What lengths would you go to for seclusion and breath-taking views? Would you forego the luxury of a driveway? Would you take on a site where tonnes of building materials have to be dragged up through the mud and bush by hand? Some folk would do anything. ANZ ` proud sponsor of Three's Grand Designs New Zealand. Captions by Antony Vlug. www.able.co.nz Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2017 Just` How's it feeling? Yeah, good. Good? Really good. You sure? For the past 20 years, wedding dress designer Robyn Shea has been living in suburban Tauranga and working from her garden studio. I think I made my first wedding dress for somebody when I was 17. That's a long time ago. I really love my job. I wouldn't want to do anything else. Yep. It's good to be romantic. Isn't it, Harriet? Absolutely. There's definitely an element of romance in the project Robyn has embarked on ` building a holiday home to eventually retire to with her husband, David ` a commercial property manager, who she first met 20 years ago. We were set up on a blind date. Yep. Yep. And it seemed to have worked out OK, didn't it? Yeah, absolutely. Nice work. He was a bit slow on the marriage thing, but you go there in the end, didn't you? (LAUGHS) Yeah, 10 years, was it? 10 years. Yeah. It took 10 years to propose, yep. The couple share a blended family of five, but the children have long since left home. We're just, sort of, used to our` ...our own company. Everything we do, we do together. Yep, and this project has been something we both participated in right from the word go. After living in the suburbs for much of their lives, Robyn and David are keen to get closer to nature. I've, sort of, always liked the thought of ending up with` building a house or being on a site that has got some bush` Native bush. ...and native aspect to it, and that's what we've ended up doing. So we couldn't be happier. To find the type of pristine natural environment that they're looking for, Robyn and David have set their sights on Waiheke Island. But it's five hours away from Tauranga, meaning a drive to Auckland and then a ferry ride just to visit, but after taking a holiday on the island seven years ago, they were hooked. When we know we're coming up for a weekend, we both get so excited. We have this real heart pull to the island, and I don't think it's just the fact we're building a house. I think it's that we really do` We love it here. Once a sleepy outpost for artists and alternative lifestylers, in the last decade, Waiheke has become a hotspot for high-end tourists. Named one of the top-10 destinations in the world by Lonely Planet in 2016, property here has become expensive and hard to come by. So, I guess it's low tide now? Pretty much low tide. Just about there, yeah. The section that Robyn and David bought over two years ago isn't far from one of their favourite swimming beaches, and after a lengthy consent process, they're finally well underway. This must be pretty exciting. I mean, you've been thinking about this for a while, haven't you? Yep. We've been waiting for something to happen, and now it's all starting to gel, and, yep, we're away. So, what's the plan? What's the big dream? We wanna be in the bush. We wanna be, like, a tree house, don't we? In a tree? (BOTH LAUGH) Oh, trees around. Not quite that much of a tree house. Let's go with trees around us. Tree height. I'm thinking. Treetop height. We wanted to be` feel like we're in the bush and get the views. Tell me a little bit about the site, then. Oh, the site, it's a little challenging. It's quite steep. I think our architect said, the first time he came up, he said, 'Nothing good comes easy.' And I thought about that for a while and thought, 'Hmm, he's on to it.' At the bottom of Robyn and David's steep narrow site will be a garage, where their car will stay put. From there, a path only wide enough for a small off-road buggy weaves 100m through native bush to the house, which to reach up to the treetops and views is made up of two small angled towers. One will contain two guestrooms, and the other a pint-sized garage for the off-road buggy, which will be topped by the master bedroom. Forming a bridge between the two will be an open-plan kitchen and living space. This will be clad in cedar weatherboards, while the towers will feature lightweight profiled metal. Not so lightweight is the glazing, which includes a four-metre long, 220kg picture window and doors that open on to decks that cantilever into the canopy, embracing those sea views that Robyn and David have sacrificed much simpler and far more sensible access for. So, it's a very, kinda of, three-dimensional, almost different ways of experiencing, not just the views, but the site. Absolutely. Yeah. I love the angles that we're gonna get, the different levels, the different views from different rooms ` totally different to what we've got at home. Nice. What's the timeline for the build? Initially, we were looking at six months. That's keen. Yep. I think we'd like to, probably, get over and done with most of the construction pre-winter, because of the difficulty with the site, obviously. And the track. And I think the builders are aiming for that too, because they don't want to be challenging the track in winter. Which brings me to the budget. What kind of budget have you got ` for this very difficult build up a crazy hill, at the back of the site? I could go on for a long time. You could. It's` Yeah. It's more expensive than we would've hoped. It's more expensive on the island for all the reasons ` transport materials and so forth. I think we were originally budgeting around about the $4000 per square metre to build. And I've got no expectations we're gonna be able to stick with that. No. I think it's gonna go well north of that at this stage. Ouch. Hmm. Small footprint. (LAUGHS) Yeah. He keeps telling him` 120m2. He keeps telling himself that. - You guys are committed. - (ALL LAUGH) Robyn and David are now three months into their ambitious half-a-million-dollar build, which is nestled in the hills overlooking the beach. But with their major access issue, I suspect some of the biggest challenges with their project are yet to come. Oh, this looks like it's gonna be a bit of a challenge, guys. And after heavy rain last night, it looks like even just walking up to their site will be a test. Boy, this is gonna be seriously interesting. And we're not even carrying anything. I mean, it's very, very slippery. Luckily, there's a tree here for me to hold on to. This is mad, crazy. Even this is slippery. Well, this is easy up through here. (SIGHS) Avoiding the most slippery section of the track by going straight through the bush, we're able to rejoin the path further up, where it's a lot drier. The first time we came up here, I had heels on. (LAUGHS) I did. I had heels. And got halfway up and thought I can't do this and went back down to the car, I think, and got my jandals. So what is it`? And then... What does that mean for when you invite guests? No heels. No heels. (LAUGHS) Oh, wow. Things are progressing, I see. My goodness. The builders might have knocked off for the day, but it's clear they've been busy. It's really interesting the way that you can already feel that it's nestling into the bush. I can really see why you wanna be here. Up here, we're gonna get the views we want and the privacy, and... we're up in the trees, which is what we wanted, isn't it? Yep. Robyn and David aren't the first ones to let the romance of living in this beautiful bush overtake the practicalities of dragging building materials up here. Built by a mystery man called Geoff, this classic Kiwi shed is where they've been staying during visits to their site. Wow, this looks really wonderful. Isn't it cool? The real McCoy. Yeah. Absolutely. It's awesome. Good ol' Waiheke. Geoff obviously had a similar idea. Yep. His retreat. What a great spot. It's cool, isn't it? Their new home is being built around 15m from the shack. The architect has really wanted the house to have some tie-in into Geoff's shack. I can't wait to see the way these two end up, kind of, nestled together. Robyn and David have had to head back to work in Tauranga, but I'm keen to stick around on the island and see what the builders are up against. Gidday, Dale. Chris, was it? Foreman Dale Sheffield, along with his faithful sidekick Beau, have been at the helm from day one. Come to do some work today. Well, apparently. I don't know how strong you are, but this is all` this treated stuff is kiln-dried, so` Not very. I'll borrow your dog. (LAUGHS) Try with these two. If it's too heavy, we'll drop you down to one. Probably easiest just to carry it on your shoulder like that, maybe. OK. Just be careful that you don't trip. Beau, you're supposed to be helping. As an ex-boxer, Dale, a local Waihekian, has pretty impressive fitness levels. I have a feeling he's gonna put me to shame. Whoa. She's a good slope. So every other day, you're carrying materials like this up here? Yep. You'd need a decent brekkie to get going like this. Yeah, I hope you've had your Weetbix. Need more than Weetbix for this. This is definitely eggs and bacon. Nearly there, mate. I hope so. (LAUGHS) Man. (ALL CHEER) Oh, here's the rest of the tribe. So, this is what you guys get to do every morning? Yeah, every morning. Hey, respect. Dale and his team have made impressive headway and have almost finished the framing. I'm still getting my head around the fact that you guys have carried, already, so much gear up here. Yep. But the worst is yet to come, isn't it? Yeah, we've still got to bring the roofing up. And some of those sheets are 15 metres long. So... Hmm. Yeah. Kind of a little bit unsure of how we're gonna go about it, but pretty much, we have to manhandle it. And then we've got gib board and the double glazing to bring up too. Good luck with that. (CHUCKLES) Yeah. Thanks. But you've got a tough bunch of boys. Yeah, there definitely was a few complaints at the start, but, yeah, pretty much just sat them down and had a talk to them and say, 'Hey. Just, yeah, take your concrete pills and harden up. 'Let's just get on and do it.' (LAUGHS) I love it. Access isn't the only challenge that Dale and the build team are facing, because Robyn and David are determined to get above the tree canopy and capture views from every possible angle, there is very little that is square about the design. It's been a tricky roof to be able to fit. Lots of angles going on. It's six degrees that way and this way, so, yeah, it's been a little bit of an interesting one to try and frame up, especially the internal walls. All the rafters have got plumb cuts on the end, so basically they're cut on six degrees. Every cut has been a compound cut to make it work. You definitely got to be thinking about your next move, because of all those angles. And that's what makes it a little bit more interesting, this house, even though it's only 100m2 home. Between the physical and technical demands of this job, these guys have really got their work cut out for them. I like challenges. If I didn't have a challenge, I'd be pretty bored, so, yeah. This is the sort of job I like. Would you take on a site where tonnes of building materials It's early autumn, but over on Waiheke Island, the hot summer weather is sticking around. The weather's been fantastic for these guys. This site in winter would not be pretty. Pivotal is getting our concrete track in, come what may, before winter. Robyn and David have booked a contractor to concrete the all-important access track in just under a week, which will make getting materials to site much quicker for the build team. Oh, this is what they've been doing. That's the cavity. Yeah. Oh, I wondered what that bit of wood was with all the bits out of it. The way this house is being designed with two linked towers gives it a modest footprint and allows it to sit lightly amongst the trees. Now we're seeing the structure taking shape, there's all sorts of little surprises in terms of angles, overhangs, and it's kinda better than we ever expected, I think. As well as checking out progress, Robyn and David have timed their visit to witness a milestone in their build. Today, the most cumbersome and largest single item is being delivered to their tricky site. Well, it's a tank. It's a big tank. The island has no piped water supply, so tanks are essential, and a local company has hatched a plan to chopper in Robyn and David's. Along with another for a neighbour who's chipped in. Just a couple of things working around under slung loads and helicopters. If no one is essential to the task, then you're not to be around the load area or underneath the helicopter, OK. Because they can't fly over any houses, the flight path is extremely limited and is only possible thanks to the kindness of locals with a rare commodity in these parts ` a sizeable flat piece of land. The tank is attached by a remote hook, which is operated by the pilot and should release the load right next to Robyn and David's house. But from 150 feet in the air, and with the wind picking up, that's no mean feat, particularly while trying to avoid any damage to the tank, the trees and the house. It's a relief to get it down. Oh, wow. It's big. Is the tree all right? Oh, a little bit of damage. That was hair-raising. Nice. It's a pretty small little hole for him to thread that down through there, and it was` the conditions in this gully at the moment are quite gusty, so it made it a little bit challenging for Cam, but he did well. Nice result. Great. Happy. With every trip to the island, Robyn and David have a full schedule of work lined up for themselves. So, where do you think? Back here? When they first bought their section, parts of it were smothered in invasive weeds, and one area had been used as an unofficial dumping ground, but Robyn and David have put a huge amount of work into improving it. Every time we visit, we've just come to love it more, and from the first time, sitting outside in the evening and looking what used to be here compared to what it's even now, it's immensely satisfying. We love it, yeah. It's nice. We're both in our work situations are so different, it's nice to get totally out of that and get dirty and dig and be physical. So far, the two of them have planted over 250 native trees, and they plan to put in another 150 more. All good. You're gonna love it there. During their visits, Robyn and David continue to stay in Geoff's shack, but since building's began, it's become a very popular spot. This is our kitchen at the moment. Usually, we would be` our kitchen would be inside, but now that it's full of builders' stuff, we're relegated to out here, which is fine when it's warm and dry, but a little bit challenging when it's not. It's kinda an unusual sleeping with, you know, a chainsaw down there. Yeah, they've got Skillsaws, and we've got every kind of saw known to mankind I think, and power tools. Without it, Where would they put their stuff? They wouldn't want to cart it up every day. It would be ridiculous. Two years of working on their section has given Robyn and David a real connection to Geoff's shack, and Vaughn McQuarrie, their Waiheke-based architect, who happens to work from a shack of his own, has really tuned into that. What kinds of things in terms of the way you've designed the house came out of Geoff's shack? You've got Geoff's shack here. Right. And we use that kanuka to create this separation, but there's also that dialogue between the two, and the scale of Geoff's shack is very similar in plan to the scale of that upper shed, I guess you could call it. Geoff's shack, I think is quite a pioneering and romantic little structure on its own, and I think what David and Robyn are doing by coming to Waiheke and building this house in a really challenging location, that's quite pioneering and romantic as well, and hopefully we're capturing some of that in this house. Lovely. Both Vaughn and Geoff's shack are imbuing the build with an authentic connection to this unique site. But it seems the golden weather on the island has ended. Overnight, a severe storm dumps over a month's worth of rain, with a devastating effect. It's been described as a 'once in 500 year' event. The deluge has caused multiple landslides and widespread damage, leaving the island in absolute chaos. With Robyn and David hundreds of kilometres away in Tauranga, Dale is surveying the damage. There's not a lot I can do about it, really. I can get rid of the water, but there's no roof on yet, so it's just gonna keep on coming in if we get torrential rain again. So, yeah, pretty much just hanging out for that roof. The long-run roofing, which was supposed to have arrived a month ago, has been held up by supplier delays and issues lining up barge transport. But the house really does need that protection soon, particularly the Strandboard flooring, which can't tolerated prolonged exposure to water. Basically, it just starts breaking down. And then, um... pretty much you gotta cut the floor back up. So, yeah, a little bit stressful. And to make matters worse, with the track completely sodden, the contractor who'd been booked to pave it has had to cancel. In an attempt to generate at least some kind of progress, Robyn is squeezing in time around her wedding dresses to work on furnishings. Yeah, we didn't like that very much at all, that rain. All this wood sitting out and getting wet. It's just making Dale's life not that great. Dale thinking he may be done by June. Yeah, we're kinda sensing that's not gonna happen. A lot of suppliers, you know, have said we need help to get things up the hill, and I suppose Dale and his boys are the only ones there to do it. And that stops them doing what they wanna be doing. We should've thought of all this when we bought the site. But, you know, we were all in lovely, lovely, romantic, 'this is gonna be amazing' mode. Not reality mode. But we're in it now. Almost a week after the storm caused havoc on Waiheke, Robyn and David's long-awaited roofing is finally being transported to the island. But now it's being delivered, there's just the small matter of getting it up the hill. The three larger sheets weigh just under 100kg and are 15m long. Think it's just gonna be a case of trail and error. (CHUCKLES) We're just gonna have to... still be a little bit careful, cos the track's not in the best condition after all that rain. Just take your time. Guys, don't try and be a hero. Be safe, eh? With sheets so long, there's no way they'll make it around the track's tight corners, so they're gonna have to forge a path straight up through the bush. OK, you're gonna have to start turning now. Come up more now. As well as attempting to protect the trees, they also have to try to avoid scratching or bending the metal, all while grappling with a heavy load on steep, uneven ground. Yep, forward. We're heading up through this one. After a massive effort, the guys manage to get the first 15m sheet up to site. But there's still plenty to go. It's just awkward, because everyone's like different heights and what not. And cos the ground's uneven, and at some point someone gets a lot of weight. Since the storm, the path has begun to slowly dry out, but they've missed their window with the concrete contractor. It could now be months before it gets paved. OK, down. Can't drop the sheets like that. Unless you wanna have to bring another one up. Yes. Yeah, that's a bit of an effort doing that. (CHUCKLES) (BIRDSONG) That's why we've gotta protect the native trees. The next day dawns still and sunny ` perfect conditions for the roofing team, who've arrived from the mainland. (PANTS) (COUGHS) (PANTS) But it looks like they weren't fully briefed on the access issue. I would've rather driven to it, rather than walked up. Yeah, I don't know how the builders have done it. Have they gotten most of that airlifted in or something? Dale's team may have already put in the hard yards getting the steel up the hill, but it still has to be raised to the top of the house without the help of heavy machinery. We don't wanna damage it. We gotta be really careful on how we get it up there. Make sure nobody gets cut or injured. You boys all good down there? ALL: Yep. Sweet. Well, ready when you guys are. Can you come round more to the shed? OK. You two wanna jump up, please? We gotta try and keep this high. Yeah. Because if we bend it too much, it's gonna fold. Yep. Everybody just try and grab as far as you can, and on three, we're just gonna pull right up. So, one, two, three. There we go. Residentials, we're only really dealing with about six, eight metres. And 15-metre sheets on a residential is quite bizarre. You've basically shot the roof straight at the water, so the roof's actually kinda running length ways with the roof, rather than horizontal. The singular roof plane has been designed this way to follow the contour of the tree canopy, like an elegant grown-up tree house. I think it will be, yeah, a very nice-looking house. Pity I won't be able to see it more. It's too far away from home. (CHUCKLES) Through formidable teamwork, the last piece of steel has been successfully maneuvered up, and it seems the roofers have recovered from their encounter with the hill this morning. It was a good wake-up, that's for sure. But once you're up here, there's not much you can say. It's just beautiful New Zealand. Like... I couldn't think of a better place to work. Got it? Yep. All yours? Sweet. With the roofing well underway, it gives Dale and his team a chance to start putting some of the double-glazed windows in, which will give the house some much-needed protection. There are 23 of them in varying sizes to frame the many wonderful views of both sea and bush that his house has been artfully designed around. After all this weather and stuff, it has been a long time coming, and definitely glad that the flooring's got some protection now. A lot's happened in two weeks since we've been here. Oh, those windows look great. Windows! With the weather settled, Robyn and David are finally able to make it back to site to check on progress. Wow. I never thought we'd get a view like this from here. I mean, I knew it would be up high, but never thought it'd be quite that good. Stunning. Couldn't have asked for better. And we actually get a view from the kitchen. Kitchen island will be here, so I'm working away. We'll see the open ocean through there. Nice. Oh, look, a big window in the bedroom. Oh, look. Look, look, look. On a day like this, those boats, they` It just really sets it off. Pretty cool. Yeah. That's pretty special, isn't it? Yep. Wow. (BIRDSONG) And the tui in the tree. And the tui's going. Tui's happy. It's gonna be nice waking up here in the morning, isn't it? Absolutely. Reaching up through the tree canopy was always a big part of Robyn and David's design, and getting all 23 windows in place is now the top priority for Dale to get the house closed in before winter. Just get my hand out of the way. Have you got it there? Yep. Over to you a bit more. That's the one. Look at that. It's like a bought one, eh? While most of the smaller joinery is now in, there's no sign of the large picture window. So, how have things gone with this window, Dale? Oh, not the best with this one. We did a quick measure, just in case, and we realised that it's actually been made almost a metre too short. A whole metre? Yeah. It's actually my fault, cos I signed on the measurements, so... Oh no. That's quite a big opening too, so definitely want to get that one closed in before we get any north-westerlies coming this way. Oh, they'll come. They will, yeah. With winter just around the corner, Dale is crossing his fingers the new window gets here before the weather does. On Waiheke Island, one of the smallest parts of Robyn and David's build is proving the trickiest. The staircase has probably been the most challenging part. All sorts of little things that are kind of different from other builds that we've done in the past. As well as the awkward angles of the house's shape, the staircase that links the two floors of the main tower connects to a steel structure that will support a floating wall. Because of the difficult access, all the steel is being welded together on site. We might end up using this. So don't mess it up. (CHUCKLES) Yeah. (LAUGHS) If you put that on. Yep. Today, I've come to lend a hand. (LAUGHS) No pressure (!) Right, have a go, mate. Cross your fingers, everybody. See if I can do it like it's supposed to be done. (LAUGHS) It's fair to say that welding might not be my strong suit. So what do you reckon? Um, you started off a little bit, uh` Rough as guts? Too far away. Just where the oxygen's got into it. Yep. But further along here, you've actually done quite a good improvement. Um, I'm not gonna fully re-weld it. I'll just touch up the bad bits. I'm getting the sense that Dale will get this done a lot faster if I just leave him to it. By April, the stairs and roof are complete. And Robyn and David are back on the island to shout their hardworking team a barbeque. You two cooked before together? Together, I mean? No. We have not cooked together before. This is a first. That's crazy. Well, it's all about teamwork, isn't it? Yep. Living in Tauranga, you're not here all the time. So it must be quite exciting seeing how progress is going? Hugely exciting. It is big bites, because it's sometimes two or three weeks before visits, and the progress is just` Yeah, we're like kids in a lolly shop when we get here, actually. You kinda go through it in your head. I mean, I've lay in bed at night and said to you, 'Can you walk through the house? Come on, come with me. Walk up the stairs. We can do this.' And I've done that for months, but now we actually do it, and I go, 'I kinda had it, but, wow, no, it's different. It's, you know` 'It's got all these other levels to it and dimensions.' Well, that is the best kind of architecture, where you imagine and you get excited, but then you discover something completely new. There's a lot to celebrate today. But there are still plenty of challenges ahead. The largest window and a set of sliding doors is still missing. And the cladding has been delayed, leaving the Strandboard exposed to the elements for even longer. I think we just have to be hopeful that there are no more significant rain events. It was a 'one in a lifetime' dump on Waiheke Island. So you don't believe in climate change, then? (LAUGHS) Weather patterns. I think it's all about weather patterns, and may those weather patterns be kind. But the weather has other ideas. In a period of less than two weeks, not one but two severe cyclones batter the country. The storms forced Dale and his team to abandon the site and leave the track up to it impassable. Hopes of getting it paved any time soon can be forgotten, and on top of that, there is still no sign of the missing joinery ` or the cladding. While work on the site is at a standstill, in Wellington, a special feature for the interior is being created by designer Lou Wright, Something my parents really love about the site is the nature and the beautiful, sort of, native birds that hang around in the trees, and I think that was, kind of, why Mum was leaning towards the tui. And drawn by your daughter. Lou has made only one visit to Robyn and David's section so far. And that was just before they started building. I mean, the view's amazing. But the fact that the house would be on this, sort of, hill. I was like, 'You're nuts.' But kudos to them. (LAUGHS) They're doing it, and I think that's pretty incredible. Building a house together for a couple could potentially go sour. They did a lot for me going through university and growing up ` really, really supportive. and always there when I needed them, so it's really nice for me to be able to give something back to them. It's not much, but it's nice to give something back, you know? But the storms have seriously slowed progress. At least, though, after an agonisingly long wait, their missing joinery and cladding has arrived. And soon the house will be weathertight at last. We are, yeah, relieved, delighted. Yeah, absolutely. All of the above. It's been a long time coming. And now it's on, we love the colour. We love the way it looks. I mean, it really is that, kind of, classic shed conversation going on. Absolutely. That's starting, even at this point, to, kind of, settle in and build a kind of relationship with the trees, the manuka. Yeah. And pretty happy too with the cedar as well. It matches the manuka beautifully. It looks like the bark. The cedar weatherboards are connecting the house beautifully to the native bush. And the corrugated steel to Geoff's shack. If I think back, it was about six months ago that you said to me that you thought you'd be in about now, isn't it? I think I recall saying that ` about six months ago, we'd be in by about May. You've had all sorts of things going on, what with rain events and all the rest of it. And they've been serious ones too. We've had the river down the track again. Yeah, I noticed it's still not paved. and the bottom hasn't been able to be formed because of the weather, and it's, sort of` each holds each next step up. And I guess it is what it is now. Just have to try and make it work. With a muddy, unpaved track, things are not about to get any easier. They still have heavy bulky materials, like gib board, kitchen fittings and furniture to bring up. There's no question that Robyn and David's house is going to be the private retreat that they've always hoped and dreamed for. But even when it's finished, it will never be an easy site to live on. I just hope when they finally move in, that they feel the big compromise that they've made for the access has been worth it. Would you take on a site where tonnes of building materials It's 11 months since Robyn and David embarked on their dream to leave behind the suburbs of the mainland. has taken almost twice as long as they'd planned. The last time I was here, it was the middle of winter, and with all those major weather events, At last there's a concrete path. And it makes the climb up to the house so much easier. Wow. Look at the way that it just feathers in between the trees. Beautiful. The final balustrading may not yet be complete, but I love the way the house blends into the native bush. Gidday, gidday. Hi, Chris. How you doing? Good. Congratulations, guys. Thank you. Boy, it's come up well. I love the way that it twists and turns against the trees, and then the link into Geoff's shack is just magic. In a way, it's grounding it, isn't it, you know? Into it's history. Yeah, absolutely, yeah. Into the land. It's lovely. And the decks, as well, the way that they're floating. And then this view through between the buildings is beautiful. It's almost like a, kind of, very special first big window. You're right. I don't think we've ever thought of it as a window, but, yeah, it is. You're right. The cedar entranceway is a standout feature that immediately draws you in. It was a surprise to use, actually. We couldn't work out how that was gonna work, and when we saw it, we were delighted. This is very much about the art and craft between the architect and the builder. And you really feel it here. I mean, the quality of the craftsmanship, the way that all of these complex geometries have been resolved, Dale and his team have done such a good job. It's beautiful. Yeah. It's a piece of art in itself, isn't it? It is. And does it look as exciting on the inside? Absolutely. Yeah. Absolutely. Well, show me. Come on, let's go. Oh gosh, look at this. Isn't that pretty? It's beautiful. Yeah. That's your daughter's work, isn't it? Yeah, Lis` Lou, as she calls herself, yep. The detail is amazing. Yeah, it's beautiful. Lou's tui is a direct connection to the bush, and the views from the two guest bedrooms downstairs continue the relationship. What a lovely space. It's so cosy and compressed, isn't it? Wow. Going from that tight, intimate, narrow vertical space to whoa! Yeah. The big horizontal. It's great, isn't it? Lovely. It's like walking up a ladder and getting to the top of the platform and go whoo! Sure is. Well, you got your tree house. Yep. And it really carries you right through to the window, and I love what you've done with the window seat. Dale, of course, his handiwork. It's beautiful. and I think that's the perfect colour, actually. It's beautiful. And it works really well with the oak. And then with lovely textured walls like this. There's a bit of Geoff's shack in here. Absolutely, yeah. That was the idea, I think, wasn't it? Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. I also love the way the decks, you know, they pop out, and they're different angles. They give you quite different slices of the bush. Yeah, yep. And that one especially. We're right in the trees. Yet when you're sitting out there, you actually feel like you're in the canopy. You know, the other thing that I'm really enjoying in this place is the articulation of the different spaces, you know, from the big living space with an angled ceiling, and then that intimate, very low ceiling over the kitchen. It defines it, doesn't it? It does. The lower ceiling. Yeah. It does. As that space. Yeah, I just love the way it's lower on one end, higher in the other corner. Even higher in the other corner, and, yeah. And it's beautiful the way it just keeps going. And going. And going. And going. Wow, it's a whole different space. Yeah. It's lovely, isn't it? It's a twist. Yeah. In a different slice of bush. And view. And a different slice of ocean. Yeah. It's beautiful. So, Dale, again, has built this beautiful cabinet for us. Another lovely bit of oak. Yeah. Very over engineered. It's Dale engineered, this one. Got steel supports and everything. No way. Yep. It's not gonna go anywhere. The attention to detail, especially with the timber, is lovely, including the louvres. A nice touch to have some more cedar there. Yeah. You really are in a tree house. You feel it. Up here you do. You know, with seeing the trees. Yeah. And what I'm getting here is you get another glimpse of the bush. Exactly. From another angle, so when you're on the loo, you're also in the bush. You are. You're also in a tree house. Every inch of this home has been designed to showcase the natural environment surrounding it, and Robyn and David's minimalist style is allowing that to shine. From the outset, coming to this place and then off course discovering Geoff's shack, did you imagine that it would be like this? I think it's probably exceeded my expectation. Absolutely. When we have been staying in Geoff's shack before we were finished, we sat there looking out and going, 'That's where it's gonna be.' I was looking there and, yeah, seeing the house. It's real. It's happened. Those experiences have really grounded us to the site, and we actually know every inch of it, don't we? Yeah. For me, that is so fascinating, because, I mean, you guys have lived a substantial portion of your lives in suburbia, and you know, to really get the bush, to really want to be utterly immersed in nature, that's a big ask. I mean, that's quite a` you know, a shift. We're probably ready for a change... Challenge. ...from suburbia as well. (LAUGHS) A challenge. And that's, yeah. Yeah. That's` That's` Yeah. let alone making that path to enable you to get up here, did it percolate at all that maybe this was a nutty idea and that you shouldn't be doing this? Did you imagine that the concreting of the path would take so long? Cos that final piece was only done last week. Yep. So... Good timing. Last week, just in time to move in. With all these challenges, it all adds up to something, so how did you do in terms of the budget? I think for the house, around about 750,000. More than we thought. Always more than we thought. So no early retirement, then? No. I'll be working` No. (ALL LAUGH) A long, long time. Do you think it was money well worth spending? I don't know in terms of the value of the house and the land, but we'd like to think that we've done the right thing. I love living in the trees myself. I live in the bush. And so I totally get what you've done. And the thing for me is that it's less about being actively engaged in managing landscape. You know, you're not doing the lawns. But observing and enjoying and savouring what nature is. Yeah. Well said. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Perfectly said. Even just watching the trees in the wind, you know. It's almost like they're dancing. It's relaxing. You know, even when it's really windy, isn't it? It's beautiful. Yeah. Yeah. So dancing with the tuis. Dancing with the tuis, I like that. In the treetops. I like that. It was a bold move by Robyn and David to build at the top of such a difficult site, but seeing their vision come together so delicately, it's hard to imagine it being anywhere else. Often we build our homes for convenience, but David and Robyn have committed to inconvenience. Like the mystery Geoff before them, though, what they could see was the spectacular rewards, and they went even higher. You don't get much closer to nature than this beautiful home amongst the treetops. Cheers, honey. Cheers. It's beautiful. Nice. How pretty is that? (INDISTINCT CONVERSATION) Captions by Antony Vlug. Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2017