Buying your first home is challenging and expensive for anyone these days. But what if you turned yesterday's suburban dream on its head and chose to build right in the inner city ` and have it pay for itself? (THEME MUSIC) Captions by Tracey Dawson and Glenna Casalme. www.able.co.nz Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2017 Auckland has long been New Zealand's largest city. But recently, it's been growing at an alarming rate. It's gained nearly half a million new residents since the year 2000, putting a huge strain on the city's housing supply. After renting together here for four years, structural engineer Brendon Poole and marketing manager Nikki Cliffe are hoping to settle down in a home of their own. When Nicky and I got together, we were living in Ponsonby. So, I'd just got back from London and loved the vibe in the city. Many years ago, I used to live at Muriwai and absolutely loved it. I love the surf and love the ocean. But then the commuting, the driving, there was just no time. So what were the options on the table, then? We were looking around for a normal house, I guess, the same as everyone else, but the areas that we really wanted to be in, you know, you're looking at 1.2, 1.5 for a do-up that you're gonna have to spend at least 400 grand on. We just went, 'Well, we can't afford that.' Yeah. So, we'd lived overseas and had some great ideas and would love to design our own place. But obviously in Auckland there's not many opportunities. Just didn't think it was in the realms of our reality. And the thought of having that massive mortgage, having to outlay that without anything coming in was just way too daunting. And then we found out about the Vinegar Lane project. (UPBEAT MUSIC) Vinegar Lane is part of a huge 1.3ha redevelopment on the site of an old vinegar factory in Ponsonby. A diverse mix of commercial, retail and residential buildings is planned for the site. Hi, guys. Brendon and Nicky have struggled to get a bank loan for a villa in the area. so they've come up with the idea of building an apartment with extra spaces that they can rent out. There's a huge hole over here, and you guys wanna make your home here? That's correct, yes. Absolutely. So where's your house going to be? We're located just here, with this beautiful green graffiti. Our place will look over top of the buildings and get a full 180-degree view of the city, and then views of the stunning Waitakeres as well. Talk me through the design of your home. Two retail spaces, commercial level, and then a retail apartment underneath us, and then our penthouse apartment, and then, of course, the rooftop garden ` an area we can invite friends and have barbecues and treat it like you would any back yard. Nice, nice. Brendon and Nikki's 174m2 site sits snugly between two others. To help finance their first home, on street level they're creating two retail spaces. Above the shops is a floor of leasable commercial space and a third-floor rental apartment. Perched on top is the couple's penthouse home, with three living spaces around a central kitchen, as well as a master bedroom and three guest rooms. The design is eco-friendly, with high-rated insulation, solar panels and a rainwater collection system. Brendon and Nikki's 'back yard' will be a Balinese-inspired rooftop garden with a kitchenette, vegetable patch and lap pool. The couple hope to hire out the rooftop for corporate events to bring in extra income. The building is clad in black oxide concrete, anodised aluminium and panels of native totara, a nod to the totara vinegar factory that once stood on the site. So there's this lovely vision of bringing all the lushness of Bali, which obviously is a very favourite spot for you guys. Sanctuary, yeah. Yes, that's exactly it. Urban sanctuary is kind of the idea. To create a really beautiful, relaxed, calming space. But a multi-storey building is a long way from the classic Kiwi home. Living on a high-density, low-rise community is going to be quite different than the average suburban development. How are you guys gonna cope with that? Here, design has been such a key. So it's all about creating spaces within these smaller spaces, like building the outdoors on the roof. So hopefully we won't feel like we're too enclosed. It's really efficient living, because you can live up the top, work down the bottom. Your shopping and everything is just around you as well. It gives you more time to be able to exercise and do things that are outside work instead of just sitting in cars bumper to bumper. And the location's fantastic and the vibe here's great, so it's a really exciting opportunity, I think. Because of the leasable spaces, the bank has approved a loan for Brendon and Nikki's build at a whopping $2.8 million. But while their plans are ambitious, the whole project is a groundbreaker for New Zealand. What I was looking to try to create was a very diverse mixed-use precinct, an architectural precinct, and something that was very intensive and the sort of thing where you'd walk down and it would just be really rich with architecture and bulk and scale. I was looking for something really different. The key to your approach is very much to do with diversity. How are the dwellings going to be different? Every single lot is a different size and shape. Every lot has been sold to a different participant. And that's really the key to it. If you left it in our hands and said, as a developer, we're the ones that are going to build all these individual buildings, I think it would look contrived. It would look like we'd set out to do that. But by drawing in individuals who have their own ideas, their own budgets, their own preferences towards materials, you get an organic feel to it all. Each building design will be signed off by a panel of architects to make sure there's a range of complementary styles. (QUIRKY MUSIC) I'm really excited by Brady's vision. It's incredibly timely in a city facing massive population growth. But before anyone can start building, the site needs infrastructure ` water, power, sewage lines and roads. It's been five months now since I first met Nikki and Brendon here on the site, and I'm really excited to see how progress is going. You can see infrastructure's gone in, footpaths, roads, street lamps ` even some landscaping. It looks like the site is really ready to start building. And I hope that Brendon and Nikki are too. Hi, guys. Oh! Gidday, Chris. How are ya? Last time we met, we talked about your build starting in August, September. How are things going now? Well, we've experienced a fair bit of delay, and that's been cos pricing that came back was what I'd describe as obscenely higher than what we had had the project QS'd around a year and a half ago. The cost of the building has come up to a point that the project actually wouldn't stack up financially. So therefore, as it stands, we wouldn't be able to actually get funding. Financially, how are you tackling that? We've committed a lot of funds to this project, so there is no turning back. You've just gotta keep going, and you've gotta look at every way possible to make this project a success. So it looks like you've got a really busy year ahead of you. We do actually have some other news to share with you, Chris. Um, I'm pregnant. No! (LAUGHS) Yes. - Oh boy. - (LAUGHTER) Well, that changes things a wee bit. Congratulations, guys. Thanks. Definitely changes the way we're thinking about the apartment. You know, it's now our home, um, for our first child, so I guess just the design of it and other things we need to start thinking about. But, yeah, we're really excited. Yeah. It's awesome. Yeah. This build was already a big undertaking as a first home, but now Brendon and Nikki are not only facing escalating building costs, they're about to be new parents with one less income. I'm seriously wondering if they've bitten off more than they can chew. and chose to build right in the inner city ` and have it pay for itself? (CROSSING SIGNAL BLEEPS) More than a year after work began on the Vinegar Lane development, there's been great progress on the nearby supermarket and neighbouring apartments. But there is still nothing happening on Brendon and Nikki's site. In fact, the tradies have started using it as a car park. OK, show us. Whoa! (MAN LAUGHS) LAUGHS: Whoa! That was almost a crawl. (LAUGHS) Go, Cooper. The arrival of their first child has, understandably, shifted their focus. We had Cooper five months ago. We were due to start the project in March and Cooper was due end of March. Now, in hindsight, after the first three months of a newborn baby, it's been a blessing that we've had some delays. We've had a couple of months to now really tweak the design, in light of having a child. Brendon and Nikki have also found a creative solution to help offset the rising building costs. Our options were that we could simplify the roof and push the whole building up by 1m. And that would actually allow us to put another whole three-bedroom apartment in. It would add another revenue stream, which means that it was easier for us to fund the project. The problem with changes in design is this also means changes in cost. We're now at the stage where we've given the new design back to the construction company, and they're currently pricing it. So, yeah, we're not sure what the new pricing will be. But during the build, any funding that needs to be done will have to come out of our own savings. So, yeah, we're definitely under some time pressure to, um` ...start. (CHUCKLES SOFTLY) ...to get started, yeah. (LAUGHS) It's an enormous challenge to construct what is now a five-storey apartment as your first family home. But Brendon and Nikki's building is just one of 31 that are all being built on-site by different owners and construction companies at the same time. So, Brady, how's it going here? It looks pretty chaotic. It is chaotic. (LAUGHS) It is. You've got contractors all fighting for a space, and there's cranes crashing into each other and delivery trucks all turning up at the same time. It's madness. It's not like you've got a picket fence between you and your neighbour. Exactly. It's a gap about that big, yeah. As time goes on, it's going to get harder and harder and harder to lift panels into very tight 5m and 6m wide gaps. In a tight space like this, you actually have to think more creatively. Which makes me think, you know... The inspiration for this, it was Borneo-Sporenburg in the Netherlands, wasn't it? Yeah, it was, yeah. The Netherlands is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. The Borneo-Sporenburg development in Amsterdam was a pioneering urban precinct of individually designed and individually owned buildings. It was built in the 1990s as a creative solution to inner-city housing. In New Zealand, we have a lot of space. Yet what we don't do well is high-density living. This is where learning from Borneo-Sporenburg is really interesting, because it's about how to achieve that density and the quality of life for inner-city living without it being high-rise and yet still achieving this kind of diversity. For urban designer Ton Schaap, that diversity is the key to its success. You say to people, 'You take a good architect and design your own house and build your own house.' For the new era where we are all used to big corporations, well, hovering over us, suddenly the individual was in charge again. It takes more effort, of course, than asking a developer to do 100 houses in one year. This takes much more energy. But the result is also better. And as well, that's, of course, the thing of life ` the more you put in, the more you get from it. Borneo-Sporenburg transformed the way that people here thought about modern urban living. And I'm really interested to see whether concepts like Vinegar Lane might do the same for New Zealand. Back in Auckland, there is action at last. Wow, look at this! This is unbelievable. Yeah. Hi, Chris. Hi. Mwah! Hello, Cooper. So much has changed. It's suddenly very exciting for you guys. Yeah. After three and a half years, it all started feeling a bit like a dream, but now to come here and see buildings up and the Countdown up, and obviously on our site them actually digging into the ground` So that's your digger? This is our digger right here. Boy, that's perseverance. It's been a long time coming. We've been busy, though, as you can imagine. - Uh, I don't need to imagine. I can see it. - (LAUGHTER) Nikki and Brendon's site is sharing one small access lane with all of the others around them. The logistics of building in a development like this are enormous. It's quite a mad project. Yeah. With each of these individual plots cheek by jowl, with a property wall right here, which, of course, has to be built twice. Consequently, it's extremely expensive. Uh, yeah. The millstone around the neck is definitely growing, that's for sure. (LAUGHS) Wow. Great metaphor. For the average person thinking about how to build in a city like Auckland, it's a nightmare. It's not easy. And yet to do what you guys have done, it's your first home. Yeah. You know? It's your first family home. And the original budget was around about 2 million, and I'm thinking, 'So what is it now?' Uh, we're up over 3� now. Boy, my eyes are watering already. Yeah, mine too. I'm feeling that weight. (LAUGHS) Wow. Brendon and Nikki's design changes have significantly upped their budget and their risk. Now that their construction has begun, so have their bills, and they can't afford to have any more delays. It's now nearly two years since I first met Brendon and Nikki on site. And while the development is shooting up around them, they're still working on their foundations. So, we've just finished the piles for stabilising the retaining structure for the neighbouring properties. We were actually trying to drive them, and the vibration affected the neighbours. So they weren't very happy. So now we're auguring them, so we're drilling them. Having to find a new way to get their piles in has further delayed Brendon and Nikki's build. And with the supermarket next door about to open for business, time is getting critical. We told them that they had to get their structures up pretty quickly, because we're gonna be running trucks through here permanently, and at that point they won't be able to close the lane off. So it's important that they do all of that structure as quickly as they can. To help get their structures up faster and more efficiently, Brendon and Nikki have teamed up with some of their future neighbours to build together. But it's gonna take a lot of coordination. So, moving the crane off Craig's lift shaft, and we'll pull it back to start the excavation on grid two and three. We're all having to work together. We're having to build lot five first, the shell of it, then brace off that to be able to put mine up, and then lot three then has to brace off mine. That's really symptomatic of this whole project, this whole site out here. You can't imagine that there'd be another project or development, sort of, going like this that's ever happened in New Zealand. By September, the foundations for Brendon and Nikki's build and their immediate neighbours are in place. Brendon is installing a tank which will collect rainwater from their rooftop garden to use for watering plants and flushing toilets. Pretty awesome. It's bigger than I expected. So it'll hold a decent volume of water. The tank is one of several eco-friendly features that Brendon was determined to incorporate into the build. We've gone with really high-end insulation to try and make it as energy-efficient as we can. There's solar on the roof as well. Just trying to do everything that we can to be more sustainable. There, right? About there. Looks good. Brendon grew up in the Coromandel, where his mum, Jan, and stepdad, Doug, run an environmental tour company. We're always preaching to the family to think for conservation for our beautiful country. So it's always been instilled in them all through their lives. We catch all our rainwater. Every downpipe is going through our tanks. And so we use that water all the time. (SHAGS CALL) Brendon still loves to get outdoors and is a keen surfer and diver ` not what you'd expect from someone building a concrete inner-city apartment. (CHUCKLES) Good to go. Good to go. But he reckons it's ideal. During the week it's really easy to go to work and do whatever you need to do. And then when it comes to Friday afternoon, the apartment's simply lock-up-and-leave. Don't have to mow any lawns, don't have to trim any gardens or anything like that, and I can get down to places like the Coromandel and do the outdoors thing, which is what I really love. Not bad ones, eh? (LAUGHTER) Nice. Look at that. Beauties. Brendon's a calculated risk-taker, I'd say. (CHUCKLES) Yes, always in for something new, very enthusiastic about things. Uh, weighs them up and then goes in for it. So you never know what's coming next. Wow. Perfect. It's an interesting project, having its challenges, but I'm sure it's gonna end up fantastic. Mmm! So good. Back in Auckland, Brendon and Nikki's site has stalled again. Their earlier delays have meant missing their place in the queue for precast concrete, and it's an expensive wait. This stage of the project, any delay ` in the thousands. Later in the project, if you get significant delays and you've had millions drawn down, then your costs are getting into the 10s of thousands. Overall, budget is sitting at about 5.7 million. Including the land, Brendon and Nikki's total budget is staggeringly high. Each delay is costing them daily. So it's a huge relief when it's finally their turn at the concrete factory. So, these are all your panels for your two boundary walls along the side of your building. Using precast concrete means the shell of their home can be erected in a matter of days. These ones are just under 16m. Wow. And they weigh about 22 ton. So they might not look very big at the moment, but as soon as they're standing up, they're quite massive. They'll be serious. Cos that's the full height of my building. Each custom-made panel takes two truckloads of concrete, which are poured into these large, heated beds. The concrete encases a web of steel reinforcement and cabling that is pulled taut under enormous pressure to strengthen the panels. Precast concrete is a really efficient way to build. But the scale of the panels means they are not easy to install, especially when your neighbours have already built around you. (TRUCK BEEPS) (ENERGETIC MUSIC) Today contractors are erecting the northern wall of Brendon and Nikki's building. None of these panels have been easy to put in. Some of these panels have taken up to a day and a half to install, so it's been quite an effort from us guys to, yeah, get this building underway. (SWEET VIOLIN MUSIC) When you're ready, bro, you can just start luffing back. A lot of the buildings will go up either one storey at a time or two storeys at a time. Our panels are five-storey panels. That's to go at the full height. Two massive cranes will lift and guide the panels into position. These ones are big panels we've been working on in a small site. There is very little tolerance, so the 22-ton panel needs to be placed exactly. OK, I'll get you to run the panel up about another 4m, just straight up. We really need to make sure everything lines up well. And slowing down on the lift now, Bryce. Just slowing down, coming to a halt. With such tall panels, precision is extremely difficult but also critical. Hold it there, Bryce. Got a bit of wind. Just a couple of millimetres out of the bottom will translate to a significantly bigger margin at the top. Of all the steel and the footings and the ground beams, trying to slide the panels in, make everything line up, it just takes a hell of a lot of work. And hold 'im there. Hold him there. That's it. OK, coming down again. We're just gonna force it in. Little bit more. Yeah, keep it going, Bryce. Give it heaps, Clarky. Keep that going, Bryce. Keep it going. Touching at the top of the panel. OK, start coming down on the hook, Bryce. Coming down. Coming down. (CONCRETE GRATES) Coming down. Yeah, hold there. Hold. That's it. I have a 10 mil gap up the top here. Looks pretty even all the way down. Sweet. That's it there. All good. Yeah? Yup. I'm happy with that. For Brendon and Nikki, getting the panels started means they can begin to see the shape of their building. Finally things are starting to happen. The height of it is just quite overwhelming. And you live at the top. Yeah, exactly. So you're starting to imagine yourself up there already. Yeah. But especially seeing the neighbour's place as well. It makes me more excited about, you know, it was the right decision to go down this road. Cos when we initially set out to do this project, we were basically looking to try and do the smallest possible little thing we could do on the site at the absolute smallest budget. Having all these delays has actually, ironically, allowed us to do something bigger. And also the style and what we wanted to build ` we've had time and we've` Time to build anticipation. (LAUGHTER) (THOUGHTFUL VIOLIN MUSIC) When Brendon and Nikki first imagined living in their urban apartment, it was as a professional couple. But a lot has changed since then. Whoa! (LAUGHS) Cooper is now a very active toddler. There has been so many things we've picked up on and decisions that we've made, and if we'd gone with it, then we would've probably had quite a few regrets. And then I didn't actually understand how full-on toddlers were, and he is a full-on toddler. He is so energetic. This is obviously the old-school apartments where there is no outdoor living. We've got this tiny, tiny, little deck that's not really designed for Cooper, and, yeah, in winter here, I feel really confined. I can't wait to have some space outdoors for him. (LAUGHS) We've just had to be very fluid and just let go of` not have our hearts set on dates and just go with it. Although they'll have more space in their new home, Nikki and Brendon's current flat is walking distance to the beach and a lake. Living in the inner city is going to be quite a contrast. When they initially designed their Balinese-inspired rooftop garden, it was with corporate functions, not toddlers, in mind. I hope the realities of urban life are still going to suit their growing family. (GENTLE, RISING PIANO MUSIC) Four months after the first of Brendon and Nikki's concrete panels began arriving, the shell of their building is almost complete. Today the top-floor level, which will form the base of their roof garden, is being lifted into place. 47. Today we're installing Brendon's roof flat slabs. Coming up. Once we've landed these over the whole roof, we will tie a whole lot of steel and pour a topping slab on top, and that'll form the roof. Piecing these bits of floor slab together is like a giant, complex jigsaw puzzle, especially for this top level, which will be Brendon and Nikki's roof garden. The rest of the floors are flat, but the roof has a pitch on it to allow the water to drain, which then our fit-out contractors will put a tile deck on top. This one here, come and bar this one over a little bit, eh. The most exciting thing, I guess, will be to see what the final view is for the roof. Before Brendon and Nikki can visit, the top level stairs, which have also been precast, need to be craned into place. I'm really hoping from the rooftop we might get a peep of the bridge. If there's a little peep of the upper harbour, it would be amazing as well. Completing the top floor will be a real milestone for Brendon and Nikki, but they've slipped even further behind schedule. Originally we were having us finished and in in May. Uh, that's now sort of shifted to end of July, start of August. Had we been finished in September last year, that would've been the perfect time to be locking in our mortgages. Every quarter of a per cent rise is a significant cost to us. Brendon and Nikki are using a construction loan and can't lock in their mortgage until the build is complete. The reality of the risk they've taken on is weighing heavily on Brendon. (BRIGHT MUSIC) Two weeks later, all five levels of Brendon and Nikki's apartment are complete,... Let's do this. ...and they can finally see what their view will be. Oh, I'm so excited. Wow, look at this, guys. Oh... my... God. Watch your step. Wow! Wow, we've got water view. We can see the ocean. Jeez. And we do get the harbour there. And you're getting all the volcanoes. Full Mt Eden. Yeah, it's awesome. Wow. Wow. Mt Albert. I just love the view of the city as well. Awesome. Hey, well done. Well! Well done. Cheers. Ah, it's exciting. So cool. God, I can't believe we're gonna have a pool up here as well (!) Oh no! (ALL LAUGH) The compromise Brendon and Nikki have made in adding an extra apartment level is having to let go of their in-built rooftop pool. But Brendon reckons he can find a pool that be craned into place. It's huge. Wow. It's pretty damn impressive. We're definitely not gonna give up on having a pool on the roof. Right from day dot, it was like, 'Well, if we're having a rooftop, can we put a pool in it? Oh, it's warm! (MAN LAUGHS) So good. We need it to be warm. Absolutely incredible to be able to have a swim, then have a spa straight after it. Probably have a little beer fridge off to the side and have a beer. A stand-alone pool on the roof is going to make for some great summer barbecues. I'm just not sure how well it fits with their original concept of an elegant Balinese-inspired sanctuary. (PENSIVE MUSIC) By autumn, many of the buildings at Vinegar Lane are nearing completion and I'm starting to get a sense of something quite special. What's so exciting standing here is to see all these various different ingredients coming together. It's really about place-making. It's not just about individual houses. You can see that these facades are very different than the neighbouring ones. Different geometries, different materials ` concrete, glass ` but also, where I'm standing, you know, the green structures have been already installed. So I have plants around me. And the other thing that's fabulous about what's going on here is that there are also early use of retail space and commercial space in the mix. There's already a feeling of community starting to emerge here. But Brendon and Nikki's build is facing yet another costly delay. So, currently, we are desperately trying to get our consent. I know that sounds incredible that we don't have a consent yet. The reason was that the council really wanted an expert to come in and design all the waterproofing system for the facade of the building. It was a surprise. So we're getting very close to a critical point now that if we don't get the consent now, then the build will basically have to stop work. The original design of Brendon and Nikki's facade combines timber, concrete, anodised aluminium and glass. How they join together has the council worried. But redesigning it is gonna cost another $100,000. The stress is taking its toll on Brendon, and the pressure is also getting to Nikki, who has just embarked on a polytech course. We don't have any more budget, as such. With our roof terrace, we're at a point now that we can't really afford the design that we're doing, so we're trying to juggle how we stage it out. So we're trying to get all the detailed drawings done, and I guess just not putting pressure on ourselves to get it all done right now, cos we just financially can't afford it, especially with me not earning an income right now. Brendon and Nikki have taken a huge gamble on this build, and this extra delay has put them in a precarious position. But Brendon still hasn't lost his enthusiasm. Well, today we're finally gonna put our swimming pool on the roof. Yeah, if we can try and do gardens and barbecue and everything, we can try and get as close as we can to your typical Kiwi backyard ` just 15m up in the air. So that corner... goes there. With his engineering experience, Brendon is helping guide the pool into position on the deck's floating tiles. You just have to be careful that you get even load... until it gets down flat. Cos if you point-load somewhere on these tiles, the tiles can (IMITATES EXPLOSION) ping. The question now is how to get the strops out from underneath once it's been lowered. My guess is use ice ` ice bags. Ice bags? Yeah, and put them in. As they come down, the weight will crush the ice. Yeah. That'll give us about 10 seconds to get the strop out. OK. Which is safer than damaging your tiles and scratching it. OK. Well, we'll go and get some bags of ice. (LAUGHTER) This is one of the benefits of having a supermarket as your neighbour. (LIGHT, TENSE MUSIC) We'll drop the pool on to the bags of ice, and then the ice will melt, and it will drop down into position. So we gotta make sure we get it, obviously, bang on, cos there's gonna be no moving it. (CHUCKLES) Looks (STRAINS) pretty good. (CHUCKLES) Ready when youse are. You coming down? Oops. Swung away. Come your way. Towards you. Towards you. It's pretty good. (CHUCKLES) Ice packs. There you go. You learn a new trick, don't you, every day. I hope that Brendon and Nikki can find a way to blend the freestanding pool into their rooftop design. You guys happy? Beautiful. Straight? It's good. By August, the redesigned cladding is consented and underway. 15-mil notch out. In terms of water leaks and some of the complexity of the cladding, there's about three or four different cladding systems all trying to meet in various areas. (SAW BUZZES) It's a pretty complex system to get across the front of the building. Due to that, they've introduced a wrap shield to it. So it's just a bit of a belts-and-braces sort of approach to it, really. It'll take a little bit more time to get through that. Today the anodised aluminium panels which sit above and below the glass are being fitted into place. There's so many components in this. This top part and the flashings, the windows ` they're all set at certain heights. The glass panes are set in deeper than the timber cladding, which is highly unusual and makes this step a lot trickier. The aluminium panels must fit in at the glass but out over the timber. It's vital that there are no gaps here for water to find its way in. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. Along with the cladding, Brendon and Nikki are pushing hard to get the interior finished so their rental spaces can be leased as soon as possible. The next few weeks will be critical in whether their enormous risk pays off. and chose to build right in the inner city ` and have it pay for itself? (ROLLING, FLOWING MUSIC) It's now five years since plans for Auckland's Vinegar Lane Precinct first began to take shape. Brendon and Nikki have had to deal with so many challenges with refinancing, redesigning ` incredible number of delays. I really hope they've managed to finish. (TINKLING, CHIMING MUSIC) Wow! Not bad for a first home (!) Brendon and Nikki's apartment looks sleek, modern and stunning. And to see so many of the neighbouring buildings now also complete, each with their own unique design, is enormously exciting. He-hey! Hi! Mwah! How are you? BOTH: Hey! How are you? Lovely to see you both. BOTH: Yeah! Boy, just coming down the street, I'm totally blown away. You know, it's so exciting to finally be here and then to see the zing that your build has. I mean, the timber, in particular, just` The material. It really stands out. So amazing, eh? It's beautiful. Absolutely love it. I kind of feel overwhelmed. I mean, the outside is amazing. So I can't` Thank you! ...wait to see what it looks like inside. Let's go in. This is beautiful. Oh gosh, look at this! What's that? It's a beautiful pendant called The Circus light, designed by a friend of mine. What a wonderful light well, too, you know? Yeah, it's really nice having the natural light. And I see you've even got a lift. Come on up. This is seriously urban, isn't it? It doesn't get much more urban than this. Oh wow. Mm! The contrast with the raw, brutal quality of the concrete ` beautiful! It is, isn't it? So here's the apartment. Oh, it's very elegant. I love the way the space just opens up like this. There's a real sense of quite different spaces, yet there's this extension right through to the landscape, both ways. And I love all your timber too. It looks like it's oak. Yes, yeah. European oak. And the beautiful wooden floors, we love. It's so warm. It needed it against the concrete, I think. And then we thought we'd put the touches, the hints through the kitchen to tie it all together. And, yeah, we're really pleased. There's a real connection to nature. Brendon and Nikki have only just moved in, but they've created a beautifully elegant urban space. And their clever use of timber detailing has made it warm and inviting. Aha. Oh, this is a change in colour. Yeah. It's called lemongrass. And here's the amazing view from our bed. Wow. Wouldn't be too many bedrooms that get a view like that. Mm. Pretty special at night. And this looks fabulous. Beautiful, dark, moody bathroom. Yeah. Mm-hm. Mm! And having that window there has allowed us, I guess, to have the darker tiles. Mm. And your bath, it's amazing. It's huge. I guess all three of you can get in here. (LAUGHTER) Pretty much! But, yeah, being able to sit in the bath and get a view of the city is pretty amazing. So you're gonna show me the roof deck? Yeah! Absolutely. Yeah, the full city view. Here's our little bathroom. Oh wow! Yeah, those are handmade Balinese tiles. They're gorgeous! Yeah. What lovely colours. And all this lovely timber. Yeah. Wow! Here we are. Check this out! Oh my goodness! (LAUGHS) Oh, this is` It's just amazing. This is stunning. Wow. You've got the Waitakeres over there. Directly! Yeah. And the city. City over here. Oh my goodness. Oh, this is huge! Yeah. It's absolutely vast. And then you've got this beautiful space over here. Yeah. Mm! Gosh. This is` Pretty. ...wonderful! Yeah. I can't quite believe it. I mean, it really is an awesome backyard. It's a top yard. Yes! LAUGHS: It's a top yard! It is a top yard! It's got all the elements you need of a backyard, or a top yard, as you call it. Even with the pool! Pool,... Yeah! ...fireplace, barbecue, veggie garden. No way! I'm blown away by Brendon and Nikki's rooftop garden. Up here too, their timber detailing adds real warmth and gives a taste of the Balinese style they first imagined. After so much time, after so many challenges, I just think it's extraordinary, what you two have pulled off. Congratulations. Well done! Wow. Thank you. Thank you. It's still, I think, a little bit surreal. You know, first home and first build. We bought the property as a couple, and then, obviously, had a baby, and then it was designing from baby-proofing, and now he's almost this little boy, so it's again changing. The way that we looked in at how we wanted to design this place was for being super social and these parties and things like that. And then you have a child, and your whole focus in life completely changes. I guess the thing that is so interesting about that is it's one thing to have this dream, but to bring those dimensions to life ` in reality ` how does that feel? I never really knew whether we would actually be able to achieve that feel that we wanted. What really brings us home is all the natural materials. So, using the stone marbles in the bathrooms, with the wooden floors, some planting. Yeah. I never ever imagined that the first home that we built would be an apartment. We can live in it, enjoy it, but also it is a business, and we've got all these other levels that is obviously helping our mortgage. I think you termed it urban farming, and I love that. That's really stuck in my mind. And that's the way we look at this project ` it's exactly that. We've created something that is, I guess, like its own little business. It is like investing in a large farm. BOTH: Mm. You know? It's a similar kind of challenge. That's a big` You don't know where milk prices are gonna go, do you? (LAUGHS) You don't! You don't. From season to season. It's a huge investment, and you've got factors that are beyond your control, which is the same with this. We've had some good luck along the way as well. We have. And it could've just as easily been the opposite,... Turned the other way. ...and, yeah, we would've been in a lot of trouble. At the beginning, your budget was 2.8. Yup. Full build, yup. Yup. What did it end up at? The budget has increased dramatically, and it has ended up around the 6 mark. But you've gotta put into context that since then, we've added another apartment; the construction of the retail space in the bottom, and the other three apartments, is not complete yet. So, yeah, the journey goes on, and we've still got the challenge of getting those tenanted, because the success of this project 100% comes down to those being tenanted. I guess we had a very optimistic, positive view on it. 'It can't go wrong.' Mm. We're purchasing in Ponsonby; it's a given. But the build process, the costs, I totally understand there's so many risks. You do now? Yeah! (BOTH LAUGH) I mean, it is a big challenge, and it really requires audacity and bravery. Naivety, maybe. (ALL LAUGH HEARTILY) It's been a very long and difficult journey, but Brendon and Nikki have brought together a sophisticated vision for their home and nest egg. (POP!) ALL: Whoo-hoo! A very big, well deserved toast to you two, because, boy... BOTH: Thank you! Congratulations! Hi. (GASPS) Hi, darling! (LAUGHS) This is our new top yard! Yes! That's pretty cool. Is it cool? High five! Say 'high five' to Chris. Whoo-hoo! Yeah. Yeah? Congratulations, Cooper. Cheers! Say cheers! Cheers. Cheers! What Brendon and Nikki took on here was incredibly brave. They've held their nerve through years of delays, setbacks and enormous financial pressure. But they've done it ` they've reinvented the Kiwi quarter-acre dream. And at a time when the way we live and work is changing, we need gritty pioneers like these two to help shape our future. (WHIMSICAL, MYSTICAL MUSIC) Captions by Tracey Dawson and Glenna Casalme. www.able.co.nz Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2017