This extraordinary machine is one of the most groundbreaking motorbikes ever made. It was hand built by genius John Britten. What a lot of people don't know is that John not only created incredible motorbikes, he also created a beautiful home for his family ` a home whose future sadly hangs in the balance. (SIGHS) Whatever your grand plans are, we'll help get you home. ANZ ` proud sponsors of Three's Grand Designs New Zealand. Captions by James Brown www.able.co.nz Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2018 (BIRDS SING) (GRAND MUSIC) In the Christchurch suburb of Riccarton is a very unique building that started life in the late 1800s as the stable block to historic homestead Mona Vale. But in 1978 it was purchased by the visionary design engineer John Britten, who painstakingly converted it into a home and workshop, where he designed his world-famous motorbike. Until his early death, aged 45, from skin cancer, John lived in the house with his three children and his wife, international model Kirsteen Price. This house will always be very huge in my heart. So, special memories here are when we first got married and, you know, finishing the house just in time to have our wedding here. And the babies were all born here, upstairs. (GENTLE MUSIC) But after 35 years in the family home, Kirsteen was forced to leave when the earthquake hit in 2011, because, like many unreinforced brick buildings of its era, it sustained significant damage. She's a very dear old lady that took a big hit. It's gonna need a serious amount of work. I think I realised it was too big a job for me. (DUCKS QUACK) But now daughter Isabelle and son-in-law Tim have taken on the challenge. More. More, yes. By going 50/50 with Kirsteen, they'll be able to restore the stables to create a home for themselves and daughter Adeline. They'll run it as a B&B alongside their day jobs ` Tim as a financial advisor and Isabelle a vacation rentals manager. Where's the big goose gone? ISABELL: For me, the house means the world to me. It's been such a special part of my life. Maybe it's just having so much of Dad in it, and so many of the memories that I have ` cos I don't have that many; I was 8 when he passed away ` are... that house. I'm thrilled that the family is planning to save the stables. Even just getting to see this place is a huge deal for me. Such a lovely, lovely conservatory. It's beautiful. Inspired by Kew Gardens. John loved Kew Gardens. Oh, really? And he did all the leadlight by hand. John designed and made many of the decorative details in the house. You've no idea what it's like for me, standing here. This is something very, very special. You know, watching it deteriorate has been heartbreaking. Luckily, Izzy and Tim have taken it on. It's a big thing to do to try and save it. Brave of these guys, I have to say. Brave or mad? Mm, possibly both. (ALL LAUGH) So tell me, guys, what's the big idea? What are you gonna do? Mostly it's all repairable, and then from there we're going to sort of put our mark on it, aren't we? We've got a lot of glass going in, just to give the house a lot more light. They're doing it with flair and with young, vibrant ideas. I'm sure John would be proud of what they're doing. Of course he would. And it will be different. But before Tim and Isabelle can make their mark, the house must be strengthened. Five steel portals will be installed in the ground floor, and damaged walls will be completely rebuilt. Where the new twist comes is in the gables. Here, collapsed brick will be replaced with steel frames filled with glass. Inside, there will be a blend of John's features and new ultra-modern fittings. The family will occupy the west wing, while the east wing will be for guests, where there will be a functions room created from John's old workshop, plus two B&B suites. On the roof, clay tiles will be swapped for much lighter steel. But it doesn't end there. A brand new building that will compliment the stables will house a garage and a third B&B space, completing Tim and Isabelle's ambitious project. This cleverly unites the late 19th-century stables, John's unique design, and the contemporary elements that will give this home a modern edge. I see what happened here as something really, really special. So to be bringing another chapter to it is amazing. Well, time for the tough questions. Do you have a budget in mind? To repair and renovate, it'll be... About 2. Yeah, maybe 2 million. Boy, so it's a big challenge, isn't it? We'll own half the house; we're buying into half of it. We've got a business to sell, we've sold our home, and that's how we're coming up with our half share. And, as the years go by, they buy me out. Right. Otherwise it wouldn't be possible to save it. What is the plan, in terms of time frame? We want to be in by November. This November? Yes. We have to be in by Christmas, cos to make the house financially viable for Tim and I, we need to be making a small income from the house to make it affordable. Gosh, it... it sounds awfully sensible. Summer's the peak time for vacation rentals and such, so, mm. Yeah. I suppose the thing that still is a question for me, is I get that you two would be utterly committed to it. But Tim,... Yeah. ...what were you thinking? What's your motivation? Uh, well... Izzy. Izzy. Isabelle, yeah. And our daughter, Adeline. We know there will be some tears, but we're ready for that. We're a strong couple. We can... We can do it. Wow. That is wonderful. I wish you a lot of luck. Thank you. It's really good. Thank you. They're gonna need it. (GENTLE GUITAR MUSIC) This place is extraordinary. It really was a labour of love for John. There are so many beautiful details. Look at this. That's an exquisite parabola. He handmade this, just like so many of the details, right through the whole house. But Isabelle and Tim have got this massive challenge. There are so many things that are hidden behind the walls or in the roof structure that they don't yet fully know. But there's so much history in this place, so much meaning for so many people, I can totally understand why they'd take it on. (BUSY MUSIC) After two years of planning and consent approvals, Isabelle and Tim's project is finally underway. These tiles are coming down all the way to this join. Let's smash these off. The first process for the builders is so strip away linings. But at the same time, they are carefully dismantling and cataloguing many of the fittings that John created, to be stored and then reinstated once most of the building is complete. (PEACEFUL MUSIC) Isabelle is sharing this momentous day with her mum and younger sister Jessica, who's visiting from Auckland. And it's the first time Jessica's been inside the family home for many months. It's a really full-on experience, actually. For me, coming in here, it's, like, a very... It's so many emotions, cos it's all the memories that it used to be and all of the hopes of what it can be. It's like a floodgate of memories. And there's all your heights, Jess. Are you still that high? It's hard to tell with a hardhat. I'm gonna say, educated guess, no. Probably about 6 inches above that. Most of all, I feel immensely proud that they've decided to take it on. And really grateful, because it's not something that everybody wants to stick up their hand and do. But it's something that we all wanted to see happen. The shower clearly finished here, but I feel like it's made for hobbits. It is like` it was always made for, like` I had to shower like this. I can remember, and I think it was when Dad was sick, I can remember playing in here, and I think I can remember giving him a little bell ` like, 'Ding this when you need me.' And I remember sitting in this room, waiting. Really? He had a wee bell. Really? Ding-a-linging at me. It was lovely, Jess. It was really sweet. Give us a hug. I know for all of us, when we step inside there, it's... Phew! It's very, um... It's really special. Yeah. I think Dad would` He's in there still. (POIGNANT MUSIC) (REFLECTIVE MUSIC) Two and a half weeks after the project began, the team is still in the exploration phase, and no actual construction has taken place yet. You can't really rush it at this point. The real reason for that is that we don't understand the full scope of works. It's one step at a time. It's open up an area, have a look at what is in there, then just really make it work. But already some unwelcome surprises have been discovered. We found asbestos in the house, so we had to have that cleaned out, and that's put us a week behind. Found in the conservatory ceiling, all work was forced to stop while it was removed. Now safely sealed up, it's been taken offsite for disposal. But as the asbestos is resolved, the builders uncover another issue. So, they've got a structural beam up there already, but it doesn't tie to the exterior walls. We've discovered that there's further damage in the kitchen, which has meant that now we have to put a whole 'nother, steel portal in the kitchen. Engineers had already established that five steel portals are necessary to strengthen the building, but this new discovery now bumps that up to six. So not only is this a lot more work, it's also added into the budget. I'm not too sure exactly how much the new steel portal is, but we're probably guessing about that $15,000 or something, just for one additional portal. So we... Yeah, we're feeling a little nervous. (DUCKS QUACK) (WHIMSICAL MUSIC) In Christchurch, vital strengthening work is about to begin on the old stables that will become Tim and Isabelle's home. The steel beams have arrived that will provide much-needed support and rigidity to the quake-damaged building. Looks like it should be for a big commercial building. Yeah. The steel is larger-scale than what would generally be used in a residential building, because of the heavy weight of the bricks and masonry it needs to support. Feed the long bit in, and try to turn with the bits sticking out. One of these portals is about 1000kg. So in a new-build scenario, you just crane it all into place. Obviously in this scenario, the building's up and we're outing steel in around the building. And it also means that we have to manhandle them in. So a bit slower, a bit more painful, but it needs to be done. It most definitely needs to be done. Because this place is constructed of unreinforced brick, which was common practice in the late 1800s. But most architects back then didn't factor in the formidable power of earthquakes. The reason that unreinforced masonry buildings perform so poorly in earthquakes is largely due to the fact that they rely mainly on the weight of the building to hold them together. And what they really need is a tensile connection between all of those components, like steel. Because if you have a large earthquake, it would do something like this. And what the team has been doing is really to invest in those connections to tie the whole building together. Tim and Isabelle plan to leave all of these steel elements exposed, to give the interior a stylish industrial aesthetic. At the time same as the steel is being installed, specialist stone masons are beginning to deconstruct damaged internal walls. They're saving every brick, which they'll eventually use to rebuild the walls in a more structurally sound way. There are so many layers to this project, it really is a huge undertaking. And I'm wondering how Tim and Isabelle are coping with it all. Now, finally, a whole bundle of things are starting to happen. How are you guys feeling? Are you excited? Terrified? A bit of both, yeah. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. It's... interesting. When you say it's interesting, I hear a little bit of fear. There is a lot of fear, yeah. Just every room that we go into, they uncover another issue, and it just adds to the budget. But is what it is. Just keep going. We want to be in by Christmas. We knew that it wouldn't be necessarily the easiest option for us, but it wasn't even a choice. This place was everything to me growing up. I want it to be the same for Adeline and Tim. Mama. Yes, darling. More. More? Do you want your hat? No, she wants more. She wants money, more time. A huge restoration like this really does require a lot of time and money. But for Isabelle and her family, this isn't just about fixing a house, it's about preserving a legacy and treasured memories ` things you really can't put a price on. (MOTORBIKES ROAR) (EXCITING MUSIC) But the legacy most of us know John for is his legendary V1000 motorbike. Back in the '90's, being a major Britten fan, I bought a replica model of that bike for my dad. And I'm getting to see the real thing and meet the man who rode it. It's really quite a privilege, Andrew, to be standing here with you, with... the original number one. And me, with... with mine. (CHUCKLES) You won the world championships on this didn't you? That's right. I did, yeah. I remember we won it just three weeks or so before John passed away. John saw it, you know, from his bed at home, really, and I flew home with the trophy. How did that feel? I wanted to just do it all for him, really. Yeah, it was amazing just taking the trophy back to John. I walked into the room, and he was just super emotional. Couldn't really quite keep it together. He's inspired you, he's inspired his whole family, and now there's Isabelle and Tim looking to try and save the original house. How do you feel about all of that? Really good. Yeah, he inspired so many people all around the world. I constantly get phone calls from children at school doing their projects on John Britten. And just having another piece of what he's done restored, that's inspirational to a lot of people in itself. Isabelle's got some of her Dad's creativity, as well. She'll do a fantastic job. (ENGINE ROARS) (REFLECTIVE MUSIC) By the middle of autumn, the mammoth task of strengthening the stables is in full swing. Uh, it's exciting. We've had 10 to 12 guys here every day for the past couple of months. So we are noticing a lot of differences when we come here from the start of the week to the end of the week. All of the steel portals are now up, and the old triple-skin brick walls, which are particularly vulnerable to quake damage, are receiving some special treatment in the form of high-tensile steel rods known as Heli-Ties. A pilot hole is drilled, and then this thing is driven in. And it effectively ties the three veneers together. So we put those in at every 400mm ` basically a grid over the whole wall. So there's thousands of them going in here. And what they do is they really tie the wall together and just give it a bit more structural integrity. In this case, it's just shy of 2000, so that's kept one of the lads going for weeks. I think he's over it. (LAUGHS) There's stuff that's getting fixed and completed, and it's not gonna need to be touched, and it's done. It's a nice... feeling,... to tick something off. I want to share Isabelle's excitement, but there's a long list of things that aren't even close to getting ticked off. Like constructing a whole new building from scratch to replace the old quake-damaged garage that today is being demolished. The plan now is to extend it so it's double the width and double the height, which will give us an extra guest room above. The new building will be modern, but it will be made of the original salvaged stone and brick, to complement the old stables. Wondering at one stage what Dad would think of us just pulling it down, but... Tim pointed out that he'd be quite happy with it. Yeah. We're doing something different. (RUBBLE CLATTERS) (WHIMSICAL MUSIC) (BIRDS CHEEP) As the project accelerates, Tim and Isabelle start to really struggle with the ever-increasing demands on their time. Can I offer Wednesday, Thursday the week after? So to try and stay on top of their own jobs and the build, they've made the radical decision to quit their offices in the city, to work from a shared rental space which is moments from the stables. Coming and going three to four times a day was just taking up too much time. Every day there's things changing and questions to be asked. It's saved time that we've, um... That time that we've saved, we just spend it on the house or doing more work. I'm not opposed to working hard. It's in my character. But this is incredibly intense. Ad I feel sorry for Adeline, to be honest. Cos, at the end of it, you know, I haven't got as much time for her as I'd like. Sometimes, when I'm feeling overwhelmed by it, I think about my father and all the things that he did. And when he chose to do something, he didn't give up. And I sort of think, 'You chose to do this; keep going and push on.' Yeah. Man up. (LAUGHS) Work harder. Mm. Get it done. (REFLECTIVE MUSIC) As winter sets in, repairs to the stable's roof structure are underway. But until linings were removed, no one was fully prepared for what would be uncovered there. The strengthening required to the existing structure has just been immense. This is a good example, where we've had to splice on the side of this rafter. You've also got damage ` borer, rot. It's looking like as much as 80% of the timber will have to be replaced and new ridge beams are needed, as well as yet more steel. So both budget and schedule are going to take a hammering. But in spite of this, Tim and Isabelle are still aiming to have their B&B up and running for summer. We've actually taken a booking for the whole house for February. So it's making me feel very happy, but also very nervous. Sort of... I'm sure it'll be done on time. It's just... there feels like a long way to go. I'd say there's a very long way to go. But thankfully at least, some good headway has been made on the garage with the loft studio above it. It's a clean, easy build. It's going up quickly, it's going up straight. Without nasty surprises. (LAUGHS) Yeah. Since Tim and Isabelle sold their home to help fund the project, they've been living in a rental. But to save money, they plan to move into the studio while they're waiting for the stables to be finished. It's really exciting, actually, to think we're gonna be in there in a few months' time. Yeah, one-bedroom studio with a baby. It'll be good. (LAUGHS) Adeline's gonna be sleeping in the laundry or the kitchen. No, we'll be fine. I admire Tim and Isabelle's determination. But to complete this complex project in the remaining five months of their schedule is extremely ambitious. (PEACEFUL MUSIC) One person who really knows what these guys are going through is Kirsteen, who supports them by looking after Adeline, which she fits in around her work as a dyslexia coach working with clients one-on-one. Great. So you made a T. Are you happy with your T? Yeah. Kirsteen was inspired to take up this work because she's dyslexic herself, and so was husband John. I think we both felt embarrassed about our spelling and reading. So we felt comfortable with each other and accepted each other, seeing each other from the same tribe, almost. Yeah. John's visual spatial ability, which comes from his dyslexia, was a gift. And he did manage to use his gift to create the stables... and many other wonderful designs that he could visualise in his head. Isabelle is also dyslexic, and has worked hard to navigate any barriers she's faced with learning. Oh I'm enormously proud of her. She's gotten lots of John's intelligence and vision. His tenacity. I mean, she chooses to do something, and she sticks with it. And sometimes when I see them struggling, and things are going wrong, I just, I feel sorry for them. But they should be very proud of themselves, cos it's... Yeah, it has proved to be bigger than we ever imagined the project to be. (BUSY MUSIC) After a long, wet winter, finally the tarpaulins are coming off, because repairs to the roof structure are almost complete. But the huge unforeseen scale of the task has taken its toll. To boost manpower, Tim is now working up to six hours a day on site, while still trying to run his business. We've gone from having four guys working two weeks on the roof. We've now had 10 guys on the roof for six weeks. So we're up to about 180 grand, um,... on the roof. So, that's pretty much our contingency gone in one area of the house. I feel worried that I pushed him too far to do something that is really what I want, not necessarily what he wanted, and he's on board because he loves me. And I just feel... really quite guilty that we've` that this is gonna put us in a situation, financially, where it's gonna be incredibly difficult. But at least today there's some real visible progress happening that's helping to lift Tim and Isabelle's flagging morale. The last of the heavy, brittle tiles are being removed, and the first section of the new steel roofing is being installed. Sun's out. The guys are powering through the roof now. Happy that it's on. Not happy how much it's cost us to get a roof on, but... No. No. We'll look back in a few years, having a glass of red, and it'll all be worth it, and just laugh about it. Yeah. Ha-ha-ha. Hopefully. (WHIMSICAL MUSIC) With just three months to go before their ambitious Christmas deadline, Tim and Isabelle are continuing to do as much as they can to move their project ahead. And today for Isabelle it's the restoration of my favourite features of the house, the beautiful conservatory staircase. What your dad did here is just deeply inspired by nature ` you know, the way that nature works, the way that it ticks, and for me the stair epitomises that. There's so many shapes that are not often used in houses. In the windows, and even the other staircase. It wraps around and up and it's just... it's warm. John created this staircase to provide an exquisite centrepiece to the house. But it turned out to be much more than that. You know, when we were kids, this house was sort of a giant playground. We'd put the hose up here, and the boogies boards on and some dishwashing liquid and we'd fly down into the pool. You know, every now and then into the posts. Oh God. We just had so much fun here. I have to ask the question, so if you come home from work one day and Adeline has got the hose going and the boogie board...? I'll laugh. I'll laugh. I hope she does, you know? Like, that's what this about, to me. Not only recreating those memories, but adding a whole lot of new memories. (WHIMSICAL MUSIC) It's mid-October, which is when Tim and Isabelle were supposed to be moving into the studio. Can you pour over in here? Yep. I pour! I pour! But that's a long way off happening, mostly due to complications with the large triangular windows that are to fill the gables in both the studio and the stables. Originally, our window came out a few weeks ago and it had the triangle ends chopped off the bottom, which we weren't expecting. And I think there'd been a bit of a miscommunication on that, so that was really disappointing. The windows got sent back to the factory to have the triangular points added. And three weeks later, they're being delivered to site. Today is the day that they arrive how we imagined. Six windows are supposed to be delivered, but just one has arrived. And the triangular points that were missing have been added, but not in the way that was anticipated. Expected a better finish on this join here. Potentially a weld. And this is wet, so this has all just gone in this morning. You've waited so long, and you're settling for that; I wouldn't. It's really hard decision, because.. ...we're so far behind. ...we're so far behind. And so, if we turn this back and we say, 'No, we're not happy with it,' then how much further behind does that put the project? Might as well get it in and see what it looks like. This window is one of two that will feature at either end of the new studio. Four matching ones will also go into the stables, which is part of Tim and Isabelle's modern twist. I just want the windows in. We've got everybody else booked in, and an inspector booked in for the pre-line check. Just... yeah. It's a bit heartbreaking. It may not have the finish that was hoped for, but at least the frame seems to be going into place. Well, it fits, which is a good start. I haven't heard any bad words yet. Sadly, Tim may have spoken too soon. It's really hard for me not to swear at the moment. We've got daylight coming through all of the joins. They forgot to weld some of the joins. The window's gotta go. Just feeling frustrated. We never achieved what we wanted to achieve today. We were expecting six gable frames and all the glazing to be installed, and we end up getting one substandard frame. So we're just` we're lost. We're just constant` We're just stuck. They're really hurting us, hurting the job. (DUCKS QUACK) (BIRDS SING) It's almost a month since the studio was scheduled to be finished, and it's still not complete. But the lease on Tim and Isabelle's rental has expired, so they've had to move in with Tim's parents as a stopgap. Adeline, you could be peeling the potatoes. How am I gonna peel? Why don't you peel the potatoes and let Mummy sit down? Well, there haven't been any arguments. No. We've survived. We've all survived in close quarters. Yeah. Ady and Dave, they've really taken care of us, so we can focus on the house, and it's very generous. For Adeline it's just magic. You love water. It's not hot. We're having lots of fun, that's for sure. Cold! Family cuddle. (LAUGHS) Family cuddle. I think that when we leave here,... Ady and Dave will probably really miss Adeline, but they might enjoy having some peace and quiet sometimes. Adeline's developed her talking a lot in the last couple of months. But she's also learning how to yell, and things like this. No, it's not my car! Yeah, why not show a bit of respect for your grandfather? (LAUGHS) It's not my car! (WHIMSICAL MUSIC) While the family support is a comfort, it hasn't lessened Tim and Isabelle's urgency to get into their own home. Six agonisingly long weeks have passed since the failed gable window installation. In that, time another company was enlisted to take over the job. And today, at last, that new joinery has been delivered to site. Shall we go touch the glass? Well, it means we can seal the house off, so it can be watertight. So let's just hope that it's, you know, it's all right, and it all goes in. I actually feel really nervous. I guess it's just wrong so many times. The plan today is to finally get all six gable windows fitted and glazed. One of them, I think, is particularly special, because the frames a combination of durable aluminium on the outside and wonderful rimu timber on the inside. Yeah, just watch out for the scaffolding. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Looks beautiful. Really happy with it. Yeah, it's stunning. It's going into one of the B&B suites and has a door that will open on to a small balcony. Choosing to open up the old brick gables and fill them with these very modern windows was a bold move on Tim and Isabelle's part, because, in my experience, successfully marrying traditional and contemporary styles is not easy. Perfect. Over in the new studio, some of the glazing is underway. The faulty frame in the rear gable has been replaced and the glass for the central apex is going in. I feel relieved for these guys that this second attempt at getting the windows in seems to be going smoothly. It fits like a glove. No, it's a good result. Perfect result. I'm now just hoping that the rest of the windows goes in as easily, because Tim and Isabelle desperately need to get this place closed in. (GENTLE MUSIC) Something I find particularly interesting about the stables project is that it's a real balancing act of integrating different styles and eras, which feeds right through to the interior design. This is the tap fitting here, with the walnut ` looks lovely. And then the white. We've got white, the vanity. At a Christchurch showroom, Isabelle has the challenge of searching for fittings with a contemporary look she and Tim love that also will work alongside John's wonderful handcrafted pieces. A lot of the tapware that we're purchasing is in the brushed brass. And that's sort of cos it's gonna age over time and become like the same sort of shade of these lights that he created. I sort of want to be brave like he was. Some of the things he did were just not normal run-of-the-mill. I'm using that as an inspiration for the decisions I make. Putting them back into the house feels really special. It sort of feels that they belong there, and one day I hope to know that all of these beautiful things that my father made are being sort of preserved and are gonna be seen by the next generation, like Adeline's children. (WHIMSICAL MUSIC) It's a couple of weeks now since the gable windows went in. I'm really interested to see how they'll look. Ah! It seems like Tim and Isabelle's gamble might have paid off. Now that you've finally got the windows in, I mean, that must feel wonderful. Done. Yeah, watertight. They're in. And they look beautiful. And, you know, in a way, the strands of the old character of the original building are still here. They're really, really strong. The roof, the new windows are locking in from above. It's light, it's ductile, it's good in earthquakes. So these two things are now talking to each other. That's your layer. It's like the icing on the cake. (TIM AND ISABELLE LAUGH) It works. We're really happy with them. With the stables closed in at last, they've been able to start lining the interior. But it's only a couple of weeks away from Christmas, which is when Tim and Isabelle has hoped to have the entire project complete. And even the studio still isn't ready for them to move into. So tell me, how are things going, in terms of timing and cost? Awesome. Yeah, I don't believe that for a minute. (LAUGHS) Yeah, everything s blown out. But we've come to a realisation, I guess, that it is what it is. We can't change it. We need to finish the project, whatever happens. We've had to go back to the bank. Yeah, back to the bank. Just waiting on their decision. But, yeah... Oh God. Cross that bridge. We'll tell you at the end, where we get to. I seem to recall that you had some bookings for February, was it? They're still booked in, so... Yeah. We're really hoping that we'll be finished enough. Well put up some teepees or a yurt. They can sleep in there. A camping sort of feel. Oh, you'll be sleeping in that. Exactly. We'll have air mattresses. Exactly. It'll be fun ` camping. These guys are very good at putting on a brave face. But they're under huge pressure now to get their B&B up and running by late summer to start paying off the large debt they've taken on. Looking at all they still have to do, though, I really don't see how that's going to happen. (REFLECTIVE MUSIC) It's a year and a half since Tim and Isabelle began restoring the extraordinary home John Britten created from an old brick stable block. Saving the house turned out to be much tougher than they ever expected. It's so packed full of priceless memories and intriguing traces of John's amazing talent. Backing out was never gonna be an option. Nine months ago, when I last visited, the place was still in quite a state. I really hope by now they've been able to move in and their B&B is up and running. (ETHEREAL MUSIC) Wow. Mm, this is looking promising. Hey! Hi, Chris, how are you going? Good to see you. It looks absolutely stunning. John's beautiful doors looking very polished and sleek. And I love this little wink to the street. Magical. It's a lovely view from up there. That's Adeline's bedroom. Wonderful. I can't wait to have a look inside. Well, come on in. Oh my goodness! It's gorgeous. Already, I can see Tim and Isabelle's bold modern influence here. Oh gosh, this is beautiful. Thank you. To see the conservatory restored to its former glory, with the pool sparkling again, is very special. And.. The stairs. ...the stair looks fabulous. It's come up well after all that hard work. It has, after that hard painting. And what's through here? This is Tim's favourite room. A billiard room? With the exposed brick and steel, Tim and Isabelle have already achieved that edgy industrial look they were aiming for. It's come up so well in here. Gorgeous with this lovely big table. This was our late grandfather's table ` Bruce Britten. And he was an avid billiard player, Bruce. We have no idea how to how to play billiards. Can play pool, but yeah. But we'll learn. So this will be quite a special room, then, for guests coming to stay. Absolutely. Cos we're going to live on this side of the house, and we've got the rooms over this side. We hope that this is a point in the middle that we can come together, have a glass of wine or a whisky. The billiard room leads through to the cosy sitting room which truly embodies John's wonderfully unconventional style and holds a rather special surprise. Oh my goodness! Yeah, isn't she beautiful? I can't believe it. It's magic to have her back. That is mind-boggling. I love coming downstairs and it's just here ` oh! Good morning. (LAUGHS) The thing that is so amazing, all of these fabulous parabolic curves everywhere, that are also here. It's like these things are talking to each other. Tim and Isabelle's brilliant decision to fill the gables with glass has brought so much light to the upstairs spaces that were once rather dark. And this is our bedroom. Yeah. Gorgeous. Isn't it beautiful? And to wake up to this every morning. I love John's balustrade. I mean, such beautiful shapes. And each one of those was made out of rowing oars. Wow, that's a few boats. Yes. Off the master bedroom is the en-suite, which they've modernised while still managing to incorporate some of the original fittings. They're some of the taps that dad made, the old swan ones. Oh yeah, they're beautiful. I love what you've done with the bronze everywhere. There's a lovely kind of juxtaposition between these elements from your dad and what you guys have brought to this. And look. You can finally fit. You can fit under the shower. It's gonna drip on me. (CHUCKLES) Next door is Adeline's room, with that striking gable window. In her bathroom, soft pink tiles subtly echo John's beautiful handcrafted lampshades. Do I sit here? Mm. Can we cut out the tomato? You can. Ooh. But what are we gonna cook on them? Nothing. Nothing? They're just plates. I'm hungry. No. (PEACEFUL MUSIC) Across from the master bedroom are the two B&B suites, which didn't get finished in time for that booking back in February. But they're now complete and looking incredibly elegant and stylish. And the brand new garage, with loft studio above, fully reflects Tim and Isabelle's clean, contemporary aesthetic. These guys really have put their all into this home. But of course, there's a very important person they could never have done it without. How does it feel to be back in this beautiful space? Oh, it's amazing to have it as a whole again. a few weeks back, Izzy sent me a picture of the lights on. Just seeing it lit again after all these years was really, really emotional, actually. Well done, Kirsteen. For all of you, what an achievement. You two have really put in the blood, sweat and tears. How does that feel? I mean, finally you're here. Exhausting. Exciting. It's pretty amazing to be finished. It just feels like we're home. There's something magical about it. Yeah, it's a special place. I'm glad that we... we got here. It was really, really hard. Friends and family sort of got put aside and this house took over. 'The beast', I called it. The beast. (LAUGHS) It's been a real enlightenment into, how did Dad do it? He did most of it himself or with a few friends. We always said if John could build this, we can at least fix it. We can fix it, yeah. With a team of people. So, what did it cost in the end? (EXHALES) Oh, that was good ` under budget (!) No! (LAUGHS) Well under. Yeah, right (!) Yeah. Oh... It certainly blew out a lot more than what we hoped. Double, triple, quadruple? No. Not double, no. It might be another 30% more than what we sort of thought. We've hit at least 2 and a half. And that was money we really didn't have, so we've had to take on a lot more debt. We hope the bed and breakfast works and that it all pays off for us. You know, there have been so many challenges that you've had through all of this. What have you learned from each other through it? The things I've learnt about Tim is his commitment to seeing it through. I know there's times when he probably wished that we'd never done. But really his ability to keep going despite all of that. The end result is wicked. It is so incredibly beautiful. Well done. Thank you. I wish you every success from here on in, because you damn well deserve it. Thanks, Chris. Yeah. That's good. For Tim and Isabelle, this has been an incredibly testing project. But they should be very proud of what they've achieved. By saving this magical place, they're keeping John's legacy alive. But they've also bravely incorporated their own design ideas, adding their chapter to this very special story. Captions by James Brown www.able.co.nz Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2018 Cheers. ALL: Cheers!