Grand Designs NZ: Huge build is ‘mothballed’ halfway through

REVIEW: Right at the start of this show, Grand Designs NZ presenter Tom Webster admits it’s often “the big ones that really get us going” – he’s talking Grand Designs builds of course and “the brave, bold, single-minded individuals” behind them.

And he’s right. We love it when people push things to extremes (but not to the extent of the GDUK Lighthouse build, surely): “It’s fantastic and often perilous,” Webster says. Not that we want people to fail or divorce. But, as the architect notes: “Just because you can do something, should you? The greater the ambition, the greater the risk of it all crashing down.”

Well, Judy and Warwick Hyland don’t appear to be worried – they are doers. They established the Old Packhouse Market and Café in Kerikeri, because they could see the town needed a place where people could get together in the weekend. They are a vital part of the community.

They built a house on a country site 10 years ago, but it’s too small for the extended, blended and growing family, hence the decision to build again next door.

READ MORE:
* Grand Designs NZ returns with daring, off-grid build in Chatham Islands
* Grand Designs NZ’s new presenter Tom Webster ‘accepted as a Brit with an accent’
* Grand Designs UK: Couple take on astounding triangle house on impossible plot

‘Biggest house on a budget’

This time round Judy says they are “building the biggest house we can on a budget”. But this time Warwick won’t be the head builder – he has too much else going on.

Our first glimpse of the rural site, with concrete pads laid out, shows it’s “off the charts” size-wise. Webster compares it to a full-on subdivision or a primary school. Warwick says the living area of the house will be 600m² and the total roof area is 900m².

Even Judy admits she was surprised. She blames Warwick for the big dreams. “I didn’t expect it to be so big. It’s just him. He does everything big. Everything on a grand scale.”

When asked, what’s at stake? She says, “Our marriage?” Warwick says finance could be a worry if they run over. This is Grand Designs – they always run over. He anticipates spending $1.2m, which Webster says is incredibly light. Trouble brewing for sure. As Webster himself says, this is a “monster of a house”.

Just like last week’s couple, they want to be in by Christmas (2021), but we have hindsight re Covid, and we know that won’t be happening. And it turns out Warwick himself is going to build the three kitchens in the house, plus the barn doors, huge dining table and the roof – that’s a huge commitment.

Funding for the build needs to come from the sale of the first house or a piece of land, and both need work before either is put on the market – work Warwick needs to do, but he’s too busy on the new project.

The aerial shots of the house show a staggeringly huge central pavilion with wings off to the side. It’s going to be a lot of house for two people (most of the time). Inside, they look like they’re standing in a school hall. The size takes Webster’s breath away. But the proportions work.

‘Warwick’s a stubborn man; you can never tell him what to do’

The build progresses, till it comes to a screeching halt. They’ve run out of ceiling battens – it’s that collateral damage caused by Covid-19 and record exports to China. Warwick compares it to a bar running out of alcohol. He needs about 1km of timber.

So they split some 3×2 timber to create all those ceiling battens. It’s tiring work and not cheap.

But what’s stressing Judy? Money, as it turns out. They haven’t sold the other house or any land yet. “Warwick’s a stubborn man; you can never tell him what to do. I moan, and I nag, but he will do what he thinks is best.”

Everything crashes and work stops

They do run out of money. They have to sell both the 4.04ha (10-acre) block of farmland and the current house, and call a halt to the building – it is “mothballed”, to use Webster’s phrase, for many months. It has hit Warwick hard – he turns away from the camera.

“He feels like he’s a failure, and he’s not. It’s just been one thing after another. Lots of things have gone wrong,” says Judy, giving him a hug. It’s scenes like this that make Grand Designs such a powerful watch. This is a very supportive couple, and you know they’ll be OK together.

They do manage to sell their house (which Warwick had hoped to keep), and there’s a poignant scene where the pair carry a mattress up the stairs into Judy’s office in town, where they will camp out for the foreseeable future.

“It’s fine. We can eat the café food; use the toilets here. We can put in a laundry and a shower. It’s perfect.” It’s hardly perfect, but Judy is nothing if not adaptable – and all the while she is dealing with the fallout from Covid on their café business, including staff losses. It’s tough.

But, finally, it’s all on again, and builder Mike and his team are back. The build resumes, with Judy’s son Jake helping out. Judy is happy. Thinking about the house has been the only bright spot in a dismal few months for the pair.

As the finishing takes place, Webster asks the most pertinent question of all. We can see how great the house will be as a communal space for extended family and friends, but will it also work as a cosy, sanctuary when there is just the two of them?

Webster is ‘gobsmacked’

Webster returns for the big reveal, and he believes that is the case – he is “gobsmacked”. We are not so sure about the intimacy – the spaces are gigantic. Perhaps Judy and Warwick can hole up in their bedroom wing (the size of a small house). The guest wing is also more “normal-sized”.

But you’ve got to love this house. It’s expansive and generous, just like the owners. And the kitchen is a dream. They still have to do the landscaping, and a pool is planned (for Christmas).

In the large pavilion, the timber ceiling is a standout, along with Warwick’s large barn door, and the swamp kauri table, which took eight people to move (and that’s just the top).

There are two separate lounging areas – one around a huge wood-burning fire, and the other further back in the room. And then there’s the covered outdoor room, which is as big as most people’s houses.

Dramatic glass-lined passageways lead to the bedroom wings off either side. And this is where the size of the central living area comes into its own – there is no way you will hear noise between the wings. They are so far apart. Great when the grandkids come to stay.

And the cost? Warwick’s estimate of $1.2m has blown out of the water. It is sitting at $1.8m, not counting the family labour, which is 50% more than expected (possibly a local Grand Designs record). And presumably not counting the landscaping or the pool.

But this is their dream home, and they will complete it – hopefully not to sell again any time soon. This has to be a keeper.

Grand Designs NZ screens on TVNZ1 on Tuesdays at 7.30pm and on TVNZ+