Original subtitles

[theme music playing]

[Sibella] 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.

...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 trainwreck.

[Sibella] Can they rescue

their slice of Australia's history

before it's too late?

This is Restoration Australia.

-[thunder rumbles] -[rain pattering]

[Jen] Okay, so, major rainstorm.

The upstairs hall is flooding.

Bathroom floor. Can you see the puddles?

Harold, stamp.

That is resulting in a waterfall downstairs.

The view from the back door, and the rain is coming...

[Sibella] Restoring a house is always stressful.

But this old, dilapidated Georgian manor

will take restoration to another level.

I'm on my way to see Harold and Jen,

who are in the process of moving into Keera Vale.

They've asked me to come and have a look.

You can see how monolithic it is,

perched high on the hill overlooking Wollongong.

[Sibella] And seeing it for the first time,

I've got mixed emotions.

From the outside, it looks like it's been butchered.

The Georgian beauty is lost under a dull, gray render.

Yet, I can't help feeling intrigued

by the grandeur of this magnificent landmark.

-Hello. Hi. How are you? -Good. I'm Sibella.

-Hi. I'm Jen. -Hi, Jen. Nice to meet you.

-Hi. I'm Harold. -Hi, Harold.

[Sibella] Harold and Jen have just paid

almost half a million dollars for this house.

It's immediately clear that this is a major restoration,

and it's not going to be cheap.

-Front entrance. -Front entrance.

-Grand hall. -[laughter]

[Sibella] So, what has happened here? And I'm not talking about the purple.

[laughter]

I know. Who knew the purple could be the best feature?

This is our magnificent cedar staircase.

Because this is the main entrance,

this is where you come in, this is what you see,

I don't want people coming in

and the first impression they have of our house is a broken wall.

Yeah.

It's a grand old house and I want the first impression to be grand.

[Sibella] And grand plans mean lots of money.

I can't help but wonder how they will afford this restoration.

[Harold] At this stage, there's no point in setting a budget

for a number of reasons.

One, we haven't got a budget at this point in time.

[laughs] We've got no money.

[Harold] And until I start, you know, prying things open,

I don't know exactly what work I'll need to do.

I can see pretty interesting color through here.

Yeah, so there is some beauty to behold.

Our little snail friends on the walls are testament to the...

-To the damp, right. -To the water, yeah.

[Jen] So, this is one of the original ceilings.

[Sibella] Yes, that plaster ceiling. [Jen] Plaster ceiling.

[Sibella] Do you think you'll be able to salvage it?

[Harold] Yes. Yeah, the short answer is ye s.

[Sibella] Good. So, this room mirrors the bedroom exactly in true Georgian style.

Yeah, we've got a lot of mirrors,

though this one is a little more rustic.

[laughter]

-Slight hole in the floor. -[Sibella] Hole in the floor.

-Don't fall down the hole. -Currently there are...

[laughter]

Currently, this is the only fireplace.

Is the plan to rebuild them and have fires in every room?

[Jen] Yeah. [Sibella] How lovely.

[Sibella] So, without a staircase, how do you get upstairs?

[Jen] So, we have an external staircase.

[Sibella] Mmm.

[Jen] Yeah, so, it's quite a long hike from either direction.

So, rain, hail, shine... It's cold, it's wet.

You'd be amazed how often it...

[Sibella] And even Biggles the dog is not impressed.

It's a long way up.

[Sibella] In the middle of the night, if the...

This is a big problem for the family,

as this exterior staircase is the only access between the two levels.

Keera Vale is a classic Georgian design

with four rooms downstairs and four upstairs.

Her downfall began in the 1930s, when the verandas were removed.

In 1988, she was gutted and subdivided into two flats,

and the internal staircase was replaced by the outside stairs.

[Sibella] What are your day jobs now?

[Jen] My official title is business development manager

at a social housing organization called the Housing Trust.

[Harold] Good morning, everyone.

[children] Good morning, Mister...

[Harold] I'm a school principal.

I'm actually principal of Wollongong Public School,

which you can almost see from here,

but I'm off a farm and I'm a very practical sort of person.

...to eat the mouse, I think so...

[Sibella] Restoration is a huge test for any couple,

and Harold and Jen have only been together for a year.

[Jen] Did I fall in love with the Principal?

Yeah. [laughs]

You know what a mother's love is like. It knows no bounds. [laughs]

Yeah, this is what happens when you're nice to someone's children.

There it is!

[Sibella] Together, they fell in love with the old house on the hill.

But it's proved to be an expensive love affair.

We got pre-approval from seven banks,

and everyone was happy with it until point of valuation,

at which point every one of them said, "Nah, no way."

This is for you.

[Jen] So, we had to find a bank that didn't need a valuation.

They've got no idea what they've signed up for, yeah.

[Laughs] What the hell have we done?

Half a million dollars on this. Are we mad?

[Sibella] Have they actually got what it takes

to turn this battered mansion into a home,

or is love truly blind?

With a big mortgage, full-time jobs, four kids between them,

and a derelict house in urgent need of repair,

they've certainly got their work cut out.

[Jen] Okay, off you go.

[Sibella] So, tell me about how you bought this house.

Did it find you or did you find it?

So, my parents were downsizing the family home,

and they had a lot of big cedar furniture.

By the time I got there,

my sister had already taken dibs on everything.

I said, "Well, what is there left?"

Pretty much the answer was the six-foot cedar sideboard.

My parents were desperate for it to stay in the family,

and there was a few mother-like digs

about the fact that we hadn't actually bought her house.

And so in dodging those,

she came 'round from left field, didn't she, and said,

"Well, I don't know why you're not buying that old house on the hill."

So, it was on a Sunday night, that conversation,

and by Tuesday morning, our offer was accepted.

[Sibella] So, it was a quick decision. [Harold] Oh, considered, very considered.

[Jen] Full of good financial planning,

all of the things that you want in a monumental decision-making.

-[Sibella] So, I think it picked you. -Yeah, it did, I think.

[Jen] Well, be careful because if this big bit falls off, it'll hurt you.

This was going to be the dining room.

Why has so much paint come off this room compared to the others?

Clearly the plaster's gonna have to come off first.

All right, let's go... Look in this... Ah! Look in this one.

So, I was going to put the lounge room in here.

So, before the removalist truck comes,

we've got to peel all this paint off and clean this.

[girl] Move that over!

[Harold] Do you wanna go into the room nex t door

and have a look through the hole?

I have complete faith in Jen being there, standing with me,

and we'll just... Whatever it throws up at us.

I think we're strong enough and creative enough to handle it.

-You are terrifying. -[laughter]

[Jen] I can see it and I can see what I want.

[Harold] I'm at my happiest when I've got a hammer in my hand.

[Jen] So, this is going to be your room. Did you see this?

Look, this is what the house looked like in 1930.

And look, look at that. Before it was all subdivided up.

There's no houses around it. It's just white with a red roof.

[Sibella] Keera Vale is the oldest house in Wollongong,

built in 1844 by Supreme Court Judge Roger Therry.

[Jen] My two-year dream

is for the bottom floor rooms to be finished,

and for the bathroom to be moved and the internal staircase to be in.

So, it's now Monday of the third week.

It's raining again.

[Sibella] With winter fast approaching,

they've set up their home as best they can.

[Jen] Little Harrie's unpacked her room.

The only money they have to spend on their house is from their income,

so they bunker down and do what jobs they can themselves.

And with full-time jobs, I wonder how they'll pull this off.

This is where we say thank you for long service leave, in my case.

[Sibella] Harold has ten months off.

[Jen] Everyone's helping.

[Sibella] Their first task is to clean up the hole in the hallway and re-brick it.

This is where the internal staircase will eventually sit.

But as they work, Keera Vale starts to reveal some hidden surprises.

[Jen] So, there's bricks in under there and that looks like dirt,

but could possibly be plaster, and all of this

is the dust from these bricks that are so destroyed.

[Sibella] The house is mostly made of convict bricks,

and they're damp and crumbling.

[Jen] Here's the beam that holds the floor up

and here's the beam that would have held the veranda up.

So, when you look, you can see a few in the row holding up.

Now, if you come along here,

alarmingly, if we look down into this hole, what we see is daylight!

Let me show you where it goes.

No wonder this floor's rotten. Be the same on that other wall.

[Harold] Yeah, yeah.

[Jen] So, we have the edge of the concrete for the front veranda,

the veranda post's removed

and a big hole for all the water

to go down from the gutters, that are too small and blocked.

All of the damage that's happened in the house

has happened because of water.

So, initially, when we moved in,

we thought we'd leave the verandas forever.

Our stairs are on the back of the house.

That seemed like more of a priority,

but now that we've lived here for a while,

the verandas have become more of a priority

because it keeps the water away from the house.

[Sibella] Jen's dream of an internal staircase

looks increasingly distant as priorities change.

[Jen] We've discovered that under the front veranda is full of fill,

and as a result,

all the bricks in that front room are absolutely sodden.

[Sibella] They jump headlong into removing the concrete additions out the front,

which is where the verandas will be reinstated.

It's becoming clear that the damage caused by previous owners

is bigger than they thought.

[Jen] One of the things that is amazing about this house,

and I use the term "amazing" quite broadly,

is the money that it drinks each and every day.

[Sibella] And stretching their income to pay for it all is a constant challenge.

[Jen] So, our recent plan was to go back to the bank

to try and get more money,

but of course the only reason we got the money for the house in the first place

was 'cause the bank hadn't seen the house.

So, what we did was write a description of the house

to see if they would just value it on paper.

Very honestly, we wrote that it was five bedroom, two bathroom,

two-car garage, two living areas and a dining room.

and the bank said, "That sounds like a splendid house.

Let us give you an extra $50,000."

[Sibella] $50,000 is not going to stretch very far in this place.

They have serious structural issues,

with water damage to the convict bricks.

That's actually a cellar.

Jen desperately needs to unite this family home,

but they're yet to find an antique staircase.

The downstairs ceilings need urgent specialist attention,

and they've employed architects for the development plans.

[power tool roars]

[Harold] Most of my time has been repairing damage

that's happened over the last... Sadly, over the last 50 years.

[Sibella] Luckily, Keera Vale is slightly magical, it seems.

We seem to be gathering this odd little band of people...

-Gypsies. -Yeah.

And it's not about us, it's the house.

[Sibella] Their Sydney architect, David MacReady,

grew up in Wollongong and lived near Jen.

As a kid, I'd ride my bike around the neighborhood

and you'd see this house up on the hill.

So, it always had a major presence in the area.

People used to think it was haunted,

and I guess I'd always wondered what it was.

[Sibella] David's devotion to this project

extends far beyond the usual office hours.

[Jen] If you look, the layers aren't actually the same on all the walls.

[Sibella] Jen's best friend, Amanda, also has a special connection with Keera Vale

and was seriously considering buying it herself.

[Amanda] Keera Vale never came up in conversation,

so when Jen popped up one day and said,

"Harold and I have made an offer on a house.

It's the big old house on the hill," I nearly had a heart attack.

"That's my dream home! You can't buy it!"

But they did buy it, and I feel so blessed

that I get to live my dream anyway, almost, through them.

[man] So, we've been looking forward to share with you

the initial plans and concepts we've been pulling together.

So, obviously these drawings are going to give you some indication

of the direction, potentially,

of what the house might ultimately look like.

Let's go straight to it, 'cause I know that's what you'd like to see.

[Jen gasps] Look! [Harold] Wow!

[man] Does that align with your original thoughts

of what you thought the project might look like?

That's just beautiful!

[Jen] The reason we chose the architects

is because they're so engaged with the house, David in particular.

I mean, this is just amazing.

[Jen] We're in it up to our necks.

We wanted someone who was happy to dive in with us,

both on a professional level, but also emotionally.

It's great to see yourselves taking it on board,

and really taking this challenge

to restore it back to its former beauty.

To me, it's big, it's sort of grand,

but it's also very obviously a home.

It's a fancy home.

And to me that's a big part of this,

is that... To bring it back to be the home that it was.

[Jen] We are in awe of the workmanship that was here before

and we do want to do honor to the building

and honor to the people who built it.

It makes you cry to look what's happened to it, doesn't it?

[Sibella] Is this your first big renovation job?

Yeah, first renovation. I've built a house before,

but it was a mud-brick house, so very different.

[Sibella] And have you done a restoration project before?

[Jen and Harold] No.

[thunder rumbling]

[Jen] Where this ceiling issue is,

all of this dirt has fallen out of it in t he last three days.

There's this low-level constant anxiety that,

you know, you think everything is fine and then...

You know, that the damage to the house

is greater than it looks on a surface level,

and we're about to get the giant bill

for something we can't possibly afford.

Last weekend, Harold went to Geelong

to look at a staircase that was built in 1852

that we found on eBay, which he didn't buy.

Consequently, someone else bought it.

The wind has been absolutely horrific,

and going up and down that back staircase in the wind is...

Well, the other night

I was carrying one of the kids' dinners up the stairs

and it blew off the plate, that's how windy it is.

I've had enough of the outside staircase,

and now I've got a house full of magpies and rats.

[sighs] It's got to get better.

[Jen] Harold, come here.

[Sibella] Harold is six months into his long service leave,

and it's a David and Goliath struggle.

[Jen] First house-sustained injury. Show your nose.

From getting those bricks and that ceiling plaster off.

[Sibella] Harold works into the night

to get ready for a plasterer to come in the next day.

Okay, Harold, switch it on.

[Sibella] Keera Vale has played her hand.

The downstairs ceilings are collapsing

and must be repaired urgently.

They've brought in Steve, a specialist plasterer,

who will start on the ceilings before moving on to the walls.

[Steve] The idea is to preserve the original fabric of the building.

The material we use is an acrylic material.

It's an adhesive that gets down into all the nooks and crannies

of the lath and plaster, and it shrinks slightly as it cures

and pretty much pulls the stuff all back up into place.

[Jen] So, this is secure now? Like, I know once...

[Harold] Oh, once it's cured.

Yeah, once it's cured, it'll stay up there for...

-[Steve] Yeah. -Like, ten more years or...

Like, secure until I die, that sort of...

-Yeah, well, I hope so. -[Jen] Yeah, me too.

So they tell me.

So, to get the three ceilings done, we're looking at around 20 grand.

You know, while we want to be honorable

to the process and to the house,

I can see why people rip it down and put gyp-rock up.

[Steve] Firstly, I think they've taken an awful lot on,

and I think they're very brave.

I admire them.

I don't think, even with my trade background,

I don't think I'd take a place like this on.

[Jen] Well, it's three-quarters-of-a-Harold high.

Five to six tonnes.

[Sibella] It's been a while since I've seen Harold and Jen.

Harold's well into his long service leave, and I wonder how they're going.

[Jen] When you ask the kids, "Do you think we'll ever finish the house?"

"No." [Jen laughs]

[Sibella] How are they dealing with it?

[Jen] The littlest one the other day said...

We were driving to school, out of the blue said,

"Won't it be really disappointing when our house is finished

"and it's not special anymore?"

-Wow. -"What's special about it?"

"Oh, when my friends come,

"they get to hit the walls and we get to build things,

"and we get to find mysteries and adventures."

-Oh, well. That's a cool childhood. -[Sibella] Yeah.

[Sibella] My dad always left a wall in our house

that we could go and hit and draw on and do whatever we liked.

-Really? -[Sibella] Yeah. It was in a bathroom.

-It was a big wall. Mmm. -[laughs]

That would have been a great childhood.

Got a cherry picker.

Harold's going to fix that bit up there.

[child] Oh, Dad? [Harold] Mmm?

[child] Sam wants to go on there later an d pick some bugs.

[Harold] Okay.

[Sibella] How far is Harold actually into his leave now?

-He's up to seven months. -Bummer!

I know. He's devastated.

So, how do you think it's gonna happen after that?

[Jen] Well, luckily he'll get

the long Christmas school holidays off every year,

and he gets breaks,

and he's working on a three-year retirement plan.

[Sibella] So, he's still got a big smile on his face.

[Jen] Yeah, he loves it.

[Sibella] It hasn't made him stumble and fall, all these problems?

[Jen] No. [Sibella] No?

So, at two o'clock in the morning when I go, "You think that wall...

"Listen to that noise. I think that wall's gonna fall down."

He goes, "Don't be ridiculous.

"The house is gonna be here forever. It's fine."

-So, you guys are good, then? -Yeah. Yeah.

[Sibella] Harold and Jen seem happy enough,

but they've got a long way to go, and they've certainly got grand plans.

[Sibella] This is quite a big extension.

-[Jen] Yeah, it is. -I wasn't expecting that.

-Me either, really. -That's really fancy.

-I know. -That's really grown-up.

I know!

When you look at the little people,

they've got very exciting lives, the people who live in the house.

[Sibella] They do! Look at you. You're in a sun dress and a hat.

-I know. Harold's barbecuing. -He's got an apron on.

[Jen laughs] See, that's how we know it's not us.

Someone else bought the house and finished it.

[Sibella] As Harold nears the end of his leave,

they are working at a frantic pace.

There is so much investigation with each step of this restoration,

it's a treasure hunt as they uncover the original features

of this magnificent Georgian building, but it is slow-going.

Many hands make for light work,

and they've got a lot of their friends around,

making it a much easier project. They're quite skilled, actually.

[Sibella] David is back.

He can't seem to get enough of this mystery from his childhood.

[David] I actually don't want the project to end.

I'd be happy to work on this project forever.

[Sibella] And Amanda continues to live her dream.

[Amanda] To say I'm emotionally-invested in the house

is an understatement.

I love this house. I have always loved this house and I always will.

[Sibella] They're recovering a hidden doorway between two rooms.

This will open up the space

and reconnect the separate rooms of this house.

[Harold] Every day is just a treat

when I'm actually working on the building.

Just little things, like how the bricks are put together.

So, just looking at what the craftsmen who built this

did with hand tools is...

I'm just in awe of their skills, and I love that.

[Sibella] Harold and Jen are making progress.

The Juliet balcony has gone, as has the front concrete veranda,

but is Harold's appreciation of the craftsmanship misguided?

They've taken off the concrete veranda

and they've uncovered this, one of those unforeseen problems.

The base of this house, and the actual fabric of the whole house,

is these convict bricks,

and as much as I love the romance of them,

the early settlers didn't quite get the recipe right.

They're a bit sandy and they're very crumbly and they're weeping.

A modern day brick has this frog,

lots of coal in it to give it lots of structure

and make it last for a lot longer.

These ones haven't been allowed to breathe

and this render's an enormous problem.

It's suffocating the bricks.

Who knew bricks could disintegrate? I didn't...

[Sibella] Yeah. So, what do you do about it?

Um...

-Attach a veranda. -We attach a veranda.

We're replacing some of the bricks

and trying to shore it up as best we can.

But I just believe Harold and David

when they tell me it's gonna be all right.

[Sibella] So, you have put all your faith into Harold and David?

-Yeah. -Do you feel good about that?

No, I feel a little... [laughs] A little anxious!

[Jen] Every time it rains,

there's a brick that's actually dissolving down the wall.

And then there's a whole section of bricks under it

that are also dissolving.

[Sibella] The main material of your house is the convict bricks.

It's all convict bricks.

I've got convict bricks and a bit of wood.

-Mmm. -So, yes, slightly alarming.

Is the house structurally sound?

Um... I can't give you a definite on that.

I think it's more of a chip-away-and-see

and, you know, at the moment we're finding parts

where there is some structural integrity,

and then other parts where we can see that the building is...

You know, the convict bricks are really faltering

under the weather and water damage.

So, there's a bit on the dining room window that's got the paint missing.

[Amanda] I worry about the cost, the financial cost.

Every step of the way, I think, you have to expect the unexpected,

and the unexpected costs money, and so I worry about that for them.

[Sibella] Do you feel in a rush to finish the project?

[Jen] I'm in a rush to get stairs on the inside.

I want to get something done.

Everyone in the area knows that we've bought the house.

People know that we're working on the house.

I don't want to be those people that bought the house

and said they were gonna fix it and never did.

And I also would really like to finish a room

just so that we know that we can.

Like, just one room,

just one real living room with windows that open and shut

and a floor that you don't have to walk around certain bits

so you don't go through it, you know?

[chuckles] That's sealed. That would be really nice.

-Whoo-hoo! -That's pretty satisfying.

-The doorway! -Yay! [chuckles]

[Jen] Makes the room feel completely different.

[ David] Gonna be a great din ing room in here.

[Harold] Yeah. We'll have you back.

[laughter]

[Sibella] As Harold nears the end of his leave,

he can take some solace in the work he's achieved.

And Jen's research has paid off.

She's found a grand old staircase online for $8,000

just 100 kilometers away, in Sydney.

-[Jen ] And this is Matt... -Matt. G'day. Hi, there.

...who is selling us the staircase,

and this is the first viewing of the newel.

[Jen gasps]

[Jen] I just fell in love,

because it was the most beautiful handcrafted piece of wood,

and it just seemed so fitting for...

It belonged.

[ Jen] It's beautiful. It's just beautiful.

[ Jen] So, we have now picked up the magnificent staircase,

which currently blocks our access to the lounge room.

I can't do another winter on those back stairs. I can't do it.

[Sibella] Having spent most of their $50,000,

two big jobs are pressing, and they can only afford one.

Will they replace the veranda to protect the convict bricks

or will they finally install that internal staircase?

It's a new year, and Harold is back at work.

It's restricted the time he can devote to Keera Vale.

But they are making progress.

[Harold] We've got two rooms well on the way.

They're looking magnificent. We're very happy with them.

[Jen ] We've been working really hard

over the last month, six weeks.

My dad's gotten really sick, and he's been in hospital,

and it brought home pretty hard that he is getting old and he isn't well,

and one of the things that he keeps talking about

is that he wants those front rooms finished

and to see his furniture in them.

So, it's a bit emotional.

So, it's good, you know, on one level

to have the motivation that we need to get it done,

but it's also, um...

Upsetting to think about why we're getting it.

Why we're getting it done.

It's been a long time since I've been to Keera Vale

and it's a precious long weekend

for Harold and Jen to work on the house.

They have a big decision to make.

They can either focus on the internal staircase or the veranda.

Whatever they've decided, it's a turning point for Keera Vale.

[Sibella] So, what's the task at hand today?

[Jen] Depends whose team you're on.

One of us is elated, one of us is terrified.

Come and have a look.

So, what are we going to be doing?

So, this is what we're up to.

[Sibella] Jen and Harold have finally made their decision

to reinstate the internal stairs.

[Sibella] I think I'm on the frightened team.

[Jen] We just need to be a family again ,

and having the stairs inside unifies what's happening through the house.

[Sibella] It's a massive job to complete in a weekend.

[Harold] We're taking out all of that concrete slab.

Is that your old bathroom up there?

-[Jen] " Was." -"Was."

[ Harold] That's all that rem ains.

[ Harold] I think the greatest chal lenge

is probably going to be getting that slab out,

because our experience with the concrete that was put in in the '60s

is that it's very, very hard.

I can't come in with a jackhammer.

The poor old house has put up with enough

without having cracking due to pneumatic drills

or anything like that.

[drill whirs]

[Sibella] Before any major structural work can begin,

the boys must brace the upstairs bathroom.

-Let's be careful it doesn't... -Slide it out.

[Sibella] There's a risk the weakened walls could collapse

as they remove the concrete slab.

There's no room for mistakes.

[drill whirs]

On the ground floor, a catchment box is being installed.

-Have you got the weight? -Yeah, it's...

Taking the load off that?

The heavy concrete slab will be cut into manageable sizes

and this box will hopefully catch any pieces that fall.

All they can do is make sure these braces are as secure as possible.

The big question is, will it hold?

[pole rattles]

[Jen] Which side are you cutting away first?

-This one. -[Jen] What's "this"? This...

-This end. -Why?

Because I want to.

Yeah, well, I was worried that was the answer.

How come this end?

-He's walking away. He' s cranky. -[Amanda] I know.

-I just would rather nag now than... -Be right.

...later.

[Jen] I'm terrified about pulling out the slab.

I have this image of the concrete slab going

and the two walls on either side of it going and crumbling down as well.

I'm very nervous about it coming out.

I just really don't want you to die or be injured.

[Sibella] Harold's feeling the pressure.

If something should go wrong, it could be catastrophic.

[motor starts]

I must admit, I sympathize with Jen.

I'm feeling nervous, too.

Harold is standing on the very floor he's cutting to pieces.

It's reinforced concrete,

and he's a precarious six meters above ground level.

This is a dangerous job.

[whirring]

[Jen] I call the concrete cutting saw "the widow maker."

It's this giant piece of machinery that sort of bounces about.

Like, I don't think it would be incompetence

that would get them hurt,

it's just a big cutty, yucky thing.

[Sibella] David seems increasingly concerned.

That takes a long time to slow down, that blade.

[Harold] Yeah.

-Just be a bit careful there. -[Harold] Yeah, it does...

[David] Just moving around while it's still spinning.

[Harold] Yeah, I need to get some bolt cutters just to cut that reo.

-It's only fairly light reo . -[David] That's good.

Hey! [chuckles]

First block out.

Okay, fire it up again.

[Sibella] It's late in the day, and I'm concerned for their progress.

Surely, they'll need to find a way

to pick up the pace and also deal with that dust.

A new day means a new approach.

Harold has added water to keep the dust down.

[Harold] How much mess have I made downstairs?

[David] Oh, it wasn't too ba d. It was coming through.

Yeah, I thought it would be, 'cause there was a lot of water going.

Oh, such a different saw! Look, that's in an hour.

I love doing this.

It's a nice contrast with my other work,

which is very heavy mental work,

whereas this is heavy physical work.

[Sibella] With more help arriving,

Harold hopes to make up some lost time.

Yeah, don't walk on those ones two that...

-Those ones there? -...that are dropped.

They're just sitting on plywood underneath.

[Harold] It really is a joint effort now.

We've got a team who just love this house like we do.

[whirring]

[Jen] Harold's been desperate to get that slab out,

and I think it's a bit akin to a flag on top of the mountain for him.

-Oh, shit, sorry! -That's all right.

Taking that slab out and putting the staircase in is victorious for him.

[Harold] Oh, look at that!

They've taken out a full length of bricks along there

to put the slab in, so that will slow us down a bit.

Oh, that's not good.

No, but come 'round here.

I don't want to now. The whole wall's gonna crumble.

-No, no, walk on that. -[Jen] No.

No, I don't like high things, and I know that's high.

There, just look at me.

That's why it was silly for you to look down there.

-That's where your slab went in. -Yeah.

[Harold] And so as we take that out,

I'm going to just brick that in so that it's all solid again.

[Sibella] This is a dramatic turn of events.

As each piece of slab is removed,

Harold fills the gap to stop the wall collapsing.

It's a time-critical juggling act, and the last thing they need.

[ Harold] I'm not taking any care with the mortar

because this will all be plastered over.

That's the last one.

-[Jen] Last one. How do you feel? -Ah, fantastic!

You're very clever, you and your band of merry helpers.

We couldn't have done it without them.

What do you do next?

We take these two big platforms out and we will have a stairwell.

One more sleep till internal stairs is what you're telling me?

Yes.

I just can't wait to get this out now

and be able to look right up there.

[ Jen] God, it's going to be such a long way.

[Sibella] While slow progress is being made upstairs,

downstairs, Jen is discovering the price

of their being faithful to the original lime plaster.

So, I've been waiting two years to pick a paint color

and I have to use lime paint so that the walls can keep breathing.

[Sibella] Problem is the paint changes color on the walls.

That's meant to be that, which it is mostly, but it's bluer.

But that's meant to be that... which it clearly isn't.

Seemed so simple once upon a time. Pick a paint card, cart it around,

pick something you like, slap it on your wall.

[thunder rumbles]

[Harold] What we've achieved here in taking out the slab is massive.

It's going to be just so important to our journey.

When you walk in the front door, the wow factor will be back.

You will walk in the door and you will go, "Wow,"

because you will just be able to look through that glorious arch

and up into that huge stairwell.

It will become much more obvious what a beautiful old home she is.

Oh, my goodness, look at that! Look at that!

[laughs] Wow! It goes up and up and up!

It's a real stretch to see the ceiling rose. [laughs]

[Jen] It's just massive, is n't it? [Harold] Yes.

I can now yell, "Have you got your shoes?" in the mornings,

-from inside the house. -[both laugh]

You'd put cornice up there, wouldn't you?

Yeah. Well, I don't know.

Not many people are gonna be looking up that high, because it hurts!

I reckon everyone will look up that high.

[ Harold] I think they will, too .

[Jen] I reckon everyone will come in and do this.

[ Harold] Yeah.

[Jen] As annoying as the staircase in the hallway is,

there's still a lot of work to do upstairs.

So, we don't want to put in a 100-plus-year-old cedar staircase

and then cart rubble down it.

We actually have to knock part of the exterior western wall out

to fit the stairs in.

So, slotting the old stairs in is a major construction,

and it's linked to the architectural plans that aren't through yet.

[Sibella] The grand old staircase must wait,

but this temporary staircase is still the first major step

to turn this house into a home.

-Okay. Jen? -Yeah?

-Come up here. -[Jen] You've finished!

-I have. [chuckles] -It's a long way up. Hang on.

-[Harold] Come on up. -The first step's very big.

[chuckles] It's a long way up and down.

Lots of things to hang on to, though.

-It's like a real house again. -It is. It's a whole house again.

[ Jen] I never thought we'd actually do this, like, ever.

[ Harold] It's just fantastic.

You know how we were those people

who were gonna renovate that house?

Mmm.

Well, if we walk away now, we've done something.

-We've done, like, one thing. -That's right.

[chuckles] We've done many things,

but one really notable thing that's actually reclaimed it,

reclaimed the house.

Yes, that's true.

[Jen] Come on! Come here! [Harold] Oh, good boy! Good... Oh!

Come on! Come on. Come on.

-Come on! What a good hound! - [Harold] Well done!

That was... Don't go over there. [laughs]

So brave, aren't you? Hmm?

[Sibella] Even Biggles warms to the new staircase.

That was very scary for a hound, wasn't it? Hmm?

[Sibella] Now it's time to remove the external staircase.

[Harold] This whole concrete staircase,

the landing on the back of the house, will finally go,

the weight will go off that back wall.

It's actually going to improve the integrity of the building.

[Sibella] This will liberate the house from the last of the concrete additions.

[indistinct chatter]

-Harold, do you want the ot her drill? - [Harold] Nope.

Can you drop this one, David?

-Bit rusty, this one. - [Harold] Yeah.

It was just touching the shackle, which was holding it back.

Should go a bit easier.

-[woman] We're against the wall here. -That's against the wall there.

My biggest concern is, A, they're ridiculous.

So, I'm not quite sure what they're harnessing themselves to,

but I'm choosing to trust in them,

but I think all that render

is just going to start falling off the back of the house.

[Sibella] Sure enough, Jen's hunch is right.

[ Harold] Hey, that's not scheduled!

[ Jen] But Angie Romper Stomper'd it with h er boots.

[Harold laughs] They're doing the glory job.

Lots of noise, lots of action.

No, it is a prize job and we may have interloped on that.

[Sibella] This render coming off without destroying the bricks

is a welcome surprise.

-It's great, isn't it? -We were so worried.

[indistinct conversation]

[Sibella] While the work continues,

Jen's off to Sydney to visit me in my warehouse.

I did hear that you had a bit of a paint problem.

I have a really big paint problem.

So, I'm picking paint colors on a card

that are turning out completely different paint colors on the wall.

One of the paint companies said that because my plaster is so old

that the pigment sizes in paint,

that different pigments have different sizes

and that the little pigments were getting sucked into my plaster

and the big pigments were sitting on top.

So, some pigment colors have smaller pigment

and other colors have larger pigment?

Yes. So, everything's going blue.

-Do you like blue? -Well, I do now! [laughs]

[Sibella] Back at Keera Vale,

the workers have made good progress.

They've removed all the render they can reach.

[Harold] That's in really good nick , actually.

[David] It's in remarkable condition, considering.

I guess there's two approaches,

whether you're gonna leave the bricks exposed

and open to the element

or go for something where we're gonna use a clear sealer on it.

Yeah, but the trouble with a clear sealer is that

we're gonna have that issue with the bricks breathing again.

So, if we're going to put some sort of cover,

I'd probably go for a traditional whitewash.

That'll look dramatic.

What about a color that would match the bricks,

if you were gonna wash it?

[ Harold] Oh, yeah. Yeah, that might work.

Safety first, children! [sighs]

[ropes creak]

[Sibella] At eight meters high, this big house requires drastic measures

to get to the render on the top part of the wall.

And once again, help has dropped in to lend a hand.

[David] Making progress.

[Sibella] While it's all hammers, tongs and harnesses

on the outside of Keera Vale,

Jen must find a solution for the inside.

I really believe she should accept and embrace her changing color.

I think in Australia we're really frightened of color,

and I wouldn't be frightened of having a color like that.

As long as it doesn't go on that baby blue side,

these dusty blues are beautiful.

So, in my head it's, like, a dove gray.

Gorgeous. I think that's gorgeous.

-All right, well... -[laughs]

-It's not... -Don't be scared of color.

I'm not...

[Sibella] I really hope Jen is bold with color.

I like these!

[Sibella] Her grand house can take it.

...cedar furniture, like, it'd be so broody.

[Sibella] It's a big day.

In these boxes are Jen's childhood memories.

[Jen] So, we're moving, finally, after two -and-a-half years,

all the stuff that went into storage into the house.

The sideboard, that was the reason for the house,

is finally coming home, really.

[Sibella] It's time for this grand old dame to roll out the red carpet

and finally welcome her new family.

Are you all right? [laughs]

[Jen] No, no, next to the fireplace.

[Sibella] As always, there's an army of helpers, for there's a lot to do.

[ Jen] Over there. Thanks.

[Sibella] This is the first time

Keera Vale has been cleaned properly in years,

and the race is on to finish the formal dining room

before Jen's parents arrive this afternoon

and see the restoration for the first time.

For Jen, it's a nostalgic moment.

[Jen] My parents in particular

have been waiting for this for a really long time.

Often my dad says, "Just get the furniture in before I die.

"I just want to see it there ." [sobs ]

And so now he will.

Wow.

That needs to go in the dining room.

Do you know how much more there is?

No. So, the six-foot sideboard has to come in.

[Sibella] With time running short, the stress levels rise.

It just keeps coming. Like, how much...

-[man] Only got the big one left. -Is that it?

[Sibella] Though there is one member of the family

who seems unfazed by all the fuss.

You need to move. You're not helpful.

-It wouldn't look bad there. -There?

Sorry. There.

-Ho, ho, ho! -Whoa-ho-ho!

Wait, wait! Everybody wait.

-Wow. -[Harold] What else have we got?

Once the chiffonier comes in and goes down,

that's how we'll live till we die.

[Sibella] I've grown fond of this stately Georgian manor,

sitting proudly on her hill.

I know how important it is for Jen

having her parents see the restoration,

and I feel strangely nervous, too.

Keera Vale chose them.

Harold and Jen bought this house on a whim

to house Jen's inherited furniture.

In many ways her parents' reaction will prove

whether Keera Vale is a success or a terrible mistake.

[Jen] Hi, Poppy. [Ian] Good afternoon.

All right, let's get you out and in.

-[Jen] I think we've got a family home. -Good job.

It's a little bit left of center,

it invites a range of responses,

but we're a family and this is our home.

-Hold on, Poppy. -[Sibella] Okay, it's looking good.

[Harold ] It wasn't in our life plan to do something like this.

It's become our life plan.

You need to hang on, Poppy. Good.

[Harold] It's the center of our world,

as a family home should be.

Oh, that's beautiful.

-What do you think? -That's beautiful.

It's beautiful.

-It's beautiful timber, it really is. -Mmm.

Quite emotional, really.

Good, good. Good.

Good. That is just good.

[Jen] I remember that as the sherry cupboard.

[laughter]

Well, you shouldn't know it was the sherry cupboard.

You were too young.

Oh, no, this is beautiful. This is lovely. Good, good.

You bought this house because you had this six-foot sideboard

that was coming from your parents.

It's behind us.

-You had a vision for it. -[Jen] Mmm-hmm.

Is it exactly how you thought it would be in the house?

Yeah, no, it's not.

-Isn't that odd? -Does it matter?

No.

The big thing for me was getting it in here

while Dad was still alive.

That was... That's been a driver for me.

It's been important for you.

It's also been important for your parents to have it in a home.

[Joy] A friend and I went to Sydney for the day,

and we were walking up Oxford Street and there was a little antique shop

that was against a wall and covered with bric-a-brac.

And I came home saying, "I really like that."

-But look, you know, solid cedar. -Yes, yeah.

Solid cedar. Well over 100 years old.

Every piece of furniture we got has got a story to it.

[Sibella] Oh, that's so nice

and now it's got a new lease on life in a new setting.

It's the right setting for it. It's the right setting for it.

[Sibella] Watching how you've approached this project

throughout the restoration is totally admirable.

You just keep giving her more and more love,

and it doesn't matter sort of what she tosses your way,

you're like, "We can get through this together."

Like a belligerent teen, yeah! [laughter]

But it's been really lovely to watch that happen,

then to be able to sit in this room in this state,

with all this beautiful furniture and these beautiful walls.

It's a real triumph.

-Congratulations. -[both] Thank you.

It feels very humbling. I don't think we're deserved all of it.

I think she's deserved this, though.

This is what Keera Vale was meant to look like.

-She's ready to strut. -[laughter]

[Jen] Look at that view.

[Harold] Every time we reach one of our little milestones,

it feels like we're putting something back.

We're rebuilding what was and will be a beautiful home.

[Jen] I love that our family is part of a long story

that belongs to this house,

and that over time we are part of that and we're adding to that,

that we're a chapter of its future

and one day we'll be a chapter of its past.

[Sibella] So, you went with dove gray.

So, what do you think?

-I love it. -Do you?

I pay my scenic painters thousands of dollars

to get a wall to look like that.

[laughs]

[Sibella] 'Cause I think it looks almost like fabric,

or it has the patina of age,

and the history that the room had before,

but there's a lovely inconsistency.

And once you start layering it up

with all your furniture pieces and your paintings,

it will just become textural and beautiful.

[Jen] It's warm and it's... It is what it is.

-It is what it is. -There's no point fighting it, no.

I've just got to, you know, let the house be in control yet again.

[Sibella] She's telling you what to do.

It is another one of her matriarch situations, yeah.