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These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated: 1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:03,919 Construction is really hard. 2 00:00:03,920 --> 00:00:07,719 Whether it's a road or a skyscraper or a house, 3 00:00:07,720 --> 00:00:11,720 it has to happen outside in all kinds of weathers. 4 00:00:12,160 --> 00:00:14,559 So you want to give yourself an easy time, don't you? 5 00:00:14,560 --> 00:00:17,639 You want to make sure the planning process is relatively smooth, 6 00:00:17,640 --> 00:00:21,640 that you choose a level and reliable piece of ground to build on, 7 00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:27,079 that you have enough money in the bank to pay for it all. 8 00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:31,080 If you don't have these things in place, do not expect an easy ride. 9 00:00:58,880 --> 00:01:00,999 The Peak District National Park 10 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:04,399 is a prehistoric limestone landscape 11 00:01:04,400 --> 00:01:08,400 that is filled with folklore and strange archaic traditions, 12 00:01:09,320 --> 00:01:13,320 such as well dressing. 13 00:01:13,840 --> 00:01:17,639 Well dressing is the ancient Derbyshire art 14 00:01:17,640 --> 00:01:21,640 of sticking petals on clay to make a design. 15 00:01:21,760 --> 00:01:25,760 It sounds bizarre, but it goes back a long way in this village. 16 00:01:27,200 --> 00:01:29,879 Two of the Peak District's finest well dressers 17 00:01:29,880 --> 00:01:33,479 are Fred and Saffron Baker. 18 00:01:33,480 --> 00:01:37,480 For them, this ancient pastime holds a lot of personal significance. 19 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:42,800 It is also where I met Saffron, many years ago now. 20 00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:46,639 I used to insist, when I was a child, that I put in the last petal. 21 00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:49,119 And my first impression of her wasn't good. 22 00:01:49,120 --> 00:01:53,119 HE CHUCKLES But, er...that changed! 23 00:01:53,120 --> 00:01:55,039 But ancient ephemeral arts 24 00:01:55,040 --> 00:01:58,079 aren't the only contribution Fred and Saffron want to make 25 00:01:58,080 --> 00:02:02,080 to this community. 26 00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:06,680 They are also planning something a little bit more permanent. 27 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:09,679 Well, this is the dale where I grew up. 28 00:02:09,680 --> 00:02:13,559 I spent my whole childhood here, one way or another. 29 00:02:13,560 --> 00:02:16,399 And this is now where I'm going to build a house. 30 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:19,559 Two, three, go! 31 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:22,119 It's been Fred's dream forever to build his own home. 32 00:02:22,120 --> 00:02:23,999 It's all the children have known. 33 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:25,679 But now it's our project. 34 00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:28,359 He might have the ideas, but it's not going to happen without me. 35 00:02:28,360 --> 00:02:29,839 That one's mine! 36 00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:31,759 That was mine, actually! 37 00:02:31,760 --> 00:02:34,279 OK! 38 00:02:34,280 --> 00:02:38,280 A few years ago, Saffron and Fred spent close to £100,000 39 00:02:39,240 --> 00:02:42,439 on an old dairy just outside Bakewell, 40 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:44,279 in the village where Fred's ancestors 41 00:02:44,280 --> 00:02:47,439 have lived for generations. 42 00:02:47,440 --> 00:02:50,119 This is the site! 43 00:02:50,120 --> 00:02:51,999 Very undeveloped. Right on the edge. 44 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:54,239 I mean, this is the last bit of land 45 00:02:54,240 --> 00:02:56,599 before open countryside, yeah? Yes. 46 00:02:56,600 --> 00:02:58,639 And you've got this little hut 47 00:02:58,640 --> 00:03:00,679 and that remnant of a building there. 48 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:03,599 So is this where you build? Is this what you do? 49 00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:07,600 No, no. So the building is basically over there. 50 00:03:07,920 --> 00:03:09,719 Good Lord! 51 00:03:09,720 --> 00:03:13,359 People may have built on this site up by the road, 52 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:17,360 but no-one has dared to take on this steep hillside. 53 00:03:18,080 --> 00:03:21,399 Getting machinery onto this site and storing materials... 54 00:03:21,400 --> 00:03:23,119 Yeah, that will be a challenge. 55 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:25,479 ..is going to be logistically challenging, isn't it? 56 00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:28,079 You've got one way in, one way out, it's a slope. 57 00:03:28,080 --> 00:03:30,719 Every structural engineer that I have stood here with 58 00:03:30,720 --> 00:03:33,639 has sucked their teeth and gone, "Oh, really? Are you sure?" 59 00:03:33,640 --> 00:03:36,839 It's like, "Well, yes, we have designed the house for this site." 60 00:03:36,840 --> 00:03:39,759 The difficulty is actually building it. Yeah, building it! 61 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:41,519 Well, it's been difficult in planning, 62 00:03:41,520 --> 00:03:43,479 so building it is going to be a piece of cake. 63 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:45,599 How long were you in planning to get it? Seven years. 64 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:46,639 Good grief! 65 00:03:46,640 --> 00:03:49,639 Well, I was in my 30s when I started this process. 66 00:03:49,640 --> 00:03:51,119 I was 50 this year. 67 00:03:51,120 --> 00:03:53,159 But we didn't have a plan B. We had no plan B. 68 00:03:53,160 --> 00:03:55,319 So you just kept pushing? Yep. So we just kept at it. 69 00:03:55,320 --> 00:03:57,359 Fred is an ecologist 70 00:03:57,360 --> 00:04:00,039 and he and Saffron run a successful consultancy 71 00:04:00,040 --> 00:04:03,639 helping big companies fulfil their environmental obligations. 72 00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:07,640 It's critical their house reaches the highest eco standards. 73 00:04:07,680 --> 00:04:10,759 One of the things that I'd always wanted to do 74 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:12,479 was to build an earth-shelter house 75 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:15,319 and this plot was absolutely ideal. 76 00:04:15,320 --> 00:04:19,320 The whole ethos of the build is that it should be sustainable 77 00:04:19,440 --> 00:04:22,119 and it takes advantage of its position. 78 00:04:22,120 --> 00:04:24,519 So its south-facing aspect 79 00:04:24,520 --> 00:04:28,520 meant that we could actually heat it almost entirely from the sun. 80 00:04:29,160 --> 00:04:32,039 I mean, listening to you speak, I can understand 81 00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:34,279 why you kept going at this since 2003 82 00:04:34,280 --> 00:04:36,719 because of the site, the aspect, where it faces, 83 00:04:36,720 --> 00:04:38,879 being of the village, you being of this place. 84 00:04:38,880 --> 00:04:42,880 You know, as you say, there was no...plan B. 85 00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:48,839 Having got planning permission, Saffron put her job on hold 86 00:04:48,840 --> 00:04:52,840 to help manage the site with their main contractor and architects. 87 00:04:53,840 --> 00:04:57,840 Work will begin by excavating the thick Derbyshire limestone 88 00:04:58,880 --> 00:05:01,759 to make a huge step in the rock. 89 00:05:01,760 --> 00:05:04,279 This may be an environmental home, 90 00:05:04,280 --> 00:05:08,280 but there are no hay bales or mud walls here. 91 00:05:08,320 --> 00:05:12,320 Concrete will form the platform for the house to sit on. 92 00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:17,360 And more carbon-heavy materials, like blockwork and steel, 93 00:05:17,600 --> 00:05:20,559 will form the rooms and the superstructure. 94 00:05:20,560 --> 00:05:24,560 To offset all this, Fred wants this house to be heated by the sun. 95 00:05:25,680 --> 00:05:28,479 So a wall of south-facing glazing 96 00:05:28,480 --> 00:05:31,759 will allow sunlight in to warm the concrete foundations, 97 00:05:31,760 --> 00:05:34,479 and then that heat will be locked in at night 98 00:05:34,480 --> 00:05:38,480 by closing heavily-insulated timber shutters. 99 00:05:38,720 --> 00:05:40,599 Three modest bedrooms and two bathrooms 100 00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:44,079 will be tucked into the hill on the lowest floor. 101 00:05:44,080 --> 00:05:48,080 But it's the middle floor where this house really will open up. 102 00:05:48,280 --> 00:05:51,119 The main living spaces will be drenched in light 103 00:05:51,120 --> 00:05:55,120 and will take in some spectacular views across the valley. 104 00:05:55,160 --> 00:05:58,239 The kitchen, snug and family room of the middle floor 105 00:05:58,240 --> 00:06:02,039 will be crowned by the smallest floor at the top, 106 00:06:02,040 --> 00:06:04,679 which will house Fred's timber-clad office 107 00:06:04,680 --> 00:06:08,680 and a timber bridge leading to the front door. 108 00:06:09,280 --> 00:06:11,919 Disguised as a traditional Derbyshire barn, 109 00:06:11,920 --> 00:06:14,039 this small stone-clad top floor 110 00:06:14,040 --> 00:06:18,040 will be the only visible part of this house from the road. 111 00:06:18,160 --> 00:06:20,599 And all the stone used to clad the barn 112 00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:24,600 will be recycled from the site in the local vernacular. 113 00:06:24,920 --> 00:06:28,839 This place has the potential to be a beautiful home to live in. 114 00:06:28,840 --> 00:06:32,479 But a possible nightmare to build. 115 00:06:32,480 --> 00:06:34,839 So what is the cost of it, then? 116 00:06:34,840 --> 00:06:37,919 At the moment, that isn't set, there's no fixed contract, 117 00:06:37,920 --> 00:06:39,879 priced contract yet. 118 00:06:39,880 --> 00:06:41,399 We know what we're aiming at. 119 00:06:41,400 --> 00:06:42,719 I know what I can borrow, 120 00:06:42,720 --> 00:06:45,719 when the bank finally get round to agreeing a mortgage, 121 00:06:45,720 --> 00:06:46,839 and the rest... 122 00:06:46,840 --> 00:06:49,399 What, you mean they haven't yet? No. 123 00:06:49,400 --> 00:06:52,559 And the rest of it comes from the profitability of our business 124 00:06:52,560 --> 00:06:54,999 and our savings as we go along. 125 00:06:55,000 --> 00:06:57,919 We're going to live in this house for the rest of our lives 126 00:06:57,920 --> 00:07:00,519 and the key thing is that we can build the structure 127 00:07:00,520 --> 00:07:03,639 watertight, habitable, etc, etc. 128 00:07:03,640 --> 00:07:05,919 How much, then, to get you to that point 129 00:07:05,920 --> 00:07:08,279 where you can move in and you've got a habitable house? 130 00:07:08,280 --> 00:07:10,639 So my target amount is 600. 131 00:07:10,640 --> 00:07:14,239 I can pay for them to dig the hole in the ground 132 00:07:14,240 --> 00:07:18,240 and then the bank have to come up trumps. 133 00:07:20,960 --> 00:07:24,960 They have no mortgage and no idea what this house will end up costing. 134 00:07:25,920 --> 00:07:29,920 Nevertheless, by early September, the diggers have moved onto site. 135 00:07:30,760 --> 00:07:33,359 We did a bit of a test dig yesterday, 136 00:07:33,360 --> 00:07:35,319 just to see what was there. 137 00:07:35,320 --> 00:07:37,239 And I looked down into the hole 138 00:07:37,240 --> 00:07:41,240 and I wondered, "What the heck have we let ourselves in for?!" 139 00:07:42,880 --> 00:07:44,719 Fred and Saffron have taken responsibility 140 00:07:44,720 --> 00:07:46,839 for the excavation themselves, 141 00:07:46,840 --> 00:07:48,999 using two local farmers. 142 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:53,000 They'll need to remove over 800 tonnes of hard limestone 143 00:07:53,040 --> 00:07:57,040 before they can start filling it back up with their new house. 144 00:07:57,640 --> 00:08:00,639 Yeah, I think they're mental, building it here, really. 145 00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:02,479 But hopefully, it won't rain 146 00:08:02,480 --> 00:08:05,919 and then we'll stay where we are instead of down in to the dale. 147 00:08:05,920 --> 00:08:08,359 It's our very own quarry! 148 00:08:08,360 --> 00:08:12,360 Look at the size of that! 149 00:08:17,120 --> 00:08:19,799 For the past eight years, the family have been renting 150 00:08:19,800 --> 00:08:23,759 one of the village's more traditional houses. 151 00:08:23,760 --> 00:08:26,199 My father always wanted to build a house. 152 00:08:26,200 --> 00:08:28,159 He never did it. 153 00:08:28,160 --> 00:08:31,599 It was an ambition that I probably inherited from him. 154 00:08:31,600 --> 00:08:35,600 That's my father up there. He died five years ago now. 155 00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:39,720 He was always very supportive of what we were trying to achieve. 156 00:08:40,600 --> 00:08:44,600 That desire to build goes back a very long way. 157 00:08:44,720 --> 00:08:46,719 I never thought I'd actually do it. 158 00:08:46,720 --> 00:08:50,599 In fact, I still don't! 159 00:08:50,600 --> 00:08:54,559 The temptation of work, careers and new homes 160 00:08:54,560 --> 00:08:57,599 means Fred has seen many of his childhood friends 161 00:08:57,600 --> 00:08:59,399 leave this village. 162 00:08:59,400 --> 00:09:02,959 But his commitment to this place is constant. 163 00:09:02,960 --> 00:09:04,719 As is that of his mother, 164 00:09:04,720 --> 00:09:07,359 who still lives in the house both she and Fred grew up in. 165 00:09:07,360 --> 00:09:10,359 Fred is treading in a venerable path here 166 00:09:10,360 --> 00:09:12,799 of family members who have built houses, yeah? 167 00:09:12,800 --> 00:09:15,279 His grandfather built this. Yes, yes. 168 00:09:15,280 --> 00:09:18,599 Now Fred is building his house up the hill. He's doing his up there. 169 00:09:18,600 --> 00:09:20,999 Which is wonderful. 170 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:23,039 I do feel quite proud 171 00:09:23,040 --> 00:09:27,040 that he's been able to build a house in the village. 172 00:09:28,160 --> 00:09:30,759 I mean, all his contemporaries have had to go away. 173 00:09:30,760 --> 00:09:34,760 The loss of a generation moving out 174 00:09:35,120 --> 00:09:39,120 is...is just so sad. 175 00:09:40,320 --> 00:09:42,479 What do you reckon to the house, though? 176 00:09:42,480 --> 00:09:46,480 I don't think it will be a house that...I will choose to live in. 177 00:09:46,720 --> 00:09:50,720 And I think it's going to be just a little bit too modern for me. 178 00:09:53,760 --> 00:09:55,759 Their design maybe modern, 179 00:09:55,760 --> 00:09:58,679 but they are excavating through ancient limestone, 180 00:09:58,680 --> 00:10:00,879 a seemingly epic task. 181 00:10:00,880 --> 00:10:04,880 Three weeks in, progress has slowed. 182 00:10:06,040 --> 00:10:07,959 It is getting harder, isn't it, now? 183 00:10:07,960 --> 00:10:10,439 Unfortunately. 184 00:10:10,440 --> 00:10:13,399 We've got to go down another three meters into the rock again. 185 00:10:13,400 --> 00:10:15,479 So, obviously, we're going deeper again, 186 00:10:15,480 --> 00:10:17,319 so it's going to be harder, so... 187 00:10:17,320 --> 00:10:19,879 What would you say, Ben? Are we halfway yet or not, do you think? 188 00:10:19,880 --> 00:10:21,119 I wouldn't say so, no. 189 00:10:21,120 --> 00:10:24,839 It looks like we have got a lot further on than we have, 190 00:10:24,840 --> 00:10:28,840 but I don't think we have, really, now. 191 00:10:32,840 --> 00:10:35,079 Two months into a year-long project 192 00:10:35,080 --> 00:10:37,559 and Fred and Saffron still don't have the mortgage 193 00:10:37,560 --> 00:10:40,679 they need to start laying the foundations. 194 00:10:40,680 --> 00:10:44,680 We've had an e-mail conversation with the broker. 195 00:10:45,120 --> 00:10:49,120 They are wanting to charge me a vast amount more money 196 00:10:49,240 --> 00:10:51,959 to continue with the progress of this mortgage application, 197 00:10:51,960 --> 00:10:53,839 which I think we are going to have to pay. 198 00:10:53,840 --> 00:10:55,159 That's the way it is. 199 00:10:55,160 --> 00:10:57,559 I've had an e-mail conversation with Jennifer today. 200 00:10:57,560 --> 00:10:59,759 I'm going to push for them to actually come to site, 201 00:10:59,760 --> 00:11:01,239 because they can't be that far away. 202 00:11:01,240 --> 00:11:02,879 We spent a whole load of years 203 00:11:02,880 --> 00:11:04,839 talking about how unique this project is. 204 00:11:04,840 --> 00:11:06,199 But when you talk to the banks, 205 00:11:06,200 --> 00:11:07,999 you've got to tell them how normal it is, 206 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:09,919 because they don't want a unique project. 207 00:11:09,920 --> 00:11:13,920 They want something that's really easy to understand. 208 00:11:15,520 --> 00:11:18,959 By early December, the excavation is almost complete 209 00:11:18,960 --> 00:11:22,960 and this project looks anything but conventional. 210 00:11:23,040 --> 00:11:27,040 The scale is quite breath-taking. 211 00:11:27,840 --> 00:11:31,840 This is just like walking into a very large Derbyshire quarry. 212 00:11:37,880 --> 00:11:39,479 What a place, hey? 213 00:11:39,480 --> 00:11:41,519 The hole, obviously, has to be large enough, 214 00:11:41,520 --> 00:11:44,839 excavated large enough, to be able to fit the building in it, 215 00:11:44,840 --> 00:11:47,719 so they need working space around the building. 216 00:11:47,720 --> 00:11:51,559 You have to ask, however, why on earth...? 217 00:11:51,560 --> 00:11:55,560 In building into this kind of really solid rock, 218 00:11:56,400 --> 00:12:00,400 you could almost just stick a roof on the top and move in. 219 00:12:01,800 --> 00:12:05,800 It's cost almost 25 grand to get this far, 220 00:12:05,840 --> 00:12:08,359 but there's no mortgage and no-one is prepared to lend 221 00:12:08,360 --> 00:12:11,039 on such an unusual project. 222 00:12:11,040 --> 00:12:15,040 By the end of the year, all work has stopped. 223 00:12:15,240 --> 00:12:17,719 It's just really frustrating. I just want to get on with it. 224 00:12:17,720 --> 00:12:20,479 I want to get on with it and I don't like the fact 225 00:12:20,480 --> 00:12:23,279 that people who don't know anything about our project 226 00:12:23,280 --> 00:12:25,559 or what it means to us are making decisions. 227 00:12:25,560 --> 00:12:27,599 We're going to build it. 228 00:12:27,600 --> 00:12:29,279 It might take longer. 229 00:12:29,280 --> 00:12:39,000 A bank is not going to stop me building this house. 230 00:12:44,160 --> 00:12:48,160 # Rise morning sun 231 00:12:50,400 --> 00:12:54,199 # Rising 232 00:12:54,200 --> 00:12:57,279 # Rise morning sun... # 233 00:12:57,280 --> 00:13:01,079 Fred and Saffron Baker have spent the past 13 years 234 00:13:01,080 --> 00:13:03,799 dreaming of building an earth-sheltered house 235 00:13:03,800 --> 00:13:07,800 in the village where Fred grew up, in the Peak District. 236 00:13:07,960 --> 00:13:10,919 So far, with no mortgage and no sight of one, 237 00:13:10,920 --> 00:13:14,719 all they have been able to afford is an enormous hole. 238 00:13:14,720 --> 00:13:17,239 At the moment we haven't got a project. 239 00:13:17,240 --> 00:13:19,079 It's not done anything for three months. 240 00:13:19,080 --> 00:13:23,080 And just to be held up at this last minute is just so frustrating. 241 00:13:24,840 --> 00:13:27,759 Building your own house is not for the faint-hearted 242 00:13:27,760 --> 00:13:31,760 and it tests your relationship, absolutely. 243 00:13:32,520 --> 00:13:34,519 We want to live in this house when we've built it, 244 00:13:34,520 --> 00:13:36,079 we don't want to hate it or each other. 245 00:13:36,080 --> 00:13:40,080 So we've got to make it work. 246 00:13:49,000 --> 00:13:52,999 Six months in and the site is still empty. 247 00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:55,239 But there are finally reasons for optimism. 248 00:13:55,240 --> 00:13:56,839 How's the project? 249 00:13:56,840 --> 00:13:58,439 Well, we're building a house. 250 00:13:58,440 --> 00:14:01,879 How's the finance? We have some, which is good. 251 00:14:01,880 --> 00:14:03,879 A mortgage? Yes, we did. 252 00:14:03,880 --> 00:14:06,279 We found a mortgage from the people we should have gone to 253 00:14:06,280 --> 00:14:07,639 right at the beginning. 254 00:14:07,640 --> 00:14:10,999 Sorted it out in three weeks. Oh, my Lord! How much? 255 00:14:11,000 --> 00:14:12,679 500,000. 256 00:14:12,680 --> 00:14:15,559 When's it start? We've had the first payment. 257 00:14:15,560 --> 00:14:17,999 You'd think that would be a champagne moment, wouldn't you? 258 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:20,999 Well, you'd thinks so! Was it? We were exhausted. 259 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:25,000 It was relief, more than celebration. 260 00:14:27,440 --> 00:14:29,399 The mortgage is a positive step, 261 00:14:29,400 --> 00:14:32,799 but the pressure on Fred and Saffron is unrelenting. 262 00:14:32,800 --> 00:14:36,800 This is the windows payment here, I think 263 00:14:38,520 --> 00:14:41,479 Their main contractor has come back with a construction quote 264 00:14:41,480 --> 00:14:45,480 that's almost a ?100,000 more than they were expecting. 265 00:14:45,600 --> 00:14:47,359 That's still a worrying figure, though. 266 00:14:47,360 --> 00:14:50,239 I know, I've no idea how we fix it. 267 00:14:50,240 --> 00:14:53,479 To save money, they're going to have to strip back on finishes 268 00:14:53,480 --> 00:14:57,480 and hope they'll have enough to make this house habitable. 269 00:15:02,680 --> 00:15:06,680 By late May, and nine months in, the groundworks team have moved in 270 00:15:07,280 --> 00:15:11,280 and the pouring of this building's concrete shell can finally begin. 271 00:15:12,760 --> 00:15:16,199 Here is the concrete. 272 00:15:16,200 --> 00:15:19,599 The concrete structure ought to be finished in three months, 273 00:15:19,600 --> 00:15:22,399 so Fred and Saffron might move in by Christmas. 274 00:15:22,400 --> 00:15:24,079 We should be able to see. 275 00:15:24,080 --> 00:15:26,759 He's lining it up with this hopper here. 276 00:15:26,760 --> 00:15:30,760 Can you see, Billy? 277 00:15:30,960 --> 00:15:33,039 Almost a decade in planning 278 00:15:33,040 --> 00:15:37,040 and at last there are some signs of a building. 279 00:15:39,800 --> 00:15:42,079 But this won't be the first concrete home 280 00:15:42,080 --> 00:15:46,080 to try and bury itself in the Peak District. 281 00:15:48,520 --> 00:15:52,520 So this is a garden which is also a house. 282 00:15:52,800 --> 00:15:56,039 A building which inspired Fred and Saffron. 283 00:15:56,040 --> 00:15:57,719 I say it's a building. 284 00:15:57,720 --> 00:16:01,720 It's not architecture that you can recognise from the outside, is it? 285 00:16:01,800 --> 00:16:05,800 It's what the man who built it called geo-tecture. 286 00:16:11,560 --> 00:16:15,560 Geo is Greek for earth, and this house is covered in it. 287 00:16:16,720 --> 00:16:19,599 The man behind this building is architect Arthur Quarmby, 288 00:16:19,600 --> 00:16:23,600 one of the biggest proponents of earth-sheltered houses in Europe. 289 00:16:26,280 --> 00:16:30,280 The green exterior is a big contrast to what's inside. 290 00:16:33,040 --> 00:16:35,759 HE CHUCKLES 291 00:16:35,760 --> 00:16:37,279 What a centrepiece that is! 292 00:16:37,280 --> 00:16:41,280 Look, I know this place looks like a 1970s film set but, 293 00:16:41,400 --> 00:16:43,799 on the other hand, it was built then. 294 00:16:43,800 --> 00:16:46,319 The architect who put it together, Arthur Quarmby, 295 00:16:46,320 --> 00:16:49,119 lived here for 41 years before he sold it recently. 296 00:16:49,120 --> 00:16:53,120 And it's quite important that Arthur Quarmby was an inspiration 297 00:16:53,200 --> 00:16:55,319 for Fred and Saffron here 298 00:16:55,320 --> 00:16:59,320 because a lot of the ideas in their house have taken a lead from here. 299 00:16:59,400 --> 00:17:02,359 They've got these flowing spaces, 300 00:17:02,360 --> 00:17:06,360 a connection between floors through light wells, big glazed areas. 301 00:17:07,840 --> 00:17:11,199 For Fred and Saffron, this building doesn't just hold ideas, 302 00:17:11,200 --> 00:17:13,119 it is also where ten years ago, 303 00:17:13,120 --> 00:17:16,319 their dream for an earth-sheltered house first took shape. 304 00:17:16,320 --> 00:17:18,999 Now, you see this view across the valley, 305 00:17:19,000 --> 00:17:23,000 this place is where Arthur Quarmby sat and drew at his table here, 306 00:17:24,480 --> 00:17:27,319 the first iteration of Fred and Saffron's house. How about that? 307 00:17:27,320 --> 00:17:31,320 I bet, in fact, if I go outside, there's more of a connection. 308 00:17:32,360 --> 00:17:33,999 Ha-ha! Look at this... 309 00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:38,000 If you were to repeat this elevation three or four storeys deep, 310 00:17:38,120 --> 00:17:39,439 then you have their home. 311 00:17:39,440 --> 00:17:41,839 This is the prototype, almost, for what they're building. 312 00:17:41,840 --> 00:17:45,439 You can recognise the connection between them, 313 00:17:45,440 --> 00:17:49,440 the DNA that they share. 314 00:17:54,360 --> 00:17:57,319 It's hard to imagine how Fred and Saffron's house 315 00:17:57,320 --> 00:17:59,719 will ever be in keeping with its surroundings. 316 00:17:59,720 --> 00:18:03,720 At the moment, it looks more like an underground car park. 317 00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:09,999 Getting to grips with the steep incline and access 318 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:13,639 is causing some painful delays. 319 00:18:13,640 --> 00:18:16,839 Probably the hardest thing on the build is the access. 320 00:18:16,840 --> 00:18:20,840 I would say, on a weekly basis, we're kind of re-adjusting the ramp 321 00:18:20,960 --> 00:18:23,799 to work certain areas and service certain areas. 322 00:18:23,800 --> 00:18:26,319 I would say it's probably adding about 15% to 20% 323 00:18:26,320 --> 00:18:30,320 above what it would take to build this traditionally out of ground. 324 00:18:33,800 --> 00:18:37,800 By August, this project is way behind schedule. 325 00:18:38,240 --> 00:18:41,039 The concrete work should have been almost finished by now, 326 00:18:41,040 --> 00:18:44,119 but they're not even halfway through. 327 00:18:44,120 --> 00:18:45,759 Wow. 328 00:18:45,760 --> 00:18:49,760 It's like coming down a scree on the side of a peak. 329 00:18:49,800 --> 00:18:53,800 Blockwork, lots of steel, slab, massive formwork. 330 00:18:54,880 --> 00:18:57,639 This isn't a building, this is a piece of civil engineering. 331 00:18:57,640 --> 00:19:00,799 Oh, and I can just see the edge of the timber 332 00:19:00,800 --> 00:19:03,319 that is lining the shuttering. 333 00:19:03,320 --> 00:19:06,519 And that, when it's removed, is going to leave 334 00:19:06,520 --> 00:19:09,959 a beautiful board-marked finish on the concrete in the kitchen. 335 00:19:09,960 --> 00:19:12,119 That's the lovely thing about concrete, 336 00:19:12,120 --> 00:19:15,119 it is a plastic medium that will take the surface texture 337 00:19:15,120 --> 00:19:19,120 of whatever is holding it while it sets. 338 00:19:23,320 --> 00:19:26,879 You can't help but be impressed by the scale of the concrete work. 339 00:19:26,880 --> 00:19:30,880 But for Saffron, the mounting delays are pure frustration. 340 00:19:31,960 --> 00:19:35,039 It is slower than I would hope. 341 00:19:35,040 --> 00:19:39,040 This stage has probably taken an extra 20% or 30% longer, 342 00:19:39,280 --> 00:19:41,919 which is quite a long time. Yeah, you have my sympathy about that. 343 00:19:41,920 --> 00:19:45,519 But you made this rod for your own backs, it is of your making. 344 00:19:45,520 --> 00:19:48,079 It is. We chose this site, we chose this site, 345 00:19:48,080 --> 00:19:50,439 it's awkward to develop on. 346 00:19:50,440 --> 00:19:53,599 Getting out the ground is what is the pain, that's where... 347 00:19:53,600 --> 00:19:56,039 And it's all in the ground, so... And it's all in the ground. 348 00:19:56,040 --> 00:19:57,879 And the access is outrageous! 349 00:19:57,880 --> 00:20:01,839 What's the financial knock-on from the delays to the work so far? 350 00:20:01,840 --> 00:20:04,279 Our rent. But now I can see where the money could go, 351 00:20:04,280 --> 00:20:07,319 I don't want to spend any more. Yeah. 352 00:20:07,320 --> 00:20:10,639 Fred and Saffron still don't know if they have enough cash 353 00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:12,839 to fully complete this project 354 00:20:12,840 --> 00:20:15,519 and they've made some brave choices for the interior 355 00:20:15,520 --> 00:20:17,239 to bring the costs down, 356 00:20:17,240 --> 00:20:21,159 like leaving much of the blockwork exposed. 357 00:20:21,160 --> 00:20:24,199 This is actually, at the moment, my favourite bit of the building. 358 00:20:24,200 --> 00:20:26,919 What, this downstairs bit? This downstairs back corridor. 359 00:20:26,920 --> 00:20:28,319 Oh, yeah? 360 00:20:28,320 --> 00:20:32,320 These walls are sort of more or less, as is, as they're going to be? 361 00:20:32,480 --> 00:20:33,879 It's a cost issue. 362 00:20:33,880 --> 00:20:37,880 Certainly, initially, we are going to have bare breeze-block walls 363 00:20:38,160 --> 00:20:40,279 and over time it will evolve. 364 00:20:40,280 --> 00:20:44,280 You've had to use how many cubic meters of concrete? 365 00:20:44,520 --> 00:20:46,839 185. 366 00:20:46,840 --> 00:20:48,719 That's enough! Yeah. 367 00:20:48,720 --> 00:20:52,279 And the steel? All of which has a heavy carbon impact. 368 00:20:52,280 --> 00:20:54,479 That's the bit that hurts, actually. Does it? 369 00:20:54,480 --> 00:20:58,439 Yeah, there are compromises along the way and, you know, 370 00:20:58,440 --> 00:21:02,119 I'd have loved to have used an eco-concrete product, 371 00:21:02,120 --> 00:21:03,519 but actually nobody could do it. 372 00:21:03,520 --> 00:21:07,079 It's standard concrete, admittedly, and, yeah, that hurts. 373 00:21:07,080 --> 00:21:11,080 So the carbon impact of making all this steel and all this cement 374 00:21:12,880 --> 00:21:14,679 and resourcing this building 375 00:21:14,680 --> 00:21:17,119 might well be paid back in how many years, do you reckon? 376 00:21:17,120 --> 00:21:20,559 I think five to ten years. 377 00:21:20,560 --> 00:21:24,199 Exposed concrete walls aren't typical of many eco-houses, 378 00:21:24,200 --> 00:21:27,359 but Fred wants zero heating bills, 379 00:21:27,360 --> 00:21:31,360 and the use of concrete will be key in achieving that. 380 00:21:31,640 --> 00:21:34,999 What I am drawing here is a sort of schematic representation 381 00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:37,319 of Fred and Saffron's house. 382 00:21:37,320 --> 00:21:40,759 Big concrete box set into the rock behind. 383 00:21:40,760 --> 00:21:44,760 Of course, concrete is a very, very environmentally-harmful material. 384 00:21:45,800 --> 00:21:48,839 For every tonne of cement produced, a tonne of carbon's produced. 385 00:21:48,840 --> 00:21:52,559 Nevertheless, it has fantastic abilities to store heat. 386 00:21:52,560 --> 00:21:55,839 The sun, of course, will beam in, heat the concrete. 387 00:21:55,840 --> 00:21:58,799 The difficulty is, this glass is always 388 00:21:58,800 --> 00:22:00,359 going lose heat at night. 389 00:22:00,360 --> 00:22:02,479 So what's their solution? It's brilliant,. 390 00:22:02,480 --> 00:22:05,759 It's to build shutters, 391 00:22:05,760 --> 00:22:07,559 which are also brilliantly insulated. 392 00:22:07,560 --> 00:22:11,079 It should mean, they can stay warm 393 00:22:11,080 --> 00:22:15,080 with no extra energy inputs into the building at all. 394 00:22:18,760 --> 00:22:20,319 To save money, 395 00:22:20,320 --> 00:22:24,320 by October, Fred and Saffron give notice on their rented house. 396 00:22:25,880 --> 00:22:28,439 An optimistic move, because their new home 397 00:22:28,440 --> 00:22:32,440 has only just revealed its first finished detail. 398 00:22:34,440 --> 00:22:37,239 This is our beautiful board-formed concrete wall of the kitchen, 399 00:22:37,240 --> 00:22:38,919 and will be lit from the top, 400 00:22:38,920 --> 00:22:42,839 so you'll see all that lovely relief in it from the timbers. 401 00:22:42,840 --> 00:22:44,279 It's beautiful. I love it. 402 00:22:44,280 --> 00:22:48,159 A glimpse of what's to come. 403 00:22:48,160 --> 00:22:51,519 But this is an unforgiving site. 404 00:22:51,520 --> 00:22:53,159 It can be quite tricky. 405 00:22:53,160 --> 00:22:55,959 A lot of slipping and sliding and stuff like that with the rain. 406 00:22:55,960 --> 00:22:58,039 To avoid the expense of a crane, 407 00:22:58,040 --> 00:23:01,319 everything on this site is now manoeuvred by hand. 408 00:23:01,320 --> 00:23:03,439 I just can't imagine how they are going to do this. 409 00:23:03,440 --> 00:23:04,759 How are they going to lift it? 410 00:23:04,760 --> 00:23:07,119 Just hold it there, John, keep it there! 411 00:23:07,120 --> 00:23:08,599 Whoa! That'll do! 412 00:23:08,600 --> 00:23:10,079 It's slow progress, 413 00:23:10,080 --> 00:23:13,559 on a project which is now three months behind schedule. 414 00:23:13,560 --> 00:23:17,560 There's a whole list of things to do before it's a proper reality. 415 00:23:17,920 --> 00:23:28,000 I can't tell when it will feel like our home. 416 00:23:35,200 --> 00:23:36,959 In the heart of the Peak District, 417 00:23:36,960 --> 00:23:40,960 Fred and Saffron are now 14 months into their project. 418 00:23:43,520 --> 00:23:46,319 Around 325 tonnes of concrete 419 00:23:46,320 --> 00:23:50,320 have been poured into their hole in the ground. 420 00:23:50,400 --> 00:23:53,119 Everybody at school's talking about it 421 00:23:53,120 --> 00:23:57,120 and saying, "Have you got to this stage yet? Is the concrete in?" 422 00:23:58,480 --> 00:24:01,719 And stuff like that. 423 00:24:01,720 --> 00:24:03,759 They don't ask me anything. 424 00:24:03,760 --> 00:24:06,919 Can I just get the tape straight, please, mate? 425 00:24:06,920 --> 00:24:10,199 Progress has been slow so, so to try and save some time, 426 00:24:10,200 --> 00:24:12,399 the steels for the middle floor 427 00:24:12,400 --> 00:24:15,359 are being measured and cut to size on site. 428 00:24:15,360 --> 00:24:19,360 5615 is tight, so you need to take 10mm off that. 429 00:24:20,800 --> 00:24:22,479 But it will only save weeks 430 00:24:22,480 --> 00:24:26,480 on a project that is running months behind. 431 00:24:30,360 --> 00:24:32,759 Since she's on site every day, 432 00:24:32,760 --> 00:24:36,319 Saffron can enjoy the occasional big step forward. 433 00:24:36,320 --> 00:24:38,519 Like the steel tray floors, 434 00:24:38,520 --> 00:24:41,599 which have at last enclosed some of the spaces. 435 00:24:41,600 --> 00:24:45,359 Fred would obviously like to be here every day, 436 00:24:45,360 --> 00:24:48,039 because it's hard for him missing out on stuff. 437 00:24:48,040 --> 00:24:51,559 But he's got loads of really exciting work on, 438 00:24:51,560 --> 00:24:53,799 which is what's paying for this building. 439 00:24:53,800 --> 00:24:55,679 So that's just the way it is. 440 00:24:55,680 --> 00:24:59,680 Fred only gets to site in the evenings and at weekends. 441 00:24:59,960 --> 00:25:01,679 Of course, it is right and proper 442 00:25:01,680 --> 00:25:03,919 that you are away earning money to pay for it. 443 00:25:03,920 --> 00:25:06,519 Well, it's a necessity. Absolutely. 444 00:25:06,520 --> 00:25:08,359 Yeah, yeah. 445 00:25:08,360 --> 00:25:12,360 It's frustrating because I, you know, I like to be hands-on. 446 00:25:12,640 --> 00:25:15,719 How are the finances? I think, budget-wise, we'll hit it. 447 00:25:15,720 --> 00:25:17,639 We've stripped out a lot. 448 00:25:17,640 --> 00:25:19,559 Where have the compromises been? 449 00:25:19,560 --> 00:25:23,560 The compromises have been in interiors. Right. 450 00:25:23,720 --> 00:25:25,599 Things like plaster, paint... 451 00:25:25,600 --> 00:25:27,119 Yeah, thinks like plaster, paint, 452 00:25:27,120 --> 00:25:31,120 you know, ceilings that we decided not to put in. 453 00:25:31,840 --> 00:25:34,359 They'll be nothing else to strip out soon! 454 00:25:34,360 --> 00:25:36,959 We'll be back to this! Yeah. 455 00:25:36,960 --> 00:25:40,479 What about the insulated shutters? Are they a luxury that you...? 456 00:25:40,480 --> 00:25:43,519 No, they're not. No, they are a necessity. 457 00:25:43,520 --> 00:25:45,479 They will be going in. Oh, OK. 458 00:25:45,480 --> 00:25:47,239 Tat thermal efficiency of the building 459 00:25:47,240 --> 00:25:50,319 is something that I won't compromise on. Car park aesthetic. 460 00:25:50,320 --> 00:25:53,199 Car park aesthetic. On the inside, I think you'll be surprised, Kevin. 461 00:25:53,200 --> 00:25:55,159 Super house functionality. 462 00:25:55,160 --> 00:25:58,839 I think you'll be surprised by the interior. 463 00:25:58,840 --> 00:26:02,840 Do you reckon? Because I think I'm looking at most of it already! 464 00:26:05,560 --> 00:26:09,039 The insulated shutters that promise zero heating bills 465 00:26:09,040 --> 00:26:11,839 are already being hand-made in Sheffield. 466 00:26:11,840 --> 00:26:14,239 How's it going? 467 00:26:14,240 --> 00:26:18,240 Is this the first one? This is the first one. 468 00:26:18,480 --> 00:26:22,480 Thick insulation is sandwiched between two skins of timber. 469 00:26:23,240 --> 00:26:25,559 You don't know how critical this is for our house, 470 00:26:25,560 --> 00:26:29,560 for how this whole house functions! 471 00:26:31,920 --> 00:26:33,839 It's now late autumn 472 00:26:33,840 --> 00:26:37,840 and Saffron's getting ready to move house towards the end of the month. 473 00:26:39,040 --> 00:26:42,999 Not into their new home, but to live with Fred's mum. 474 00:26:43,000 --> 00:26:47,000 We moved in here temporarily whilst we got planning permission to build. 475 00:26:47,440 --> 00:26:49,159 It was always temporary. 476 00:26:49,160 --> 00:26:50,879 So we have made it home. 477 00:26:50,880 --> 00:26:54,239 We've had, you know, eight, nine...eight Christmases here. 478 00:26:54,240 --> 00:26:58,240 But not this one! 479 00:27:01,800 --> 00:27:05,800 For over a year, Fred and Saffron have been given nothing to look at 480 00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:09,279 but rock, mud and concrete. 481 00:27:09,280 --> 00:27:10,879 As their new house takes shape, 482 00:27:10,880 --> 00:27:13,039 we're heading to the other side of the valley 483 00:27:13,040 --> 00:27:16,599 to get a different perspective. 484 00:27:16,600 --> 00:27:20,239 So this is the first time that I've come across 485 00:27:20,240 --> 00:27:23,359 to have a look across the opposite side of the dale. 486 00:27:23,360 --> 00:27:25,919 It looks like a proper building, you know what I mean? 487 00:27:25,920 --> 00:27:28,679 As oppose to an extended piece of groundworks. 488 00:27:28,680 --> 00:27:30,719 I can see the finished building, 489 00:27:30,720 --> 00:27:32,239 how it's going to look 490 00:27:32,240 --> 00:27:35,519 and how it's going to blend into that hillside. Good. 491 00:27:35,520 --> 00:27:37,879 It's the first time I've been able to see that, actually. 492 00:27:37,880 --> 00:27:41,239 Now the lids are on and that curve's starting to form, 493 00:27:41,240 --> 00:27:42,839 I can actually see how the whole... 494 00:27:42,840 --> 00:27:44,919 You'll be up here every tea-time, won't you? 495 00:27:44,920 --> 00:27:47,559 It's probably good for you. 496 00:27:47,560 --> 00:27:50,999 It's good to get the physical perspective that you get here 497 00:27:51,000 --> 00:27:52,559 in order to understand, you know... 498 00:27:52,560 --> 00:27:54,559 I shall be coming up here more often. You should. 499 00:27:54,560 --> 00:27:57,519 Yeah, I think we need to walk, we need to come up here every week. 500 00:27:57,520 --> 00:28:00,199 It's the first time I've seen this and it is... 501 00:28:00,200 --> 00:28:02,519 Yeah, it's breath-taking, actually. 502 00:28:02,520 --> 00:28:06,520 Yeah. 503 00:28:08,400 --> 00:28:12,400 But Fred and Saffron's new perspective is short-lived. 504 00:28:13,080 --> 00:28:16,959 A sudden cold snap heralds the beginning of another winter 505 00:28:16,960 --> 00:28:19,119 and the last concrete pour for the roofs 506 00:28:19,120 --> 00:28:21,959 has been delayed by almost a month. 507 00:28:21,960 --> 00:28:25,960 By December, the family have had to move in with their new landlady. 508 00:28:28,040 --> 00:28:31,759 Well, at the moment, I've got my son and his wife 509 00:28:31,760 --> 00:28:34,879 and their two children living with me. 510 00:28:34,880 --> 00:28:36,479 Have you done mine? 511 00:28:36,480 --> 00:28:38,799 I've done them. Yeah, I've done them already. 512 00:28:38,800 --> 00:28:41,239 I did yours last night. Yeah, I did them last night. 513 00:28:41,240 --> 00:28:45,240 I've learnt to just sort of bite my tongue. 514 00:28:45,440 --> 00:28:47,639 I would never put a milk bottle on the table, 515 00:28:47,640 --> 00:28:51,640 even at breakfast! 516 00:28:54,480 --> 00:28:57,279 Today, the roofs go on. 517 00:28:57,280 --> 00:28:59,839 It's taken far too long to get to this point, but we're here now. 518 00:28:59,840 --> 00:29:02,559 And it's not snowing, so that's a good thing. 519 00:29:02,560 --> 00:29:06,560 We're essentially six months behind. 520 00:29:06,720 --> 00:29:08,959 So there's been further delay, 521 00:29:08,960 --> 00:29:11,239 mainly because of the groundworks. 522 00:29:11,240 --> 00:29:13,199 In fact, entirely because of the groundworks. 523 00:29:13,200 --> 00:29:17,200 This will be the final day on site for the groundworks team. 524 00:29:17,360 --> 00:29:19,439 A job that was supposed to take three months 525 00:29:19,440 --> 00:29:21,199 has taken close to seven. 526 00:29:21,200 --> 00:29:25,119 Yeah, it's been a difficult job. Access has been a bit awkward. 527 00:29:25,120 --> 00:29:29,120 We have gone over the programme, but you can't rush quality. 528 00:29:36,720 --> 00:29:39,159 In the New Year, the top floor barn goes up 529 00:29:39,160 --> 00:29:43,160 and the first piece of timber makes its way on site. 530 00:29:44,360 --> 00:29:46,479 This should be a momentous day. 531 00:29:46,480 --> 00:29:50,480 But Saffron's had bad news from the contractors. 532 00:29:51,080 --> 00:29:53,399 It's not going to be finished until June, 533 00:29:53,400 --> 00:29:57,400 which has taken me the best part of two months to accept, I think. 534 00:29:58,720 --> 00:30:00,679 It's difficult to take, 535 00:30:00,680 --> 00:30:04,119 it's knocked the wind out of my sails a bit, I think. 536 00:30:04,120 --> 00:30:08,119 I think I was expecting to move out of our rented accommodation 537 00:30:08,120 --> 00:30:11,999 and then feel renewed energy for this project, 538 00:30:12,000 --> 00:30:13,279 but that didn't happened. 539 00:30:13,280 --> 00:30:16,079 What actually happened was the stress kind of took hold 540 00:30:16,080 --> 00:30:17,559 and got to me and... 541 00:30:17,560 --> 00:30:21,560 ..I've not been able to do very much, really. 542 00:30:25,760 --> 00:30:29,760 Saffron's difficulty is accompanied by a harsh winter. 543 00:30:29,920 --> 00:30:33,920 But by April, she and Fred have restructured their finances. 544 00:30:34,040 --> 00:30:37,999 At last, something positive has come from all those delays. 545 00:30:38,000 --> 00:30:41,159 Business-wise, we had a good year last year, 546 00:30:41,160 --> 00:30:45,039 so I'm able to release a little bit more money 547 00:30:45,040 --> 00:30:48,639 than I thought I was going to be able to. 548 00:30:48,640 --> 00:30:51,559 Fred and Saffron are also increasing their mortgage. 549 00:30:51,560 --> 00:30:55,560 In total, they'll have an extra ?130,000. 550 00:30:57,040 --> 00:31:01,040 That'll get spent on stonework cladding, an extra bathroom 551 00:31:01,080 --> 00:31:02,479 and some landscaping. 552 00:31:02,480 --> 00:31:04,639 Even so, they're standing by the decision 553 00:31:04,640 --> 00:31:08,559 to leave much of the blockwork exposed. 554 00:31:08,560 --> 00:31:12,560 I don't think I would ever choose to see blockwork. 555 00:31:13,560 --> 00:31:15,719 I'm sure it will irritate me. 556 00:31:15,720 --> 00:31:19,720 But for financial reasons, I'm happy to make that blockwork attractive. 557 00:31:24,840 --> 00:31:28,840 Fred and Saffron are going to spend over ?700,000 on this building. 558 00:31:30,920 --> 00:31:33,679 But for the first time, they know they can afford to finish it. 559 00:31:33,680 --> 00:31:36,879 Tea! 560 00:31:36,880 --> 00:31:40,880 As the windows go in, there is a new optimism on site. 561 00:31:41,280 --> 00:31:42,919 That's very satisfying. 562 00:31:42,920 --> 00:31:46,920 Well, this is going to be where I sit and work. 563 00:31:48,920 --> 00:31:52,920 I love it. Absolutely love it! 564 00:31:54,000 --> 00:31:55,359 There's absolutely no way 565 00:31:55,360 --> 00:31:57,919 I could have built this house without Saffron. 566 00:31:57,920 --> 00:31:59,279 Absolutely no way. 567 00:31:59,280 --> 00:32:03,280 She's taken what was my dream and turned it into our dream 568 00:32:03,360 --> 00:32:05,239 and made it happen. 569 00:32:05,240 --> 00:32:09,240 I want this office now. You're out. It's my space! 570 00:32:11,000 --> 00:32:14,559 This project wouldn't have happened without you. 571 00:32:14,560 --> 00:32:17,519 You found the builders, you found the architects. 572 00:32:17,520 --> 00:32:20,519 This wouldn't have happened with out you. 573 00:32:20,520 --> 00:32:24,520 Better get it right, then! 574 00:32:27,440 --> 00:32:31,440 By early summer, this eco-house has started to produce electricity. 575 00:32:31,840 --> 00:32:34,839 The curved concrete terraces are taking shape 576 00:32:34,840 --> 00:32:36,399 and the top floor barn 577 00:32:36,400 --> 00:32:40,400 is receiving its remarkable cladding of napped stone. 578 00:32:43,440 --> 00:32:46,239 How beautiful. 579 00:32:46,240 --> 00:32:50,240 Oak roof, beautiful wall, which is... 580 00:32:51,560 --> 00:32:53,519 Oh, it's almost engineered. 581 00:32:53,520 --> 00:32:57,319 This is... This is something else. 582 00:32:57,320 --> 00:33:01,159 After a year of seeing nothing but concrete on this site, 583 00:33:01,160 --> 00:33:04,999 it's a real joy to see properly-napped, 584 00:33:05,000 --> 00:33:07,599 beautifully-bedded dry stone. 585 00:33:07,600 --> 00:33:11,600 If they can do to the front of the building what they've done here... 586 00:33:12,280 --> 00:33:15,559 ..it's going to be a cracker. 587 00:33:15,560 --> 00:33:19,119 The quaint Derbyshire barn is sitting on top of a concrete shell, 588 00:33:19,120 --> 00:33:21,879 where the car park aesthetic is really coming together. 589 00:33:21,880 --> 00:33:24,719 Pipes, tubes, wires, guts. 590 00:33:24,720 --> 00:33:28,079 Yep, arteries. Some people would loathe this. 591 00:33:28,080 --> 00:33:30,359 Have you got enough money to finish it? 592 00:33:30,360 --> 00:33:31,639 Yeah, I think so. Yeah. 593 00:33:31,640 --> 00:33:33,679 We just wanted to get it to a state 594 00:33:33,680 --> 00:33:37,680 where it was going to be as finished as we possibly could. Yeah. 595 00:33:37,840 --> 00:33:41,840 We're so desperate to get in now. 596 00:33:43,320 --> 00:33:45,239 Over the coming months, 597 00:33:45,240 --> 00:33:47,279 all the new available cash has been spent 598 00:33:47,280 --> 00:33:49,999 on their kitchen and bathroom fittings. 599 00:33:50,000 --> 00:33:54,000 Elsewhere, compromises are still on show. 600 00:33:57,120 --> 00:34:00,959 By mid-summer, the annual well dressing festival is underway. 601 00:34:00,960 --> 00:34:04,960 Saffron now knows her family are on the threshold of something new. 602 00:34:05,880 --> 00:34:08,799 This is something that we've fought for for a long time. 603 00:34:08,800 --> 00:34:12,679 It'll be something, the beginning of a new life. 604 00:34:12,680 --> 00:34:15,479 So I don't feel like we're racing to the finish. 605 00:34:15,480 --> 00:34:24,000 I feel like we're kind of trotting towards the start line. 606 00:34:34,160 --> 00:34:36,959 I've been visiting Fred and Saffron in the Peak District 607 00:34:36,960 --> 00:34:38,959 for over two years. 608 00:34:38,960 --> 00:34:42,879 It's one of my favourite landscapes - it's heroic and momentous, 609 00:34:42,880 --> 00:34:46,239 a place to walk, think and dream. 610 00:34:46,240 --> 00:34:50,240 A place where not everything is as it seems. 611 00:34:51,640 --> 00:34:55,640 Well, that building looks like it's sort of...a little hut, a workshop. 612 00:34:56,000 --> 00:35:00,000 Absolutely a decoy for what's underneath it. 613 00:35:00,760 --> 00:35:04,760 The beautifully wrought barn and porch give no hint 614 00:35:04,920 --> 00:35:08,920 of the struggle that lay beneath. 615 00:35:12,480 --> 00:35:15,399 No suggestion of the buried concrete fortress 616 00:35:15,400 --> 00:35:19,400 now wrapped in stone and timber. 617 00:35:20,680 --> 00:35:24,319 My word! It looks like a great... 618 00:35:24,320 --> 00:35:28,320 ..curving cliff of stone. 619 00:35:29,600 --> 00:35:33,600 All that rubble has been assembled into this beautiful shape. 620 00:35:34,280 --> 00:35:37,879 What a deceit, hey? 621 00:35:37,880 --> 00:35:41,599 Every stone was dug out of the ground here, split, 622 00:35:41,600 --> 00:35:45,599 shaped and faced to produce walls that are unerringly fine. 623 00:35:45,600 --> 00:35:47,759 It's mesmerising work. 624 00:35:47,760 --> 00:35:51,760 It's hard to imagine the sloping scrap of land that once was here. 625 00:35:52,400 --> 00:35:56,039 Fred and Saffron's patience would seem to have been rewarded. 626 00:35:56,040 --> 00:35:57,359 Hello! 627 00:35:57,360 --> 00:35:59,999 Oh, it's very good to see you both. Are you all right? 628 00:36:00,000 --> 00:36:02,119 Yeah, yeah, I am, how are you? 629 00:36:02,120 --> 00:36:06,120 And this is looking just...peachy. 630 00:36:06,160 --> 00:36:10,160 Absolutely great. And from the road, no indication at all of what's here. 631 00:36:10,760 --> 00:36:13,159 Absolutely nothing at all. Just a bungalow. 632 00:36:13,160 --> 00:36:15,479 The stonework is particularly fine. 633 00:36:15,480 --> 00:36:18,639 The stone's almost become one thing, one surface. 634 00:36:18,640 --> 00:36:21,999 I think it's just triumphant. What's it like inside? 635 00:36:22,000 --> 00:36:24,839 Erm... Is it done? Are you in? 636 00:36:24,840 --> 00:36:27,759 Yes, yes, we're in. Good! Come on, then. Come on! 637 00:36:27,760 --> 00:36:31,760 Yeah, yeah. 638 00:36:32,120 --> 00:36:34,799 Into the dark corridor. 639 00:36:34,800 --> 00:36:35,999 And into... 640 00:36:36,000 --> 00:36:37,839 Ooh! Into some light. 641 00:36:37,840 --> 00:36:41,840 Oh, into a great deal of light. 642 00:36:45,840 --> 00:36:49,279 This middle floor is open and bright, 643 00:36:49,280 --> 00:36:51,999 despite those heavy blockwork walls. 644 00:36:52,000 --> 00:36:55,519 Do you know, this is... 645 00:36:55,520 --> 00:36:59,520 ..this is very surprising because I was fully prepared for all the conduit and the exposing, 646 00:37:00,040 --> 00:37:03,239 but I was not prepared for all of the timber and that, 647 00:37:03,240 --> 00:37:05,079 all that panelling up there. 648 00:37:05,080 --> 00:37:09,080 There's a lot of very finely crafted lining of this building 649 00:37:11,240 --> 00:37:12,399 that's gone on. 650 00:37:12,400 --> 00:37:16,400 And the tubes and pipes everywhere do not exactly... 651 00:37:17,880 --> 00:37:21,639 I mean, OK, it's a raw, brutalist finish in a way, 652 00:37:21,640 --> 00:37:23,679 but it's not minimal, is it? 653 00:37:23,680 --> 00:37:25,479 I wasn't sure I was going to like it, 654 00:37:25,480 --> 00:37:28,679 but I like the honesty of it now. 655 00:37:28,680 --> 00:37:31,199 The craftsmen who did all of this worked 656 00:37:31,200 --> 00:37:33,239 so hard to get this looking right. 657 00:37:33,240 --> 00:37:35,039 You mean the plumber and electrician? 658 00:37:35,040 --> 00:37:36,799 The plumber and electrician. Yeah, yeah! 659 00:37:36,800 --> 00:37:39,599 Because, for the first time ever, their work has been on show. 660 00:37:39,600 --> 00:37:41,519 It's exquisite. 661 00:37:41,520 --> 00:37:44,879 It's sort of semi-open plan. You're kind of drawn, aren't you? 662 00:37:44,880 --> 00:37:46,119 Yes. 663 00:37:46,120 --> 00:37:49,799 This is your beautiful staircase down. 664 00:37:49,800 --> 00:37:52,359 And then through to music room. 665 00:37:52,360 --> 00:37:56,360 Music room, spare room. It's, it's... It's magical. 666 00:37:57,840 --> 00:38:01,559 The exposed blockwork began as a cost-saving exercise. 667 00:38:01,560 --> 00:38:05,119 It seems to have emerged as a style of decoration. 668 00:38:05,120 --> 00:38:08,679 I don't know how you feel. I mean, is this, is this finished? 669 00:38:08,680 --> 00:38:12,479 What's interesting is I didn't think it was, but now I'm here with it, 670 00:38:12,480 --> 00:38:16,480 I'm seeing it's not a hotel, this is our home and, actually... 671 00:38:17,840 --> 00:38:19,559 That, up there...? 672 00:38:19,560 --> 00:38:22,239 Yeah, that'll stay. I don't want it filling. Why would you fill it? 673 00:38:22,240 --> 00:38:24,799 It's a block that got dropped on its way to being put there. 674 00:38:24,800 --> 00:38:26,119 That's OK. 675 00:38:26,120 --> 00:38:28,799 It's not common, what you've done. 676 00:38:28,800 --> 00:38:32,759 No. It's that juxtaposition all the time between the personal, 677 00:38:32,760 --> 00:38:35,799 the finished, the polished, the cherished and the raw. 678 00:38:35,800 --> 00:38:38,799 And it's only when you put them together that you realise that, 679 00:38:38,800 --> 00:38:41,119 actually, it doesn't really matter how raw the raw is. 680 00:38:41,120 --> 00:38:44,239 And I do, you know, I walk around and it makes me excited. 681 00:38:44,240 --> 00:38:47,439 Just looking, whether it's the stonework outside or the, 682 00:38:47,440 --> 00:38:50,599 you know, the kitchen, the light. 683 00:38:50,600 --> 00:38:54,600 All of those details just bring a smile to your face. 684 00:38:57,600 --> 00:39:01,600 This semi-open floor has one slightly cosier concrete snug. 685 00:39:05,360 --> 00:39:08,479 But, upstairs, on the very top floor, in the barn, 686 00:39:08,480 --> 00:39:12,480 the building becomes fully refined. 687 00:39:13,120 --> 00:39:16,519 Oh, there's no more concrete up here. In fact, it's all wood. 688 00:39:16,520 --> 00:39:18,599 So this is the only level that's above ground, 689 00:39:18,600 --> 00:39:22,600 and as you go down, you go down into the concrete. 690 00:39:24,360 --> 00:39:27,679 I do like the idea of arriving and immediately being faced with a bridge. 691 00:39:27,680 --> 00:39:31,680 It's like, there's the portcullis, there's the draw bridge. 692 00:39:32,520 --> 00:39:36,520 Up here, Fred's contained ply-lined office captures some pretty 693 00:39:37,040 --> 00:39:39,359 good views across the hills. 694 00:39:39,360 --> 00:39:43,360 What a very nice place to work. 695 00:39:48,240 --> 00:39:51,519 As you descend from the dizzy heights of the barn at road level 696 00:39:51,520 --> 00:39:53,879 to the lowest level where the bedrooms are, 697 00:39:53,880 --> 00:39:57,880 the plywood timber linings give way to more and more solid masonry. 698 00:39:59,880 --> 00:40:01,679 Down here, it's the only place 699 00:40:01,680 --> 00:40:05,399 that you've used stone inside the building. Inside. Because? 700 00:40:05,400 --> 00:40:08,479 We started off light and airy up at the top end, 701 00:40:08,480 --> 00:40:10,959 and this is the sleeping room. 702 00:40:10,960 --> 00:40:14,359 So it's enclosed... Yeah. ..cave-like. 703 00:40:14,360 --> 00:40:17,399 This is perhaps the most unfinished, raw part of the house. 704 00:40:17,400 --> 00:40:20,599 There are three straightforward bedrooms, each of which enjoys 705 00:40:20,600 --> 00:40:24,600 the views and a splash of luxury in a polished plaster bathroom. 706 00:40:25,040 --> 00:40:28,199 Concrete aesthetic apart, 707 00:40:28,200 --> 00:40:32,200 this house was never primarily about how it looks, but how it works. 708 00:40:33,120 --> 00:40:35,879 I have been very excited to see these. 709 00:40:35,880 --> 00:40:37,599 They're just like bifold doors, really. 710 00:40:37,600 --> 00:40:40,639 Yeah, they are. They're bifold doors and... Oh, wow! 711 00:40:40,640 --> 00:40:43,839 ..they close up. And they've got seals? They've got rubber seals? 712 00:40:43,840 --> 00:40:46,959 Seals, and this keeps all the heat in at night. 713 00:40:46,960 --> 00:40:49,439 What's your big objective here? 714 00:40:49,440 --> 00:40:52,399 The objective here is a zero carbon house, 715 00:40:52,400 --> 00:40:56,400 so it doesn't take any energy to run it. 716 00:40:56,720 --> 00:41:00,279 Of course, this house isn't just for Fred and Saffron, 717 00:41:00,280 --> 00:41:02,559 it's for their children too. 718 00:41:02,560 --> 00:41:05,959 For Billy and Grace, family conversations about building 719 00:41:05,960 --> 00:41:08,919 and planning have dominated most of their lives. 720 00:41:08,920 --> 00:41:11,479 What do you think about the house, though, generally? 721 00:41:11,480 --> 00:41:15,480 I wasn't expecting to see the pipes and the blockwork from the inside. 722 00:41:16,920 --> 00:41:20,920 It's amazing, I really like all of it. 723 00:41:21,120 --> 00:41:23,759 Do you feel proud of your parents? BOTH: Yeah. 724 00:41:23,760 --> 00:41:27,119 Because they're my parents, and that's what they'll always be. 725 00:41:27,120 --> 00:41:29,679 They've done an amazing job. 726 00:41:29,680 --> 00:41:32,759 It looks really good. 727 00:41:32,760 --> 00:41:36,760 This building has only just begun to show its charm, 728 00:41:37,120 --> 00:41:39,319 and as the hillside heals, 729 00:41:39,320 --> 00:41:42,719 it will be more and more absorbed into the landscape. 730 00:41:42,720 --> 00:41:46,720 There is a very obvious hanging question about this project which, 731 00:41:47,320 --> 00:41:50,239 given the fact that you didn't know how much it would cost 732 00:41:50,240 --> 00:41:52,919 when you started and had no... 733 00:41:52,920 --> 00:41:56,359 well, not much in the way of money to pay for it! 734 00:41:56,360 --> 00:42:00,279 How much, do you know, did it cost to get this far? 735 00:42:00,280 --> 00:42:01,879 It's got a seven in front of it. 736 00:42:01,880 --> 00:42:03,999 A seven, but nothing near an eight? 737 00:42:04,000 --> 00:42:06,159 I would think it's quite near an eight. 738 00:42:06,160 --> 00:42:08,279 There's a few things to come in and we've done a lot more 739 00:42:08,280 --> 00:42:10,439 of the landscaping than we were planning to do. 740 00:42:10,440 --> 00:42:13,919 So, late ?700,000, nearly ?800,000. 741 00:42:13,920 --> 00:42:16,319 On top of that, you've got land and fees and extras 742 00:42:16,320 --> 00:42:18,999 and all kinds of mucking about. Planning, the years it took... 743 00:42:19,000 --> 00:42:20,919 Oh, yeah, no, you can't quantify that stuff. 744 00:42:20,920 --> 00:42:24,920 So, what, you're getting on for a million quid or something, aren't you? Yeah. Easy! 745 00:42:25,120 --> 00:42:27,399 Yeah, well, there's some things I've never added up 746 00:42:27,400 --> 00:42:30,239 and communicated because you'd just be terrified, yeah. 747 00:42:30,240 --> 00:42:34,240 I think that's remarkable that you both accept that it's just money, 748 00:42:35,120 --> 00:42:38,719 because you both believed that you would get here. 749 00:42:38,720 --> 00:42:42,720 This was something we've planned and dreamt of doing, you know, 750 00:42:44,440 --> 00:42:46,399 for 16 years. 751 00:42:46,400 --> 00:42:48,679 And we're going to be here for ever. 752 00:42:48,680 --> 00:42:51,439 You know, it's worth it. 753 00:42:51,440 --> 00:42:54,519 All of that was worth it in order to achieve this one 754 00:42:54,520 --> 00:42:57,119 thing of being able to stay in this place? 755 00:42:57,120 --> 00:42:58,599 Stay in the same place? 756 00:42:58,600 --> 00:43:01,359 Well, that continuity was really important, 757 00:43:01,360 --> 00:43:05,360 and that's where it started from, is wanting to remain in the village. 758 00:43:06,640 --> 00:43:10,279 Do you think that the length of time and, for that matter, 759 00:43:10,280 --> 00:43:14,280 Saffron's kind of very energetic role here, has that caused friction? 760 00:43:15,240 --> 00:43:19,240 It has been difficult, but, you know, relationships, 761 00:43:19,360 --> 00:43:21,879 building houses, you have to work at it. 762 00:43:21,880 --> 00:43:24,959 I think it's made us stronger. We couldn't have done it separately. 763 00:43:24,960 --> 00:43:26,839 So it's a keeper? Oh, yeah. 764 00:43:26,840 --> 00:43:30,840 Somebody asked me the other day, "Are you doing this to sell?" 765 00:43:31,040 --> 00:43:34,079 No, I don't think you quite understand what we've been through to get it! 766 00:43:34,080 --> 00:43:38,080 No, this is it, why would you need to do it again? 767 00:43:44,880 --> 00:43:48,879 Sitting here, it's architecturally adventurous, it's complex, 768 00:43:48,880 --> 00:43:50,239 it's rich. 769 00:43:50,240 --> 00:43:53,319 To the village, it's a little... Tiny little barn. 770 00:43:53,320 --> 00:43:55,119 ..stone barn, yeah. 771 00:43:55,120 --> 00:43:56,599 So, what is it? 772 00:43:56,600 --> 00:43:59,079 It's our home. 773 00:43:59,080 --> 00:44:03,080 I don't mind how it's labelled by anybody else. 774 00:44:03,840 --> 00:44:07,840 It's been made with passion by everybody who's worked on it. 775 00:44:08,720 --> 00:44:12,720 We've got to this point with determination and positivity, 776 00:44:12,840 --> 00:44:15,559 and I'm really proud of that. 777 00:44:15,560 --> 00:44:18,679 Been over the valley much to look at it? No. 778 00:44:18,680 --> 00:44:21,159 I have not seen it from the far side. 779 00:44:21,160 --> 00:44:25,160 We've got to go over and look at it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, we do. 780 00:44:34,840 --> 00:44:36,439 THEY LAUGH 781 00:44:36,440 --> 00:44:37,919 Look at that! 782 00:44:37,920 --> 00:44:39,799 Wow! It's a great view from here. 783 00:44:39,800 --> 00:44:43,800 That is so exciting, to see it from this side. 784 00:44:45,120 --> 00:44:48,119 What I want to know, really, actually, Fred, 785 00:44:48,120 --> 00:44:52,120 is whether you feel this does what it's meant to do on the lid? 786 00:44:53,800 --> 00:44:55,839 I love it, absolutely love it. 787 00:44:55,840 --> 00:44:59,439 It's given me the wow factor from this side of the dale. 788 00:44:59,440 --> 00:45:01,959 It's blended in much more quickly than I imagined it to. 789 00:45:01,960 --> 00:45:05,960 You know, OK, we've worked really hard at the landscaping, but it has. 790 00:45:06,520 --> 00:45:08,919 We've been building it, we've got to know how it works... 791 00:45:08,920 --> 00:45:10,559 We got to know it in a different way. 792 00:45:10,560 --> 00:45:12,639 ..and how we relate to it. Yeah. 793 00:45:12,640 --> 00:45:16,640 Home. 794 00:45:27,280 --> 00:45:30,079 You might think it a miracle that this place even exists, 795 00:45:30,080 --> 00:45:33,039 given its early financial history. 796 00:45:33,040 --> 00:45:37,040 But then, miracles do require faith. 797 00:45:37,400 --> 00:45:41,400 And there was a lot of that here - Saffron's faith, her absolute 798 00:45:42,040 --> 00:45:46,040 determined belief that this project was going to get completed. 799 00:45:48,640 --> 00:45:52,640 Her inability to accept that it would not exist, 800 00:45:53,400 --> 00:45:57,400 coupled with Fred's quieter faith, 801 00:45:57,720 --> 00:46:01,720 his faith in the power of place and his connection to it. 802 00:46:04,240 --> 00:46:08,240 In the end, it is the architecture of quiet determination. 803 00:46:19,760 --> 00:46:22,639 We've got what's officially the smallest two-bedroom house 804 00:46:22,640 --> 00:46:24,439 possible in London. 805 00:46:24,440 --> 00:46:25,839 This is a bit of a new challenge, 806 00:46:25,840 --> 00:46:29,439 to put a basement on a piece of land the size of a postage stamp. 807 00:46:29,440 --> 00:46:31,639 This is spectacularly shambolic. 808 00:46:31,640 --> 00:46:33,319 Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! 809 00:46:33,320 --> 00:46:35,399 Yeah, I've lost 30 grand on this. 810 00:46:35,400 --> 00:46:37,599 Stand out! 811 00:46:37,600 --> 00:46:40,639 Everything's taking much longer than we thought. 812 00:46:40,640 --> 00:46:42,639 And you've made it more complex? 813 00:46:42,640 --> 00:47:16,000 Oh, 100%, yeah. Why not? HE LAUGHS 68602

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