Original subtitles

[Sibella Court] Historic houses across Australia

are at risk of being lost forever.

They're links to our past and should be saved.

In this series, you'll meet families facing the challenge of a lifetime.

[man grunts]

Here we are, dumb and dumber! [laughs]

Half a million dollars on this? Are we mad ?

[Sibella] They'll quickly realize the sheer scale of the projects...

[man] Not quite what I meant.

[Sibella] As they restore these ruins to family homes.

I'm Sibella Court.

I'm a designer, author, lover of old houses, and restoration.

I'm passionate about old buildings and the need to save our history.

To succeed, our families must learn dying heritage skills

and stick to budget.

He just likes to spend the money.

Bastards, bastards, bastards.

Oh, Jo! No, don't!

It's a slow train wreck.

[Sibella] Can they rescue their slice of Australia's history

before it's too late?

This is Restoration Australia.

[theme music playing]

[Sibella] This is Keith Hall.

Built in 1885 by a Scottish stonemason,

it lies in ruins at the foothills of Australia's Snowy Mountain range.

It's just a short drive from the gold-rush town of Beechworth,

in north-east Victoria.

Keith Hall was abandoned decades ago and was left to the ravages of time.

It was in such a bad state

that it was basically considered beyond saving.

But five years ago, Clay Carnegie took his vintage tractor

and a good dose of determination

and set out to prove otherwise.

This Canadian is rebuilding Keith Hall.

Incredibly, he wants to put all 16,000 major stones

back in their original place,

restoring a significant piece of our gold-rush architecture

to its former glory.

It's a daunting task.

Can Clay and his wife, Narelle,

really turn a pile of stones into their dream home?

-Hello. -[both] Hello.

[Sibella] Can they save Keith Hall?

-Hello. -Hello.

So it's beautiful, as you drive up here.

How did you find it?

I was restoring another stone house. So I haven't learned my lesson at all.

One of our friends, he said, "Listen, if you like this one,

"there's another one sitting up outside of Beechworth."

And this is what I found.

[Sibella] I can see why you fell in love with it.

-It's just beautiful. -[Clay] I mean, it's a dream.

[Sibella] With six rooms, Scottish stonemason William Morrison

built what was a significant farmhouse in its day.

[Clay] He, in 1885, struck it rich in the Stanley Goldfields.

So he bought this property and he took a year and he built this home.

If you take this house and stick it in north Scotland,

it would drop right in.

[Sibella] When Morrison died in 1897, the farm passed to his son, John.

It was later sold as part of a scheme

to give returning World War I veterans a livelihood.

Considered too isolated,

the stone house was abandoned in 1939.

In plans before council,

Clay and Narelle want to keep the original six-room layout,

downstairs, three bedrooms, a bathroom,

a living area and a kitchen.

In the ceiling space, he'll create a new living area,

adding a bedroom and en suite.

Next door will be a coach-house style shed.

[Narelle] When we first saw it, this house had three trees growing out of it.

It seemed to be a pattern with the stone houses Clay chooses.

[Clay] Three trees and no roof!

[Narelle] He showed me footage, the home video camera that he set up

as he's perched precariously on the top of the thing,

leaning over, cutting it.

I walked onto the end of the branch

and chopped it on the edge, like this! [laughs ]

I was like, "What is that?" [laughs]

[Sibella] Is this a shared passion?

A shared passion? No.

Er, it's an overwhelming, um, thing for me .

Clay calls it the castle and I call it the ruin.

I'm the realist in the relationship! [laughs ]

[Clay] I can't look at a picture of Angkor Wat

without wanting to restore it.

[laughs] Egyptian pyramids, and you name i t!

[Narelle] Clay's a visionary.

He has the ability to break it all down an d...

But I just think, "Oh, my gosh!" [laughs]

[Sibella] Five years ago, Clay paid $100,000 for Keith Hall

and since then, he's been slowly and faithfully rebuilding the walls.

But buying an historic property on farming land

has come with conditions.

The council wants to make sure the project doesn't stall.

So what's the time frame for completion?

Well, there's a bit of a sticky one on that one.

The council wants it finished within a year

because, if it doesn't, I get fined a bond of $50,000.

The bond is actually held in reserve to put the...

To preserve the framework and put a roof over it to save it.

So if I get the roof on, I've fulfilled that.

-Confident? -Yeah.

[laughs]

[Sibella] Clay has two shortages, time and money.

He's a furniture restorer.

His business is a 40-minute drive from Keith Hall

in the town of Wodonga.

Honey? Clay, can you...

[Sibella] Narelle keeps the books and helps with odd jobs.

This table, I notice that there's veneer there, so...

[Sibella] The demands of running a business

means Clay can only spend three days a month working on Keith Hall.

At this rate, he'll never make the council deadline,

which is just 12 months away.

The only option is to sell the family home to pay for builders.

[Clay] We own our house outright and if we sell our house,

we'll use a good portion to pay down debt

and then we'll leave a float to work on the home.

[Sibella] Clay plans to use $240,000 from the sale of the house

for materials and trades.

I'm hoping it'll work out as well as it does in my head.

I see everything in, like, little video-ettes.

I see sitting on the fresco deck, you know, two little teas,

looking down that valley, saying, "Honey, this is one of those dreams

and we did that with the last house."

No, you'll be, "Honey, I've heard about a stone house up the road."

-[all laugh] -I'll be saying, "No! No more!"

[Sibella] W hat else have you got planted?

[Clay] Narelle likes jacaranda so we got three jacarandas.

[Sibella] Clay seems confident but until he sells the home,

he has to rebuild the stone walls on the weekends.

[Narelle] We're hoping they're gonna surviv e.

[Sibella] If he doesn't get a roof on in 12 months,

the council will fine Clay $50,000 and finish the job as they see fit.

[Narelle] Shall we go in this room? [Clay] Yep.

So this is the only wall that you have left to build?

[Clay] Yep.

So, I've done from this point here all the way around the house

to that corner of the north wall, it's all been done.

So will you leave these walls exposed

or are you gonna render them or line them?

The heritage advisor wants a couple of exposed stones

but all the rest of it will be all re-rendered.

I don't think I could ever get Narelle to stay here

-if it was all stone. -[Narelle] Too dark, I think.

[Clay] Yeah. Too dark. Sucks too much light .

I'm always thinking about

which way we can get light into the center of the home.

[Sibella] If the plans get through,

a skylight above the internal stairs will brighten the hallway.

The master bedroom will have three dormer windows,

one facing west and two facing east for the morning sun.

Downstairs, heritage rules mean Clay has to use existing window spaces,

except in this living area.

In the '60s, the stone was stolen then.

Somebody had come and grabbed the big headers.

-The big cross things. -[Sibella] Oh, right. Yes.

[Clay] I found a nice double French door set at a recycler's.

That'll be glass wall into the living room.

[Narelle] It's gonna be a key thing for it, the light.

-It'll be a key thing for you. -It will be, yeah.

As long as she's happy, I get to live among my dream.

-[Sibella and Narelle laugh] -If she's not happy, I got issues.

You just see that morning sun's gonna come in h ere.

[Narelle] Stream in. It'll be beautiful.

[Sibella] I really hope Clay can restore this slice of Scottish heritage.

It has such amazing features,

from stunning fireplaces with massive lintels

to flagstone floors and built-in wardrobes.

But I'm worried.

Essentially, it's a ruin.

There's no roof, there's not even a floor

and all the walls are cracked.

Clay hasn't got a chance of getting a roof on in 12 months.

He really needs to sell the family home.

But after a year on the market, the house hasn't sold.

The asking price is more than $450,000.

In Wodonga, that's at the top end of the market,

where movement is slow.

Until someone pays for these views,

Clay has to continue working on his own and pray for a miracle.

His next job is a big one.

Restoring the north wall.

So where do you start with this giant jigsaw puzzle?

The biggest thing here is that the wall, when it fell,

it fell in one big piece, for the best part.

This section here, if you actually look down on it,

especially on the window opening, you can see the courses.

So there's a course right through there. There's another one there.

There's the next level up to the top

and there's the big header across the window.

One of the grandchildren took photos around the house and the old dairy,

and he passed them on to me

when he found out that I was restoring the house.

-This is a great record. -This is.

So, this shows the whole wall standing

and you can see the shape of all the stones.

Every stone has its own shape.

Yeah, it's just a matter of using the photo, looking at how it fell

and then just putting the stones right back where they are.

[Sibella] Sounds simple, but this is a slow and painstaking job

for just one person.

Got one high stone, which we'll make up for later on.

[Narelle] Yeah, down the end there. [Clay] Get that mixed in there.

There. Now I can go up here and I just go through the end.

That one lines up with that one but then it goes back out again.

Wedged ones like this are good.

That one there. That was the one with the front wedges.

[Sibella] It takes Clay three days to rebuild one course.

He is fastidious

but you have to be to faithfully restore a grand old stone house.

The original builder, William Morrison, learned his trade

in the Scottish city of Aberdeen, sometimes called the "Granite City."

[Clay] He put thought into every wall.

From any angle, it had beautiful courses.

The pebble stones in between the large stones, it had a purpose.

All the way round, he never gave up on that purpose.

We know that point and that point are where they should be.

-Are good. Yeah. -Okay?

-So we'll just leave that at that. -Okay.

-This one's back a little bit. -Yep. Did it come out too far on this end?

[Sibella] While Clay has been true to Morrison's wall,

from her vantage point, Narelle sees a problem.

[Narelle] Is there any reason why you couldn't maybe swap...

There's one that's a bit higher.

This stone here is about an inch higher above the plumb line,

whereas that one you got your hand on is an inch lower.

Could you swap the two stones around so that...

-I could. -...you wouldn't have to make it up?

And it would keep it more even across the board.

[Clay] It's not life and death that it has to go back in the same spot

but it did come from that spot. So...

I'm thinking that you could be a little bit lenient

'cause nobody would ever know.

If it makes you feel happier there...

[Sibella] Narelle has had very little involvement in the restoration...

It'll keep it more consistent.

[Sibella] But today she's changed the course of history.

You are correct. It looks much better.

You happier with that?

It's a perfect line right across. No high stones.

-Thank you, honey. -You're welcome.

[Sibella] It seems perfect that Clay is building Narelle a castle.

When she met Clay, whilst traveling in Canada,

he was, amongst other things, a medieval swordsman, circa 1980s.

So she showed up and here I am, saddling this rusting hulk.

-[laughs] -I wasn't a shining armor.

It was my practice armor,

which was scrags of leather and tin and metal

and there was steam coming out of my visor. [laughs]

I didn't look too appealing and I didn't smell very good either.

-[Narelle laughs] -[Clay, laughing] So...

But that was her first meeting of me and I thought she looked good. She, uh...

She reminded me of a 1940s pin-up girl.

[Narelle] He proposed after our third meet ing.

I'm thinking, "This is happening a bit too fast."

[Clay] Anybody else would've got a court order against me but...

-You got the girl and the stone house. -Got the girl! Got the stone house.

-Yeah. I agree. -[laughs]

And he wakes up often in Australia,

he says, "Oh, another sunny day in paradis e."

[Sibella] But at the moment, Clay's paradise is under threat.

Until the family house is sold,

finishing his castle is an impossible task.

[Dalton Carnegie] Dad's a real high and mighty, spiri ted man

who will do just about anything to accomplish something

and that's, uh, that's one thing I like about him, really.

[Sibella] A couple of nights later, there's good news

and I've joined Dalton, Clay and Narelle's son,

at the family home.

So you guys are giving me an update today

of how the sale of the house is going?

Yeah. Uh, we got an offer on the house. Uh ...

-[Sibella] That's pretty exciting. -It's very exciting. Well, we hope.

It's too low so we've done a counter-offer

and, hopefully, we can work it out.

Then we can just sit down and I think we'll just go out for dinner

and just be like a couple of giggly school children, you know?

-It'll be nice. -Yeah.

I'm like, "Oh, we can pay this off and thi s off and this off."

[Sibella] While Clay and Narelle hope for a sale,

they are worried about Dalton.

There are gonna be a lot of changes, or some changes, that are coming up.

Are you excited about them?

Er, I'm not really the changing sort of pe rson.

[Narelle] By the time Dalton was about two, I was saying to Clay,

"Something's, you know, a little different here."

But he wasn't diagnosed until he was five

and he was diagnosed with mild autism.

With the autistic spectrum,

it's generally quite challenging for them to cope with change.

They like routine.

It's a bit daunting, initially,

but you actually walk into them very well.

Remember when we changed schools and you were a bit nervous?

Yeah, I phoned you up.

[Sibella] For Narelle, concern for Dalton

has put a dent on her enthusiasm for the stone house.

If your parents do sell the house,

would you think about staying closer to work and to your friends,

and staying out here, or would you like to live out there with them,

and help with the stone masonry, work that tractor? [laughs]

Oh, boy, that's a heck of a lot of questions.

So many decisions and not enough answers.

And I just have to walk into the unknown w ith Mum and Dad.

[Sibella] Two months on, the offer of the house has fallen through.

[Clay] So there's no way I'm gonna be able ...

[Sibella] For Clay, it's a problem but as daughter Tiffany discovers,

it's not the only problem holding up the project.

-It's just gotta stop raining. -Yes.

It's a mud pit. I can't drive here. Can't work here.

[Sibella] Wet weather has cut down

the time he's been able to spend at Keith Hall.

[Tiffany] Oh, wow.

-Yep. -Ooh!

I won't be working around here for a few weeks.

-Yeah, definitely not. -Come in here.

-Ooh! Ooh! Yep, it's wet. -Not with those shoes!

What's the time limit? Twelve months?

-[laughs] -You really need to take

three months off, don't you? T o do it.

Yeah, that's why I wanna get that three months in.

I'd love to do that, personally. I hope we can do it.

If we sell our house, we can do it.

Do it when the weather's right.

Yeah. 'Cause I'll have to get some helpers in,

once we get the stonework done

-but I need to get the stonework done. -Yeah.

Yeah, I'm running out of time.

[Sibella] For Clay, the winter, when he needed everything to go right,

has gone terribly wrong...

And spring holds more disappointment.

There's bad news from the council.

So these are the new drawings now.

The front of the house has to be left original.

[Sibella] While Clay and Narelle are allowed a dormer window

on the western side of the roof,

the council has knocked back the eastern windows.

[Narelle] That'll be really dark in the morning.

The heritage advisor has got this, you kno w, "It didn't belong in this area."

Even though, if you went down to Melbourne,

you'd find them with dormers there

but just because we happen to be in this a rea

that they didn't put them on the homes.

[Narelle] I still reckon they would've looked great.

We might have to really fight that through, if we can.

Yeah, I think, as far as the dormers are concerned,

I'll pick a fight another day.

[Sibella] And so the stage for Clay's battle

to get light into his castle is set.

-[woman] So, Clay, how's it going? -Er...

[Sibella] Wangaratta council planner Jennie Baldry

and heritage consultant Deb Kemp have called for a site meeting.

I know, if you look at enough Scottish homes,

you will find them with dormers, some without, some with.

I can see your perspective

of, "It wasn't original to this particular house."

But we're a mile down a dead-end road and it's the last property.

Nobody will see it.

[Deb] It doesn't matter whether anybody sees it or not.

You know, it's not about aesthetics.

It's actually about managing what, historically, was correct.

This is about a Scottish person coming her e,

building a house using his vernacular traditions

and he chose not to use a dormer.

And I'm sorry that there were no dormers t here

'cause I really understand how much you wanted them.

[Deb] I do crush many people's d reams

but I really try to give them another drea m

that they can work towards.

[Clay] Can I put two skylights, just here a nd here, over the living room?

I'm just really, really concerned

that it's gonna be really dark and dreary in there.

I just don't want it to be dark.

-No, I think that'll be fine. Yep. -Is that all right?

My wife will be really happy about that 'c ause that was a concern.

Gee, I'm a bit frightened to meet her now! [laughs]

[Sibella] While today's meeting hasn't gone quite as Clay planned,

Council has at least thrown him a lifeline.

We sent out a confirmation that the permit's now been extended.

-Yay. Yes. -So you got that?

[Sibella] The deadline to have a roof on or lose a $50,000 bond

has been extended.

He now has well over a year.

But now that you're well underway,

we can see that you're going to, you know, to get it done, but...

[Sibella] It's a small win

but the reprieve means little while his house remains unsold.

If it's not restored, we need to then pursue that bond

because at the end of the day, that's what we wanted to see,

we wanted to see it restored.

[horn honks]

I've pared the restoration back to its original structure

and I don't get to do the dormers,

which I thought would've just been a nice feature.

If I need to pick a fight down the road and insist,

and try and get those dormers in, then we'll look at it then.

Well, it's September 29th.

Um, I've finally got back down here to start working again.

There has been so much rain and it's been so muddy here

that I haven't bothered to come down.

It's been just terrible weather.

[Sibella] It's now three months since I last saw Clay.

Since then, he's only managed one more course of the north wall.

A caravan means he can stay overnight on the weekends

but progress is still frustratingly slow.

You lose the drive when you're away for a while.

It seems like all too much.

And when you get here and you start going, then you don't wanna stop.

Just wish I could come back and work every day

but it's gonna take me a weekend here and a weekend there

but that's just the way it is for us at this point.

If we sell our house, we'll be so much better off.

Anyway, we'll play all these things out as they come.

See ya.

[Sibella] For the next seven months,

Clay continues to struggle to get away from the business

for more than the odd weekend.

The Wodonga house is still on the market and money is very tight.

-Hopefully, something will turn up. -Yeah. Yeah.

The most important thing is, worst-case scenario,

get the roof on, so that'll get the counci l off the back

because then it's considered saved, once that roof is on,

get it to lock-up stage.

Done enough worrying. Um, just have to tru st it'll be all right.

-Yeah. -That's where faith comes in.

That's where faith comes in. That's right.

-[both laugh] -Exactly.

[Sibella] So it's with faith that Clay continues the painstaking work

of rebuilding Keith Hall

and, today, he also has hope.

[Clay] I'm expecting a phone call from Pat, our real estate agent,

and we have somebody who's interested in the h ouse

so, hopefully, it all goes through today

and, if it does, that'll be really exciting.

[phone rings]

How'd it go? Yeah?

Excellent. All right. I'll give 'Relle a call.

I had to tape this.

I knew we had somebody interested in the house and it's gone.

So just gonna give 'Relle a call. I think she'll be pretty happy.

I'm definitely happy.

So, off we go now and get the builders in. This'll be great.

Hi, darlin'. Guess what!

I'm so relieved.

-[Clay] Finally. Yeah. [laughs] -How're you doing?

-Congratulations. -You sold it!

It's been almost a year since I caught up with Clay and Narelle.

I know it's been quite a challenging year for them,

but selling their house is a game-changer.

[Clay and Narelle] Hello. [Sibella] Hi.

[Sibella] It's looking good. [Narelle] It looks great, doesn't it?

-It's come a long way. -It has.

Not quite where you wanted to be.

Thought you wanted the roof on by now.

Well, I needed to sell the house.

We just gave it one last go.

We just said, "All right, let's drop it $20,000."

And he brought in five couples and we got an offer.

-[Narelle] It paid off. -Congratulations. Well done.

So the next steps are probably your bigger-budget items,

like the builder, getting some people to help.

-We haven't, properly, set a budget. -It's up to me to save money.

The only thing I have to do is get plumbers,

electricians and the framers

and I can do just about everything else.

So maybe all the downs are over and you're on the up.

-[sighs] -Yes!

-[laughs] -[ laughs ] Wishful thinking!

-So this is the last wall. -This is the last one.

[Sibella] The deadline to have the roof on is seven months away.

The clock is ticking.

But before a roof can go on, Clay has to straighten one more wall.

[Sibella] So what's the plan?

I'm gonna set up some props here, and we're gonna straighten this wall.

If we do it right, we can get it done in a bout 20 minutes.

-Really? -Yeah.

[Sibella] The trees that grew in the house when it was abandoned buckled the walls.

Clay has been straightening them with a home-made system.

So, moment of truth.

This is where it either works or it doesn't. This is the last...

Where do we run to, if it doesn't work?

-You go that way. I'll run that way. -[laughs]

What you do look for...

...is any stones that's gonna start falling off,

anything that's gonna tell you the wall's not liking what you're doing.

And this is why you have the peg right down the bottom...

-That's right. I need that full thread. -...as a brace.

This is how much I have to play with here.

It's starting to get tighter now,

which means we're gonna get some action.

Either these are gonna push into the ground

or that wall's gonna go that way so we'll find out as we go.

I can hear it. I can just hear a little bit of crumbling sound.

That's the whole wall giving a bit of a move.

[Sibella] But the wall is not moving the right way.

[Clay] This is the scary part.

So what's happening is the soil's very wet.

We've had a lot of rain and rather than the props pushing into the wall

and putting the pressure on it,

the pressure from the props

is actually pushing back into the ground.

So Clay has to reset the pegs on the props so that it comes down lower

and actually pushes into the wall, rather than pushing into the soil.

Yeah, I don't like pushing it forward

and then having to back these off.

That means the whole wall is gonna st art to twist back again

and all it's gonna do is loosen it.

So I don't like that whole idea at all.

[Sibella] Oh, there's so much movement in the ground there.

[Clay] This stone is just buckling out. [Sibella] Yeah.

-See the crack line? -Oh, yes.

[Clay] So there is movement there.

The wall's coming back with us, as we change the braces

so it's incredibly, incredibly slow work, but there's a sense of urgency.

If it rains, Clay won't be able to mortar the wall in place.

[Clay] Look at how far it's gone in.

So the only way around this one, then,

is for me to put more stones on top of that.

-[Sibella] So build up the stonework? -Yeah, just put that in there.

And just tap it down with your foot. There we go.

If we keep on just stacking the stones on top of each other

and not take it out, we might have some luck.

[thunder rumbling]

[Sibella] What was meant to take 20 minutes

has turned into two hours of hard slog

and Clay needs help.

We got some very dark clouds coming

so we wanna get this in and get this set b efore that rain comes.

[Sibella] Okay.

I'm curious as I wanted to see how well we did this.

Son of a gun! Look at that.

-It's level. -It's level!

-[Sibella] Well done. -That was out two inches.

So look at that! I can live with that.

-Can you live with that? - I certainly can.

[Clay] I hope my wife can live with that.

So this is the back entrance.

[Sibella] But Narelle's thoughts are not on the stone house.

She's worried what the home sale will mean for Dalton.

[Narelle] Well, this is it, Sibella.

This will be our kitchen.

Show me around. Do I go this way?

Until Keith Hall is ready to move into,

Clay and Narelle have taken an apartment in Wodonga.

[Clay] It's pretty cramped in here. Yeah? Too cramped.

So this space is a lot smaller than your house.

How are you all feeling about it? How are you feeling, Dalton?

If I did have to move here,

it would take a while until I got used to it.

[Clay] If he feels uncomfortable, we've a couple of other options for him.

One's just down from our house,

there's a couple of other boys that are, um... Um...

-Special needs. -Special needs.

So they have a three-bedroom house and there's two of them

so they're looking for a third person, that kinda thing.

That would probably be a logically better option.

Yeah, but he needs to learn to manage on his own and buy food

and look after himself and those types of things.

He's got breakfast and lunch down pat, I think,

but it's just those nutritional night meals,

you know, with vegetables, and all that kinda stuff,

that we've gotta work out, don't we, Dalton?

-Yeah. -Have a few more cooking lessons.

-[Narelle laughs] -[laughs]

-I think we should start that over. -I think we start that one over again!

[Sibella] While Dalton contemplates cooking lessons,

the money from the house sale has come through.

Clay has a budget of $240,000 for the stone house.

With five months to get the roof on,

he can finally afford to pay for some help.

[Clay] Well, it's probably about September 3rd or 4th today.

We are starting to dig the ground around the house.

So this is exciting.

We're gonna be tearing down this big tree

so he's digging the roots out

and he's gonna attempt to push the tree over.

It's naturally leaning towards the house

so it's gonna be really interesting.

[Sibella] It's a tense moment

but by securing the tree with his tractor,

Clay is hoping it falls the right way.

With the tree out of the way,

Clay has brought in a couple of local builders.

[man] Morning.

[Sibella] Matt Cawood and Brett Dixon

are building the coach-house shed from scratch

and doing all the carpentry work on the house.

[Brett] A lot of people would've seen this in the state that it was in

and said, "Well, let's, um, get a bulldoze r."

But, you know, luckily for the house itsel f,

it seems to have found Clay.

[drill whirring]

[Sibella] By mid-October, the builders have been on site for two months.

There's an old coach-style shed, 100,000-liter rainwater tank,

and, significantly, the house now has a finished roof frame.

-Hey, Matt? -Yeah, mate?

That pitch on that veranda...

[Sibella] Clay's dream is becoming a reality.

[Clay] Looks like it's got a fair swoop to it.

[Clay] We started with the carport. It's almost all finished now.

I had 'em sorta stop that to get onto the house.

It was really exciting to see things go up.

The walls are all up.

[sawing]

And we've got the first floor on.

We've got the roof frame done,

the gables up and the top floor is huge.

-Just toss it over your back there. -Just toss it?

-Yeah. Sure. -[laughs]

It's full-on. It's just busy.

The builders are really good and they're just always just going.

One, two, three, drop.

[Brett] Oh, shit, that's heavy.

[Sibella] With the deadline for the roof three months away,

Clay finally has the momentum he desperately needs.

At the end of a busy day, Clay takes some time out.

It's the first time he has visited the grave site

of Keith Hall's original builder.

[Clay] "William Morrison,

"who died at Everton, 22 February, 1897, aged 72 years.

"A husband kind, a father dear, a faithful friend is buried here.

"Free from malice, free from pride, so he lived and so he died."

Hmm.

Oh, you get sentimental

just working on the house

and knowing that he's done all that stonework

and all the work that I'm trying to save.

So it's just one of those things.

But, um, mmm...

Bring it all up to scratch

and let the next generation look after it.

And it also looks like I'm gonna have to d o some repair here.

Something else to restore for you.

First your house, then your grave.

[drill whirring]

[Sibella] Back at the restoration, Brett and Matt are working on the fascia.

-[Brett] You got it? -Yep. Righto.

[Sibella] This edging needs to be completed right around the house

before the tin can go on the roof frame.

With the first side done,

Brett and Matt work in difficult weather to get the second side up,

hoping that the two pieces will line up at the ridge.

Can't really get to it. [chuckles]

-Good? -Oh, no. Not at all!

Up on the apex, where the two parts of...

Pieces of fascia meet like that,

because we're hitting stone, we're starting to, to...

I suppose "crank" is the word that you'd use.

So they're not actually lining up properly.

Just chipping away some of the stone that's holding the fascia out

to remove the bump.

[Brett] It's always a challenge

trying to add new materials to existing old materials

and nothing lines and nothing matches

and trying to marry those pair together.

Working on heritage works is a lot more painstaking

than it is to actually construct from brand-new.

Now, I don't know whether it's my great scribing

or your great cutting...

Perfect?

Well, let's not go getting too carried awa y, but yes, it's nice.

Just glue the bastard and let's get it on there.

Righto.

You can see that it's laying in slightly but overall,

from this point to the other and through the ridge,

it's fairly straight,

so I don't think we can do any better than that.

Right you are, boss. Right you are.

Anyone can go and build a box.

This, you're re-doing a home, um, a home with a lot of history,

um, and it's a challenge.

You know, it makes you think.

[Brett] Watch your fingers. [Matt] I'm delicate.

[Sibella] The builders' patience as they blend the new with the old is paying off

but things don't always go smoothly.

[saw whirring]

While Clay has been working on the south gable,

Matt and Brett have cut a very special piece of timber.

Clay realizes too late.

I bought this nice feature piece, this big Murray pine beam

to go across the eating area in the kitchen

and I had it all worked out my way,

how I was gonna do it.

And when I was up top, working on the chimney,

and I've come down, and here they've already chopped it

and it's a lot shorter than I had anticipated.

Is there gonna be enough to hold it in?

'Cause it was 2.750 across the wall, between the walls.

-Plus 200 mm. -Need 150 and 150. That's...

[Brett] 2.7.

The way Clay measured it was a different m ethod to what measured it.

We like to give ourselves,

especially when we're dealing with things of that weight,

just a little bit more play.

-So go right, Clay. -Go right?

[Brett] So Clay had it measured one measurement

and I measured it 100 mm smaller.

[Sibella] At $120, the beam was not terribly expensive.

Righto. Rest for a minute. Put it down.

[Sibella] The real win was finding the right size.

I wanted it to go across here.

There used to be a beam here to support the roof.

I have no confidence anymore 'cause I don't know what they've done.

[laughs] My measurement says that it's gon na be too short,

but they say, "No worries."

So I'm trusting the builder on this one. [laughs]

If I told you that I didn't doubt it, once he starts questioning,

I'd be telling you a lie.

You sort of go back in your mind

and think to yourself now, "I'm sure that was the right measurement."

You should be able to hold the weight relatively easy with that, Clay.

[Sibella] The only way to know if builder Brett is right

is to haul the 80-kilogram piece of wood into place.

Righto.

[grunting]

[grunts] You got that weight?

[Sibella] The beam is wedged into one side

but is it long enough to make the distance to the other?

[Clay] You should slide it right over, it should just go.

[grunts]

If it doesn't fit, I'll have to... [laughs]

I'll be really angry and we'll have to buy another one.

[Brett] What am I bowing off?

[Clay] Pull the butt into this one, all right?

-Watch your fingers, everything else. -Yep.

Bit more. Righto. You're on. Hold it.

[Clay] All right.

Phew!

Hey, Clay, it fitted.

-Just. -[laughs]

Just! It's only hanging in there by about that much.

-Oh, rubbish. -Yeah, it worked out.

Um, we got the beam in and it looks like it's in enough.

[laughter]

[Clay] It ain't gonna go anywhere so it'll be fine.

It was just hard to let go. [laughs]

[Brett] If Clay doesn't like that... [Matt] We can. It's not fixed yet.

[laughs]

[Matt] I think, the size of the span,

it makes it look like it was meant to be there, doesn't it?

Damn, I'm good.

[both laughing]

[Sibella] Work is now moving quickly

and Narelle is getting more and more involved.

The pieces of her life are falling into place.

Importantly, Dalton is now settled.

[Narelle] My attitude towards the build has changed

because the responsibility with Dalton

has been lifted off my shoulders a little bit.

[Clay] Dalton, he agreed to move in with these couple of guys

and share a house and he's doing really well.

It's just turned out really great.

I think it's almost bigger than some of o ur rooms downstairs! [laughs]

And so I've been able to come down and spend weekends down here

and work down here and stay down here in the caravan

and it's just really lovely.

[Deb] I can't believe it, Clay.

I truly did not think you'd get this far.

No, they never do.

[Sibella] Someone who's pleased to find Narelle so positive

is heritage consultant Deb Kemp.

[Deb] I remember at the very beginning of the planning stage

Clay was a bit concerned you wouldn't have enough light.

The front section's quite dark still,

it's the bedroom area.

But with what they've planned in this area here,

with the skylights and the French doors here,

I think there's gonna be sufficient light in this area,

which is your living area, mainly, and so I'm okay with that.

[Deb] This is the first time I've met Narelle.

I've only heard about her.

You know, Clay saying, "Narelle won't like this."

"Narelle's not gonna be happy about this."

So I've been a little bit fearful of meeting her.

This is the dormer that we built, in the end.

[Deb] So, Narelle, are you still terribly disappointed

that you couldn't have the other one?

I was, initially, but I think it's gonna be enough light.

[Deb] I do think Clay and Narelle

are far more au fait now with what we're trying to do,

particularly when we talked about the dorm ers.

[Clay] Yes, 'cause that's the same one you see from the lookout...

[Sibella] Now Deb can leave, confident that Keith Hall is in good hands.

To get this far and in such good order, it 's a pretty big thrill.

Really big thrill! [chuckles]

[Clay] I'm terribly egotistical and very proud of my work

so I like the pat on the back

and, you know, the acclamations, and stuff.

So you know you're doing the right thing.

[Sibella] Finally, Clay can take a moment

to bask in some well-deserved glory.

With the roof frame complete,

$24,000 worth of corrugated iron is installed.

The final pieces are laid

two months ahead of the January council deadline.

[Clay] If I didn't get the roof on and get it protected,

they would take my 50,000 and do it... Do it with my money.

So, I've done it and it's safe.

So that's really exciting, to get to that point.

[Sibella] In the weeks before Christmas,

there's a real sense of achievement at Keith Hall.

A deck is going on, floors are being laid,

and electricians and plumbers are busy.

Worked out 1,500 so it comes up here,

then steps up one and then goes up again, up there.

[man] Yeah, right, so you'll have your switch...

[Sibella] Measurements are taken for the seven windows.

The windows and doors will cost Clay $30,000.

-It's still in there pretty good. -Yeah.

Right at that point there, at the eaves, you just have to line up...

This is all straightforward. Looks pretty good.

Oh, look at this. It's kinda like it's all happening in one day.

[Sibella] It's over a year and a half since I first saw Keith Hall

and someone has moved in.

It might not be Clay but he's not far off.

[Clay] So what do you think?

[Sibella] Well, last time I was here, it was mud and stone

so it's pretty damn impressive.

We are so excited, Sibella.

[Clay] ' Relle's fallen in love with this one.

[Sibella] And that's a big change for you. [Narelle] It's huge. It's huge.

[Sibella] I remember talking to you about it and you weren't really into it.

You're living out your vision.

[Clay] We are. Yeah. [Narelle] Absolutely.

[Clay] All the little nooks and crannies,

just the little videos I had in my head, they're all there.

They're all developing now.

[Sibella] Outside, the veranda completes the lines of the original house.

The builders have also finished the deck,

which has really enhanced Clay's vision,

creating living spaces everywhere.

[Narelle] This will be a really great spot, I think.

[Sibella] Oh! Another great spot. [Narelle] Yeah.

We just love the deck.

[Sibella] It almost doubles the size of your living space, doesn't it?

[Clay] Well, we need to, 'cause it's too sm all for a lot of family socializing.

[Sibella] While the deck has transformed the exterior,

it's the completion of the simple tin roof

that means that Keith Hall is now saved.

Inside, the front rooms are a little dark but these are bedrooms.

Most of their time will be spent in the brighter living area.

-You like it? -It's pretty nice!

-Oh, isn't the light beautiful? -Isn't this awesome?

[Sibella] Just beautiful.

Light was a really big thing for both of you.

[Narelle] Yes. [Clay] Yeah.

It feels very light and airy.

-This room's great. -This is great.

[Sibella] And what have you got on the floor here?

[Clay] It's Murray pine or some people call it black cypress.

-It's quite knotty, isn't it?

[Clay] Yeah. It's just all part of the cha racter.

-So is this gonna be the kitchen? -Yes.

Yeah, this is the kitchen through here,

this'll be the little eating nook here.

[Sibella] Are you gonna render all these rooms?

[Clay] Uh, every room will have a stone wall.

[Sibella] Okay. Like a feature wall? [Clay] Er, yeah.

I'll render around all these stones here

so they'll go through there.

Might have partial rendering, know what I am saying?

So you can move it, pick and choose as you're going.

While Clay and Narelle decide which walls to render,

one wall is off limits for the moment.

[Clay] Yes, they decided to have a little nest over there.

-Can you hear the babies? -[Sibella] Yeah!

[Clay] She's already had a nest. We said, "Oh, good, she's finally out.

"They've all moved out of the house. Great. I'm gonna render over the hole.'

No. Bugger. She's having a second litter.

Oh, you can't render over that until the babies fly away.

I know. That's the problem, holding me up.

Well, you've got the whole rest of the house to render first.

I know. I know.

[Sibella] Clay has already made headway with all the rendering.

Doing it himself has saved $30,000

and the effect of lightening up the rooms is stunning.

The last time I was here, I was standing in, I think, a foot of mud,

putting up a wall that was falling down from a tree

so it's hard to believe that all the infrastructure's gone in,

so all the electricity, all the plumbing,

everything that you can't see has been done.

And then he's done all the floors, he's already on to the decorative...

So I know you guys are in discussion

about what color the shed should be painted.

-If you wanna call it that. [laughs] -Discussion. Debate.

Clay's wanted to keep it, like, a yellow but we can't agree,

'cause I don't believe the yellow's right.

I was thinking to pull out a color from the stonework

to tie it all in and make it marry.

[Sibella] Which I think is lovely as well.

And then you can look at, obviously, what the stone is over there

and put up some grays against it

and then also stand back and look how it looks in the environment

-is always a nice idea as well. -Yeah, that's a good idea.

[Sibella] But just for some gray kind of options, if the yellow doesn't work...

Narelle seems like quite a different woman.

At first, she was overwhelmed by this project

and now she seems to be really excited

about where this house is going.

Now that she likes the house, there's a form of meddling.

You could call it involvement, but it could be called meddling. Yes.

Oh, that's not nice! [laughs]

[Sibella] Joint decisions. Joint decisions.

But at the end of the day, it's just a color that will make you happy.

-No, it's a color that makes her happy. -[all chuckle]

[Sibella] But before Clay and Narelle can enjoy the sunset from the deck,

there's still a lot of work ahead.

With just $10,000 for the build left,

Clay has to split his time between the business and the house.

The northern gable will take another six months.

But despite the workload,

Clay hasn't forgotten the promise he made to a certain stonemason.

As Clay tends Morrison's grave, he reflects on building his house.

[Clay] What is exciting is being a part of saving it.

That's the part that's the sentimental thing for me.

It makes you feel proud.

I found your chisel that you lost. Remember?

[Sibella] I'm on my way to see Keith Hall one last time.

I've been following this restoration for almost two years

and I can't help but reflect

on how it took a Canadian knight in rusty armor

to see the potential when most saw rubble

and to rescue a little of our past.

So it's been two months since I was here

but you still look like you've done a lot.

-[Clay] Everything but the gable. -Except for the gable.

-Yes. -What's happening?

That'll go on for the rest of the year. I'll get it done.

[Sibella] So, other than the gable,

you've got all Morrison's stones back where they belong?

[Clay] 98% of them are back where they are.

-The other two were where 'Relle... -[laughs]

...decided to change them around because.. .

-Oh, I remember! -[Narelle laughs]

...one was a bit taller than the other one.

We were working and she was sitting on the chair pointing...

-I was! [laughs] -...at us. [laughs]

One job you have got done is the carport.

-[Narelle] Like the color? -I do like your color.

-I'm very happy. -What color is it called?

It's called "Thunderbolt', and the trim color is "Paperbark."

[Sibella] It looks beautiful. [Narelle] Thank you.

[Sibella] And you've got the doors and windows in.

-Let's walk through them. -Let's do it!

[Sibella] Wow. Well, this looks, um,

like it's got your stamp all over it.

And, Narelle, some beautiful quilts over here.

[Narelle] Yeah.

[Sibella] So are you pleased? [Clay] Getting there.

I mean, it's really cool. Getting the furniture in,

it represents a bit of what it'll look li ke.

Yeah, we really wanted to create

a really warm and inviting environment for people.

[Sibella] What's your favorite thing in the house?

[Narelle] There's lots of favorites but one of my favorite things

is what Clay ended up doing with the stone around there

'cause, when we were looking at rendering,

I said, "We can't cover up those big stones.

"They are just so beautiful."

CLAY: I love the view window.

When you're coming down the staircase,

you can see through and see the fireplace.

A big part of the house

is catching glimpses of vistas and views from every angle.

CLAY: You look out there,

and you want to go and sit outside and look at the view.

Inviting you to go here and there, that's the big thing about it.

Keeps you moving through the house, which is lovely.

-Sense of discovery. -Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

[Sibella] So what's your approach to the stairs?

[Clay] Arts and crafts. Very simple.

[Sibella] The staircase was the last job the builder did

before Clay's money ran out.

Clay will have to borrow another $50,000

to finish the rest of the house.

So this giant dormer window frames the view beautifully.

[Clay] Yes. [Narelle] Isn't it gorgeous?

[Clay] It is the one compromise that I am so happy we went with.

[Sibella] Until the upstairs bedroom is finished,

Clay and Narelle will trade the caravan for a room downstairs.

Well, what a difference furniture makes in the room.

[Clay] It makes it a home.

So exciting to move this in here a few days ago

and tonight will be our first night we get to stay here

-so it's all set up. -That's exciting!

-Is this just the render dried? -[Clay] Yes. I brushed it.

[Sibella] Yeah. Will you paint this or...

[Clay] I think we'll leave it this way for now

'cause I even see, look, little hairline cracks developing.

It's gonna settle. The house is drying out.

Well, it sits with your exposed stone walls

-really beautifully, doesn't it? -[Clay] Yes.

[Sibella] I love walking into a house

where the owners' personalities are reflected.

Even though there's some works to be finished,

you can imagine these two living in here.

Rather than a house that is stuck in a time period,

both Narelle and Clay have put their stamp on it

so, like any living house,

it is layered with the histories of the people living there.

Beautiful.

Two years ago, when I first met you,

you spoke of your vision of what the house would be like

when you were finished.

What do you think now?

This is one of those scenes, you know, I h ad in my head years ago.

And do you think the experience has been a little bit different,

having Narelle's full support?

Yeah, it's really fun to have her here.

All my projects, I've done it for years by myself, you know,

so to have her in it, it's like, "This is what I do.

This is why I'm away. Isn't this cool?"

[Narelle] Once Dalton did gain independenc e and he moved out,

it kind of released and took the pressure off me a bit, you know?

And it just meant that then I could focus on doing something with Clay

and I could actually work beside him, whic h we've loved doing.

[Sibella] A dream is only possible if a path is cleared for you

and Narelle's been able to do that for Clay.

-[Tiffany] Hello. -[All exclaim]

[Sibella] Over the last two years,

the journey of this family hasn't just been about bricks and mortar.

It's about a change of relationship and supporting Clay's vision.

So what do you guys think of the house?

-Oh, it's amazing. -[Dalton] Where should I begin, eh?

-Yeah? Impressed. -Wow.

[Tiffany] Love it!

[Sibella] My favorite feature of the house is the stonework.

The granite gives the house its character

and what Clay has done so well

is to make all the other features compliment the stone.

Have you learned a lot, or new things, from doing this house?

Yeah, yeah, I'd do another one.

I made all the mistakes I could possibly m ake on the first two,

so now I'm ready to do another one

'cause now I can just do it so smoothly.

I can't believe you're talking about another stone house already.

-Neither can I, Sibella! [laughs] -[Sibella laughs]

I don't think I'll be able to pass another stone ruin

without imagining Clay rebuilding it.

So next time you're on your Sunday drive

and you notice that crumbling stone house,

please send me a photograph and I'll pass it on to Clay,

but we won't tell Narelle.

[Clay] But you won't let me buy another stone house.

[Narelle] No, 'cause I think we're getting too old. [laughs]

[Sibella] I have actually seen one up the road...

-[Narelle] No, no, no, no! -[laughter]

[Clay] T ell me! Tell me!

[Sibella] I saw one on the way here.