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This programme contains
strong language

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Location...location is, we're told,
the one important thing

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when we come to buy
a house or look for a site.

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I mean who will be
so foolhardy as to choose

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a tiny sliver of land between
a mainline London railway

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and this busy A road in Sussex, eh?

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That's exactly, however,
what one couple decided to buy.

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I first met them three
and a half years ago,

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and I remember thinking at the time,

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"Boy, this pair are courageous,
inspiring,

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"and absolutely rebellious."

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Olaf and Fritha had lofty ambitions

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for their tricky plot...

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This is just our dream.
We can do whatever we want here.

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..until they discovered it had
a sewer running underneath it.

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We're stuck with it.

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We've paid the money
so we're kind of screwed.

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A triangular self-build was
the only solution.

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Yeah, I mean it's a pain in
the arse because it's a triangle.

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So Olaf's master-carpenter skills
were tested like never before.

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Shit. Can't fit that window in.

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And if that weren't enough.

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There's two lines.
Ah, ha-ha!

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Olaf and Fritha were also
starting a new family.

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Just want it all over
and we can move into our house.

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Inevitably, building
a triangular house led to

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a load of head-scratching problems.

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A number of the windows,

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the handles have been milled
on the wrong side.

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What's this all about, you know?

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And as money became ever
more scarce...

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We will be in a situation where
we need to beg and borrow more.

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..a spur-of-the-moment purchase of
a double decker bus...

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Why are you putting a bus next
to the house?

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..threatened to push them over
the edge.

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Stop. Oh, Christ,
what have I done? Shit.

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I am really intrigued
to find out whether or not Olaf

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and Fritha's triangular life on that
little plot that nobody else wanted

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has worked out for them.

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But first, here's their story.

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There are some people in this world
that don't follow

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the well-worn path of convention.

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Rebellious spirits that embrace
the unorthodox...

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..and resist the pressure to conform.

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People like Fritha and Olaf.

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I met Olaf on Tinder.

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I thought I can't swipe right
because he looks too wild

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and I promised my dad I would have
no more wild boyfriends,

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but then by the third date I was
totally, like, head over heels.

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My life before Fritha was
a little bit,

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little bit, er, little bit
hectic, yeah.

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She's different from any other
person I've ever met.

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Pretty much knew from the outset
that we were going to be together.

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We really want to live
a different kind of life.

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We don't want to follow

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the patterns of others
and things like that.

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She does make me laugh a lot.

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Fritha runs an ethical business

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importing hand-stitched fabrics
from India.

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While Olaf,
named after his Icelandic ancestors,

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is a carpenter, joiner and crafter
of precise high-end interiors.

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Now he wants to use those skills
to build an entire house...

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..on this quarter acre site

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in West Sussex that
they bought for £160,000.

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Oh, look a train.

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He waved at me.

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This compact piece
of land is far from ideal,

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it's hemmed in between a really busy
A road and a mainline railway.

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There are so many trains.

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The decibels on this site
would deter most,

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but Fritha and Olaf only discovered
the biggest obstacle

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to building here
after they'd bought it.

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When I found out about the sewer
it was a bit demoralising.

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The sewer has dictated
the shape of the building.

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Seeing as it's impossible to move,

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we've had to work with it.
We're stuck with it,

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we've paid the money
so we're kind of screwed.

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There has to be a 3 metre distance
between the sewer line

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and any foundations,

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so the buildable area on this scrap
of land, has been halved.

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People walk past it all
the time when we're on the land,

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they call over and they say,
"Hey, do you realise that you've

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"bought a plot of land that you
actually can't build on,

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"there's like a main sewer in the
middle of that." We're like,

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"Yeah we know we did that, we
know."

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In early 2020, Fritha
and Olaf begin clearing the site...

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Not on the survey.

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..and uncover even more
underground surprises.

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Like a defunct septic tank.

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But there's no turning back now.

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Probably been thinking about
building my own house

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all the time I've been a carpenter,
so 20 plus years.

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So now you need to say is,

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"I would never be building this
house if I hadn't met Fritha."

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Look at me, gazing, lovingly.

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I definitely wouldn't be in this
situation if I hadn't met Fritha.

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You make sure that's in there.
I'll pay you.

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Olaf has now begun building

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a boundary wall from
old railway sleepers.

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A brazen, chunky line of defence to
resist the adversity on every front.

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That is, apart from the sewer
running directly underneath

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the plot, which is forcing them
to build a triangular house.

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There's one thing I don't like about

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triangular buildings and that's
this problem.

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The fact that you get these corner
spaces which are useless.

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Look, what's it good for?

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It's good for standing in.

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The naughty corner.

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It's the useless corner.

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The prospects for this project are
grim, frankly,

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maybe that's why Olaf and Fritha
drive around in an ambulance.

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Oh, look it's our
plucky self-builders.

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I like your van.

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So you're next to a road, next to a
railway.

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Yep. I can see why somebody would

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look at this site and think actually
it's challenging.

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The biggest challenge is the sewer.

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A huge nine-inch main sewer that
runs right the way through the site.

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Presumably that means that you can't
build over it?

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No. What you're saying is the house
is as big as it can be on the site,

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because of the... Couldn't be
larger. Exactly that, yeah.

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Man alive. Are you going to build
this yourself?

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Predominately, yes.

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So although the house is
constrained, there's no constrain on

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the craftsmanship that's going into
it, the energy that's going into it.

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No compromise. No compromise.
No compromise at all.

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We've both lived in rentals
all our lives,

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we only met three years ago,
this is just our dream,

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we can...we can do whatever we want
here.

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Of course, they can't do whatever
they want

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because all they have
are restrictions.

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The road,

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the trainline

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and the main sewer,

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which alone threatens the viability
of their plans.

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The three metre exclusion zone

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and the need for their own
soakaway means

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the foundations utilise every inch
of buildable space.

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On top, they'll build
a meaty hand-crafted timber frame

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that'll support two upper floors

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poured in concrete.

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These heavy floors,

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thick insulation,

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and 21 triple glazed windows

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will work to keep the noise

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and the vibrations of the heavy

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traffic out of the interior.

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An eye-catching sculptural,
sloping roof

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at the front will be clad in zinc

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and then covered in cutting edge,

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low profile solar panels.

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Inside, the house won't be big.

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The ground floor will house an open

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kitchen and a triangular snug.

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An acutely angled first floor will

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squeeze in a study,

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bathroom and two bedrooms.

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Upstairs, in the sloping eaves,

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the main bedroom with

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a large bathroom will become Olaf

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and Fritha's treetop haven.

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The building will be clad
in white render,

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black engineering bricks

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and Olaf's favourite - wood.

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Olaf plans an outdoor kitchen,

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and a sunken circular fire pit.

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This is an unconventional house,

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on an unforgiving plot.

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To build it will not be easy,

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so their budget had better not be

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as constrained as the site.

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So how good are you both
with cash, with money, you know?

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Have you drawn up spreadsheets and

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cash flow forecasts for the project?

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BOTH: Er, no.

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No.

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How much are you spending on
the project? Hundred and...?

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It's 190 is the mortgage.

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190,000.

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So that's a mortgage
you've got there?

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Self-build mortgage. Self-build
mortgage.

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So how much have you spent
so far? 20, 30 grand?

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We're knocking on the door of
100 at the moment.

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Good.... What, that you've spent?

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But that's, that we've spent, yeah.

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That's including getting out of
the ground with

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the concrete and everything.

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And the windows are paid for.
Windows and doors, OK.

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Well, how much were the windows?

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37?

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37? Mm.

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And that includes the front door.

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OK, that's good.

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But you've spent 60,000. Er...

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Foundations like this should cost
about 20, 30 tops.

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You've spent double that.

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Making this land buildable
has cost us

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a fortune that we didn't realise
that it was going to cost us.

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And that leaves you with 90,000,
to finish the house, everything.

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You can do it, Olaf.

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Well, he's going to have to.

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Wow. This budgetary revelation is
yet another giant hurdle for

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a project besieged by compromise.

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This magnificent, great powerful
sleeper wall is beautiful

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and it's finished, whereas this
lightweight timber stud work that

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Olaf started is...is weedy.

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This wall actually speaks
of craftsmanship and skill.

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This one, well,
it's all to play for here, isn't it?

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And going forward,

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I just hope that all

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the qualities of this somehow
magically transfer to

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the work Olaf has to do,

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because everything falls
onto his shoulders,

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everything is his responsibility.

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It is, in every way, down to him.

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Fritha and Olaf want to finish this
unlikely house in just 12 months,

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so Olaf and a trusted colleague

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don't waste any time
in getting started.

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I'm in my element here,
I mean, you know,

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it's what I was born to do, I
think.

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I have "go mode" and that's it.
I don't have a sort of half speed.

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Of course, it's not long before

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those spikey angles
make themselves felt.

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Shit. I can't fit that window in.

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Pretty pissed off.

226
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This pitch on the forward roof is

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one of the steepest angles
on the building.

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I was two degrees out,

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two degrees out doesn't seem much
but it's about,

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about that much missing out of
the top floor.

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Yeah, I mean it's a pain in
the arse because it's a triangle.

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One tiny error in degree will now

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mean several hours of reworking
part of the roof.

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My brain hurts.

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And on this build
every moment is critical.

236
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I've got the bricklayer
starting in August

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so he's four weeks away, I think,

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three and a half weeks away

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and I go back to my paid job
in September.

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As Olaf races to get the timber
frame up

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in just four weeks...

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..Fritha heads to their allotment -
a short walk from the site.

243
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I love the allotment very much.

244
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It was my idea to get the allotment
before we got planning

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because I felt that we needed
something to get us over here.

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Building a house is just
one part of Fritha

247
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and Olaf's brave new world -
they also want to start a family.

248
00:12:20,480 --> 00:12:24,040
I hope that this place provides
the opportunity

249
00:12:24,080 --> 00:12:27,760
for some of our children,
whoever they might be,

250
00:12:27,800 --> 00:12:29,920
to get more into country living.

251
00:12:29,960 --> 00:12:31,520
Fritha and Olaf have been trying

252
00:12:31,560 --> 00:12:33,480
for a child for over two years.

253
00:12:34,920 --> 00:12:37,320
They're currently staying
at Fritha's parents

254
00:12:37,360 --> 00:12:39,840
in Guildford, 20 miles away...
Have you got a lighter?

255
00:12:39,880 --> 00:12:41,960
..and they've turned to IVF.

256
00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:46,160
The first important step
of that journey begins tomorrow.

257
00:12:46,200 --> 00:12:48,320
This is what we've been working,

258
00:12:48,360 --> 00:12:51,240
working for,
for two years basically.

259
00:12:51,280 --> 00:12:54,640
We had one pregnancy
and it ended up in miscarriage.

260
00:12:54,680 --> 00:12:57,480
Building a house, you can control it
to a certain degree,

261
00:12:57,520 --> 00:13:02,240
but this is completely
uncontrollable so there is

262
00:13:02,280 --> 00:13:04,760
an air of uncertainty

263
00:13:04,800 --> 00:13:07,240
that is quite daunting, really.

264
00:13:12,720 --> 00:13:16,680
Early the next morning
Fritha and Olaf are in London.

265
00:13:16,720 --> 00:13:19,760
So, today we're going
for egg harvesting.

266
00:13:19,800 --> 00:13:23,560
Yeah. We're going to go
and get five juicy eggs out.

267
00:13:23,600 --> 00:13:27,400
It's just, just one step at a time,
I think.

268
00:13:27,440 --> 00:13:30,840
These two aren't just taking on
the stress of building a house,

269
00:13:30,880 --> 00:13:34,080
they're actively pushing
for new responsibility

270
00:13:34,120 --> 00:13:35,560
and whatever the outcome,

271
00:13:35,600 --> 00:13:38,800
they both know that great change
is coming.

272
00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:41,240
See you on the flip side.

273
00:13:57,360 --> 00:14:01,920
The strain and the pains of building
are already being felt by Fritha

274
00:14:01,960 --> 00:14:04,040
and Olaf in West Sussex.

275
00:14:04,080 --> 00:14:08,360
Their house is a tiny,
complex, triangular puzzle.

276
00:14:08,400 --> 00:14:10,880
There's so much stress involved
in building this house.

277
00:14:10,920 --> 00:14:12,480
It's quite all-consuming,

278
00:14:12,520 --> 00:14:15,160
project managing
and building at the same time.

279
00:14:15,200 --> 00:14:18,040
As well as a house,
they also want to make a family.

280
00:14:18,080 --> 00:14:21,600
It seems the IVF process
has worked so far.

281
00:14:21,640 --> 00:14:26,440
So we've got five embryos fertilised
which is really, really exciting.

282
00:14:26,480 --> 00:14:28,600
Their lives are moving
like whirlwinds

283
00:14:28,640 --> 00:14:29,880
with only one impediment

284
00:14:29,920 --> 00:14:33,360
in the path of their pursuit of
happiness - money.

285
00:14:35,360 --> 00:14:39,200
There was quite a tremendous
overspend on the groundworks.

286
00:14:39,240 --> 00:14:42,560
You know, it was unforeseen
circumstances.

287
00:14:42,600 --> 00:14:47,400
It's going to go over probably
by about 50 grand.

288
00:14:47,440 --> 00:14:51,120
We'll run out of money and then we
will be in a situation

289
00:14:51,160 --> 00:14:54,160
where we need to beg
and borrow more.

290
00:14:54,200 --> 00:14:58,640
A new £240,000 budget will mean
going back to the bank

291
00:14:58,680 --> 00:15:00,720
to ask for a larger mortgage.

292
00:15:04,240 --> 00:15:07,160
But the mathematics of
the budget are simple compared to

293
00:15:07,200 --> 00:15:10,480
the geometrical riddle of
the house itself.

294
00:15:10,520 --> 00:15:15,240
Olaf's next challenge is
the frame for his trianguloid roof.

295
00:15:16,760 --> 00:15:20,800
Bit tricky, um,
some very technical compound angles

296
00:15:20,840 --> 00:15:24,560
and, um, not really looking forward
to doing it

297
00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:28,080
but, um, it's part of
the process, I guess.

298
00:15:28,120 --> 00:15:29,480
As the roof goes up,

299
00:15:29,520 --> 00:15:32,200
it becomes clear why most
of us live in cubes.

300
00:15:32,240 --> 00:15:35,320
For Olaf, even the drawings stop
making sense.

301
00:15:35,360 --> 00:15:38,120
On the one side of the roof,
it says on the top,

302
00:15:38,160 --> 00:15:40,080
it's a 31 degree pitch.

303
00:15:40,120 --> 00:15:43,040
So what... I don't understand
the 18 from vertical.

304
00:15:43,080 --> 00:15:46,080
Why would you have that?
That's what I'm up against.

305
00:15:46,120 --> 00:15:49,280
Mind-boggling geometry slows down
the work.

306
00:15:49,320 --> 00:15:51,920
Olaf has to slave every hour
God sends.

307
00:15:54,600 --> 00:15:59,080
But after four weeks, his great
skill and experience triumph.

308
00:16:00,440 --> 00:16:04,760
The roof has been
a bit of a pig but it's,

309
00:16:04,800 --> 00:16:09,160
we've done the majority of it now.

310
00:16:09,200 --> 00:16:11,080
It's looking good, I think.

311
00:16:11,120 --> 00:16:13,400
Aaargh.

312
00:16:13,440 --> 00:16:17,800
Their hopes for a child have also
progressed and Fritha's now on site

313
00:16:17,840 --> 00:16:21,320
to see if their IVF treatment
has worked.

314
00:16:21,360 --> 00:16:23,280
OK I'm going to go in the loo
and do the pregnancy test

315
00:16:23,320 --> 00:16:26,200
and I'll give it to you, OK?
OK, right.

316
00:16:30,720 --> 00:16:32,480
Fingers crossed.

317
00:16:34,240 --> 00:16:37,520
Often, our fates are sealed
in single moments.

318
00:16:38,760 --> 00:16:40,560
But rarely in a Portaloo.

319
00:16:45,240 --> 00:16:47,960
I don't know.
I guess that's long enough.

320
00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:49,480
That's two? There's two lines.

321
00:16:49,520 --> 00:16:52,880
Ah, ha-ha!

322
00:16:52,920 --> 00:16:55,280
Is this big enough?

323
00:16:58,960 --> 00:17:01,800
Getting a positive pregnancy test
now is huge for us.

324
00:17:01,840 --> 00:17:05,880
Yeah, I think this test does hammer
home the necessity for this house.

325
00:17:05,920 --> 00:17:09,800
It's definitely going to concentrate
the mind a little bit more.

326
00:17:09,840 --> 00:17:11,960
And so it should.

327
00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:17,000
By the following month,

328
00:17:17,040 --> 00:17:20,160
the metal rib deck for
the heavy concrete floors goes down

329
00:17:20,200 --> 00:17:23,520
and the spaces inside are
becoming enclosed.

330
00:17:23,560 --> 00:17:27,040
This building's enforced oddity
has never been clearer.

331
00:17:29,880 --> 00:17:33,200
Wow. It's cool, isn't it?

332
00:17:33,240 --> 00:17:34,560
Hello.

333
00:17:34,600 --> 00:17:35,920
Hi, welcome back.

334
00:17:35,960 --> 00:17:37,960
This is extraordinary, guys.

335
00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:40,480
Olaf, it's a house.

336
00:17:40,520 --> 00:17:42,040
I didn't think you'd be anywhere

337
00:17:42,080 --> 00:17:43,840
near as advanced as this
in six weeks.

338
00:17:43,880 --> 00:17:46,680
I know, it's amazing. You know?
We're really hammering on.

339
00:17:46,720 --> 00:17:49,320
The frame is crisp and strong

340
00:17:49,360 --> 00:17:51,760
but also completely nuts.

341
00:17:51,800 --> 00:17:53,520
Every building has compromise.

342
00:17:53,560 --> 00:17:55,680
It's impossible
to build without compromise. Really?

343
00:17:55,720 --> 00:17:58,160
You know, you could argue that
actually the triangular shape of

344
00:17:58,200 --> 00:18:00,080
the building is a compromise in
plan. Absolutely.

345
00:18:00,120 --> 00:18:02,200
Because it's constrained by the site.

346
00:18:02,240 --> 00:18:05,720
Surely you must be prepared
to accept a degree of behind

347
00:18:05,760 --> 00:18:07,920
the scenes bodging in a building?

348
00:18:07,960 --> 00:18:11,600
I'm not prepared
to bodge anything, no.

349
00:18:11,640 --> 00:18:13,600
Where was the crunch point
in the building if any?

350
00:18:13,640 --> 00:18:15,880
That, that bloody top corner.

351
00:18:15,920 --> 00:18:19,040
Oh, it was that bad you refer to it
as the bloody top corner.

352
00:18:19,080 --> 00:18:21,720
I actually made a model of it
so I could sit there

353
00:18:21,760 --> 00:18:24,280
and get my head around
the whole thing.

354
00:18:24,320 --> 00:18:25,880
This full-scale model of where

355
00:18:25,920 --> 00:18:28,040
the building's largest triangles

356
00:18:28,080 --> 00:18:30,680
converge took seven hours to make

357
00:18:30,720 --> 00:18:35,560
and it's a fascinating glimpse
into the mind of a perfectionist.

358
00:18:35,600 --> 00:18:39,240
To get them to meet in the right
place was kind of trial and error.

359
00:18:39,280 --> 00:18:41,360
I definitely didn't think that
that was

360
00:18:41,400 --> 00:18:43,840
going to be as difficult
as it turned out to be.

361
00:18:43,880 --> 00:18:46,200
The word is integrity.

362
00:18:46,240 --> 00:18:48,960
Absolutely. And it's important to
get this done, isn't it?

363
00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:51,040
I mean, you have a deadline.

364
00:18:51,080 --> 00:18:52,560
Yes, we do, we do.

365
00:18:52,600 --> 00:18:56,080
So our IVF process
has been successful.

366
00:18:56,120 --> 00:19:00,120
It's very early days, but we're just
remaining really positive.

367
00:19:00,160 --> 00:19:03,520
Olaf has created
an implausible modern shell

368
00:19:03,560 --> 00:19:05,240
for this family home,

369
00:19:05,280 --> 00:19:10,240
but he's used the most simple
and ancient methods to get here.

370
00:19:10,280 --> 00:19:13,440
You would think, wouldn't you,
that to produce a building full

371
00:19:13,480 --> 00:19:15,240
of such extraordinary angles as this

372
00:19:15,280 --> 00:19:17,560
on every surface including the roof,

373
00:19:17,600 --> 00:19:21,080
that you would need a sheaf of
drawings and that architects and

374
00:19:21,120 --> 00:19:24,800
engineers would have spent months
preparing detailed analyses

375
00:19:24,840 --> 00:19:26,760
of every junction.

376
00:19:26,800 --> 00:19:31,120
But no, because instead Olaf uses
things like this,

377
00:19:31,160 --> 00:19:33,880
three pieces of wood
screwed together forming

378
00:19:33,920 --> 00:19:36,680
a jig which he can slide over
every joist end

379
00:19:36,720 --> 00:19:38,920
to cut it in an angle in that plane

380
00:19:38,960 --> 00:19:40,800
but also in that plane.

381
00:19:40,840 --> 00:19:44,360
He doesn't need a computer
to help him design this building,

382
00:19:44,400 --> 00:19:46,360
he hardly needs a pencil.

383
00:19:46,400 --> 00:19:49,760
The timber frame of this pointy
palace may be complete...

384
00:19:53,360 --> 00:19:55,240
..but Olaf has now had to return to

385
00:19:55,280 --> 00:19:57,720
a paid job he'd committed himself to,

386
00:19:57,760 --> 00:20:00,760
so every moment on site is precious.

387
00:20:00,800 --> 00:20:03,560
Yeah, I don't think you need
a stop bead...

388
00:20:03,600 --> 00:20:07,000
Oh, on the back, yeah, you will need
a stop bead on the back.

389
00:20:07,040 --> 00:20:09,240
Now, as well as running
out of money...

390
00:20:09,280 --> 00:20:11,040
Cheers, mate.
..Olaf is having to trust

391
00:20:11,080 --> 00:20:15,040
the subbies he leaves on site
like Mark the bricklayer,

392
00:20:15,080 --> 00:20:18,280
who he's known for over 15 years.

393
00:20:18,320 --> 00:20:21,160
I always knew the design would be,

394
00:20:21,200 --> 00:20:22,840
would be quite intricate.

395
00:20:22,880 --> 00:20:25,120
It's very Olaf.

396
00:20:25,160 --> 00:20:27,680
Very Olaf means very tricky,

397
00:20:27,720 --> 00:20:33,440
heavy blockwork with precise angles
and lots of extreme cuts.

398
00:20:33,480 --> 00:20:35,760
To get that many bricks
to do the job,

399
00:20:35,800 --> 00:20:40,000
took me one day just to cut
all those to hide this steel.

400
00:20:40,040 --> 00:20:43,400
Yeah, it's been,
yeah, quite labour intensive.

401
00:20:43,440 --> 00:20:45,120
It's extremely important for me

402
00:20:45,160 --> 00:20:47,320
to have friends here that
understand me,

403
00:20:47,360 --> 00:20:50,760
understand my needs,
and I get on with.

404
00:20:50,800 --> 00:20:53,320
The zinc roof is also being fitted

405
00:20:53,360 --> 00:20:56,320
by someone Olaf has worked
with before.

406
00:20:56,360 --> 00:21:00,000
Um, Francois is basically a genius
when it comes to metal work.

407
00:21:00,040 --> 00:21:02,080
So, how many panels have we
got, then?

408
00:21:02,120 --> 00:21:03,920
I don't know.
THEY CHUCKLE

409
00:21:07,160 --> 00:21:10,560
By October, there is still no news
about the mortgage

410
00:21:10,600 --> 00:21:12,520
and funds are dwindling.

411
00:21:12,560 --> 00:21:14,680
Although Francois and his team have

412
00:21:14,720 --> 00:21:17,080
begun fitting
the expensive zinc roof.

413
00:21:17,120 --> 00:21:19,520
And do you want to put
a gutter here? Yeah.

414
00:21:19,560 --> 00:21:22,680
When he's not at work,
Olaf has been insulating,

415
00:21:22,720 --> 00:21:25,360
not just to keep this house warm,

416
00:21:25,400 --> 00:21:28,720
but more importantly - silent.

417
00:21:28,760 --> 00:21:31,680
Because of the railway,
because of the road,

418
00:21:31,720 --> 00:21:34,360
sound needs to get eradicated.

419
00:21:34,400 --> 00:21:36,920
The amount of material

420
00:21:36,960 --> 00:21:39,480
and different types of materials in

421
00:21:39,520 --> 00:21:42,000
the actual make-up of the wall is

422
00:21:42,040 --> 00:21:46,640
going to pretty much annihilate
any kind of sound coming through.

423
00:21:48,200 --> 00:21:52,240
Olaf's belt and braces approach
to sound proofing will make some

424
00:21:52,280 --> 00:21:55,720
of these walls almost half
a metre thick.

425
00:21:55,760 --> 00:22:00,400
Of course, that's no guarantee
his plan will actually work.

426
00:22:00,440 --> 00:22:04,240
He's relying on mountains
of different insulation

427
00:22:04,280 --> 00:22:07,440
and the insulating strength
of his triple glazed windows.

428
00:22:07,480 --> 00:22:09,200
One, two, three.

429
00:22:10,800 --> 00:22:14,600
Tens of thousands of pounds' worth
of glass has now arrived

430
00:22:14,640 --> 00:22:17,800
and it's being installed by
Olaf's sub-contractor

431
00:22:17,840 --> 00:22:19,560
but there's a problem,

432
00:22:19,600 --> 00:22:22,960
and it's got nothing to do
with sound proofing.

433
00:22:23,000 --> 00:22:24,320
There is a hiccup.

434
00:22:24,360 --> 00:22:25,840
A number of the windows,

435
00:22:25,880 --> 00:22:29,240
the handles have been milled
on the wrong side.

436
00:22:29,280 --> 00:22:32,160
What's this all about, you know?

437
00:22:32,200 --> 00:22:36,160
Ridiculous. When I saw the windows
were opening the wrong way

438
00:22:36,200 --> 00:22:39,360
and that all the handles were wrong,
then I, yeah, I lost it a bit.

439
00:22:39,400 --> 00:22:40,880
Out of the 17 windows,

440
00:22:40,920 --> 00:22:43,200
nine of them are on the wrong side.

441
00:22:43,240 --> 00:22:44,600
Impossible to live with.

442
00:22:44,640 --> 00:22:46,320
One, two, three.

443
00:22:46,360 --> 00:22:48,520
Olaf's a perfectionist.

444
00:22:48,560 --> 00:22:50,760
The windows have to be right.

445
00:22:52,120 --> 00:22:54,560
And that could be expensive.

446
00:23:06,240 --> 00:23:08,560
Three dimensional triangular volumes

447
00:23:08,600 --> 00:23:10,880
are not the easiest to create,

448
00:23:10,920 --> 00:23:14,120
something Fritha
and Olaf are quickly discovering.

449
00:23:14,160 --> 00:23:17,240
It is all-consuming, you wake up in
the middle of the night

450
00:23:17,280 --> 00:23:21,080
and you end up, you know,
deconstructing a roof,

451
00:23:21,120 --> 00:23:23,120
in, you know, in your brain.

452
00:23:23,160 --> 00:23:25,880
Financial pressure is mounting, too.

453
00:23:25,920 --> 00:23:29,600
The extravagant zinc roof is
costing 25 grand

454
00:23:29,640 --> 00:23:32,760
and the window problem is unresolved.

455
00:23:32,800 --> 00:23:34,800
Yeah, it does take it out of you,

456
00:23:34,840 --> 00:23:36,520
you know, physically and mentally.

457
00:23:36,560 --> 00:23:38,960
I think if we had money I'd sleep.

458
00:23:40,320 --> 00:23:43,360
I'm sure rich people sleep well
at night, don't they?

459
00:23:43,400 --> 00:23:48,680
If the bank don't agree the new
mortgage of 240,000 very soon,

460
00:23:48,720 --> 00:23:51,800
this project will have
to completely stop.

461
00:23:59,360 --> 00:24:01,960
And then, of course,
there's always the odd bout

462
00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:04,720
of torrential weather
to slow things down.

463
00:24:06,640 --> 00:24:09,440
Look, the roofers are at work.

464
00:24:09,480 --> 00:24:11,320
Outside may be damp,

465
00:24:11,360 --> 00:24:16,480
but inside is wonderfully dry
and it seems to have grown.

466
00:24:16,520 --> 00:24:19,320
Oh, my word, full height.

467
00:24:19,360 --> 00:24:20,880
That's beautiful.

468
00:24:20,920 --> 00:24:24,040
This is exciting
because I haven't been up here.

469
00:24:24,080 --> 00:24:27,560
Triangular study, little bit of a
landing going on here

470
00:24:27,600 --> 00:24:29,400
and then there's bedrooms.

471
00:24:29,440 --> 00:24:32,120
So, these windows are super high
performing,

472
00:24:32,160 --> 00:24:37,320
triple glazed, and this one opens...

473
00:24:37,360 --> 00:24:39,720
I mean, quite clearly,
the wrong way.

474
00:24:39,760 --> 00:24:42,280
You want it to open into that
void there,

475
00:24:42,320 --> 00:24:44,400
you don't want to have to,
kind of, walk around it,

476
00:24:44,440 --> 00:24:48,440
it kind of makes this entire corner
of the room useless...

477
00:24:51,520 --> 00:24:54,080
..which is a shame.

478
00:24:54,120 --> 00:24:56,520
Olaf has gone back to
the company responsible

479
00:24:56,560 --> 00:24:58,440
for designing the windows

480
00:24:58,480 --> 00:25:00,080
and it's clear that there's been

481
00:25:00,120 --> 00:25:03,440
a miscommunication about
the specifications.

482
00:25:03,480 --> 00:25:04,800
Now the company are willing to have

483
00:25:04,840 --> 00:25:07,640
a discussion about putting
things right.

484
00:25:07,680 --> 00:25:09,880
Have the windows been
the biggest issue for you?

485
00:25:09,920 --> 00:25:12,480
Yeah, the windows have been
the biggest issue

486
00:25:12,520 --> 00:25:16,040
and it's been fairly stressful,
as well. So where are you now, then?

487
00:25:16,080 --> 00:25:18,560
They're willing to change
the sashes.

488
00:25:18,600 --> 00:25:20,000
So you've got a result?

489
00:25:20,040 --> 00:25:22,160
Yeah. We don't have to stop the
job,

490
00:25:22,200 --> 00:25:24,720
we can change them
after we've moved in.

491
00:25:24,760 --> 00:25:27,680
Olaf's happy that the handles
problem is resolved

492
00:25:27,720 --> 00:25:29,720
and there's even more good news.

493
00:25:29,760 --> 00:25:34,080
We've just had an acceptance for
an extension on the mortgage.

494
00:25:34,120 --> 00:25:35,560
Oh, that's good.

495
00:25:35,600 --> 00:25:37,560
Yeah, so I think we've got it
covered now.

496
00:25:37,600 --> 00:25:40,120
Good. That's going to kit you out,
as well. It's going to give you

497
00:25:40,160 --> 00:25:42,760
furniture and fitted stuff and the
whole thing, which you need in a

498
00:25:42,800 --> 00:25:45,240
building like this because you can't
expect to buy a wardrobe

499
00:25:45,280 --> 00:25:46,480
from a shop in the high street.

500
00:25:46,520 --> 00:25:48,600
Not this shape, no.
Not this shape.

501
00:25:48,640 --> 00:25:53,160
I want to make the kitchen
from scratch and,

502
00:25:53,200 --> 00:25:56,160
yeah, we'll see how
it all pans out. Nice.

503
00:25:56,200 --> 00:25:59,120
Their new mortgage must be
a huge relief.

504
00:25:59,160 --> 00:26:01,840
It means Olaf can now focus on

505
00:26:01,880 --> 00:26:07,840
delivering some of his precise,
high quality joinery.

506
00:26:07,880 --> 00:26:10,400
By winter, the render is on,

507
00:26:10,440 --> 00:26:13,360
and the sculptural zinc roof is
finished,

508
00:26:13,400 --> 00:26:18,520
and has some extremely stylish low
profile solar panels attached.

509
00:26:18,560 --> 00:26:20,600
The whole system was six grand.

510
00:26:20,640 --> 00:26:25,200
It's about 30% more expensive
than a standard array,

511
00:26:25,240 --> 00:26:29,360
but they're hardly noticeable
on this kind of roof.

512
00:26:29,400 --> 00:26:30,840
Beautiful.

513
00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:33,440
The promise of greater things
to come,

514
00:26:33,480 --> 00:26:35,040
all of which are now again

515
00:26:35,080 --> 00:26:38,240
in the hands of Olaf who's back
on-site full-time.

516
00:26:39,360 --> 00:26:42,080
Clearly this is
a man happy in his work.

517
00:26:42,120 --> 00:26:45,720
And a happy Olaf is a happy Fritha.

518
00:26:45,760 --> 00:26:47,480
I just never, ever thought I'd ever

519
00:26:47,520 --> 00:26:49,640
have a bedroom like this
in my whole life.

520
00:26:49,680 --> 00:26:51,040
This is like a hotel.

521
00:26:51,080 --> 00:26:55,160
There's going to be a sofa,
beer fridge,

522
00:26:55,200 --> 00:26:57,680
we're going to have
a great time up here.

523
00:26:57,720 --> 00:27:00,000
Damn right.

524
00:27:00,040 --> 00:27:04,040
In the new year,
with a baby due in six weeks,

525
00:27:04,080 --> 00:27:05,720
work accelerates.

526
00:27:05,760 --> 00:27:07,240
The interiors are plastered

527
00:27:07,280 --> 00:27:08,720
and Olaf has turned his attention to

528
00:27:08,760 --> 00:27:11,200
the external timber cladding.

529
00:27:11,240 --> 00:27:14,240
He wants the timber
to merge into the blockwork

530
00:27:14,280 --> 00:27:18,360
but once again, those acute angles
aren't making life easy.

531
00:27:18,400 --> 00:27:20,400
The reason why this is a bit
tricky,

532
00:27:20,440 --> 00:27:24,040
is it double backs at an angle less
than 41 which is tricky to cut

533
00:27:24,080 --> 00:27:25,680
and we just want to make sure

534
00:27:25,720 --> 00:27:28,440
it looks absolutely spot-on
and nice and crisp.

535
00:27:28,480 --> 00:27:31,560
Shaping just three
fragile larch boards

536
00:27:31,600 --> 00:27:33,760
to form a perfect sharp edge...

537
00:27:33,800 --> 00:27:35,360
There's another piece needed there.

538
00:27:35,400 --> 00:27:37,000
..takes most of a day.

539
00:27:37,040 --> 00:27:38,400
Attention to detail is what I do.

540
00:27:38,440 --> 00:27:41,440
I've made a nice niche career
out of it so far.

541
00:27:43,600 --> 00:27:46,920
This building has charted
Olaf's progress from carpenter

542
00:27:46,960 --> 00:27:49,280
to master craftsman.

543
00:27:49,320 --> 00:27:50,760
That's how you do it.

544
00:27:50,800 --> 00:27:54,440
Even the short winter days...
Night-time carpentry.

545
00:27:54,480 --> 00:27:57,880
..can't halt his devotion
to this project.

546
00:27:57,920 --> 00:28:00,360
You go the extra length
on your own home, I think.

547
00:28:00,400 --> 00:28:04,000
Have to see what it looks like
in the daylight, though.

548
00:28:04,040 --> 00:28:08,320
Olaf's genius is becoming evident
all over this house.

549
00:28:08,360 --> 00:28:10,120
From the finely cut cladding to

550
00:28:10,160 --> 00:28:13,520
the timber tiles made from offcuts,

551
00:28:13,560 --> 00:28:18,160
even his driveway is an exquisite
layout of concrete blocks.

552
00:28:18,200 --> 00:28:19,720
So, Olaf's getting
to that exciting bit in

553
00:28:19,760 --> 00:28:21,160
the project where he's putting
the cladding on,

554
00:28:21,200 --> 00:28:23,640
he's dressing the building

555
00:28:23,680 --> 00:28:27,440
and he needs one
beautiful, tiny detail

556
00:28:27,480 --> 00:28:31,040
on the front of that house
to complete it.

557
00:28:31,080 --> 00:28:32,840
I wonder what it is?

558
00:28:35,920 --> 00:28:37,280
Just tell me,

559
00:28:37,320 --> 00:28:39,440
why are you putting a bus next
to the house?

560
00:28:39,480 --> 00:28:41,760
Well, it overcomes
the problem of not being able

561
00:28:41,800 --> 00:28:44,080
to build a workshop
because of the sewer.

562
00:28:44,120 --> 00:28:46,440
Expensive? 2,600.

563
00:28:46,480 --> 00:28:48,200
Drunken eBay purchase.

564
00:28:48,240 --> 00:28:50,680
People walking by,
walking their dogs will go,

565
00:28:50,720 --> 00:28:52,720
"I was hoping to see some
exquisite pointing

566
00:28:52,760 --> 00:28:54,240
"or some beautiful larch cladding,

567
00:28:54,280 --> 00:28:57,280
"but no, instead what I'm looking at
is the side of a plastic bus."

568
00:28:57,320 --> 00:29:00,240
It's going to be really
urban-meets-rural,

569
00:29:00,280 --> 00:29:04,680
meets really nice triangular house.

570
00:29:04,720 --> 00:29:08,120
But what's so sad is we spent
so much money on the front door

571
00:29:08,160 --> 00:29:11,280
and now, you know, you're really not
going to see much of the front door!

572
00:29:11,320 --> 00:29:12,600
That's kind of my point, really.

573
00:29:12,640 --> 00:29:14,800
But how the hell are you
going to get it into place?

574
00:29:14,840 --> 00:29:17,040
Because you've got nowhere to...
Are you going to crane it in?

575
00:29:17,080 --> 00:29:18,920
How are you going to do it?
Not sure yet.

576
00:29:18,960 --> 00:29:20,920
This thing has to go onto the
drive,

577
00:29:20,960 --> 00:29:24,120
so we will have to make it work.
We'll work it.

578
00:29:24,160 --> 00:29:25,560
Yeah.

579
00:29:25,600 --> 00:29:27,120
It's going to look fantastic.

580
00:29:27,160 --> 00:29:31,120
It looks like it belongs on
a concrete ring road, this bus.

581
00:29:31,160 --> 00:29:32,880
It's not glamorous.

582
00:29:34,200 --> 00:29:37,200
Olaf still needs to get
his site bus-ready,

583
00:29:37,240 --> 00:29:39,800
alongside a few other jobs.

584
00:29:39,840 --> 00:29:41,720
The driveway's still not complete,

585
00:29:41,760 --> 00:29:44,960
then I've got the fencing
to do outside,

586
00:29:45,000 --> 00:29:47,120
the rendering and the decking.

587
00:29:47,160 --> 00:29:51,200
In here is all the floors,
all the second fix,

588
00:29:51,240 --> 00:29:54,200
and then the final finish,
including the kitchen.

589
00:29:54,240 --> 00:29:56,200
It's extremely overwhelming.

590
00:29:57,560 --> 00:29:59,640
I so admire this man

591
00:29:59,680 --> 00:30:02,240
for building this home almost
by himself,

592
00:30:02,280 --> 00:30:05,000
but there is one welcome distraction.

593
00:30:14,480 --> 00:30:19,040
When you first hold your baby,
it's this amazing thing.

594
00:30:23,520 --> 00:30:24,520
Kiss.

595
00:30:25,880 --> 00:30:28,520
Love you.
You can't stop looking at her.

596
00:30:28,560 --> 00:30:30,520
Hundred percent,
life-changing moment.

597
00:30:30,560 --> 00:30:33,520
I just want it all over
and we can move into our house.

598
00:30:33,560 --> 00:30:37,880
As Fritha and Olaf come to terms
with being parents,

599
00:30:37,920 --> 00:30:42,760
another important arrival is
speeding its way into their lives.

600
00:30:42,800 --> 00:30:45,200
Slightly shitting myself about
the bus arriving.

601
00:30:45,240 --> 00:30:47,720
The whole thing's an unknown as
to how it's going to go.

602
00:30:47,760 --> 00:30:51,320
It could go absolutely smoothly,
it could be disastrous.

603
00:30:51,360 --> 00:30:52,920
Probably cause a traffic jam.

604
00:30:54,400 --> 00:30:57,560
It's a tight space to get
a bloody great bus in.

605
00:30:57,600 --> 00:31:00,120
But it's too late
for second thoughts.

606
00:31:00,160 --> 00:31:03,360
The bus is making its first pass
past site.

607
00:31:03,400 --> 00:31:06,080
I feel like I want to puke.

608
00:31:06,120 --> 00:31:07,400
Jesus Christ,

609
00:31:07,440 --> 00:31:10,320
just watching it come over
the bridge it's like, "Oh, my God."

610
00:31:10,360 --> 00:31:12,840
I might just get Niamh
to move her car forward a bit.

611
00:31:16,240 --> 00:31:17,680
Shit, it's right there.

612
00:31:20,920 --> 00:31:25,040
Olaf has to stop the traffic on one
of the major A-roads through Sussex

613
00:31:25,080 --> 00:31:28,400
just to manoeuvre this huge hunk
of junk into position.

614
00:31:30,120 --> 00:31:33,360
And it's not happening smoothly.

615
00:31:33,400 --> 00:31:34,680
What's he doing now?

616
00:31:34,720 --> 00:31:37,320
Just to watch the post, I'm going to
get a bit of a lock on.

617
00:31:37,360 --> 00:31:39,440
OK, all right. Yeah, it's going
to have to be tight.

618
00:31:39,480 --> 00:31:40,760
Shit.

619
00:31:42,560 --> 00:31:44,320
Oh, no. It's not going to go, is
it?

620
00:31:45,600 --> 00:31:48,560
Going to take the fence out.
Is it going to hit my van?

621
00:31:55,560 --> 00:31:57,160
The build-up of traffic...

622
00:31:57,200 --> 00:31:58,360
Jesus Christ.

623
00:31:58,400 --> 00:32:00,920
..makes for an unwelcome
gallery of spectators.

624
00:32:00,960 --> 00:32:03,320
HE SIGHS
I don't know what's going on.

625
00:32:03,360 --> 00:32:07,160
All the effort and craftsmanship that
Olaf's put into this house...

626
00:32:07,200 --> 00:32:09,840
Shit. ..could all be undone...

627
00:32:09,880 --> 00:32:12,080
So much traffic is
going to be backed up right now.

628
00:32:12,120 --> 00:32:14,920
..by a drunken late-night
spur-of-the-moment internet purchase.

629
00:32:16,240 --> 00:32:17,520
Stop!

630
00:32:17,560 --> 00:32:18,680
Oh, Christ.

631
00:32:18,720 --> 00:32:20,440
What have I done?

632
00:32:20,480 --> 00:32:23,480
Shit.
HE SIGHS

633
00:32:25,520 --> 00:32:27,800
It felt like disaster had struck.

634
00:32:29,160 --> 00:32:33,040
But, miraculously, two months later,
the last time I visited,

635
00:32:33,080 --> 00:32:35,560
the bus had made it onto site,

636
00:32:35,600 --> 00:32:38,760
and I was dumbfounded by Olaf
and Fritha's transformation

637
00:32:38,800 --> 00:32:41,680
of this piece of land that
no-one else had wanted.

638
00:32:43,600 --> 00:32:45,800
Oh, goodness me.

639
00:32:45,840 --> 00:32:49,960
That is looking acutely sharp.

640
00:32:50,000 --> 00:32:52,840
The zinc-clad roof was exquisite,

641
00:32:52,880 --> 00:32:55,640
puncturing the brilliant
blockwork drive.

642
00:32:55,680 --> 00:32:57,080
As was the cladding,

643
00:32:57,120 --> 00:33:01,000
a combination of larch
and humble engineering bricks.

644
00:33:01,040 --> 00:33:05,720
Every inch, so well crafted.

645
00:33:05,760 --> 00:33:08,840
But Olaf and Fritha had only just
moved in

646
00:33:08,880 --> 00:33:11,560
and were understandably exhausted.

647
00:33:11,600 --> 00:33:13,400
We're in, yeah. You're living here?

648
00:33:13,440 --> 00:33:15,280
We're living here.
We're living here.

649
00:33:15,320 --> 00:33:18,200
And not just by 15 months
of construction.

650
00:33:18,240 --> 00:33:21,480
This is Lagertha.
Yeah, this is. How are you, baby?

651
00:33:21,520 --> 00:33:25,280
Inside, Olaf had set about
carving out interiors from

652
00:33:25,320 --> 00:33:27,400
the home's peculiar shape.

653
00:33:29,560 --> 00:33:31,080
Oh, beautiful!

654
00:33:31,120 --> 00:33:33,520
Lagertha's room. That is so charming.

655
00:33:33,560 --> 00:33:37,360
But there was a tonne of joinery
for Olaf yet to complete.

656
00:33:37,400 --> 00:33:40,600
Unrealised also, was the
transformation of the

657
00:33:40,640 --> 00:33:43,760
double-decker bus into his
carpentry workshop,

658
00:33:43,800 --> 00:33:46,240
another marathon project.

659
00:33:51,000 --> 00:33:53,200
It's been twoand a half years since
I last saw Olaf

660
00:33:53,240 --> 00:33:56,000
and Fritha and their new baby, Lala,

661
00:33:56,040 --> 00:33:58,440
as they were just moving into their
pointy house,

662
00:33:58,480 --> 00:34:00,560
which was, of course,
unfinished at the time.

663
00:34:00,600 --> 00:34:03,200
And there was a world
to come of craftsmanship,

664
00:34:03,240 --> 00:34:07,400
of care and dedication
to making that beautiful interior

665
00:34:07,440 --> 00:34:10,960
that Olaf wanted
to construct so much,

666
00:34:11,000 --> 00:34:14,920
that world of nurture and of love.

667
00:34:14,960 --> 00:34:18,200
And completely different, of course,
to the world outside.

668
00:34:18,240 --> 00:34:20,880
And I'm very curious
to know how they managed to

669
00:34:20,920 --> 00:34:24,200
forge their new life,
surrounded as they are

670
00:34:24,240 --> 00:34:27,360
by trains and cars and lorries.

671
00:34:40,320 --> 00:34:43,720
It's almost twoand a half years
since I visited Olaf

672
00:34:43,760 --> 00:34:47,400
and Fritha's landmark home on their
tricky plot in West Sussex,

673
00:34:47,440 --> 00:34:49,400
betwixt trains and traffic.

674
00:34:51,080 --> 00:34:53,840
So, does it still deliver that jolt

675
00:34:53,880 --> 00:34:57,560
of architectural adrenaline that
knocked my socks off last time?

676
00:34:59,360 --> 00:35:02,840
Lots of work, looks like a
little shed or something.

677
00:35:02,880 --> 00:35:04,760
Oh, the house is good!

678
00:35:04,800 --> 00:35:07,200
It's still as sharp as ever.

679
00:35:07,240 --> 00:35:09,320
You know, it packs such a punch.

680
00:35:09,360 --> 00:35:11,040
There's so much energy in
this building

681
00:35:11,080 --> 00:35:13,200
and it hasn't dissipated.

682
00:35:13,240 --> 00:35:15,240
Oh, there's the red bus!

683
00:35:15,280 --> 00:35:18,640
Yeah, there, you see,
I'd forgotten about that.

684
00:35:18,680 --> 00:35:21,520
That was always going to be
Olaf's workshop, wasn't it?

685
00:35:21,560 --> 00:35:23,440
Mm! And clearly, he's using it,

686
00:35:23,480 --> 00:35:25,640
because there are piles of
timber everywhere.

687
00:35:27,320 --> 00:35:29,640
The canny, creative reinvention

688
00:35:29,680 --> 00:35:34,160
of this once unlovable site never
ceases to amaze me.

689
00:35:34,200 --> 00:35:38,280
But what of the transformation of
the lives of the family within,

690
00:35:38,320 --> 00:35:42,320
Olaf, Fritha and Lagertha,
now nicknamed Lala?

691
00:35:42,360 --> 00:35:44,640
Oh, hi! How are you?

692
00:35:44,680 --> 00:35:46,440
Very well. Great to see you again.

693
00:35:46,480 --> 00:35:49,200
And you! After all this time.
Very good to see you.

694
00:35:49,240 --> 00:35:51,960
It's really, really good.
Absolutely amazing.

695
00:35:52,000 --> 00:35:54,440
And how have you been over these
last two years?

696
00:35:54,480 --> 00:35:56,240
Busy. Very busy.

697
00:35:56,280 --> 00:36:00,160
You were doing all this site work
which was, you know, heavy duty.

698
00:36:00,200 --> 00:36:03,040
But now, I mean, I get glimpses...

699
00:36:03,080 --> 00:36:06,960
Its only just coming into
fruition now, the bus.

700
00:36:07,000 --> 00:36:08,960
So, I'm still on site.

701
00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:12,600
But slowly taking on more work
to make use of the bus.

702
00:36:12,640 --> 00:36:14,800
Nice, nice. I almost forget,

703
00:36:14,840 --> 00:36:16,400
because I get so excited by
this building,

704
00:36:16,440 --> 00:36:18,800
I almost forget there's a road there.

705
00:36:18,840 --> 00:36:21,120
You can hear the traffic on it.
I mean, how's it been?

706
00:36:21,160 --> 00:36:23,200
We forget. You don't notice it?

707
00:36:23,240 --> 00:36:25,000
No, just oblivious to it.
And the trains?

708
00:36:25,040 --> 00:36:26,480
The trains we love.

709
00:36:26,520 --> 00:36:28,680
Lala just says, "Train, train!"

710
00:36:28,720 --> 00:36:33,080
You know, this whole project was
about the kind of taking of

711
00:36:33,120 --> 00:36:37,480
an unusable thing, you know,
and crafting from those circumstances

712
00:36:37,520 --> 00:36:40,200
something beautiful,
something unusual.

713
00:36:40,240 --> 00:36:42,240
If the road hadn't been there,
we wouldn't have had

714
00:36:42,280 --> 00:36:44,480
a plot that we could afford,
let's face it.

715
00:36:44,520 --> 00:36:47,160
Yeah. Come on in. Great.

716
00:36:47,200 --> 00:36:50,960
So, just how effective is this
super-insulated home

717
00:36:51,000 --> 00:36:54,000
at cutting out all the
commotion outside?

718
00:36:54,040 --> 00:36:56,840
I love this door, it's like sort of
Passivhaus standard, isn't it?

719
00:36:56,880 --> 00:36:59,840
All these seals.
And...soundproofing?

720
00:36:59,880 --> 00:37:01,800
I mean, it's good, yeah?
It is very good.

721
00:37:01,840 --> 00:37:02,840
Try it.

722
00:37:05,640 --> 00:37:08,440
It's like the outside world has gone.

723
00:37:08,480 --> 00:37:10,720
Open the door again and see.

724
00:37:10,760 --> 00:37:12,680
Hang on, I'll open the door.

725
00:37:12,720 --> 00:37:13,880
Oh, what's that?

726
00:37:13,920 --> 00:37:16,800
A great rumble of something!

727
00:37:16,840 --> 00:37:18,680
That sounds like
an aircraft going over.

728
00:37:18,720 --> 00:37:22,480
Motorbikes are the most,
the loudest. Its extraordinary.

729
00:37:22,520 --> 00:37:25,880
It's also quite warm.
It's lovely and warm.

730
00:37:25,920 --> 00:37:28,360
You can lose a layer or two.

731
00:37:28,400 --> 00:37:31,440
I might have to. I feel at home.

732
00:37:31,480 --> 00:37:35,280
Ooh! Ahh, it's good, that kitchen.

733
00:37:35,320 --> 00:37:37,480
They painted each set
of door fronts with

734
00:37:37,520 --> 00:37:41,120
a different Pantone sample pot
to save money.

735
00:37:41,160 --> 00:37:42,840
Its lovely and sleek.

736
00:37:42,880 --> 00:37:45,000
And this is, I'm assuming,

737
00:37:45,040 --> 00:37:46,720
I mean, these shelves here, all you?

738
00:37:46,760 --> 00:37:49,680
So, he's made the table,
all the shelves,

739
00:37:49,720 --> 00:37:51,280
the shelves in all our bathrooms,

740
00:37:51,320 --> 00:37:53,480
everything is made from one tree.

741
00:37:53,520 --> 00:37:55,680
So, the table is beautiful.

742
00:37:55,720 --> 00:37:57,600
When you get baked beans down here,

743
00:37:57,640 --> 00:37:59,840
you can't get the baked beans
or ketchup out,

744
00:37:59,880 --> 00:38:03,000
so unfortunately,
we're going to have to cut all

745
00:38:03,040 --> 00:38:05,240
the pretty bark off. It's got to
go.

746
00:38:05,280 --> 00:38:08,480
We'll still keep the wany edge.
But lose the bark.

747
00:38:08,520 --> 00:38:12,160
I like the fact that it's getting
oiled just through use

748
00:38:12,200 --> 00:38:14,960
with things like...
Butter and sausages.

749
00:38:15,000 --> 00:38:16,920
Olive oil. Yeah, exactly.

750
00:38:16,960 --> 00:38:19,040
What do you call this room?

751
00:38:19,080 --> 00:38:20,800
We call it the snug. Right.

752
00:38:20,840 --> 00:38:23,960
That corner is really super pointy,
so what do you put in that,

753
00:38:24,000 --> 00:38:25,720
and the answer is you put in
something circular,

754
00:38:25,760 --> 00:38:27,760
you put in the wood burner which
just fills the gap.

755
00:38:27,800 --> 00:38:30,160
Warms the house.
The MVHR helps to move

756
00:38:30,200 --> 00:38:32,280
the heat around the house as well.

757
00:38:32,320 --> 00:38:34,320
So the MVHR, mechanical ventilation,

758
00:38:34,360 --> 00:38:36,680
that's taking the heat and blowing it
to all the bedrooms and...

759
00:38:36,720 --> 00:38:38,600
Yeah, warming rest of house.

760
00:38:38,640 --> 00:38:40,080
I've never seen that before.

761
00:38:40,120 --> 00:38:42,160
That's...that's clever.

762
00:38:42,200 --> 00:38:44,800
What's the point of the hole,

763
00:38:44,840 --> 00:38:47,480
the window between the two rooms?

764
00:38:47,520 --> 00:38:50,160
Well, it's actually
a mirror that comes up,

765
00:38:50,200 --> 00:38:53,760
so it can either be open plan or
enclosed space. Wha...?

766
00:38:53,800 --> 00:38:55,720
It comes up? How?

767
00:38:55,760 --> 00:38:57,280
Just press the button.

768
00:38:57,320 --> 00:39:00,320
GENTLE MECHANICAL WHIRRING

769
00:39:00,360 --> 00:39:02,840
At the speed of...

770
00:39:02,880 --> 00:39:04,240
..a glacier.

771
00:39:05,760 --> 00:39:08,200
If you want to look at yourself
before you're going out,

772
00:39:08,240 --> 00:39:10,680
you know, you can do that in
three weeks. It's taking forever!

773
00:39:10,720 --> 00:39:13,440
Olaf's very sensitive about
the speed of it. I don't care!

774
00:39:13,480 --> 00:39:16,120
It couldn't have gone any faster!

775
00:39:16,160 --> 00:39:19,600
It's a bit more Austin Powers than
James Bond, I'm afraid, but...

776
00:39:19,640 --> 00:39:22,160
But all this is mere detail.

777
00:39:22,200 --> 00:39:25,400
The living spaces here provide
valuable sanctuary

778
00:39:25,440 --> 00:39:27,600
for Olaf, Fritha, and young Lala,

779
00:39:27,640 --> 00:39:32,040
spaces that transcend
and defy the noisy surroundings,

780
00:39:32,080 --> 00:39:34,480
even in the garden, which has a bar,

781
00:39:34,520 --> 00:39:39,280
a fire pit and lots of space
for family and friends.

782
00:39:39,320 --> 00:39:40,960
Meanwhile, upstairs,

783
00:39:41,000 --> 00:39:44,560
Olaf has been busy carving
beautiful furniture...

784
00:39:44,600 --> 00:39:45,840
Wow.

785
00:39:45,880 --> 00:39:48,600
..not least in the main bedroom on
the top floor.

786
00:39:48,640 --> 00:39:51,480
This is you, presumably, Olaf.

787
00:39:51,520 --> 00:39:53,880
This is a magnificent bedhead,

788
00:39:53,920 --> 00:39:55,400
magnificent piece of tree.

789
00:39:55,440 --> 00:39:59,320
Yeah, and he put these sleepers on
as well for the base of the bed. Oh!

790
00:39:59,360 --> 00:40:01,320
There's still a couple of bits
to do in here.

791
00:40:01,360 --> 00:40:04,040
Like, I want to do some proper
bedside tables. Yeah.

792
00:40:04,080 --> 00:40:06,400
And there's a big lump
of ash that's going to be

793
00:40:06,440 --> 00:40:09,880
a lovely sort of shelf
behind the bath,

794
00:40:09,920 --> 00:40:12,240
to actually put a beer on,
instead of trying to find a...

795
00:40:12,280 --> 00:40:14,800
In the bath? Nice.

796
00:40:14,840 --> 00:40:18,240
I mean, is this because
you can't stop?

797
00:40:18,280 --> 00:40:21,880
I would like to stop one day,

798
00:40:21,920 --> 00:40:24,520
but I see things that
need to be done,

799
00:40:24,560 --> 00:40:27,280
and I'll just keep going. Yeah.

800
00:40:27,320 --> 00:40:28,600
On the floor below,

801
00:40:28,640 --> 00:40:30,360
an office has become a bedroom

802
00:40:30,400 --> 00:40:32,920
and other rooms have changed too,

803
00:40:32,960 --> 00:40:35,960
so there are now three bedrooms
squeezed in here.

804
00:40:36,000 --> 00:40:39,360
This was Lala's room, wasn't it?
It was Lagertha's room, yeah.

805
00:40:39,400 --> 00:40:40,920
Yeah. So now it's what?

806
00:40:40,960 --> 00:40:43,440
This is for a child we don't know
the name of yet

807
00:40:43,480 --> 00:40:44,840
because we're foster carers

808
00:40:44,880 --> 00:40:47,720
and we're waiting to be matched
with two new children.

809
00:40:47,760 --> 00:40:50,240
Wow! We got through it. Good for you.

810
00:40:50,280 --> 00:40:51,640
So, you're going to have three kids?

811
00:40:51,680 --> 00:40:54,480
Yes. Oh, my goodness me.
A proper houseful.

812
00:40:54,520 --> 00:40:56,440
I mean, you'd be really
making use of the building.

813
00:40:56,480 --> 00:41:01,080
I think it's staggering that you've
got those reserves.

814
00:41:01,120 --> 00:41:04,160
It feels weird having two massive
empty rooms.

815
00:41:04,200 --> 00:41:05,520
It's really interesting you say that

816
00:41:05,560 --> 00:41:10,240
because I didn't think this house
would be too big at all. Yeah.

817
00:41:10,280 --> 00:41:12,640
I thought it would be constricting
because it's small,

818
00:41:12,680 --> 00:41:15,760
you had to go small because
of the site, the sewer...

819
00:41:15,800 --> 00:41:17,920
You know, so many constraints here

820
00:41:17,960 --> 00:41:20,320
and actually you've ended up
with a building, thanks partly

821
00:41:20,360 --> 00:41:23,160
to going up, that's given you
so much space.

822
00:41:23,200 --> 00:41:26,040
If it's just me Olaf
and Lala here for

823
00:41:26,080 --> 00:41:29,440
the rest of our lives it would feel
empty and a waste,

824
00:41:29,480 --> 00:41:33,680
so we want a big family
and we want to fill this place.

825
00:41:33,720 --> 00:41:36,040
Use it. Yeah. Share it. Share it.

826
00:41:36,080 --> 00:41:38,640
Amazing that you're doing this,
I think it's admirable.

827
00:41:40,000 --> 00:41:42,520
This site is now so accommodating,

828
00:41:42,560 --> 00:41:45,920
readying itself for
a burgeoning family.

829
00:41:45,960 --> 00:41:49,440
While outside, on top of that
peskily positioned sewage pipe,

830
00:41:49,480 --> 00:41:53,160
the red bus has finally been
inventively reborn as

831
00:41:53,200 --> 00:41:54,880
Olaf's carpentry workshop.

832
00:41:54,920 --> 00:41:56,840
Oh, yes!

833
00:41:56,880 --> 00:41:58,280
Fully kitted.
Blimey, actually it is.

834
00:41:58,320 --> 00:41:59,480
You've got everything you need.

835
00:41:59,520 --> 00:42:01,280
They're big spaces aren't they,
these?

836
00:42:01,320 --> 00:42:02,600
Yeah. Surprisingly so, yeah.

837
00:42:02,640 --> 00:42:05,120
Yeah, pillar drill,
chop saws, planers.

838
00:42:05,160 --> 00:42:07,600
I've never had a fully kitted
workshop like this.

839
00:42:07,640 --> 00:42:11,040
Dedicated tools for dedicated jobs
in a dedicated space.

840
00:42:11,080 --> 00:42:12,440
Dedicated to one man.

841
00:42:12,480 --> 00:42:15,000
Dedicated to this. Yeah!

842
00:42:15,040 --> 00:42:18,520
And so, the stuff you're planning
to make is not going to be

843
00:42:18,560 --> 00:42:20,000
as heavy, I guess.
Definitely not, no.

844
00:42:20,040 --> 00:42:21,720
Not as massive, not as...

845
00:42:21,760 --> 00:42:24,920
Just a little bit more intricate
and, yeah, manageable.

846
00:42:24,960 --> 00:42:29,120
I just hope that I'm able
to create stuff that's unique

847
00:42:29,160 --> 00:42:31,160
and inspire other people.

848
00:42:31,200 --> 00:42:35,600
And the house I suppose, in a way,
is really a giant version of that.

849
00:42:35,640 --> 00:42:38,960
Yeah, we're shrinking everything
down now. Yeah, yeah!

850
00:42:39,000 --> 00:42:41,480
So do you think it's still like
a hunk of junk or,

851
00:42:41,520 --> 00:42:42,680
improved hunk of junk?

852
00:42:42,720 --> 00:42:44,840
It was a hunk of junk

853
00:42:44,880 --> 00:42:48,800
and now it is the most
brilliant workshop.

854
00:42:48,840 --> 00:42:52,560
It's eccentric but it's...yeah.

855
00:42:52,600 --> 00:42:55,240
Just wait till you see upstairs.
What, here?

856
00:42:55,280 --> 00:42:58,600
I'd forgotten,
it's a double-decker bus!

857
00:42:58,640 --> 00:43:00,680
Oh, this is miraculous.

858
00:43:00,720 --> 00:43:06,280
The upper deck is transformed into
a design space with a lounge.

859
00:43:06,320 --> 00:43:09,600
This is not the floor of
the original bus, surely, no?

860
00:43:09,640 --> 00:43:11,760
Three months of hard labour.
My word.

861
00:43:11,800 --> 00:43:13,160
Leftovers, is it?

862
00:43:13,200 --> 00:43:15,440
Its all the leftovers of life,
yeah.

863
00:43:15,480 --> 00:43:18,360
Jobs I've been on all my whole
life.

864
00:43:18,400 --> 00:43:20,040
I think its magical.

865
00:43:20,080 --> 00:43:23,080
This house is enabling Olaf
and I to live out both our dreams.

866
00:43:23,120 --> 00:43:25,680
Like, I've always dreamed
of being a foster carer

867
00:43:25,720 --> 00:43:29,120
and Olaf's always dreamed
of having his own workshop

868
00:43:29,160 --> 00:43:30,760
so he can do his own work.

869
00:43:30,800 --> 00:43:34,520
And this house has enabled us
to live out both of those dreams.

870
00:43:34,560 --> 00:43:35,880
Yeah, yeah.

871
00:43:37,240 --> 00:43:39,840
Olaf and Fritha seem
to have built a house

872
00:43:39,880 --> 00:43:42,400
and a life without compromise

873
00:43:42,440 --> 00:43:47,000
from a plot that, not long ago,
was all compromise.

874
00:43:47,040 --> 00:43:50,120
I take my hard hat off to these two.

875
00:43:50,160 --> 00:43:52,880
The ride here has been by bus,

876
00:43:52,920 --> 00:43:55,200
and it's been by ambulance,

877
00:43:55,240 --> 00:43:56,880
and it's been by pointy building,

878
00:43:56,920 --> 00:44:00,120
has been kind of a bit wild,
hasn't it?

879
00:44:00,160 --> 00:44:02,200
Or is all of life like that
for you two?

880
00:44:02,240 --> 00:44:05,520
It's definitely fast-paced
with Fritha around.

881
00:44:05,560 --> 00:44:08,200
You just manage to cram a lot in
to your lives.

882
00:44:08,240 --> 00:44:10,520
We do, yeah. We don't really stop.

883
00:44:10,560 --> 00:44:12,320
I'm curious to know what people
have said.

884
00:44:12,360 --> 00:44:15,080
The house is so exposed,
so obvious when you drive past it,

885
00:44:15,120 --> 00:44:17,520
that you must have had
lots of people just stop and,

886
00:44:17,560 --> 00:44:19,280
you know, and talk to you about it.

887
00:44:19,320 --> 00:44:21,080
I think generally people, you know,

888
00:44:21,120 --> 00:44:24,120
they understand why we had
to build what we built

889
00:44:24,160 --> 00:44:27,040
and then they appreciate
the fact that

890
00:44:27,080 --> 00:44:30,200
the design went beyond just
the triangle,

891
00:44:30,240 --> 00:44:33,080
and, you know, and created
something unique.

892
00:44:33,120 --> 00:44:36,200
You know, just this last week
I'm being asked to look at

893
00:44:36,240 --> 00:44:41,000
a triangular plot in somewhere
in the mid-west of America.

894
00:44:41,040 --> 00:44:42,240
Amazing.

895
00:44:42,280 --> 00:44:46,200
And we are so privileged to have
this setting to just flourish in.

896
00:44:46,240 --> 00:44:49,400
You seem to have achieved
so much on so little

897
00:44:49,440 --> 00:44:52,400
that it's sort of almost entirely
about the making,

898
00:44:52,440 --> 00:44:55,040
and the doing and the crafting.

899
00:44:55,080 --> 00:44:58,160
That I find really magical, really.

900
00:44:58,200 --> 00:45:01,560
Yeah, well, I mean if you can do
that, then you can do anything.

901
00:45:03,680 --> 00:45:06,040
When I first met Olaf and Fritha,

902
00:45:06,080 --> 00:45:09,200
I thought of them as
children of innocence,

903
00:45:09,240 --> 00:45:12,360
festival-goers,
free spirits on the planet,

904
00:45:12,400 --> 00:45:13,800
doing their thing.

905
00:45:15,280 --> 00:45:17,160
See how far they've come.

906
00:45:21,240 --> 00:45:23,960
You know, there are some
people on this planet,

907
00:45:24,000 --> 00:45:26,520
I mean, people like
Olaf and Fritha, actually,

908
00:45:26,560 --> 00:45:29,360
who seem imbued
with just vast amounts of energy,

909
00:45:29,400 --> 00:45:32,480
you know, as if they were
human dynamos.

910
00:45:32,520 --> 00:45:34,000
I mean, take this pair for example.

911
00:45:34,040 --> 00:45:38,360
They started out with a list of,
well, pretty humdrum,

912
00:45:38,400 --> 00:45:43,720
humble materials, like engineering
bricks and bits of leftover wood,

913
00:45:43,760 --> 00:45:45,920
and a dog-end of a site, frankly.

914
00:45:45,960 --> 00:45:51,800
And from these things they crafted
a building of sheer beauty.

915
00:45:51,840 --> 00:45:56,480
And now, in turn, the house,
and the garden, and the bus,

916
00:45:56,520 --> 00:46:00,560
and the imminent fostering, they're
all beginning to reward

917
00:46:00,600 --> 00:46:06,680
Olaf and Fritha and give them back
energy and inspiration by turn.

918
00:46:06,720 --> 00:46:10,080
You know, it's like a sort of
atomic nuclear fusion fission

919
00:46:10,120 --> 00:46:11,840
thing that's triangular-shaped,

920
00:46:11,880 --> 00:46:15,800
and they're in the middle of it,
as busy as ever.

921
00:46:15,840 --> 00:46:17,160
What next?

922
00:46:19,680 --> 00:46:25,600
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