All language subtitles for Restoration.Australia.S01E01.WEBRip.x264-ION10

[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.