1
00:00:02,920 --> 00:00:05,920
Are you fed up that
the younger generation

2
00:00:05,960 --> 00:00:08,680
are stuck to their screens?

3
00:00:08,720 --> 00:00:11,720
That your children, you know,
are not engaging

4
00:00:11,760 --> 00:00:15,200
with making and doing,
the kind of basic life skills

5
00:00:15,240 --> 00:00:17,800
that are required to, you know,

6
00:00:17,840 --> 00:00:21,080
improve the quality
of their existence and help them,

7
00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:25,520
help them become resilient
human beings. Eh?

8
00:00:25,560 --> 00:00:28,280
Goodness me. Was not the same
with our generation...

9
00:00:28,320 --> 00:00:30,040
Oh, bollocks.

10
00:00:30,080 --> 00:00:33,920
What's that?
Here you go Dad, I made you a cake.

11
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Oh, you made that?

12
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Yeah. Thank you.

13
00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:41,200
I mean, it's incredible.

14
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I don't know what to say.

15
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Lucinda has had
a lifelong love affair with wood.

16
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I've been working with wood
for about 45 years or more,

17
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since I went to college
to learn cabinet making

18
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and then subsequently set up
a furniture making business.

19
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Now she's retired from creating
beautiful one-off furniture

20
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for other people,

21
00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:33,520
she wants to construct something
for herself.

22
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Not just tables or chairs,
but an entire house out of wood.

23
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I'm hoping to use up all
the leftover bits wood

24
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from the rest of my life.

25
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This will be her largest project
by far

26
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but she does have two
able assistants.

27
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Argh!
LAUGHTER

28
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Her son Dan and her daughter Rosie.

29
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When the kids were young,
Lucinda decided to quit city life

30
00:01:57,040 --> 00:02:00,400
for the rural heaven
of Herefordshire,

31
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and moved the family to
a remote house

32
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in an overgrown acre of woodland.

33
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So when you're a child it's quite
exciting to have a garden

34
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that's just completely wild.

35
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We were making fairly elaborate
treehouses.

36
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One of the ways in which
I brought them up

37
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was when they wanted things,
to start by saying,

38
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well, can you make it?

39
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So this seems to be
a kind of culmination of,

40
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well, if you want a house,
then could we make it?

41
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Having raised children
with plenty of tools,

42
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but no Wi-Fi or mobile signal,

43
00:02:30,720 --> 00:02:33,720
Lucinda now has two capable
adult helpers.

44
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Rosie, an illustrator, will be
bringing a designer's eye

45
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to the project.

46
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While Dan, an engineer who normally
designs industrial production lines,

47
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will be donning his inventing hat

48
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for his most exacting boss
to date, his mum.

49
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Put it away. No.

50
00:02:51,120 --> 00:02:53,720
So, I think Mum's going to be
a tough client to work for.

51
00:02:53,760 --> 00:02:56,240
I think her expectations
of quality of finish

52
00:02:56,280 --> 00:02:57,880
really are above and beyond.

53
00:02:57,920 --> 00:02:59,840
Years after departing the nest,

54
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the ambition is for the family
to come back together

55
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to build a low-impact eco-house,

56
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just above the old family home

57
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in the very woodland that
they grew up in.

58
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I'm just thrilled to bits that
they've come home to help.

59
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It makes the whole thing
a completely different project

60
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and far more fun.

61
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Despite the family DNA of designing
and making,

62
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none of them has ever built
a house from scratch.

63
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And the success of this endeavour is
going to need family harmony.

64
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The two of them used to fight all
the time when they were little

65
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and they seem to be getting on quite
well these days,

66
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so maybe I will destroy that.

67
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It may be a disaster.

68
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Come summer, it's time to put
the plan into action.

69
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What a delightful little
woodland world.

70
00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:01,080
Lucinda? How are you? Kevin.
Hi, nice to meet you.

71
00:04:01,120 --> 00:04:03,480
Dan. Dan. And Rosie, how are you?
Nice to meet you.

72
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I just walked up through the most
amazing little bit of woodland,

73
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but beautiful and full
of wild flowers

74
00:04:08,360 --> 00:04:10,880
and lots of different species
and loads of trees.

75
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Which is what we're hoping
to maintain

76
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and stop the builders from damaging.

77
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But we don't want any heavy
machinery here at all.

78
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The old house is that building
I can just see through the trees.

79
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Is the plan to sell that? I mean,
are you splitting the site in half?

80
00:04:22,120 --> 00:04:24,720
What's going to happen? Yeah,
ultimately, we'll split the site

81
00:04:24,760 --> 00:04:26,760
and either rent that out
or sell it.

82
00:04:26,800 --> 00:04:29,880
So this house you're going to build,
how do you describe it?

83
00:04:29,920 --> 00:04:33,560
It's a low-impact house,
so it's mostly timber.

84
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The whole of the outside of
the building is wrapped in timber,

85
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either cedar shingles or cladding
that will weather down.

86
00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:43,680
It'll look like the bark of the
trees around it. Is that the idea?

87
00:04:43,720 --> 00:04:46,600
Yes, maybe it will. I'm trying to
build something modest,

88
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but also exquisite.

89
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Yeah, a jewel.

90
00:04:54,280 --> 00:04:55,920
Lucinda's plot slopes,

91
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so despite her wanting her house
to touch the earth lightly,

92
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they'll be cutting into
the ground at one end.

93
00:05:02,120 --> 00:05:05,560
But to protect any further damage
to the precious tree roots,

94
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two rows of slender concrete columns

95
00:05:08,240 --> 00:05:11,400
will lift the
building above ground level.

96
00:05:11,440 --> 00:05:16,680
From this point on, the house will
be built entirely of wood.

97
00:05:16,720 --> 00:05:19,120
Lucinda's architect,
Elly Deacon Smith,

98
00:05:19,160 --> 00:05:21,640
has designed it along passive house
principles

99
00:05:21,680 --> 00:05:23,480
to make it super energy efficient,

100
00:05:23,520 --> 00:05:26,880
so chunky pre-fabricated
wooden panels

101
00:05:26,920 --> 00:05:29,400
will form an airtight
structural shell,

102
00:05:29,440 --> 00:05:32,160
filled with recycled paper
for insulation.

103
00:05:32,200 --> 00:05:35,040
There's some clever hidden
structural engineering in timber

104
00:05:35,080 --> 00:05:39,280
to help form one huge uninterrupted
barn volume inside.

105
00:05:40,800 --> 00:05:45,440
And on the outside,
a skin of 10,500 cedar shingles

106
00:05:45,480 --> 00:05:48,160
will cascade from roof to ground,

107
00:05:48,200 --> 00:05:52,280
a natural skin that will age like
the surrounding trees.

108
00:05:52,320 --> 00:05:55,440
The roof ridges stick out at
either end,

109
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above floating verandas,

110
00:05:57,120 --> 00:06:00,720
where Lucinda can indulge in
a spot of tree-bathing.

111
00:06:00,760 --> 00:06:05,000
You'll enter through a porch
straight into a kitchen-living area,

112
00:06:05,040 --> 00:06:08,240
populated with Lucinda's
handmade furniture.

113
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You'll see the full height
of the roof,

114
00:06:10,880 --> 00:06:15,560
and there's floor-to-ceiling glass
to drink in the light and the views.

115
00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:18,120
At the north end,
there'll be a study,

116
00:06:18,160 --> 00:06:20,440
a bedroom and a bathroom.

117
00:06:20,480 --> 00:06:23,080
Leading up to a mezzanine
Lucinda wants to craft

118
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a beautiful staircase,

119
00:06:24,800 --> 00:06:28,760
made from off cuts of rare timbers
she's saved over the years.

120
00:06:28,800 --> 00:06:30,640
It'll double up as a bookcase

121
00:06:30,680 --> 00:06:34,640
and include a window seat
for gazing out at the canopy.

122
00:06:34,680 --> 00:06:37,480
Once upstairs, there's the main
bedroom and bathroom,

123
00:06:37,520 --> 00:06:39,360
with access to a private balcony

124
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suspended among the canopy
of the surrounding trees.

125
00:06:43,800 --> 00:06:47,640
Lucinda's big ambition is
to honour those noble giants

126
00:06:47,680 --> 00:06:51,000
by building with as low an
environmental impact on them

127
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as possible. That'll take time,
money and care.

128
00:06:54,960 --> 00:06:57,120
I hope she can find enough
of all three.

129
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Does the sort of complicated
nature of the site

130
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and the trees and
the tree root protection

131
00:07:03,840 --> 00:07:06,200
and the ground, does that affect
the budget negatively?

132
00:07:06,240 --> 00:07:08,560
You can't simply drive
a lorry up there and a crane

133
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and just unload the building.
Absolutely, no, no.

134
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So that does add to the cost.

135
00:07:12,280 --> 00:07:14,440
The fact that it's on
a slope adds to the cost.

136
00:07:14,480 --> 00:07:16,640
Yep. How much have you got then
to build with?

137
00:07:16,680 --> 00:07:19,640
Well, I was allowing about 150
for the construction costs.

138
00:07:19,680 --> 00:07:22,000
Which is on the...
On the low side.

139
00:07:22,040 --> 00:07:24,760
Yeah, I was going to say on the
cheap. Especially for passive house.

140
00:07:24,800 --> 00:07:26,120
Certainly for passive, wow.

141
00:07:26,160 --> 00:07:28,680
Yes. I don't know whether we can
do it. I hope we can do it.

142
00:07:28,720 --> 00:07:31,440
What happens, if it does,
if it costs a great deal more?

143
00:07:31,480 --> 00:07:34,840
I guess I move into a shed
and sell the house.

144
00:07:34,880 --> 00:07:36,840
If I had to.

145
00:07:36,880 --> 00:07:38,880
When do you hope to finish?

146
00:07:38,920 --> 00:07:44,200
I'd like to move in
February the 21st 2022.

147
00:07:44,240 --> 00:07:45,920
18 months. 18 months, yeah.
Yeah.

148
00:07:45,960 --> 00:07:49,000
Yes, because I think that if
I put pressure on myself

149
00:07:49,040 --> 00:07:50,520
to do it in, say, a year,

150
00:07:50,560 --> 00:07:53,400
which would theoretically be
possible, I won't enjoy it.

151
00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:56,880
Ha-ha, you must be careful
because you enjoy making things.

152
00:07:56,920 --> 00:07:59,440
You must be careful not
to relish the process

153
00:07:59,480 --> 00:08:01,840
to the point that it sort
of spins out.

154
00:08:01,880 --> 00:08:03,480
There is a danger of that.

155
00:08:05,760 --> 00:08:09,360
This family of makers and doers
will have to plumb the depths

156
00:08:09,400 --> 00:08:13,360
of their well of inventiveness
if they're to pull off this project

157
00:08:13,400 --> 00:08:15,720
on Lucinda's very tight budget.

158
00:08:15,760 --> 00:08:18,760
And I do see a danger ahead.

159
00:08:18,800 --> 00:08:22,600
So as a designer and maker
and craftsperson in wood,

160
00:08:22,640 --> 00:08:25,040
the difficulty here is,
of course, is that she...

161
00:08:25,080 --> 00:08:28,200
The thing she's looking forward
to is building it,

162
00:08:28,240 --> 00:08:32,560
it's the process. It's the
excitement of being in the moment

163
00:08:32,600 --> 00:08:37,360
of construction,
as opposed to actually living in it.

164
00:08:37,400 --> 00:08:40,840
Which suggests to me that there
is a possibility

165
00:08:40,880 --> 00:08:44,080
that the house may never
get completely finished.

166
00:08:47,760 --> 00:08:50,840
Initially, progress on the project
is frustrated

167
00:08:50,880 --> 00:08:52,520
by Covid lockdown delays,

168
00:08:52,560 --> 00:08:56,720
so the family keeps busy laying
a tree root-friendly wood chip path

169
00:08:56,760 --> 00:08:58,160
up to the site.

170
00:08:58,200 --> 00:09:00,000
I think I need more of a job.

171
00:09:00,040 --> 00:09:02,280
I'm not being fully employed here.

172
00:09:05,440 --> 00:09:09,880
But come August, they decide to
get on and lay the foundations.

173
00:09:09,920 --> 00:09:13,720
But not in any way I've ever
encountered before.

174
00:09:13,760 --> 00:09:17,040
The house will be held above ground
by ten concrete columns

175
00:09:17,080 --> 00:09:19,440
that reach down to the bedrock.

176
00:09:19,480 --> 00:09:21,640
And despite having no experience,

177
00:09:21,680 --> 00:09:25,160
they've decided to pour the concrete
themselves to save money.

178
00:09:27,080 --> 00:09:29,080
Precision engineering
going on here.

179
00:09:29,120 --> 00:09:31,880
Dan's idea is to make
the columns octagonal,

180
00:09:31,920 --> 00:09:35,040
so they can mass-produce moulds
themselves from lengths

181
00:09:35,080 --> 00:09:37,800
of plywood in Lucinda's workshop.

182
00:09:37,840 --> 00:09:39,200
It's a former for the concrete,

183
00:09:39,240 --> 00:09:41,280
a container to pour
the concrete into.

184
00:09:41,320 --> 00:09:44,680
And then when you put them together
like this,

185
00:09:44,720 --> 00:09:47,480
and bring them in,

186
00:09:47,520 --> 00:09:50,440
they are sort of self-locking
into the shape.

187
00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:52,880
So long as the angle is spot on.

188
00:09:52,920 --> 00:09:56,640
And to hold all that concrete
in place - plastic cable ties.

189
00:09:56,680 --> 00:09:58,080
Really?

190
00:09:58,120 --> 00:10:01,560
If there's something wrong
with our invention...

191
00:10:01,600 --> 00:10:03,440
I don't know.
We'll know quite fast.

192
00:10:03,480 --> 00:10:06,400
What will we do? I don't see why
it wouldn't work.

193
00:10:06,440 --> 00:10:10,080
Well, they'll soon find out when
the concrete arrives tomorrow.

194
00:10:15,360 --> 00:10:18,400
Ten deep holes have been dug for
the home-made moulds,

195
00:10:18,440 --> 00:10:21,040
which have to be lined up
with millimetre precision.

196
00:10:21,080 --> 00:10:24,360
We'll see if their novel DIY
approach is ground-breaking,

197
00:10:24,400 --> 00:10:26,760
or mould-breaking.

198
00:10:26,800 --> 00:10:28,680
Big day today, nervous.

199
00:10:28,720 --> 00:10:30,560
Either it'll work or it won't work.

200
00:10:30,600 --> 00:10:32,640
Very relieved when this is
all done.

201
00:10:32,680 --> 00:10:34,920
I'm just praying that when I put
the concrete in

202
00:10:34,960 --> 00:10:37,280
they won't, erm, they won't bulge.

203
00:10:37,320 --> 00:10:40,160
Lucinda is project managing
the whole thing,

204
00:10:40,200 --> 00:10:44,680
but for today she's brought in
a groundworker, Steve, to help.

205
00:10:44,720 --> 00:10:48,120
But he's never seen a set up
like this before.

206
00:10:48,160 --> 00:10:50,720
That's why I put the wire
on there, because...

207
00:10:50,760 --> 00:10:53,880
Not quite sure, really.
Just cable ties, really.

208
00:10:53,920 --> 00:10:57,440
Well, just in case they pop, like.
Time will tell.

209
00:10:57,480 --> 00:10:58,960
Have you got room to get out?

210
00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:01,440
Dan adds a couple of straps
for good measure.

211
00:11:01,480 --> 00:11:04,120
I think it's about ten minutes until
the concrete arrives,

212
00:11:04,160 --> 00:11:06,760
so, you know, classic last minute.

213
00:11:06,800 --> 00:11:10,440
At least some local friends have
turned out to help.

214
00:11:10,480 --> 00:11:13,880
Good fun being involved,
it's a nice day out, really.

215
00:11:13,920 --> 00:11:16,280
Let's hope it stays that way.

216
00:11:16,320 --> 00:11:19,200
Erm, yeah, there's some tension
here, I'd say.

217
00:11:19,240 --> 00:11:21,400
Jump in quick, jump in quick.
Just get on with it.

218
00:11:21,440 --> 00:11:24,400
As seven tons of concrete arrive
at the top of the lane,

219
00:11:24,440 --> 00:11:26,160
there's no time left to prepare.

220
00:11:26,200 --> 00:11:28,240
The truck charges by the minute.

221
00:11:28,280 --> 00:11:29,880
This is it. Right.

222
00:11:29,920 --> 00:11:33,040
Usually, you'd pipe the mix straight
into the ground,

223
00:11:33,080 --> 00:11:35,200
but in order to protect
the tree roots,

224
00:11:35,240 --> 00:11:37,600
the heavy lorry just can't come
any closer

225
00:11:37,640 --> 00:11:41,440
than the top of the drive,
100 metres away.

226
00:11:41,480 --> 00:11:43,480
He's got to stop here at
the entrance,

227
00:11:43,520 --> 00:11:45,280
transfer it to the small dumper.

228
00:11:45,320 --> 00:11:47,880
Dumper up to site,
wheelbarrow from dumper.

229
00:11:47,920 --> 00:11:49,560
So that's not helping.

230
00:11:53,480 --> 00:11:57,120
They only have two hours
to unload all the concrete

231
00:11:57,160 --> 00:11:58,680
before it sets hard.

232
00:11:58,720 --> 00:12:02,600
They make a start on the shorter
columns at the bottom of the slope.

233
00:12:02,640 --> 00:12:04,720
It's really slippery
underfoot, folks.

234
00:12:04,760 --> 00:12:06,200
Further forward.

235
00:12:06,240 --> 00:12:07,280
That's it.

236
00:12:08,520 --> 00:12:11,680
This one's dribbling a bit.
This one's not happy.

237
00:12:11,720 --> 00:12:14,520
Before long, the weight of the
concrete is stretching

238
00:12:14,560 --> 00:12:17,240
their home craft moulds
to the limit.

239
00:12:17,280 --> 00:12:20,520
Dan decides to lash
the leaking columns with more straps

240
00:12:20,560 --> 00:12:23,040
and some screws for good measure.

241
00:12:23,080 --> 00:12:25,000
It's pouring with rain.

242
00:12:25,040 --> 00:12:27,120
The formers are bulging.

243
00:12:27,160 --> 00:12:30,120
The lorry of concrete is waiting.

244
00:12:30,160 --> 00:12:32,240
Folks, we need to get the...

245
00:12:32,280 --> 00:12:34,200
The man needs to get away.

246
00:12:34,240 --> 00:12:36,720
We've got to get on
with getting this into here.

247
00:12:36,760 --> 00:12:38,200
Can you get that one on?

248
00:12:39,520 --> 00:12:41,560
Right, we're
going to this one next.

249
00:12:44,200 --> 00:12:47,240
But just as they're filling
the last couple of columns...

250
00:12:48,400 --> 00:12:50,080
Oh, shit!

251
00:12:50,120 --> 00:12:52,040
This side, it's all coming out.

252
00:12:55,440 --> 00:12:57,080
OK, turn the poker off, Dave.

253
00:12:57,120 --> 00:12:59,040
I'll go down and patch it up.
But it's going.

254
00:12:59,080 --> 00:13:00,800
The whole thing is going.

255
00:13:00,840 --> 00:13:03,560
Yes, but darling, it might all
explode while you're down there.

256
00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:04,880
Shit, shit.

257
00:13:04,920 --> 00:13:06,760
It's bulging, it's going.

258
00:13:06,800 --> 00:13:08,360
Get out.

259
00:13:19,480 --> 00:13:21,000
Dan, don't touch the pillars.

260
00:13:21,040 --> 00:13:23,080
Dan is deep in a hole

261
00:13:23,120 --> 00:13:25,920
with a column of wet concrete
that's set to burst.

262
00:13:27,160 --> 00:13:28,640
The screws have popped out.

263
00:13:28,680 --> 00:13:31,120
Have you got a lorry strap or
something we could borrow?

264
00:13:32,720 --> 00:13:34,200
Under there.

265
00:13:35,840 --> 00:13:38,200
Yeah, it should be. It's working.

266
00:13:39,400 --> 00:13:41,560
Finally, it seems to be holding.

267
00:13:41,600 --> 00:13:44,400
I am so wet and muddy and miserable.

268
00:13:44,440 --> 00:13:45,840
Hug.

269
00:13:47,320 --> 00:13:50,800
I'm a bit sad that the method
for holding the columns together

270
00:13:50,840 --> 00:13:53,120
didn't work quite as well
as I was hoping.

271
00:13:53,160 --> 00:13:55,920
But you know, it shows that under
time pressure

272
00:13:55,960 --> 00:13:57,520
you can fix most problems.

273
00:13:57,560 --> 00:14:00,320
After two hours in the cold mud,

274
00:14:00,360 --> 00:14:03,760
the bedraggled working party
can finally warm up.

275
00:14:03,800 --> 00:14:06,520
Well, I feel completely responsible
for that disaster, Mum.

276
00:14:06,560 --> 00:14:09,040
If this was a prelude for
the rest of the project,

277
00:14:09,080 --> 00:14:10,960
it's going be gruelling.

278
00:14:11,000 --> 00:14:15,080
And no-one wants to be left with
permanently bulging columns, surely?

279
00:14:18,640 --> 00:14:21,480
Once the dust has settled,
I'm back to inspect.

280
00:14:21,520 --> 00:14:26,000
We need to talk about the rather
excellent octagonal piers.

281
00:14:26,040 --> 00:14:29,960
You've chosen to use bespoke
timber joinery to make footings.

282
00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:32,760
No-one else has ever done this.
And they did come out spot on.

283
00:14:32,800 --> 00:14:34,920
But, no, I think it's wonderful.

284
00:14:34,960 --> 00:14:38,320
Thankfully all ten columns
seem perfectly formed,

285
00:14:38,360 --> 00:14:42,280
and they're not the only example of
the family's innovative approach.

286
00:14:42,320 --> 00:14:44,280
Tell me, what's this that
you're standing on?

287
00:14:44,320 --> 00:14:46,000
It looks like a membrane.
What is it?

288
00:14:46,040 --> 00:14:48,320
I make the machinery that makes
this material,

289
00:14:48,360 --> 00:14:51,040
so it's a concrete
impregnated fabric.

290
00:14:51,080 --> 00:14:53,000
So it arrives dry.

291
00:14:53,040 --> 00:14:55,040
You roll it out like a heavy carpet,

292
00:14:55,080 --> 00:14:57,000
spray it with water,
and you're done.

293
00:14:57,040 --> 00:14:59,280
I can get leftover rolls from
the factory,

294
00:14:59,320 --> 00:15:00,760
so we thought, why not?

295
00:15:00,800 --> 00:15:03,240
We're using as an erosion control
and weed suppression.

296
00:15:03,280 --> 00:15:04,880
We're quite close to the ground here

297
00:15:04,920 --> 00:15:07,960
and we do not want this mud
in contact with the timber. Nice.

298
00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:09,680
And this we can do in an afternoon.

299
00:15:09,720 --> 00:15:11,840
And we don't have
to excavate at all.

300
00:15:11,880 --> 00:15:15,160
So what is the CO2 saving
per square metre, say,

301
00:15:15,200 --> 00:15:17,000
above, over standard concrete?

302
00:15:17,040 --> 00:15:19,920
For the average application,
we're using ten times less material.

303
00:15:19,960 --> 00:15:22,280
So that roughly gives you
the savings. Yeah.

304
00:15:22,320 --> 00:15:24,920
So is that the roll of it
over there? Yes.

305
00:15:24,960 --> 00:15:26,640
Looks like a bit of roofing felt.

306
00:15:26,680 --> 00:15:28,320
Do you want to come
and have a play?

307
00:15:28,360 --> 00:15:29,760
Yeah, have a look, yeah.

308
00:15:29,800 --> 00:15:31,560
Look how flexible it is.

309
00:15:31,600 --> 00:15:36,120
Carpet fitters around the country
are going to be agog at your skill.

310
00:15:36,160 --> 00:15:38,480
OK. Lovely.

311
00:15:38,520 --> 00:15:39,840
I love it.

312
00:15:41,320 --> 00:15:43,760
Lucinda has, so far,
performed admirably.

313
00:15:45,560 --> 00:15:48,160
But for the next stage
of construction she's enlisting

314
00:15:48,200 --> 00:15:51,320
a specialist timber
frame builder, Rob,

315
00:15:51,360 --> 00:15:53,400
to erect the structure of the house.

316
00:15:55,040 --> 00:15:58,680
Lucinda gave Rob his first
building job 12 years ago,

317
00:15:58,720 --> 00:16:01,360
so he's going into this
with his eyes open.

318
00:16:02,400 --> 00:16:05,600
It gets difficult,
with Lucinda's eye for detail.

319
00:16:05,640 --> 00:16:08,840
Everything has to be perfect,
everything has to line up.

320
00:16:10,480 --> 00:16:12,600
No detail is overlooked.

321
00:16:14,080 --> 00:16:16,800
The plan is for this
super-insulated house

322
00:16:16,840 --> 00:16:19,840
to be prefabricated in
Rob's workshop.

323
00:16:19,880 --> 00:16:23,480
Watch out behind.
And he's got an assistant - Dan!

324
00:16:23,520 --> 00:16:25,800
Oh, look, it's enormous.

325
00:16:25,840 --> 00:16:28,040
That is your house on a lorry.

326
00:16:29,240 --> 00:16:32,480
Held up for months by Covid
and customs,

327
00:16:32,520 --> 00:16:34,640
the sustainable
German-engineered timber,

328
00:16:34,680 --> 00:16:37,920
from which Rob will build
the pre-fabricated panels,

329
00:16:37,960 --> 00:16:40,160
has finally arrived.

330
00:16:40,200 --> 00:16:42,680
It's really exciting.

331
00:16:42,720 --> 00:16:46,120
They're hoping to avoid the rental
cost of a large forklift

332
00:16:46,160 --> 00:16:48,640
to off-load the lengthy
14-metre beams

333
00:16:48,680 --> 00:16:50,560
by relying on Rob's small one.

334
00:16:50,600 --> 00:16:52,360
Aren't they going to flop?

335
00:16:53,440 --> 00:16:54,800
BANG

336
00:16:56,040 --> 00:16:57,840
Are they all right?!

337
00:16:57,880 --> 00:16:59,240
Whoa.

338
00:17:00,400 --> 00:17:02,720
Shit. They're going to snap, Rob.

339
00:17:02,760 --> 00:17:04,320
Ready. One, two, three.

340
00:17:06,360 --> 00:17:08,400
Now it's spinning like mad.

341
00:17:10,560 --> 00:17:11,720
Oh.

342
00:17:13,240 --> 00:17:14,840
Keep your fingers crossed.

343
00:17:14,880 --> 00:17:18,280
Finally, the wooden eagle
has landed.

344
00:17:18,320 --> 00:17:20,120
That's better.

345
00:17:20,160 --> 00:17:22,000
That was exciting!

346
00:17:22,040 --> 00:17:23,520
Good.

347
00:17:23,560 --> 00:17:28,400
Lucinda is demanding a lot from her
meagre £150,000 budget -

348
00:17:28,440 --> 00:17:31,000
a two-bedroom house which
won't harm the planet

349
00:17:31,040 --> 00:17:32,440
thanks to its construction.

350
00:17:33,680 --> 00:17:37,040
But there's a dwelling only a
stone's throw from Lucinda's place,

351
00:17:37,080 --> 00:17:38,800
which shows how it's done.

352
00:17:39,920 --> 00:17:41,920
So normally in my line of work,

353
00:17:41,960 --> 00:17:45,480
an inspirational building is one
that's high-end,

354
00:17:45,520 --> 00:17:48,600
it is lavish, expensive.

355
00:17:48,640 --> 00:17:51,720
But the one I'm about to visit,
just round this corner,

356
00:17:51,760 --> 00:17:55,480
built by the architect
Juraj Mikurcik for himself,

357
00:17:55,520 --> 00:18:00,440
it embodies the opposite -
a philosophy of modesty,

358
00:18:00,480 --> 00:18:04,720
of the principle of just enough
and no more.

359
00:18:08,240 --> 00:18:12,960
Old Holloway is a house built almost
entirely from natural materials,

360
00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:16,120
and was a project guided by
simplicity and economy

361
00:18:16,160 --> 00:18:20,120
and the desire to make as small
an impact on the earth as possible.

362
00:18:21,760 --> 00:18:25,480
What a gloriously
straightforward building.

363
00:18:25,520 --> 00:18:28,800
A long extruded shape.
Timber cladding.

364
00:18:28,840 --> 00:18:33,120
No gutter - just big, deep eaves
to give you lots of protection here.

365
00:18:33,160 --> 00:18:36,080
And it was built for £150,000.

366
00:18:36,120 --> 00:18:37,920
Three bedrooms.

367
00:18:37,960 --> 00:18:42,280
And it's so well insulated it costs
almost nothing to heat.

368
00:18:42,320 --> 00:18:45,720
Inside this structure
constructed from chunky,

369
00:18:45,760 --> 00:18:48,080
straw-filled, prefabricated panels,

370
00:18:48,120 --> 00:18:50,200
there's no sense of compromise.

371
00:18:50,240 --> 00:18:53,080
The vaulted roof welcomingly
embraces the entire cooking

372
00:18:53,120 --> 00:18:54,480
and living area,

373
00:18:54,520 --> 00:18:59,360
and the sustainable use of timber
extends into almost every detail -

374
00:18:59,400 --> 00:19:02,120
the window surrounds,
built-in storage,

375
00:19:02,160 --> 00:19:05,000
and a joyous slatted lined ceiling.

376
00:19:05,040 --> 00:19:06,840
There is wood everywhere.

377
00:19:06,880 --> 00:19:09,920
It gives you this lovely,
soft sound.

378
00:19:09,960 --> 00:19:11,960
With soft corners to match.

379
00:19:13,640 --> 00:19:17,560
And a beautiful, beautiful,
soft-focus view

380
00:19:17,600 --> 00:19:19,920
out across the Herefordshire hills.

381
00:19:21,240 --> 00:19:23,120
My goodness.

382
00:19:23,160 --> 00:19:26,120
He's managed to put everything into
one building

383
00:19:26,160 --> 00:19:30,040
that you would want from any good
piece of architecture.

384
00:19:32,280 --> 00:19:37,000
As a near neighbour, Lucinda was
inspired by this cosy little place

385
00:19:37,040 --> 00:19:39,120
to have a go at building herself,

386
00:19:39,160 --> 00:19:42,040
and also by Juraj's
architectural philosophy.

387
00:19:43,440 --> 00:19:47,480
I think he feels strongly about
evaluating what you need

388
00:19:47,520 --> 00:19:48,800
and just building that.

389
00:19:48,840 --> 00:19:51,680
The overarching quality of this
building is to do with

390
00:19:51,720 --> 00:19:54,400
what it manages to do without,
like a gutter. Yeah.

391
00:19:54,440 --> 00:19:55,760
You know? Yeah.

392
00:19:55,800 --> 00:19:59,760
Like carpets, like, you know,
oversized bedrooms. Mmm.

393
00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:03,000
And it seems to be, in its modesty,
all the more charming.

394
00:20:03,040 --> 00:20:05,160
Yes, yes. I think...

395
00:20:05,200 --> 00:20:07,440
I think it's been described
somewhere or other

396
00:20:07,480 --> 00:20:10,680
as seductive simplicity,
which I think is a great phrase.

397
00:20:10,720 --> 00:20:15,160
Paring it down to,
what do we actually need?

398
00:20:15,200 --> 00:20:18,240
Juraj's is a simple
single storey house,

399
00:20:18,280 --> 00:20:20,720
whereas Lucinda wants
a second floor,

400
00:20:20,760 --> 00:20:23,240
built for the same budget.

401
00:20:25,200 --> 00:20:29,640
Not just that, she wants no
fussy internal tie beams or braces

402
00:20:29,680 --> 00:20:32,280
getting in the way of
the double-height living space -

403
00:20:32,320 --> 00:20:35,440
usually an expensive
engineering challenge.

404
00:20:35,480 --> 00:20:37,120
But as you'd expect,

405
00:20:37,160 --> 00:20:40,720
the family have come up with
a clever structural solution.

406
00:20:40,760 --> 00:20:42,440
So, what are these here?

407
00:20:42,480 --> 00:20:45,600
On the left is a traditional solid
frame with a tie-in tension.

408
00:20:45,640 --> 00:20:48,120
So this represents a section
through a building? Yes.

409
00:20:48,160 --> 00:20:49,920
And you can't use the upstairs
because...

410
00:20:49,960 --> 00:20:52,240
You put a bit of wire here.
Well, that would be a timber,

411
00:20:52,280 --> 00:20:55,200
and I wanted to use
the whole space. Hence this.

412
00:20:55,240 --> 00:20:57,800
So Rob came up with this portal
frame idea. Oh!

413
00:20:57,840 --> 00:20:59,880
Because you're building
a passive house,

414
00:20:59,920 --> 00:21:02,480
your walls are going to be
thicker than normal.

415
00:21:02,520 --> 00:21:04,520
You're taking advantage of that fact

416
00:21:04,560 --> 00:21:08,600
and putting then
a very wide plate at the junctions.

417
00:21:08,640 --> 00:21:12,160
And that makes it super strong.
And there's no need for... No need.

418
00:21:12,200 --> 00:21:14,120
No need for a tie.
That's really neat.

419
00:21:14,160 --> 00:21:15,880
Would you like to put it
to the test? OK.

420
00:21:15,920 --> 00:21:18,280
Let's see the traditional one.
Has it got to go underneath?

421
00:21:18,320 --> 00:21:19,960
If you rest the feet on the block.

422
00:21:20,000 --> 00:21:22,600
Simulating the weight of the roof.
Should increase the tension.

423
00:21:22,640 --> 00:21:25,120
There we go. But if you'd like
to demonstrate what happens

424
00:21:25,160 --> 00:21:27,680
when you remove that tie. OK.

425
00:21:27,720 --> 00:21:29,200
Oh!

426
00:21:29,240 --> 00:21:30,760
Yeah. I see what you mean.

427
00:21:30,800 --> 00:21:32,600
The tie's really doing a job.

428
00:21:32,640 --> 00:21:34,480
So, sit on this.

429
00:21:34,520 --> 00:21:36,560
There you go.
Jiggle about a bit.

430
00:21:36,600 --> 00:21:38,040
Utterly confident this would...

431
00:21:38,080 --> 00:21:39,720
Well, actually why don't you try it?

432
00:21:39,760 --> 00:21:41,520
Because honestly, it's so strong.

433
00:21:41,560 --> 00:21:45,680
And this is collective family
faith being made before our eyes.

434
00:21:45,720 --> 00:21:48,080
The interesting thing is that
it's taken the load.

435
00:21:48,120 --> 00:21:49,920
It's rock solid, isn't it?

436
00:21:49,960 --> 00:21:52,720
Good. What a lovely thing.
My house is going to be OK.

437
00:21:52,760 --> 00:21:57,080
It's a solution only a timber lover
of decades-standing

438
00:21:57,120 --> 00:21:59,000
would want to come up with.

439
00:21:59,040 --> 00:22:00,720
What's the height of that,
do you reckon?

440
00:22:00,760 --> 00:22:03,080
I suppose it's...
About 15 metres? Yes.

441
00:22:03,120 --> 00:22:05,000
Early on in Lucinda's career

442
00:22:05,040 --> 00:22:08,040
making high-end furniture from
exotic wood,

443
00:22:08,080 --> 00:22:10,600
she became concerned about
the deforestation

444
00:22:10,640 --> 00:22:13,280
the timber she depended on
was causing.

445
00:22:14,960 --> 00:22:18,120
So I guess I thought I'd get on
a plane and go and have a look.

446
00:22:18,160 --> 00:22:21,320
my first trip was up the Amazon

447
00:22:21,360 --> 00:22:24,720
to explore forestry in Brazil.

448
00:22:24,760 --> 00:22:26,360
Through the '80s and '90s,

449
00:22:26,400 --> 00:22:29,440
trips to other places like
Papua New Guinea followed,

450
00:22:29,480 --> 00:22:32,040
and with others Lucinda set up
the first projects

451
00:22:32,080 --> 00:22:35,000
that promoted
responsibly sourced timber.

452
00:22:35,040 --> 00:22:37,840
I suppose I'd call myself
an environmentalist,

453
00:22:37,880 --> 00:22:40,280
but with reservations.

454
00:22:40,320 --> 00:22:43,560
We felt it was all very idealistic,
I think - bunch of hippies.

455
00:22:43,600 --> 00:22:46,720
But it led to the FSC,
the Forest Stewardship Council,

456
00:22:46,760 --> 00:22:50,760
which is the accreditation
of sustainable forestry projects

457
00:22:50,800 --> 00:22:52,520
and wood sourcing.

458
00:22:52,560 --> 00:22:54,680
Having created that legacy,

459
00:22:54,720 --> 00:22:57,360
it's no surprise
the lengths Lucinda is going to

460
00:22:57,400 --> 00:23:00,160
to protect her own little patch
of trees.

461
00:23:03,040 --> 00:23:04,840
Come the summer...

462
00:23:04,880 --> 00:23:07,440
Sugar. What's that doing there?

463
00:23:09,200 --> 00:23:13,120
A lorry arrives with a very special
delivery from Rob's workshop.

464
00:23:13,160 --> 00:23:16,080
Today's a very big day, because the
walls of the house are coming.

465
00:23:16,120 --> 00:23:19,480
They make it down the main drive
without a hitch.

466
00:23:19,520 --> 00:23:21,320
That's the soft corner.

467
00:23:21,360 --> 00:23:23,520
John, you're a bit tight on
that side.

468
00:23:23,560 --> 00:23:26,600
But there is still
the final slope to negotiate,

469
00:23:26,640 --> 00:23:29,600
out of bounds to lorries
to protect the tree roots.

470
00:23:29,640 --> 00:23:32,840
They're going to bring the lorry
to the end of the gravel,

471
00:23:32,880 --> 00:23:36,360
unload everything, and then get
a Land Rover and trailer,

472
00:23:36,400 --> 00:23:38,640
and try and get
the Land Rover up there.

473
00:23:38,680 --> 00:23:42,480
Time to see if the woodchip track
is up to the task.

474
00:23:52,880 --> 00:23:54,600
It does spin out. Just need to...

475
00:23:54,640 --> 00:23:57,720
Every attempt churns
the ground further,

476
00:23:57,760 --> 00:23:59,840
making it even harder for Rob.

477
00:23:59,880 --> 00:24:01,320
Blast.

478
00:24:05,840 --> 00:24:07,000
It's very soft.

479
00:24:07,040 --> 00:24:09,080
It's fine when you get
to about here.

480
00:24:09,120 --> 00:24:10,480
It's just that stretch there.

481
00:24:11,880 --> 00:24:14,040
Rob goes for one final run up.

482
00:24:18,560 --> 00:24:20,040
Dan, look at the back!

483
00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:23,200
Erm... No.

484
00:24:23,240 --> 00:24:26,200
If Rob can't make the final ascent,

485
00:24:26,240 --> 00:24:28,680
I'm not sure how they're
going to build this thing.

486
00:24:40,800 --> 00:24:44,400
In trying to protect the tree roots
around Lucinda's woodland site,

487
00:24:44,440 --> 00:24:47,720
Rob's been struggling to deliver
the heavy pre-made sections

488
00:24:47,760 --> 00:24:50,280
of her house along
the muddy track...

489
00:24:50,320 --> 00:24:52,360
Come on, girl.
..up a hill.

490
00:24:52,400 --> 00:24:55,760
Undaunted... OK, I've got to hit
with a bit more speed, haven't I?

491
00:24:55,800 --> 00:24:57,560
..Rob lightens the load,

492
00:24:57,600 --> 00:25:00,680
faces forwards and goes hell
for leather.

493
00:25:02,240 --> 00:25:04,360
Finally, success.

494
00:25:04,400 --> 00:25:05,960
Well, that was smooth.

495
00:25:06,000 --> 00:25:08,680
Forwards, at speed, better.

496
00:25:08,720 --> 00:25:11,080
He may have made it up the hill,

497
00:25:11,120 --> 00:25:14,160
but Rob's travails are only
just beginning.

498
00:25:14,200 --> 00:25:18,240
He now has to erect the entire
two storey house without a crane.

499
00:25:19,760 --> 00:25:22,080
Right, push.

500
00:25:22,120 --> 00:25:26,000
But as always with this build,
ingenuity comes to the rescue.

501
00:25:26,040 --> 00:25:27,720
It's been strong.

502
00:25:27,760 --> 00:25:30,200
It's like the flag raising.

503
00:25:30,240 --> 00:25:33,680
Seeking inspiration from
the notebook of Leonardo da Vinci

504
00:25:33,720 --> 00:25:35,800
and Amish barn raisings,

505
00:25:35,840 --> 00:25:39,160
Rob is going to try a method of
winching the panels upright

506
00:25:39,200 --> 00:25:41,280
from ground level.

507
00:25:41,320 --> 00:25:43,160
This is completely untested.

508
00:25:43,200 --> 00:25:47,160
We never had enough time
and space, really, to do it.

509
00:25:47,200 --> 00:25:48,560
Sorry, Lucinda.

510
00:25:48,600 --> 00:25:52,520
If they can't raise the panels
by this ground-secured winch,

511
00:25:52,560 --> 00:25:55,640
there is no backup that doesn't
involve a crane.

512
00:25:55,680 --> 00:25:59,200
Try and do... Be smooth, Dan,
like a sailor.

513
00:25:59,240 --> 00:26:01,600
You're so rough. He's like, grrrr!

514
00:26:01,640 --> 00:26:03,080
Gently. Back.

515
00:26:03,120 --> 00:26:05,440
It needs to be on the front.

516
00:26:05,480 --> 00:26:07,520
Who needs a crane?

517
00:26:07,560 --> 00:26:10,360
Oh, catch.
Oh, see, my design was perfect.

518
00:26:10,400 --> 00:26:12,280
Your design was absolutely perfect.

519
00:26:12,320 --> 00:26:15,920
It's really amazing because it just,
it's so quick.

520
00:26:15,960 --> 00:26:20,480
Over the next few days, Rob and his
men do Leonardo da Vinci proud,

521
00:26:20,520 --> 00:26:24,000
as the entire frame is raised
magnificently from the ground

522
00:26:24,040 --> 00:26:25,880
by human power alone.

523
00:26:28,280 --> 00:26:32,120
And before long, Lucinda is able to
get her first glimpse

524
00:26:32,160 --> 00:26:35,120
of the vistas she'll be enjoying
from her new home.

525
00:26:36,480 --> 00:26:37,840
Gosh.

526
00:26:39,040 --> 00:26:41,880
You're right at the top
of these trees, though.

527
00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:43,320
It's brilliant.

528
00:26:43,360 --> 00:26:45,520
It's existed in my imagination
for so long.

529
00:26:45,560 --> 00:26:48,120
It's hard to believe that it's
actually here.

530
00:26:51,680 --> 00:26:55,040
A month later,
the whole structure is up.

531
00:26:55,080 --> 00:26:57,160
Hello, team.
Hello.

532
00:26:57,200 --> 00:26:58,600
Look at this.

533
00:27:00,240 --> 00:27:02,320
Yeah. It's splendid.

534
00:27:02,360 --> 00:27:05,160
Thank you very much.
Church-like, or a barn.

535
00:27:05,200 --> 00:27:08,360
It's perfect.
And in terms of timing, programme?

536
00:27:08,400 --> 00:27:11,960
Um, we've never had... We've always
had quite a fluid programme,

537
00:27:12,000 --> 00:27:14,880
I would say.
I can't say it's hardened up much.

538
00:27:14,920 --> 00:27:16,560
I'd say we're about a year behind.

539
00:27:16,600 --> 00:27:19,360
Lots of people building a house
for the purpose of living in it.

540
00:27:19,400 --> 00:27:22,040
I think Mum's building a house for
the purpose of building a house,

541
00:27:22,080 --> 00:27:25,240
which means... Ah!
Having a really fun time.

542
00:27:25,280 --> 00:27:26,760
Enjoying the process.

543
00:27:26,800 --> 00:27:29,920
And living in it is, you know,
a bit of a by-product. Yeah.

544
00:27:29,960 --> 00:27:33,080
One big annoying drag
on this project

545
00:27:33,120 --> 00:27:35,480
has been the major access challenges

546
00:27:35,520 --> 00:27:37,880
that come with a muddy path
up a slope.

547
00:27:37,920 --> 00:27:39,400
And there's still all the glazing,

548
00:27:39,440 --> 00:27:42,440
the cladding and the interiors
to come up.

549
00:27:42,480 --> 00:27:45,360
But Dan has put his inventor's hat
on again.

550
00:27:45,400 --> 00:27:48,400
It seems he might have devised
an ingenious solution

551
00:27:48,440 --> 00:27:50,040
to get things back on track.

552
00:27:50,080 --> 00:27:52,080
You've made this from what?
Batteries?

553
00:27:52,120 --> 00:27:54,120
It's just a motorbike battery,
electric motor.

554
00:27:54,160 --> 00:27:56,200
It is just a prototype.
Does it work?

555
00:27:56,240 --> 00:27:58,240
Do you want a go?
Erm, Is this the throttle?

556
00:27:58,280 --> 00:28:00,760
Yes. It has got quite a kick
to it. And what's this? Brake.

557
00:28:00,800 --> 00:28:03,520
That's helpful to know. Do I need
to wear any safety equipment?

558
00:28:03,560 --> 00:28:04,960
Oh, yes, well.

559
00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:06,240
Oh, yes. Excellent.

560
00:28:07,320 --> 00:28:09,240
Brunelian.

561
00:28:14,160 --> 00:28:15,600
LAUGHTER

562
00:28:19,560 --> 00:28:21,680
I declare the South Herefordshire
Railway open.

563
00:28:26,160 --> 00:28:29,480
Rob's job as main builder here
may have got a little easier

564
00:28:29,520 --> 00:28:31,280
with the arrival of the train,

565
00:28:31,320 --> 00:28:34,400
but his next challenge of erecting
a wall of glazing

566
00:28:34,440 --> 00:28:37,440
at the gable end
is still an engineering headache

567
00:28:37,480 --> 00:28:39,840
in the absence of a crane.

568
00:28:39,880 --> 00:28:41,960
My main worry today is making sure
it fits

569
00:28:42,000 --> 00:28:44,520
because the aperture was made
ages ago

570
00:28:44,560 --> 00:28:46,720
and the windows are ordered
at a different time,

571
00:28:46,760 --> 00:28:49,240
so hopefully they marry up.

572
00:28:49,280 --> 00:28:51,960
Getting a perfect fit is critical

573
00:28:52,000 --> 00:28:55,360
because Lucinda's building is
following passive house principles,

574
00:28:55,400 --> 00:28:58,040
meaning it has to be
completely airtight -

575
00:28:58,080 --> 00:29:01,280
something she's hoping
to achieve with the 22 grand

576
00:29:01,320 --> 00:29:04,920
she's spent on triple glazed units
throughout the house.

577
00:29:04,960 --> 00:29:07,680
It has to be spot on
from the beginning.

578
00:29:07,720 --> 00:29:10,480
And if it doesn't,
then we'll fail our air test

579
00:29:10,520 --> 00:29:12,840
and then I'll have Lucinda
on my back.

580
00:29:12,880 --> 00:29:15,800
She's a tough client because she's
got her eye on the detail

581
00:29:15,840 --> 00:29:19,480
all the time, every millimetre,
checking everything.

582
00:29:19,520 --> 00:29:22,320
Yeah, she's always over
your shoulder.

583
00:29:22,360 --> 00:29:23,720
Down.

584
00:29:23,760 --> 00:29:26,600
There's a slight discrepancy
on this side.

585
00:29:26,640 --> 00:29:28,160
Sorry, didn't mean to...

586
00:29:28,200 --> 00:29:29,840
Cheap windows, Lucinda.

587
00:29:29,880 --> 00:29:31,520
Not cheap windows.

588
00:29:31,560 --> 00:29:33,680
Just don't break the glass.

589
00:29:33,720 --> 00:29:35,520
Don't break the glass.

590
00:29:35,560 --> 00:29:37,480
Can you shift the whole lot over?

591
00:29:37,520 --> 00:29:39,640
It's fractionally wider
on the upper.

592
00:29:39,680 --> 00:29:40,840
Oh, my back.

593
00:29:43,000 --> 00:29:46,240
The windows, they're not perfect,
there's a mil out,

594
00:29:46,280 --> 00:29:47,880
and Lucinda's noticed it.

595
00:29:47,920 --> 00:29:49,200
It's this manufacturer.

596
00:29:49,240 --> 00:29:51,680
They must just be slightly wonky.
Slightly.

597
00:29:51,720 --> 00:29:55,040
Thankfully for Rob, Lucinda decides
that on this occasion,

598
00:29:55,080 --> 00:29:57,800
she can live with 1mm
of imperfection.

599
00:29:59,880 --> 00:30:03,680
A few weeks later, the final
and tallest piece of glazing

600
00:30:03,720 --> 00:30:05,720
goes into the slot space.

601
00:30:05,760 --> 00:30:07,640
Look's jolly heavy, doesn't it?

602
00:30:07,680 --> 00:30:09,960
Closing slowly.
That's in.

603
00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:12,760
And the building is
finally watertight.

604
00:30:12,800 --> 00:30:14,200
It's brilliant.

605
00:30:14,240 --> 00:30:17,160
Meaning that Rob has now completed
the work

606
00:30:17,200 --> 00:30:19,240
Lucinda contracted him to do.

607
00:30:19,280 --> 00:30:21,680
But she is far from finished.

608
00:30:21,720 --> 00:30:24,840
She's only a month away from her
original completion date,

609
00:30:24,880 --> 00:30:28,120
and she hasn't even started on
the interior.

610
00:30:28,160 --> 00:30:33,800
She's now also overshot her original
£150,000 budget.

611
00:30:33,840 --> 00:30:35,720
You know, in terms of the finishing
of the job,

612
00:30:35,760 --> 00:30:37,040
it could well be me doing it

613
00:30:37,080 --> 00:30:39,160
because that would save
a lot on labour.

614
00:30:39,200 --> 00:30:43,400
Furthermore, Lucinda's free
workforce is becoming restless.

615
00:30:44,600 --> 00:30:47,160
Rosie's going to be moving
into a flat in Oxford

616
00:30:47,200 --> 00:30:49,480
in about a couple of month
or two's time.

617
00:30:49,520 --> 00:30:52,800
And we're restoring some furniture
and things for her to take.

618
00:30:52,840 --> 00:30:56,560
My kind of freelance career is
sort of starting to take off.

619
00:30:56,600 --> 00:31:01,000
And to complete the exodus, Dan is
also departing for a new job.

620
00:31:01,040 --> 00:31:02,520
Obviously they've done a lot.

621
00:31:02,560 --> 00:31:05,360
I was kind of used
to having them as extra labour

622
00:31:05,400 --> 00:31:06,840
and they're going to be gone.

623
00:31:06,880 --> 00:31:10,680
I think there might be quite
a lot of evening phone calls

624
00:31:10,720 --> 00:31:13,520
saying "Could you maybe just,
just for a few days,

625
00:31:13,560 --> 00:31:15,280
"pop back just for a little bit."

626
00:31:15,320 --> 00:31:18,800
With no money in the bank to pay
for replacement workers,

627
00:31:18,840 --> 00:31:21,000
it's going to be up to Lucinda alone

628
00:31:21,040 --> 00:31:23,760
to shoulder the rest
of this project.

629
00:31:30,880 --> 00:31:33,560
And they'll need
to be broad shoulders,

630
00:31:33,600 --> 00:31:35,200
because at a nearby woodmill,

631
00:31:35,240 --> 00:31:40,480
the first batch of 10,500 cedar
shingles are being cut to size.

632
00:31:40,520 --> 00:31:44,400
These are responsibly-sourced
natural tiles,

633
00:31:44,440 --> 00:31:47,880
and they'll provide the wooden skin
for this wooden house.

634
00:31:50,320 --> 00:31:53,680
Once they're delivered to site,
Lucinda begins the long,

635
00:31:53,720 --> 00:31:58,320
lonely task of nailing them to
the house, one shingle at a time.

636
00:31:58,360 --> 00:31:59,760
It's a slow old business

637
00:31:59,800 --> 00:32:02,040
and there are days where
that does get you down.

638
00:32:02,080 --> 00:32:04,960
And because it's so slow, employing
anybody else to do it is really,

639
00:32:05,000 --> 00:32:07,160
really expensive.
It's something I CAN do,

640
00:32:07,200 --> 00:32:09,600
so it's an area where
I can save money to do this,

641
00:32:09,640 --> 00:32:11,600
even if it takes a long time.

642
00:32:11,640 --> 00:32:14,560
What else am I going to be doing
with my winter?

643
00:32:14,600 --> 00:32:17,000
The massive rise in the cost
of timber

644
00:32:17,040 --> 00:32:21,160
means that Lucinda is now digging in
to the last of her savings.

645
00:32:21,200 --> 00:32:23,960
I used to think I'd have
a pension and now I won't.

646
00:32:24,000 --> 00:32:27,280
I'll be eating baked beans in
the finest house in the country.

647
00:32:27,320 --> 00:32:30,080
This scaffolding is not
the right place... Argh!

648
00:32:30,120 --> 00:32:31,840
Damn.

649
00:32:31,880 --> 00:32:35,360
Attempting to shingle
a house of this size solo

650
00:32:35,400 --> 00:32:37,680
is a crazy undertaking.

651
00:32:37,720 --> 00:32:40,120
Lucinda is already months
beyond the day

652
00:32:40,160 --> 00:32:42,520
she originally planned to move in.

653
00:32:42,560 --> 00:32:45,480
So, time to call in
the cavalry of incompetence.

654
00:32:47,440 --> 00:32:49,880
I've already spiked myself on my
first stainless steel nail.

655
00:32:49,920 --> 00:32:51,600
Yeah, they're quite sharp,
aren't they?

656
00:32:51,640 --> 00:32:52,880
They're very sharp.

657
00:32:52,920 --> 00:32:54,440
How is the budget?

658
00:32:54,480 --> 00:32:56,200
The budget is not perfect,

659
00:32:56,240 --> 00:33:00,200
but it's much more the timescale
that I'm concerned about.

660
00:33:00,240 --> 00:33:04,320
Yeah. My timescale has slipped by,
you know, a year or two I'd say.

661
00:33:04,360 --> 00:33:06,760
That's quite significant, isn't it?
Yes.

662
00:33:06,800 --> 00:33:09,240
But if I put a...

663
00:33:09,280 --> 00:33:11,160
Saying I've got to be in
by a certain date,

664
00:33:11,200 --> 00:33:13,720
that then makes the whole thing
extremely stressful

665
00:33:13,760 --> 00:33:16,400
and becomes very difficult
to enjoy what you're doing. Yeah.

666
00:33:16,440 --> 00:33:18,640
Are you at all daunted by this?

667
00:33:18,680 --> 00:33:21,320
In the middle of the night I am.
KEVIN CHUCKLES

668
00:33:21,360 --> 00:33:23,560
Yes. Good answer.

669
00:33:23,600 --> 00:33:26,320
So I don't really know what
to say about that except good luck.

670
00:33:27,840 --> 00:33:31,640
You have to admire Lucinda's
resilience and energy,

671
00:33:31,680 --> 00:33:35,200
but I do not envy her
the task that she's set herself.

672
00:33:35,240 --> 00:33:37,920
She has no spare money
to bring in labour,

673
00:33:37,960 --> 00:33:39,600
so I'm beginning to wonder

674
00:33:39,640 --> 00:33:42,640
how she's ever going to get
to the end of this.

675
00:34:00,360 --> 00:34:02,720
As summer turns to autumn,

676
00:34:02,760 --> 00:34:06,840
it's time for me to return to this
bucolic corner of Herefordshire.

677
00:34:08,600 --> 00:34:10,080
The dew is on the ground.

678
00:34:11,440 --> 00:34:13,520
And the leaves are just turning.

679
00:34:13,560 --> 00:34:18,040
So, it's a perfect day to visit
Lucinda in her woodland home.

680
00:34:19,840 --> 00:34:22,480
I first made this journey
three years ago,

681
00:34:22,520 --> 00:34:27,200
when Lucinda was just getting
started on her wooden eco-home.

682
00:34:27,240 --> 00:34:29,800
She thought, of course,
it would take 18 months,

683
00:34:29,840 --> 00:34:31,400
but come on, we all knew!

684
00:34:31,440 --> 00:34:34,480
She's a cabinet-maker,
she's a furniture maker.

685
00:34:34,520 --> 00:34:38,520
It was always going to be
a very finessed building.

686
00:34:38,560 --> 00:34:40,080
So the question is...

687
00:34:42,000 --> 00:34:46,400
..does it merit that amount
of time spent on it?

688
00:34:46,440 --> 00:34:48,000
Is it beautiful?

689
00:34:50,240 --> 00:34:53,760
Lucinda was an early campaigner
for sustainable forestry,

690
00:34:53,800 --> 00:34:56,080
so of course she had to make sure
her own house

691
00:34:56,120 --> 00:34:58,680
didn't trash the woodland site
it occupied.

692
00:34:58,720 --> 00:35:00,440
Well, this is as far as I drive,

693
00:35:00,480 --> 00:35:03,360
because beyond here
it's just a pedestrian footpath.

694
00:35:03,400 --> 00:35:07,040
Lucinda does not want to look at
cars out of her window.

695
00:35:07,080 --> 00:35:10,040
It's on foot from here, but, boy,

696
00:35:10,080 --> 00:35:13,520
this is an arrival
worthy of the effort.

697
00:35:13,560 --> 00:35:15,320
Good grief.

698
00:35:17,160 --> 00:35:19,080
That is so beautiful.

699
00:35:20,800 --> 00:35:22,840
I mean, it's so precise.

700
00:35:22,880 --> 00:35:24,720
And beautifully crafted.

701
00:35:24,760 --> 00:35:26,640
Look at it.

702
00:35:26,680 --> 00:35:29,800
Like a piece of furniture
scaled up...

703
00:35:31,840 --> 00:35:34,400
..in the middle of the forest.
You just don't expect to find it.

704
00:35:36,480 --> 00:35:38,760
It is exquisitely done,

705
00:35:38,800 --> 00:35:41,280
and it even appears
to float at this end,

706
00:35:41,320 --> 00:35:45,280
defying gravity as well
as defying expectation.

707
00:35:46,520 --> 00:35:48,880
It's too good.

708
00:35:50,840 --> 00:35:53,200
It's too beautiful.
KEVIN CHUCKLES

709
00:35:54,560 --> 00:35:58,360
The black stained cladding
enclosed within the angled ends

710
00:35:58,400 --> 00:36:02,280
contrasts crisply with that
diligently placed skin

711
00:36:02,320 --> 00:36:05,600
of 10,500 shingles -
each one fixed by Lucinda.

712
00:36:07,000 --> 00:36:09,200
This is a remarkable wooden ark

713
00:36:09,240 --> 00:36:12,600
in a woody dialogue with
the trees around it.

714
00:36:12,640 --> 00:36:14,840
The house respects its environment

715
00:36:14,880 --> 00:36:18,720
and I suspect the trees express no
little gratitude for that.

716
00:36:20,320 --> 00:36:23,320
Lucinda. How are you?
Kevin, how lovely to see you.

717
00:36:23,360 --> 00:36:25,080
And you. And you.

718
00:36:25,120 --> 00:36:27,240
And congratulations.
Thank you so much.

719
00:36:27,280 --> 00:36:28,720
What a thing!

720
00:36:28,760 --> 00:36:31,360
What a beautiful crafted object.

721
00:36:31,400 --> 00:36:33,240
It's so precise.

722
00:36:33,280 --> 00:36:35,880
It's what you wanted, isn't it?
It is what I wanted. Yeah, yeah!

723
00:36:35,920 --> 00:36:38,160
It is what you wanted. Yeah, I bet.
It is what I wanted.

724
00:36:38,200 --> 00:36:40,520
It is what I imagined it would be.

725
00:36:40,560 --> 00:36:42,240
It couldn't be more precise.

726
00:36:42,280 --> 00:36:45,080
Well, it did take a very...
A ridiculously long time.

727
00:36:45,120 --> 00:36:48,080
I mean, it just.
I know. Forever. Forever.

728
00:36:48,120 --> 00:36:50,760
Forever. Tell me,
are you sick of shingles?

729
00:36:50,800 --> 00:36:54,440
Erm, I don't specially
want to do them again.

730
00:36:54,480 --> 00:36:57,280
But it was actually
quite a meditative process, really.

731
00:36:57,320 --> 00:37:01,520
Right from the beginning you were
keen to not compress the earth here,

732
00:37:01,560 --> 00:37:03,800
not to compact the roots
of the trees.

733
00:37:03,840 --> 00:37:06,720
How do you think you've fared?
Pretty well I'd say.

734
00:37:06,760 --> 00:37:09,080
As a low impact build,
it's worked pretty well. Yeah.

735
00:37:09,120 --> 00:37:11,200
We didn't have to bring concrete
lorries and things

736
00:37:11,240 --> 00:37:14,000
because we didn't have concrete.
So the kind of thing that normally

737
00:37:14,040 --> 00:37:16,640
makes a real mess on a building
site, we didn't have at all.

738
00:37:16,680 --> 00:37:19,640
Since we put the train in,
it's been in daily use... Yeah.

739
00:37:19,680 --> 00:37:21,680
..for moving everything,
and that's, you know,

740
00:37:21,720 --> 00:37:24,960
that again means we don't have
to drive up here.

741
00:37:25,000 --> 00:37:27,600
And it means in future you know,
your rubbish, your shopping...

742
00:37:27,640 --> 00:37:29,320
Yes. Me. You!

743
00:37:29,360 --> 00:37:32,160
Going to get Dan to weld a little
seat to it. Yeah, you should.

744
00:37:32,200 --> 00:37:34,480
In my old age. Yeah.

745
00:37:34,520 --> 00:37:38,240
It's admirable that Lucinda
appreciates the urgent need

746
00:37:38,280 --> 00:37:43,120
to avoid using unnecessary
planet-wounding concrete and steel.

747
00:37:43,160 --> 00:37:47,120
And that desire to avoid waste finds
another expression...

748
00:37:47,160 --> 00:37:49,040
This is splendid, Lucinda.

749
00:37:49,080 --> 00:37:52,440
..in the beautifully built veranda
at the end of the house.

750
00:37:52,480 --> 00:37:54,320
The boards here.
What are they?

751
00:37:54,360 --> 00:37:57,000
They are the boards we were using
for the scaffolding.

752
00:37:57,040 --> 00:37:59,440
So that's an exact scaffold bay.

753
00:37:59,480 --> 00:38:01,120
This is a scaffold board?

754
00:38:01,160 --> 00:38:04,000
I thought, we'll get them,
so that they can be...

755
00:38:04,040 --> 00:38:06,840
You might as well get a scaffold
board you're going to then use.

756
00:38:06,880 --> 00:38:09,840
Yes. Yeah. Yes, exactly.
Oh, very good.

757
00:38:09,880 --> 00:38:12,240
Meantime, there's the oak, who's
very close.

758
00:38:12,280 --> 00:38:14,600
Yes. I like it.
Well, who doesn't?

759
00:38:14,640 --> 00:38:16,240
Various members of the family

760
00:38:16,280 --> 00:38:18,560
and builders have suggested
it's really in the way

761
00:38:18,600 --> 00:38:20,960
and if I just made this
whole veranda a bit shorter

762
00:38:21,000 --> 00:38:23,800
or just got rid of the tree,
life would have been easier.

763
00:38:23,840 --> 00:38:26,080
Surely, the philosophy
of the building

764
00:38:26,120 --> 00:38:28,400
is to try and kind of cohabit.
Yeah, exactly.

765
00:38:29,720 --> 00:38:33,480
Up above, the roof reaches out to
offer a wooden canopy,

766
00:38:33,520 --> 00:38:35,280
protective from the elements.

767
00:38:35,320 --> 00:38:37,320
Underneath it, there's more evidence

768
00:38:37,360 --> 00:38:40,240
of Lucinda's forensic attention
to detail.

769
00:38:40,280 --> 00:38:44,320
If you step back here you can see
that the groove between them

770
00:38:44,360 --> 00:38:46,680
goes up and then follows through.

771
00:38:46,720 --> 00:38:50,480
On the soffit, every one
of these timbers runs in

772
00:38:50,520 --> 00:38:53,680
to match every one
of these verticals... Yeah.

773
00:38:53,720 --> 00:38:57,360
..exactly, like, you know, a piece
of furniture with compound angles.

774
00:38:57,400 --> 00:39:01,160
You'd expect everything to run in,
to book match, to be perfect.

775
00:39:01,200 --> 00:39:03,480
And that's what you've done with
the building.

776
00:39:03,520 --> 00:39:06,600
That's exquisite. It is exquisite.

777
00:39:06,640 --> 00:39:09,000
Thank you. Well, it's...
I think it was worth it.

778
00:39:09,040 --> 00:39:11,640
How about inside?
How thoughtful is that, the layout?

779
00:39:11,680 --> 00:39:14,760
Yes. Would you like to come
and have a look? Yes, I would.

780
00:39:14,800 --> 00:39:17,640
I would. I feel like I should
apologise in advance.

781
00:39:17,680 --> 00:39:21,600
In stark contrast to
the lovingly detailed exterior...

782
00:39:21,640 --> 00:39:23,760
Oh, no. Yes, I see.

783
00:39:23,800 --> 00:39:26,560
It's one big void.
Yes.

784
00:39:26,600 --> 00:39:28,920
Inside is still a blank canvas,

785
00:39:28,960 --> 00:39:31,800
yet to be given
the Lucinda treatment.

786
00:39:31,840 --> 00:39:34,920
You got the first floor in,
the mezzanine. Hmm.

787
00:39:34,960 --> 00:39:37,000
That's a lot of work in that.

788
00:39:37,040 --> 00:39:39,960
But does it upset you that you're
behind on getting in?

789
00:39:40,000 --> 00:39:42,240
No, no, it's fine. It's fine.

790
00:39:42,280 --> 00:39:44,320
I don't have a date where I have
to be in.

791
00:39:44,360 --> 00:39:47,440
I did. And that was really
very stressful.

792
00:39:47,480 --> 00:39:49,560
It's more enjoyable if you don't
have a schedule

793
00:39:49,600 --> 00:39:52,720
and you're doing it yourself.
Yes. There's no-one else to please.

794
00:39:52,760 --> 00:39:54,120
That's right. Yes. Just you.

795
00:39:54,160 --> 00:39:57,840
And this is the first time that I've
actually been in that situation,

796
00:39:57,880 --> 00:39:59,640
not working for a client or...

797
00:39:59,680 --> 00:40:01,360
Or bringing up children at
the same time.

798
00:40:01,400 --> 00:40:03,480
Or bringing up children at
the same time. All that.

799
00:40:03,520 --> 00:40:06,440
So it's a real luxury just to be
able to work at your own pace.

800
00:40:06,480 --> 00:40:08,600
And how long do you think, then,
before...

801
00:40:08,640 --> 00:40:10,000
I'm not going to hold you to this,

802
00:40:10,040 --> 00:40:12,080
but how long do you think before
you'll be done?

803
00:40:12,120 --> 00:40:13,880
Um, come back in a couple of years?

804
00:40:13,920 --> 00:40:15,640
Two years!

805
00:40:16,880 --> 00:40:20,600
A chunk of that time Lucinda will
devote to hand crafting

806
00:40:20,640 --> 00:40:23,120
the floating staircase
of her own design,

807
00:40:23,160 --> 00:40:27,960
again using all the off cuts and
leftovers she's diligently saved.

808
00:40:28,000 --> 00:40:29,880
Can we get upstairs onto
the mezzanine? Yeah.

809
00:40:29,920 --> 00:40:32,480
The staircase at the moment,
as you can see, is a little basic.

810
00:40:32,520 --> 00:40:33,720
Thank you.

811
00:40:35,880 --> 00:40:39,160
Oh, yeah. You really, really get
to benefit from these windows here,

812
00:40:39,200 --> 00:40:41,480
don't you, being banked into
the roof. Yes.

813
00:40:41,520 --> 00:40:42,960
No, it's lovely.

814
00:40:43,000 --> 00:40:45,640
Oh, yeah. So you, what,
your sofa goes here?

815
00:40:45,680 --> 00:40:48,160
Yes, yes. Just slightly behind here,
I think.

816
00:40:48,200 --> 00:40:49,680
And then you... Oh, and you see...

817
00:40:49,720 --> 00:40:52,240
Then you're up in
the trees at this end.

818
00:40:52,280 --> 00:40:54,720
There's actually
a rather beautiful hill,

819
00:40:54,760 --> 00:40:56,840
which you probably only see
in winter,

820
00:40:56,880 --> 00:40:59,520
which has an iron age fort
on the top of it. Wow.

821
00:40:59,560 --> 00:41:02,880
It's wonderful. It really is.

822
00:41:02,920 --> 00:41:07,760
And Lucinda will be cosy as she
enjoys the views from up here.

823
00:41:07,800 --> 00:41:12,280
The thick wall cavities are pumped
full of recycled Polish newspapers,

824
00:41:12,320 --> 00:41:14,440
which provide such good insulation

825
00:41:14,480 --> 00:41:16,960
that the whole house will only be
occasionally heated

826
00:41:17,000 --> 00:41:19,280
by a single woodburning stove.

827
00:41:19,320 --> 00:41:23,560
But on sunny days, this floor has
another treat in store.

828
00:41:23,600 --> 00:41:26,680
This is your own private deck.
Your own balcony?

829
00:41:26,720 --> 00:41:28,040
Indeed, yes.

830
00:41:28,080 --> 00:41:29,920
Magical at tree top level like
this, you know,

831
00:41:29,960 --> 00:41:32,320
because you're up in the canopy
looking over the top of it.

832
00:41:32,360 --> 00:41:34,720
It will be lovely with
a balustrade. Yes, that's true,

833
00:41:34,760 --> 00:41:37,760
it does need a little something to
stop people. Yeah, a little safety.

834
00:41:37,800 --> 00:41:40,040
Do you think you can, will,
ever slow down

835
00:41:40,080 --> 00:41:41,840
or do you think that's an enemy?

836
00:41:41,880 --> 00:41:44,040
I think it's a real...
It could be a real problem,

837
00:41:44,080 --> 00:41:46,720
that you never relax into the space
because all you can see

838
00:41:46,760 --> 00:41:48,920
are the things that you didn't
get quite right.

839
00:41:48,960 --> 00:41:51,600
And there must be
a way of dealing with that.

840
00:41:51,640 --> 00:41:53,560
I think therapy is the answer.
Yes.

841
00:41:53,600 --> 00:41:55,520
To focus on the things that you did
get right,

842
00:41:55,560 --> 00:41:58,000
of which there are thousands.
To live in the moment. Yes.

843
00:41:58,040 --> 00:42:00,960
You just have to allow yourself
to enjoy the finished house

844
00:42:01,000 --> 00:42:03,400
as much as enjoy the process
of building it.

845
00:42:03,440 --> 00:42:05,560
Yeah. Yeah, I will. I will.

846
00:42:07,800 --> 00:42:11,240
Lucinda is a supreme exponent
of her craft,

847
00:42:11,280 --> 00:42:13,960
but her other great skill that
emerged on this project

848
00:42:14,000 --> 00:42:17,040
has been the marshalling of
a talented team of helpers,

849
00:42:17,080 --> 00:42:19,200
especially her own family.

850
00:42:19,240 --> 00:42:21,320
Would you rather it
had gone quicker?

851
00:42:21,360 --> 00:42:22,840
Or does this pace suit you?

852
00:42:22,880 --> 00:42:25,280
I think Mum wishes it had gone
a bit slower!

853
00:42:25,320 --> 00:42:28,120
She's always worked
with incredibly valuable woods

854
00:42:28,160 --> 00:42:30,320
and therefore something like
a building comes along,

855
00:42:30,360 --> 00:42:31,840
where you get a cheap sheet of OSB.

856
00:42:31,880 --> 00:42:34,440
She will measure it as if it's
a beautiful piece of mahogany.

857
00:42:34,480 --> 00:42:37,680
From the very beginning, she always
wanted to really enjoy it.

858
00:42:37,720 --> 00:42:40,640
And I think she's never enjoyed
being rushed on projects.

859
00:42:40,680 --> 00:42:44,560
Do you think that a building is an
appropriate place for that approach?

860
00:42:44,600 --> 00:42:47,080
I think if you've got the time
for it

861
00:42:47,120 --> 00:42:49,520
and you've got the patience
for it, why not?

862
00:42:49,560 --> 00:42:52,200
If you enjoy it?
I think it's great.

863
00:42:52,240 --> 00:42:54,000
Right at the start,

864
00:42:54,040 --> 00:42:57,960
Lucinda said she wanted to build
something modest, but exquisite.

865
00:42:58,000 --> 00:43:01,920
I think the time,
expertise and attention to detail

866
00:43:01,960 --> 00:43:06,520
lavished on every joint and junction
of this jewel of a building,

867
00:43:06,560 --> 00:43:08,720
has crafted just that.

868
00:43:11,520 --> 00:43:14,240
How are you in relation
to that 150,000?

869
00:43:14,280 --> 00:43:15,640
That was just for the build,

870
00:43:15,680 --> 00:43:18,400
and then there was 50,000 for
the infrastructure

871
00:43:18,440 --> 00:43:20,640
and the fees and all
the sort of environmental surveys

872
00:43:20,680 --> 00:43:22,200
and preliminary stuff.

873
00:43:22,240 --> 00:43:25,840
And then there was a 10%
contingency which brought us to 220.

874
00:43:25,880 --> 00:43:28,560
OK. And by the time you
will have finished?

875
00:43:28,600 --> 00:43:30,360
I'll bring it in under 300, I think.

876
00:43:30,400 --> 00:43:33,280
OK, so, 220 to 300

877
00:43:33,320 --> 00:43:37,200
is about a 40%...
Yes, yes.

878
00:43:37,240 --> 00:43:40,440
..increase. What I'm saying is that
sort of corresponds

879
00:43:40,480 --> 00:43:43,160
to the increase in materials
and costs in construction.

880
00:43:43,200 --> 00:43:46,440
Yes. I mean timber in particular,
it's a primarily timber building

881
00:43:46,480 --> 00:43:48,800
and some timber has doubled
in price.

882
00:43:48,840 --> 00:43:50,440
The important question, however,

883
00:43:50,480 --> 00:43:54,200
is can you afford to finish it
without hardship?

884
00:43:54,240 --> 00:43:56,960
I hope so. I don't know whether by
the time I move in, you know,

885
00:43:57,000 --> 00:43:59,480
there'll be nothing left to eat.
Come on.

886
00:43:59,520 --> 00:44:01,280
But I think it'll be all right.

887
00:44:01,320 --> 00:44:06,440
And so, does this also then connect
to that other part of your past,

888
00:44:06,480 --> 00:44:09,280
of, you know, travelling through
the Amazonian jungle?

889
00:44:09,320 --> 00:44:12,800
Sustainability, doing something that
makes sense, if you like,

890
00:44:12,840 --> 00:44:15,000
of all the work you've done?
Yeah, I think it does,

891
00:44:15,040 --> 00:44:16,720
more so than perhaps I anticipated.

892
00:44:16,760 --> 00:44:20,360
It is really exciting
to have something

893
00:44:20,400 --> 00:44:24,360
that's so coherently from within,

894
00:44:24,400 --> 00:44:27,400
an expression of the things that...
The values that I have

895
00:44:27,440 --> 00:44:28,960
and the things that I stand for,

896
00:44:29,000 --> 00:44:32,800
actually having
a physical manifestation. Yeah.

897
00:44:32,840 --> 00:44:36,320
My mum would say it's
a very big den, and she...

898
00:44:36,360 --> 00:44:39,240
Because it began
with den building when, you know,

899
00:44:39,280 --> 00:44:40,720
when I was five or something

900
00:44:40,760 --> 00:44:42,720
and she'd say this was
a really good den.

901
00:44:42,760 --> 00:44:46,520
It's a really good den.
It's a REALLY good den!

902
00:44:46,560 --> 00:44:49,000
The ultimate den, I'd say.

903
00:44:49,040 --> 00:44:52,320
And I can only imagine what
pleasures lie in store

904
00:44:52,360 --> 00:44:57,320
once Lucinda is able to put down
her tools and move in.

905
00:44:57,360 --> 00:45:00,360
Well. Beautiful on the outside.

906
00:45:00,400 --> 00:45:02,200
And what should we say?

907
00:45:02,240 --> 00:45:04,400
Full of promise on the inside?

908
00:45:04,440 --> 00:45:07,000
But then, you see, I think of this
building a bit like,

909
00:45:07,040 --> 00:45:09,680
well, like the slow food movement,
you know,

910
00:45:09,720 --> 00:45:11,680
like the trees growing here.

911
00:45:11,720 --> 00:45:14,120
This building has risen out
of the ground

912
00:45:14,160 --> 00:45:19,360
with the minimum of demands
on its local environment,

913
00:45:19,400 --> 00:45:22,560
and on the wider planet,
for that matter, too.

914
00:45:22,600 --> 00:45:24,400
And Lucinda likes it that way.

915
00:45:24,440 --> 00:45:26,720
She's in full control
of this process.

916
00:45:26,760 --> 00:45:30,280
She's in absolute control
of her craft.

917
00:45:31,760 --> 00:45:36,560
And it's allowed her to build
something considered and thoughtful,

918
00:45:36,600 --> 00:45:38,840
and super sustainable.

919
00:45:38,880 --> 00:45:41,000
The rest of us, I mean you and me,

920
00:45:41,040 --> 00:45:44,000
we might demand something
a bit more quickly.

921
00:45:44,040 --> 00:45:47,360
But I think we should take
a leaf out of her book

922
00:45:47,400 --> 00:45:50,080
and learn to be patient.

923
00:45:50,120 --> 00:45:51,760
We'll be back.

924
00:46:01,760 --> 00:46:04,840
What we're trying to build is the
UK's first passive house premium.

925
00:46:04,880 --> 00:46:06,640
So, it's like a miniature
power station.

926
00:46:06,680 --> 00:46:08,960
How do you know it's going to work?
We don't!

927
00:46:09,000 --> 00:46:10,320
LAUGHTER

928
00:46:10,360 --> 00:46:11,600
My God!

929
00:46:11,640 --> 00:46:14,560
Oh, Jesus Christ, it looks like
we're building a cathedral.

930
00:46:14,600 --> 00:46:19,000
Not being here, not living it with
him, is a strain on a relationship.

931
00:46:19,040 --> 00:46:21,800
The risks if we continue,
the wall will burst somewhere.

932
00:46:21,840 --> 00:46:23,040
Oh, shit.

933
00:46:23,080 --> 00:46:24,640
I will be absolutely devastated

934
00:46:24,680 --> 00:46:26,840
if we don't achieve
passive house premium.

935
00:46:50,080 --> 00:46:52,440
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