLENTY OF WORK AHEAD. A MONTH LATER, THE SOFFIT FORMWORK IS COMPLETE. NOW IT NEEDS ROSS' MAGIC CONCRETE MIX. WE'RE POURING THE LAST OF THE SOFFIT THAT TIES ALL THE FINS TOGETHER. SO IT'S THE LAST STRUCTURAL POUR OF THE WHOLE HOUSE. SO IT'S PRETTY COOL. THE ONLY OTHER ONE WE GOTTA DO NOW IS THE CURVED STAIR GOING UP TO THE LANDING INSIDE. SO THAT'S ONLY, YOU KNOW, A COUPLE OF METRES, SO... THIS IS PRETTY MUCH IT. GENTLE MUSIC THUNDER RUMBLES WITH WINTER AND A MAJOR CONTRACT LOOMING, THIS WILL BE ROSS' LAST PUSH TO THE FINISH LINE. MAYBE THAT'S WHY HE SEEMS TO BE IGNORING THE RATHER OBVIOUS WEATHER PROBLEM. IF IT WAS EASY, EVERYONE WOULD DO IT, EH? RAIN WOULD BE DISASTROUS ON THE WET CONCRETE. BUT ROSS IS DETERMINED TO TRY HIS LUCK BETWEEN SHOWERS. OK, LET'S GO. AND THIS IS NO STRAIGHTFORWARD POUR. NOT ONLY IS IT HIGH UP, BUT BECAUSE THE FIN WALLS DESCEND IN HEIGHT, THE SOFFIT IS ON A SIGNIFICANT SLOPE. IT'S VITAL THAT THE 8 TON OF CONCRETE SETS EVENLY AND DOESN'T START TO PULL DOWN AT THE LOWER END. IT'S A FIGHT AGAINST GRAVITY. CAN YOU JUST HOOK UP SIX WHEN YOU'RE READY? THE FORMWORK HAS BEEN CAREFULLY CRAFTED SO THAT THE CONCRETE CAN BE POURED IN STAGES. SO JUST KEEP IT AS FLAT AS YOU CAN, PLEASE, KIRK. AGAIN, COMMUNICATION IS KEY. WATCHING ROSS WORK IS LIKE WATCHING A CONDUCTOR DIRECT A SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA. THOUGH I HAVE A FEELING THAT HE'D OBJECT TO SUCH AN ARTY ANALOGY. THAT'S IT, TROY. SEE, YOU WANNA GET IT FLOWING THROUGH UNDERNEATH. NO, DO IT ON THE INSIDE OF THE BEAM. OK, THAT'S GOOD. RIGHT, COME UP HERE AND EVEN IT OUT. SO DO THE OUTSIDE HERE SO IT GETS IT NICE AND EVEN. WILLIE WILL TOP IT UP. I'VE GOTTA HAND IT TO ROSS. HIS GAMBLE HAS PAID OFF. THEY MANAGED TO COVER UP BEFORE THE NEXT DOWNPOUR. THE WHOLE SKELETON OF THIS HOUSE IS NOW COMPLETE. BEFORE THE TRUCKS LEAVE, THOUGH, ROSS CAN'T RESIST A LITTLE CONCRETE EXPERIMENT ON THE SIDE. TODAY HE'S TESTING A NEW LINING. ALWAYS PLAYING. WIFE GETS SICK OF THE CONCRETE MOULDS LYING AROUND THE HOUSE. BUT THAT'S THE ONLY WAY YOU LEARN. IF THERE WAS SUCH A THING AS CONCRETOLOGY, ROSS IS CERTAINLY AT THE FOREFRONT OF IT. HE LITERALLY LIVES IN A CONCRETE WORLD, CONTINUALLY PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES OF ITS POTENTIAL. IT'S HIS TRUE DEDICATION TO THE MATERIAL THAT'S SEEN HIM BECOME AN INTERNATIONAL LEADER IN THE FIELD. LIGHT-HEARTED MUSIC TODAY ROSS HAS AFFORDED HIMSELF A RARE BREAK FROM SITE TO ATTEND THE ANNUAL CONCRETE AWARDS. THIS IS THE OSCARS OF CONCRETE ` A CHANCE FOR LIKE-MINDED CONCRETE LOVERS TO MEET UP AND CELEBRATE ITS POSSIBILITIES. NOT EVERYONE'S IDEA OF A GLAMOUR EVENT, MAYBE, BUT FOR A CONCRETOLOGIST, IT'S THE BIGGEST NIGHT OF THE YEAR. APPLAUSE UPBEAT MUSIC BESTOWED WITH ONE OF THE CONCRETE WORLD'S HIGHEST HONOURS, ROSS IS AT THE TOP OF HIS GAME. AND HIS OWN HOME IS GOING TO BE HIS LASTING LEGACY. THE SOFFIT HAS SET PERFECTLY. THE MOST DIFFICULT PARTS OF THE BUILD ARE NOW BEHIND HIM. THIS SHOULD BE A TIME WHEN ROSS IS ABLE TO TAKE A STEP BACK AND ENJOY CRAFTING AN INTERIOR THAT FINALLY HE'LL GET TO LIVE IN. BUT JUST TWO WEEKS LATER, DISASTER HAS STRUCK ON SITE. YEAH, WE WERE PUTTING THE SLURRY THROUGH THE HOSE AND THAT'S WHEN IT GOT A BLOCKAGE. AND MY DAD YELLED OUT, 'STOP', BECAUSE HE HEARD IT. IT KINDA HAD A SMALL... I DON'T KNOW, SPRAY OF CONCRETE OUTSIDE. AND THEN IT JUST BLEW. ON THE VERY LAST CONCRETE POUR OF THIS ENORMOUS BUILD, A FEEDER PIPE HAS EXPLODED IN THE MIDDLE, SENDING LIQUID CONCRETE SHOOTING OUT WITH INCREDIBLE FORCE. STANDING RIGHT WHERE THE PIPE BURST, ROSS TOOK THE BRUNT OF THE BLAST. WE COULD HEAR HIM SCREAMING AND YELLING OUT. I SAW HIM ON THE GROUND HOLDING HIS HANDS TO HIS FACE. AND WE DIDN'T REALISE IT WAS HIS EYES UNTIL` WE WERE, LIKE, 'OH, MOVE DOWN THE STAIRS QUICKLY,' AND HE SAID, 'I CAN'T SEE.' SO HE SHOWS US HIS EYES, AND THEY WERE FULLY CLOSED. COULDN'T OPEN THEM. GRAVE MUSIC GENTLE MUSIC 10 DAYS AGO, AN EXPLODING CONCRETE PIPE PROVED DISASTROUS FOR ROSS AND MAXINE. ROSS HAS SPENT A WEEK IN HOSPITAL AS DOCTORS BATTLED TO SAVE HIS VISION. TENSE MUSIC TYPICALLY, THE LAST CONCRETE POUR OF THE ENTIRE HOUSE, SO 370M3 OF CONCRETE WENT INTO THE HOUSE, AND THE LAST 2 CUBIC METRES DECIDED TO BITE BACK. JUST CONCRETE EVERYWHERE. YOU KNOW, I COULDN'T SEE IT, BUT I COULD FEEL IT ALL OVER ME, YOU KNOW? AND, YOU KNOW` AND THEN I WAS GETTING UP, AND THEN HEARING THE BOYS TALKING, YOU KNOW, AND THEN TRYING TO OPEN MY EYES, AND IT WAS, LIKE, 'HEY, GUYS, I THINK I'M IN TROUBLE HERE.' UH, THE LEFT EYE ` WE HAD 100% DAMAGE TO THE CORNEA, AND THIS EYE WAS SORT OF 50-ISH ` 50%. SO IT MEANT A PRETTY URGENT RIDE TO THE HOSPITAL AND THEN STRAIGHT TO THE EYE CLINIC IN GREENLANE, WHERE THE STAFF THERE SORT OF, UM, SPENT QUITE A WHILE ON ME. WE WERE IN THERE TALKING WITH ALL OF THE SURGEONS, AND THEY'RE ALL` ALL 'OLOGISTS' OF SOME SORT, YOU KNOW, AND I SORT OF SAY, 'I'M A CONCRETOLOGIST. DO WE HAVE A LOUNGE WE CAN GO TO AFTER THIS?' BUT, UM, APPARENTLY NOT. JUST ABOUT TO GO UNDER, AND WE WERE, SORT OF, TALKING ABOUT` YOU KNOW, WAITING FOR THE DRUGS TO KICK IN. WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF CONCRETE INJURIES THAT OCCUR IN THE` YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE COMING INTO THEIR CLINIC. SO, UM, IT SORT OF AMAZED ME, ACTUALLY. BUT I'M JUST SO GRATEFUL JUST TO HAVE ONE EYE, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU. THIS TIME LAST WEEK I WAS A BIT WORRIED. JUST FELT SICK IN THE GUTS ON MONDAY, YOU KNOW, AT THE HOSPITAL, NOT KNOWING WHAT THE OUTCOME WOULD BE. SO SCARY TIME. ROSS HAS BEEN LEFT BLIND IN ONE EYE BUT KNOWS IT COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE. LIQUID CONCRETE IS SUCH A CORROSIVE SUBSTANCE. HEY, GUYS. HEY, CHRIS. GOOD TO SEE YOU, MATE. OH MY GOODNESS. HI, MAX. YOU'RE STILL HERE. (CHUCKLES) WHAT YOU'VE JUST BEEN THROUGH AND EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO IN TERMS OF BOTH THE HOUSE AND, I GUESS, THE WHOLE` IN A WAY, THE WHOLE BUSINESS, HAS BEEN CONFRONTED WITH YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE, ALMOST, ISN'T IT? IT WAS JUST A REAL REALITY CHECK OF HOW THINGS CAN CHANGE IN AN INSTANCE. JUST FULL LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCE. YOU KNOW, I'VE NEVER HAD ANYTHING LIKE THIS IN MY LIFE BEFORE. THERE'S NOW A LIMIT OF WHAT ROSS IS ABLE TO DO ON SITE. HE'S SUPPOSED TO BE TAKING A BREAK TO HELP HIS EYES HEAL, BUT HE'S DESPERATE TO KEEP UP THE MOMENTUM. MAX IS WORRIED THAT HE'S PUSHING TOO HARD TOO SOON. IT MUST HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING FOR ROSS, NOT BEING ABLE TO WORK. (SIGHS) DON'T WORRY, HE WAS STILL TRYING TO WORK. THERE WAS, UM` (LAUGHS) THE KIDS HELPED HIM OUT WITH ENLARGING THE TEXT ON HIS CELL PHONE SO HE COULD STILL, YOU KNOW, ANSWER A FEW EMAILS. NO! HE WAS STUCK IN HOSPITAL, BUT HE WAS STILL ORGANISING THINGS. AND EVEN, UM, WHEN HE DID GET OUT OF HOSPITAL, TRYING TO SLOW HIM DOWN WAS QUITE HARD. TRYING TO PUT EYE DROPS IN HIS EYES ON A BUILDING SITE WHEN HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN AT HOME. HE'S A FORCE OF NATURE, ISN'T HE? YES. (CHUCKLES) IT WAS HARD WORK. (LAUGHS) ONE DAY HE DID WEAR HIMSELF OUT. HE WAS TRYING TO DO TOO MUCH, AND THEN THAT NIGHT HE WAS EXHAUSTED, AND THE NEXT DAY HE REALISED THAT, 'OK, I'VE JUST GOTTA STEP BACK A LITTLE.' SO HE LEARNT HIS LESSON THE HARD WAY. MAX HAS CONVINCED ROSS TO TAKE SOME TIME AWAY FROM THE BUILD TO RECUPERATE. BUT NOT WITHOUT A BATTLE. GENTLE MUSIC ON SITE, CHRISTMAS IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER. AND SOON THE TEAM WILL BE HEADING AWAY FOR THEIR SUMMER HOLIDAYS. THE BUILD IS SO CLOSE TO THE FINISH LINE, I CAN UNDERSTAND ROSS' FRUSTRATION. ROSS, THOUGH, MIGHT HAVE MORE PRESSING WORRIES ON HIS MIND. NOT ONLY HAS HE HAD TO TAKE A BREAK FROM THE BUILD, BUT HE'S ALSO NOT ON HAND TO STOP TROY SLIPPING BACK INTO THE DARK ARTS. GIDDAY, TROY. GIDDAY. HOW'S IT GOING? GOOD. GOOD. LONG TIME NO SEE. YEAH. INDEED. WHAT ARE YOU UP TO? I'VE BEEN SKETCHING UP SOME DESIGNS FOR WHERE THE MEZZANINE FLOOR WILL END OR START. AND ARE YOU THINKING, LIKE` SOMETHING LIKE A BED OR A LITTLE MEZZANINE TUCKED RIGHT INTO THE CORNER, ARE YOU? UM, YEAH. SO IN THIS ONE, THERE'S STAIRS IN THE CORNER, AND THEN THE BED SHOULD` MIGHT BE HANGING OFF THE STEEL RODS UP THERE. OH OK. GETTING INVOLVED IN ALL OF THIS. IT MUST BE QUITE INSPIRING. YEAH, IT'S PRETTY COOL. IT'S WHAT I WANNA DO. YOU'RE ALREADY TALKING MORE LIKE AN ARCHITECT THAN YOU ARE A BUILDER. (CHUCKLES) MAKE SURE DAD'S NOT HERE. (LAUGHS) GENTLE MUSIC BY LATE DECEMBER, ROSS IS BACK ON SITE AND BACK AT THE HELM. WITH VISION SLOWLY IMPROVING IN HIS GOOD EYE, HE'S LEARNING TO ADAPT. RIGHT EYE'S COME REALLY, REALLY, REALLY RIGHT. UM, THE LEFT EYE'S STILL BLURRY, AND DEPENDS ON THE TIME OF DAY, REALLY. UM, SORT OF GOT A LOT OF DROPS TO PUT IN AND THAT SORT OF THING. TODAY HE AND THE TEAM ARE PREPARING FOR THE ARRIVAL OF THE SKYLIGHTS, WHICH WILL FINALLY SEAL THE BUILD. THE WIND IS STARTING TO PICK UP. NOT IDEAL WHEN YOU'RE ABOUT TO SWING 200-KILO PANELS OF GLASS INTO THE AIR. TENSE MUSIC I'M SURPRISED TO SEE ROSS TAKING ANY RISKS AT ALL AFTER WHAT HE'S BEEN THROUGH. IS THAT UPSIDE DOWN? LOOKS UPSIDE DOWN TO ME. THERE'S` THERE'S THE FLAT BIT THERE. THERE'S THE FLAT BIT. IT'S UPSIDE DOWN. AH, <BLEEP>. MELLOW MUSIC UNFORTUNATELY IN THIS CASE, YEAH, WE'VE BEEN LET DOWN SLIGHTLY BY OUR SUPPLIER. SO THE MEASUREMENTS WERE FINE. UM, IT'S JUST HOW THEY MADE IT. COS YOU'VE GOT LAMINATE UNDERNEATH AND TOUGHENED ON TOP. AND THEY'VE MADE IT UPSIDE DOWN. IT'S A TOTAL REMAKE, AND THAT'S PROBABLY, WHAT, TWO WEEKS, I GUESS, FROM THE LAST TIME? UH, PRETTY PISSED OFF, ACTUALLY, BECAUSE I REALLY WOULD HAVE LIKED TO GET THAT SECURE AND IN. BUT, UM, THERE'S SOME GOOD-SIZED WEATHER COMING WITH A LOT OF RAIN LATER THIS WEEK. AFTER SO MANY YEARS BUILDING THIS HOME, I'M FEELING ROSS AND HIS FAMILY'S FRUSTRATION. RELAXED MUSIC NEARLY THREE WEEKS LATER, THE REPLACEMENT GLASS IS FINALLY READY FOR TAKE TWO. I'M SURE IT WILL FIT THIS TIME. YEAH. CAN'T IMAGINE WE'D HAVE PROBLEMS TODAY. MIGHT BE A DIFFERENT MAN IN AN HOUR IF WE DO. WITH ALL THE WAITING, ROSS IS KEEN TO BE IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT HIMSELF THIS TIME. SO NOW IT'S JUST UP TO ME WHETHER I, UH, STUFF IT UP, I THINK. DON'T WANT TO HIT ANYTHING. CLANG! OK` OH SHIT. TENSE MUSIC HAPPY? YEAH. SO WE'RE JUST TAKING THE NETTING BRACKETS OFF NOW, AND, UH, WE'LL WALK THE GLASS OVER AND, UH, TRY NOT TO DROP IT. THE LARGE SKYLIGHT PANELS ARE A KEY PART OF THE DESIGN, WITH THE VAST AMOUNT OF CONCRETE MAKING UP THE BULK OF THE BUILD. LETTING ENOUGH LIGHT THROUGH THE INTERIOR WILL STOP IT FEELING TOO CAVE-LIKE. ...THOSE METAL BRACKETS. YEP. WATCH YOUR FINGERS THERE. WITH PANEL ONE IN, EVERYONE CAN BREATHE A SIGH OF RELIEF. THIS IS THE LAST LIFT OF THE CRANE ` MY LITTLE ITALIAN CRANE THAT EVERY BUILDER IN NZ SHOULD HAVE. FINALLY, THE LAST PANEL IS CAREFULLY MANOEUVRED INTO PLACE. WE'RE WATERTIGHT. YES. FINALLY. AWESOME. (CHUCKLES) IT'S A MOMENTOUS MOMENT FOR ROSS. THE BUILD IS FINALLY SEALED. INSIDE, PREPARATION WORK HAS BEGUN FOR THE CEDAR LINING, WHICH WILL HELP OFFSET THE HEAVINESS OF THE CONCRETE. BUT AM I NOTICING A LITTLE EXTRA? WHAT YOU CAN SEE HERE IS THE HUGE AMOUNT OF SKILL AND PASSION THAT HAS GONE INTO CRAFTING AN IN SITU CONCRETE BUILDING. EVERY BOARD IS EXPRESSED. HUGE AMOUNT OF TIME AND PASSION HAS GONE INTO THAT, AND THE RESULT, I THINK, IS REALLY EXTRAORDINARY. OVER HERE, BY CONTRAST, THE SAME THING HAS HAPPENED, BUT NOW WHAT WE HAVE IS STRAPPING AND, ULTIMATELY, LINING. IT'LL BE TIMBER ` REAL TIMBER BOARDS ` THAT ARE COVERING UP ALL OF THAT. WHY WOULD YOU GO TO SO MUCH EFFORT AND THEN STRAP AND LINE IT ALL? BEATS ME. THERE SEEMS TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE STRAPPING AND LINING THROUGH THE INTERIOR THAN I REMEMBER FROM THE ORIGINAL PLANS. COULD IT BE THAT ROSS' LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIP WITH CONCRETE IS ON THE ROCKS? THESE DAYS, WE'VE GONE MAD FOR BUILDING OUR HOUSES WITH IT, MYSTERIOUS MUSIC IT'S BEEN OVER 10 YEARS SINCE CONCRETOLOGIST ROSS BANNAN EMBARKED ON A DREAM TO BUILD A LANDMARK FAMILY HOME, OUT OF CONCRETE, OF COURSE. THIS HAS BEEN SUCH A HUGE COMMITMENT FOR ROSS, GETTING THIS HOUSE TOGETHER. I REALLY CAN'T WAIT TO SEE HOW HE'S GOING TO FINISH IT. MUSIC SWELLS MAGNIFICENT. MUSIC CONTINUES WHOA. I CAN'T BELIEVE IT. CONGRATULATIONS, GUYS. THIS IS JUST SO WONDERFUL. THANKS, MATE. AFTER OVER 10 YEARS, YOU'VE MANAGED TO PULL IT OFF. IT'S BEAUTIFUL. YEAH. THANKS. IT'S BEEN A HUGE EFFORT. SO GOOD TO BE IN. IT WAS REALLY WORTH THE WAIT, YOU KNOW? THE` THE TEXTURE OF THE CONCRETE HAS REALLY COME TO THE FORE. IT'S EXQUISITE. THE RUSTICATED WALLS AGAINST THIS VERY SHARP, ELEGANT BLACK JOINERY ` IT'S BEAUTIFUL. THE WAY THAT THIS ENTRY ROOF COMES DOWN INTO A REALLY SHARP POINT ` REALLY REALLY FANTASTIC DETAILS. I'M JUST CHAMPING AT THE BIT. I WANNA GET IN AND HAVE A LOOK. YEAH, WELL, COME ON IN. OH, I CAN'T WAIT. GOSH, IT FEELS LIKE WE'VE STEPPED INTO THIS MYSTERIOUS CAVE. IT'S MAGNIFICENT. AND I LOVE THE TEXTURE ON THESE WALLS AND THE WAY IT TIES IN WITH THE BEAUTIFUL BLACK TIMBER CEILING. AND THE SNEAK VIEW ALL THE WAY DOWN THROUGH TO YOUR DINING TABLE. 'THIS IS A TRULY AMAZING HOME. 'THE LINES AND ANGLES ARE STRIKING, AND THE USE OF LIGHT ` IT'S A WORK OF ART. 'ROSS' EXPERTISE AND THE DESIGN HAVE COME TOGETHER HERE TO CREATE SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY.' THIS ROOM IS SO INCREDIBLE. STRAIGHT ABOVE THE KITCHEN. IT'S ALMOST TRIPLE HEIGHT. IT'S HUGE! STRAIGHT UP THERE. AND THEN THIS LOVELY SLICE OUT ACROSS THE WATER. BEAUTIFUL. AND THE ARCHITECT AND THE ENGINEER HERE DID AN AMAZING JOB. UM, JUST TO BE ABLE TO GET ALL THE FINS POSITIONED RIGHT AND JUST THE WAY THE LIGHT COMES INTO THE HOUSE ` WE'RE REALLY STOKED. DO I FEEL A LITTLE BIT OF LOVE, A LITTLE BIT OF RESPECT FOR ARCHITECTS NOW? WHAT'S GOING ON? IT'S INTERESTING WHAT THEY CAN DRAW ON A PAGE. YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW WHETHER YOU GUYS HAVE MARTINIS IN THE MORNING, BUT SOMETIMES` A GOOD PORT. ALL LAUGH A GOOD PORT. TO START THE DAY. YEAH. SO BY THE END OF THE DAY, WE'VE GOT SOME PRETTY WEIRD DESIGNS COMING OFF THE DRAWING BOARD, SO... NAY, BUT IT WAS FUN, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A LOT OF BANTER WITH DIFFERENT ARCHITECTS WE USE, AND THE OLDER I GET AND THE GREYER I GET, SORT OF, THE MORE THEY START TO LISTEN TO ME, WHICH IS NICE. THERE'S NOTHING THAT ISN'T TOUCHED BY CONCRETE IN THIS HOUSE. NAH. NO, IT'S A LIQUID. YOU CAN DO ANYTHING WITH IT. EXCEPT... EXCEPT... I NOTICED THAT JUST AROUND HERE, THERE'S A BIT OF A COVER-UP GOING ON. THERE WAS A BEAUTIFUL PIECE OF TEXTURED OFF-FORM CONCRETE HERE, AND YOU'VE COVERED IT UP. YEAH. ONE OF THE ARCHITECTS, MATT, REALLY WANTED TO FLOW THAT CEDAR RIGHT THROUGH THE VOID AND UP THE STAIRCASE. WE WERE REALLY HAPPY WITH THE RESULT, YOU KNOW, AND HE DEFINITELY GOT THAT DECISION RIGHT, THAT'S FOR SURE. THE ARCHITECT? YEAH, I KNOW, HE GOT IT RIGHT. HE GOT IT RIGHT. THEY GET IT RIGHT EVERY NOW AND THEN, AND, NAH, THIS WAS DEFINITELY ONE OF THOSE TIMES. PERSONALLY, I WOULD HAVE LIKED TO SEE MORE CONCRETE EXPOSED TO REALLY LET IT BE THE HERO OF THIS HOME. BUT IF YOU WANT TO OFFSET IT, CEDAR IS CERTAINLY THE RIGHT CHOICE. THE RICH CONTRAST OF THE WOOD AGAINST THE HARD GREY CONCRETE IS ELEGANT AND SMART. IT'S BEAUTIFUL IN HERE. OH GOSH. MAX, I LOVE THE WAY THAT YOU'VE BROUGHT THIS QUITE EXOTIC, VERY INTRIGUING DIMENSION INTO THE HOUSE. THE HOUSE IS SO SOLID ` THE CONCRETE, THE RAWNESS. AND IT'S JUST NICE TO SOFTEN THE INTERIOR. WE'VE HAD THAT MIRROR FOR A LONG TIME, AND I HAD A PLAN OF WHERE THAT WAS GOING. AND WITH THE LIGHT FITTING ` ADD A BIT OF GLAMOUR. THE SILVER LOOKS SO ELEGANT AGAINST THE CONCRETE. AND HAVING A CHANDELIER IN HERE ` WHY NOT? EXACTLY. MAXINE'S ECLECTIC FINISHING TOUCHES HAVE BROUGHT A PERSONAL FEEL TO THIS HOME. AND THAT'S SIGNIFICANT HERE, BECAUSE FOR ONCE, ROSS HAS BEEN ABLE TO BUILD FOR HIS OWN FAMILY. AND HE'S MANAGED TO PULL IT OFF WHILE THE KIDS ARE STILL YOUNG ENOUGH TO ENJOY IT. IT MUST FEEL SO EXCITING FOR YOU GUYS TO FINALLY BE IN. OH, IT'S JUST AMAZING. JUST A BEAUTIFUL LIVING SPACE. WE'RE JUST STOKED. MY 30-ODD YEARS IN BUILDING, THE IDEAS I'VE COME UP WITH AND THE SCENE AND THIS SORT OF THING ` ALL PULLING IT INTO OUR FINAL FAMILY HOME HAS BEEN BRILLIANT. OK, WE'VE HAD THE SITE FOR 11 YEARS, BUT GOOD THINGS TAKE TIME. AND IF WE'D BUILT STRAIGHT AWAY, WE WOULDN'T HAVE THE HOUSE THAT WE HAVE NOW. A WONDERFUL RESULT. BUT IT HAS ALSO HAD ITS COSTS. HOW'S YOUR EYE? IT'S ALL COMING PRETTY RIGHT. AFTER HAVING A MEMBRANE STITCHED ON TO THE EYEBALL AND THEN THE STAFF AT GREENLANE MONITORED THE PROGRESS AND HELPED ME THROUGH THAT WHOLE PROCEDURE. AND NOW, YOU KNOW, BASICALLY I'VE GOT MY PERFECT VISION BACK, WHICH IS INCREDIBLE, COMPARED TO WHAT EVEN THE DOCTORS THOUGHT I WAS GONNA HAVE. SO... SO HAS THAT CHANGED YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH CONCRETE? UM, INITIALLY IT DID. YOU KNOW, WHEN I FIRST CAME OUT OF HOSPITAL, I THINK I WAS ON THE WAY HOME FROM HOSPITAL, AND WE WERE FOLLOWING A CONCRETE TRUCK UP A ROAD. AND I WAS THINKING, 'OH YEAH. THERE WE GO.' I ALWAYS KNEW WHAT COULD GO WRONG, BUT NOW I SORT OF` YOU KNOW, THINGS DO ACTUALLY GO WRONG. SO, YOU KNOW, I TREAT IT WITH A LOT OF RESPECT. THE ORIGINAL BUDGET WAS GOING TO BE JUST UNDER A MILLION. SO WHAT DID IT COST? WHAT IT COST WAS, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY A LOT OF TIME AND EFFORT ON OUR PART, AND A LOT OF WEEKENDS AWAY FROM KIDS' SPORT AND THINGS LIKE THIS, WHICH, YOU KNOW, WE'LL NEVER REALLY GET BACK. BUT I BUILT IT AS CHEAPLY AS I POSSIBLY COULD. PROBABLY ABOUT 10% OR 15% MORE THAN WHAT WE ANTICIPATED, I'D SAY. MY PERSONAL INPUT IS NONE OF THAT. WE JUST HAVEN'T EVEN CALCULATED WHAT THAT WOULD BE IF WE WERE BUILDING THIS HOUSE FOR A CLIENT, SO... WELL, GENERALLY WHAT YOU'D DO IS YOU'D DOUBLE IT. AND SO WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT IS 2.4. SO 2.5. YEAH, WELL, IT'S A NEARLY 600M2 HOME, SO IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'D BE REALISTIC FOR THAT, FOR SURE. YEAH. SO, ROSS, THIS IS FOR SURE ONE OF YOUR GREAT MASTERPIECES. WHAT'S NEXT? YEAH, WELL, YOU'RE ALWAYS, SORT OF, CHALLENGING YOURSELF, YOU KNOW? ANYONE CAN BUILD A, YOU KNOW, SORT OF, NORMAL HOUSE, SO, YOU KNOW, WHY NOT TRY SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT? HE'S AT A STAGE NOW WHERE HE IS CONSULTING ON A NUMBER OF QUITE DIFFERENT PROJECTS AND JOBS THAT NOW HE CAN, KIND OF, PICK AND CHOOSE. HE'S JUST SO DETERMINED AND ORGANISED, AND HE'S A BIT OF AN ACTION MAN, SO, YEAH. AND YOU OBVIOUSLY ENJOY THAT? YEAH, I PUT UP WITH HIM. (LAUGHS) THIS WAS ALWAYS A BOLD AND AMBITIOUS PROJECT. A DREAM WHICH BEGAN OVER 10 YEARS AGO AS A SANDCASTLE HAS BEEN REALISED AS A LANDMARK BUILDING THAT SITS PERFECTLY ON ITS SITE. VERY FEW PEOPLE COULD DO WHAT ROSS HAS DONE HERE. HE'S TAKEN EVERYTHING HE'S LEARNT IN 30 YEARS OF CONCRETOLOGY AND LITERALLY POURED IT INTO THIS HOME. HE'LL CARRY THE MEMORIES AND THE SCARS OF ITS CONSTRUCTION FOR LIFE, AS WILL THIS HOUSE, WHICH COULD STAND HERE FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS. CAPTIONS BY JUNE YEOW. WWW.ABLE.CO.NZ CAPTIONS WERE MADE POSSIBLE WITH FUNDING FROM NZ ON AIR. COPYRIGHT ABLE 2016