Grand Designs - S25E03 - West Yorkshire 2024
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00:00Life is precious, and it's fragile, and that is written into every creature's DNA.
00:19And to help protect themselves, so many build themselves homes.
00:27Some go a step further.
00:28They don't build just for protection, but for transformation.
00:33They build a gateway for a whole new way of life, a whole new freedom.
00:44A house can have no finer ambition to effect that kind of change, to radically alter the lives of the people who live in it.
00:58This is Bronte country, a windswept, romantic landscape that inspires great pride in those
01:27lucky enough to live here.
01:30We're nearly home.
01:34Living in Yorkshire is absolutely wonderful.
01:40Yeah, I love being a Yorkshire lass.
01:44Can you see that there, Isaac, the cinema?
01:47That's where Mummy used to work when she was younger.
01:50Kara, her husband, Johnny, and their son, Isaac, live near Bradford, where Johnny is a self-employed electrician.
01:58I employ one person.
01:59We're a small kind of local firm, you know, we just work mainly in the local area to where we live.
02:06Just keep it simple, keep it kind of old school.
02:11Kara ran her own holistic therapy business, but three years ago, this family's life changed irrevocably.
02:21Gone on a family holiday, and my legs started to go a bit numb, and I walked onto the plane,
02:28and I had to get wheelchaired off the plane, and I've never walked since.
02:33Ready, steady, go!
02:36Try and posh.
02:37Right, I'm going to win now because he's dropped his cup!
02:40Kara was diagnosed with neuromyelitis optica, or NMO,
02:45a rare autoimmune disease that can flare up and cause irreparable damage to the central nervous system.
02:52You don't think it's ever going to happen to you, do you?
02:55You don't think as a family you would have to be facing disability?
02:59On learning Kara would never walk again, this family made another life-changing discovery.
03:07A month and a half later, they said, oh, we've kind of found a shadow and we're a bit concerned,
03:13and it turns out it was a baby.
03:20So, for the past three years, Kara and Johnny have been parenting Winnie alongside Isaac while adapting to disability.
03:28They now squeeze family life into a small, hastily converted garage,
03:32next door to Kara's parents' house where she grew up.
03:37Tight squeeze.
03:39Not a space well-suited for a wheelchair user.
03:43Not unusual for Kara to fall out of a chair.
03:45Always kind of got to be somebody else around, hasn't there?
03:48From here down, the muscles just don't work, so when I pick something up,
03:53if I go too far forward, I go, bam, and I'm down.
04:00As Kara's parents are so close by, Kara will often rely on them for help while Johnny's at work.
04:07It's been hard for all of us. We just deal with that from day to day.
04:12They need a space that works for them as a family.
04:20Now, in place of an old stable block in her parents' garden,
04:24Kara and Johnny want to build a new, beautiful, accessible home.
04:28A home that will satisfy all their needs and transform their lives.
04:34I want to have a beautiful home that works for me,
04:39that is functional, I want functionality and style to marry up
04:43and create a beautiful house for me and my family.
04:46It's going to give us the joy in life that I don't necessarily have now.
04:51Rarely does a project shoulder such responsibility.
04:56I think this is the place.
04:58Oh, magnificent view.
05:01That is the house they're currently living in, I think.
05:04And the site just below, I have to say, it's a very tidy site.
05:09How I like it.
05:12It's even got a promenade deck to view it from. That's neat.
05:16Kara and Johnny sold their previous house to finance this new single-storey home,
05:22and they've already built a new one.
05:25It's sizeable, isn't it? But then, you know, being single-storey...
05:28Yeah, a few people have walked past and they've been like,
05:31so how many houses are you building? Like, I just want them.
05:34Yeah. My favourite thing, actually, is that tree there.
05:38And I love that view, I just love it.
05:41So, you've got this far with the help of a groundworker, presumably,
05:44to get you out of the ground. Yes.
05:46Groundworks is awful, though, because, you know,
05:49you've got a lot of people in the house,
05:52but there's nothing to see.
05:54Tell me something, though. Did either of you ever say,
05:57I want a new build, I want to build a house?
06:00No. Well, we wouldn't have chosen this, but it's circumstantial.
06:03This has had to happen because of my disability.
06:07Kara is one of over 16 million registered disabled people
06:11living in the UK.
06:13Yet accessible design is often overlooked,
06:16and will nearly always play a role in the future.
06:19Disability access generally means you end up with a home
06:23that's full of levers and grab rails... Yeah.
06:26..which are not normally very beautiful.
06:29No. Accessibility and functionality.
06:32People haven't designed it to look sexy, it's not beautiful.
06:36You want to go into somewhere and think, woo-hoo, you know.
06:39Have you worked with an architect, then, so far,
06:42to get what you need right?
06:44No, I haven't.
06:47We've kind of got the backbone with the architect,
06:50so the actual structure, but beyond that,
06:52that's kind of then down to us, isn't it?
06:54The architects were fantastic,
06:56but finding architects that specialise in disability...
06:59Well, disability equals money.
07:01It costs so much to become disabled.
07:03Unfortunately, we don't have that kind of money
07:06to be able to pay for everything that goes with it.
07:09Additional design and... Yeah.
07:11So we've kind of left a lot of that to us.
07:14Kara and Johnny have designed much of the layout
07:17of their new accessible home themselves,
07:20so if it doesn't work, they'll have no-one to blame.
07:23Set on the site of the old stable block on a steep slope,
07:27a perfectly level groundworks platform
07:30has already been built up at the front
07:33and cut into the hill at the back,
07:36beneath a long stone-retaining wall.
07:38Structurally insulated timber panels will form the walls,
07:42and five laminated timber beams
07:45will allow the interior to be open, tall and large.
07:48Wide accessible doorways will lead you across flat floors
07:52to an open living room with views across the valley,
07:56and a dramatic roof light atop an audacious pyramid.
08:00The tall kitchen will have one wall
08:03clad in local reclaimed bricks,
08:06and the aim is to incorporate accessibility
08:09into the design.
08:11Any mobility aids will be super subtle.
08:14The floors will be ultra-flat and threshold-free
08:17for wheelchair access between the four bedrooms,
08:20two bathrooms, a therapy room and a small office,
08:23which will give on to a sheltered courtyard at the back.
08:27All these spaces have to be accessible,
08:30practical and beautiful.
08:32The gable ends will be clad in the stone
08:35from the old stable block that once stood here.
08:38While an overcoat of zinc will wrap the roof
08:41and the other elevations,
08:43so there can be no mistaking this
08:46for anything other than a modern building.
08:49Johnny will project-manage while Kara designs the interior,
08:53a shared adventure to wrangle a beautiful new future,
08:57a wheelchair-accessible path
08:59down which there have never been before.
09:04No building project is simple.
09:07The design is stressful,
09:09and this seems to be quite an extraordinary one.
09:12So, with the proceeds of the sale of your previous home,
09:15how much money did you start this project with?
09:18280.
09:19How much is it going to cost to build?
09:21About 380.
09:22Oh, OK. Where's the extra £100,000 coming from?
09:25We're going to need to borrow that money.
09:28We can't really scrimp on certain aspects, can we?
09:31It's exciting, because even if the sacrifice is made,
09:35we're going to have a house that's functional and beautiful.
09:40Their £380,000 budget includes the £83,000
09:45they've already spent on foundations.
09:48And that leaves a precarious future
09:51for this high-performance building,
09:53where form, function and finance will all be tested.
09:58The difficulties of making a disability access home,
10:03while at the same time making it remarkably beautiful.
10:07I don't know if a building can do that.
10:09I'm not sure whether or not it can, in the end,
10:12answer everything asked of it.
10:20Ah, there we are.
10:22A few days before their timber frame arrives,
10:25Cara is already in search of the new independence
10:28this building can offer.
10:30I'm going on an accessible wheelchair course.
10:33I'm going to go and learn some new skills in my wheelchair.
10:36First time I've been away since paralysis.
10:39When I get back, I'm hoping to see a bit of our home, aren't I?
10:44I love you.
10:47Cara's condition was first diagnosed in Liverpool
10:50by one of the world's leading consultants on this rare disease.
10:54A neuromyelitis optica, or NMO, is an autoimmune condition
10:58We don't know why people get this disease.
11:01When NMO strikes, it does so with attacks,
11:04and they're devastating.
11:06Their life gets turned upside down.
11:08One minute they're living their life,
11:10the next minute they're a wheelchair user for the rest of their life.
11:14Cara's a remarkable individual.
11:16She's so resilient, it's just amazing.
11:19Bye, Cara. Bye, darling.
11:21Bye. Have fun.
11:28The following week,
11:30Cara and Johnny's home begins to take shape.
11:33I think there's about four guys on site today.
11:36It looks big.
11:38The SIPs, Structurally Insulated Panels,
11:41are manhandled into position,
11:43and by the time Cara returns with some new wheelchair skills...
11:47It's bigger than I ever, ever imagined.
11:51..there are walls and window openings.
11:55We need some manpower.
11:57Not from me, obviously.
12:00In just a few days,
12:02the structure's ready for the large laminated beams,
12:05which will give this building its tall volumes.
12:08I think this is the biggest beam to go in.
12:11So we've got an overhead cable, which supplies our fibre to our house,
12:16and I think that's really caused a lot of people problems for access.
12:20Pivotal moment now.
12:22Flip that side up.
12:24That's it.
12:26Oh, well done, guys.
12:28Wow.
12:30That was very tight.
12:35This may become an accessible house,
12:38but Cara is discovering there's no such thing
12:41as an accessible building site.
12:44I don't know if you noticed, but the built-in trade,
12:47you don't see any wheelchair users in it.
12:50So it's not really catered for to be a wheelchair accessible.
12:55Don't be scared.
12:57My life at the minute involves a lot of help
13:00and going from a fiercely independent person
13:03to somebody who has to rely on people very heavily.
13:09It's easy that you can just do it so easily.
13:12It's very awkward. Oh, my God.
13:15It's that reliance upon people that I struggle with sometimes.
13:19Wow. It's nice, isn't it?
13:21Doesn't it look different?
13:23It's like it's framed, isn't it?
13:25You know, Cara wants to be independent.
13:27In an ideal world, Cara wouldn't want any help.
13:30She would want to do everything herself.
13:34Wow.
13:36But the reality of it is it doesn't happen that way.
13:40It can't happen because of the physical sort of circumstances
13:45she's in, which is for the rest of her life.
13:48This isn't something that's got to get better in five years' time.
13:52Cara now until she gets to an old lady
13:55and she has to learn...
13:59..to deal with that.
14:02But for Cara, these walls and their promise of independence
14:06are already weaving their magic.
14:09I've grown up here and I've seen these views
14:11and, God, I feel really, really happy.
14:14Of course, there is still one big obstacle to any future happiness.
14:20Money.
14:22So I think the timber frame was about £80,000.
14:26We're going to be skint. We need to borrow some money.
14:29If they don't find the extra £100,000 missing
14:34from their £380,000 budget,
14:37the freedom this timber shell represents
14:40will almost certainly be more elusive than they hope.
14:58Cara and Johnny are trying to build an accessible four-bedroom house
15:02in the romantic West Yorkshire landscape
15:05for three young girls.
15:07Once the roof's on, it's all just going to come alive
15:10and everything's going to...
15:12Oh, my mind's going to go,
15:14oh, my God, I've got a house!
15:16As the final roofing panels are positioned...
15:19As far as roofs go, one of the best roofs we've put on.
15:22It went together like a dream.
15:24..the interior spaces are revealed
15:26and Cara and her mum can begin to experience how this home might feel.
15:30Oh, gosh.
15:32It's a dream.
15:34It's just going to be so exciting.
15:36I know. Yeah, I love it.
15:38Of course, I'm physically not able to do things any more.
15:42It doesn't feel like I've been involved in it that much.
15:45It's just that you're not able to do what everybody else is doing.
15:51Just one month since the Sips arrived,
15:54these walls have been wrapped in a waterproof membrane.
15:58The gable ends are being clad in stone from the old stable block.
16:02It should help this modern building
16:04meld into the ancient landscape here.
16:08Is this a Yorkshire limestone?
16:10Yorkshire sandstone. Sandstone.
16:12Yeah. Yeah, this will last forever.
16:14It's old stuff, you can tell.
16:16Yeah, remarkable.
16:18And we're actually trying to match it in to a different type of stone
16:21which is going to...
16:23It's going to be a bit of a...
16:25..to a different type of stone
16:27which is going to run along the face of the entrance.
16:30The new stuff is coming from about a five-minute drive away from here.
16:33OK. And it's coming in big rocks about 18-inch high and random lengths.
16:37It's split but not sawn, so it's going to be flat.
16:40So there'll be quite a difference in character, then,
16:43between the old rustic stuff and that. Yeah, it will, yeah.
16:46Nothing I've done before.
16:48Experimental stonework will not make this house any cheaper.
16:52Cara and Johnny are still £100,000 shy of their £380,000 budget.
16:59Money is becoming an issue.
17:03Once the timber frame came up, there was, like, a realisation of,
17:06right, that was bigger than what I thought,
17:09and that's going to take a lot more work and money.
17:12Skin as well, so...
17:14Did you begin a conversation with a mortgage company?
17:17My dad said to me, look, you know,
17:19I would much prefer to help you.
17:21Is this banking mum and dad? Yeah, yeah.
17:23Just cos we're getting it doesn't mean we're going to go crazy.
17:26It's got to be spent wisely.
17:29To make this parental loan stretch,
17:31Johnny is becoming a proper self-builder.
17:34With the help of two mates, he's building up the flat roof himself.
17:40A process that demands dry conditions.
17:44Everything is very wet.
17:46If you look down there, you can see how much waft is coming off the roof.
17:50So that's kind of what it's like every day.
17:52Johnny and Cara are spending over £10,000 on this roof,
17:55but the large scaffold is an unexpected cost of almost £4,000.
18:01That end up there is...
18:03popping out.
18:05But it's essential to keep work on the roof dry.
18:09Without the roof covering now,
18:11I mean, this whole area would just be like a swimming pool.
18:14It takes almost four weeks to install the insulation and timber,
18:18but the really tricky bit is applying the fibreglass finish.
18:24The OSB deck that we install the fibreglass onto
18:27has to be completely dry.
18:29If there's any water on there, the resin will not cure.
18:32It's a cumbersome process,
18:34and the slightest drop of water could cause the roof to fail.
18:39This past week, I've just ignored my phone.
18:43Because we just need to get this roof done.
18:46Fibreglass sheets are cut
18:48and then fixed to the timber with a toxic resin.
18:52Well, this is sort of like heavy-duty mapping,
18:54so it takes a lot of resin to absorb into it.
18:58As Johnny struggles on with the roof,
19:00Cara considers the critical accessible interiors.
19:04Well, because we live somewhere that doesn't work for us
19:07and doesn't work for me in the wheelchair,
19:10it's made me think of what I do want.
19:13There's a pressure to get things right.
19:16I just don't want to get it wrong.
19:18I just don't want to make mistakes that we can't alter.
19:24If I was able-bodied, I'd be down there every night
19:27and I'd be planning rooms and planning spaces,
19:30and as it stands, I think I've been down there maybe three times.
19:34It's sad, because...
19:36I want to be involved.
19:40However, sanding a freshly-laid fibreglass roof
19:44is a job we could all really do without.
19:48The sanding is horrible.
19:50Johnny wanted this job to take three weeks.
19:53In fact, it takes twice as long.
19:56An incredible amount of work has gone into this roof
19:59and I think we've done a pretty good job.
20:01At a cost of almost £1.5 million,
20:04the external stonework cladding is now almost finished.
20:08We've had to cut these stones to suit this steel,
20:11which you can see here,
20:13and the reason we're doing this is to completely cover this steel.
20:17It took her probably nearly a full day to cut them up,
20:20cut the channels up and make them right.
20:22It's going to look brilliant when it's done, yeah?
20:25Yeah, it's going to look completely seamless.
20:29Inside, the reclaimed brick wall
20:31Inside, the reclaimed brick wall
20:33in the kitchen is finished.
20:35Oh!
20:36Oh, my lordy, lord!
20:39Winnie!
20:40Oh, my God!
20:42I can actually touch it!
20:44Oh!
20:45Look at this!
20:47A long-awaited internal detail.
20:51The house is now going to have to be as good as this wall,
20:54because it's reclaimed, it's old, it's got character, it's got us.
20:58It's got, like, where we've come from, what we're about.
21:04By the new year, torrential rain has turned to snow.
21:08The glazing, happily, is fitted.
21:10Yes, it's good.
21:12Now it's watertight, work can move inside,
21:15where they'll need to find room for two huge reclaimed doors.
21:20So, these are the kitchen doors, Kevin.
21:23What, these great things here?
21:25Yeah.
21:26Massive.
21:28Huge, aren't they?
21:29The doors don't scream accessibility,
21:31but then this is a couple that don't make life easy for themselves.
21:35Is that all finished?
21:36Everything's done, yeah.
21:37Yeah?
21:38By way of example, Johnny's fibreglass roof.
21:41This is a material that I would run from.
21:43Did you also want to use a material which would shorten your lifespan?
21:46Yeah, well, not particularly, but it's a real learning curve,
21:50because I'd never done anything like that before.
21:53You know, I thought maybe two, three weeks.
21:55How long did it take?
21:56I think we were probably six to seven weeks.
21:59Between November and December was pretty much a write-off.
22:02If you knew it was going to take six weeks,
22:04would it have been cheaper for you to go out and work
22:06and earn the money and pay someone to do it?
22:08Well, I've worked it out.
22:09We've still saved some money.
22:10However, it probably, you know, with the stress it caused,
22:14you know, well, it's one of those things.
22:16We've done it now, so...
22:17Is it all done?
22:18Yes.
22:19Yeah, I'm not going to miss fibreglass roofing at all.
22:21No.
22:22Yeah, I mean, you suffered a baptism of fibreglass.
22:25It's taken five months for this sturdy shell
22:28to emerge from its foundations.
22:30But inside, there's still a huge amount to do,
22:34and much of it will be done by Johnny.
22:38The amount of effort he has to invest in this project
22:42is phenomenal.
22:44The fibreglass roof is just the tip of the iceberg.
22:50Wow.
22:51Wow.
22:53These stones embody so many things in this building.
22:58So many hopes and aspirations and needs.
23:01You know, you or I might buy a house or build a house,
23:04if we're lucky, that represents everything we hope and dream for.
23:08And yet, for here, for Johnny and Cara,
23:11dreams come much lower down the list
23:15in comparison to needs.
23:18The rest of us can indulge our whims and our hopes.
23:23This building has to just simply perform
23:29at a phenomenally high level.
23:31Cara and Johnny are building a family home
23:34in the foothills of the Pennines in Yorkshire,
23:37but they're struggling to keep within their £380,000 budget.
23:41For the first time, Johnny's working alone on site,
23:45so the pace on the project has slowed.
23:48It's a bit of a challenge.
23:50It's a bit of a challenge.
23:52It's a bit of a challenge.
23:54It's a bit of a challenge.
23:56It's a bit of a challenge.
23:59I've lost my husband to house because he's out there all the time.
24:02The man is on a mission and he's really doing something for us
24:06and for our future, for our family.
24:09Johnny is spending every weekend and evening after work here,
24:13giving this building a plywood skin in freezing temperatures.
24:17At the minute, it does feel a bit never-ending.
24:20But, you know, it's all heading in the right direction.
24:24It does feel a bit never-ending, but, you know,
24:26it's all heading in the right direction.
24:28While Johnny prepares the exterior for the zinc cladding...
24:31Kids! Ta-da!
24:34..Cara's looking after the children
24:36in a desperately unsuitable multi-level home.
24:40She's had a serious fall in this house, which broke her back.
24:44Now she has a huge quantity of metalwork supporting her spine.
24:48And, as a result, she's on a daily diet of painkillers,
24:51as well as medication to control her auto-immune condition.
24:56I take between 50 and 20 pills a day.
24:59I use a thioprene, steroids.
25:01If I hadn't had medical intervention, I would be dead, you know.
25:05I'd much prefer to see my family grow up,
25:07than be six foot under, you know.
25:10And so I'll take the pain and I'll take whatever I need to,
25:15because I'm here.
25:17By early spring, this family's inspiring determination is rewarded,
25:23as their new house is ready for its zinc skin.
25:26Today, we're going to start zinking the front of the house,
25:30so it's exciting times!
25:34Yeah.
25:35Zinc is far from the cheapest cladding material.
25:38It's a soft metal, hand-worked on site.
25:41It will be this building's tailored material.
25:45It's the building's tailored metallic suit.
25:48All of a sudden, it seems to be all coming together.
25:52Modern with a traditional twist.
25:55But the fitters don't have the site to themselves,
25:58having to work around the delivery of several tonnes of limestone aggregate,
26:02that should help improve the site's accessibility.
26:05We're hoping, by the end of play today,
26:08that we've got enough hardcore down so Cara can access the house again.
26:13It's the type of one I want to work on, for lots of reasons, really,
26:17but, you know, it's bespoke, it's interesting on that side of things,
26:23but also knowing that, you know,
26:26it's going to give both Johnny and Cara a better quality of life,
26:30that's, yeah, it's a big thing.
26:34Seven months since the Sips arrived,
26:37Cara and Johnny have the makings of a very striking building.
26:41That's beautiful.
26:43And, and some levels are in,
26:47which makes, certainly for Cara, makes it easier getting in.
26:52There is real quality on show, but quality is expensive.
26:58Hello, you two. How are you?
27:00Hey! How are you? Good, yeah.
27:02Let me ask you a question.
27:04This project, right, super tight budget, yeah,
27:07and yet that stonework out there is really, really beautifully done.
27:11It's really nicely crafted, yeah? Yes.
27:13And you're using zinc, less immortals. Yes.
27:16With more money, we'd be spending the money on steel,
27:20cos it's, well, it's cheaper.
27:22You want it to look beautiful, you know,
27:24you want to see your house and go, this is really nice,
27:27and that, it's our fort, this is our fortress, it's our castle, isn't it?
27:30But we're trying then, whilst on the inside,
27:32we're trying to pull back on certain things.
27:35I cannot believe you've been able to stick to your budget.
27:38We've spent now £316,000.
27:40That's nearly your budget.
27:42Are you working for customers during the day? Yes.
27:44And then you come here in the evening? Yes.
27:46My word!
27:48These rooms will need to marry form and function seamlessly,
27:52and nowhere will that be more important than in the kitchen.
27:56Cara and Johnny have now finalised their layouts,
28:00and now their kitchen designer...
28:02Sam, how are you? All right.
28:04..has mocked up Cara and Johnny's design.
28:08Do you do this for every client? No.
28:10We've done this so that Cara can see what space she has,
28:13and if it's not right, we tweak it. Yeah.
28:15I've designed it in a way that I thought would be better for her,
28:18but she doesn't like the look of it cos it looks too accessible.
28:21OK. So these little tweaks that we're going to do
28:23to remove those elements...
28:25Watch out, it's the client.
28:27Hey! Look at this!
28:30Wow. Woo-hoo!
28:32Have you seen this before? No.
28:34Oh, wow. This is awesome.
28:37Can you get comfortably right under?
28:39Yeah. Ba-boom!
28:41Yeah. Oh, my knees! I can't feel them, so it's all right.
28:44So we just need it a bit higher.
28:46You need that rail gone, don't you?
28:48Basically, with this kitchen,
28:51I don't want it to look like an, you know, NHS kitchen
28:56with grab rails and things, you know,
28:59I don't want it to look so it's made for a wheelchair.
29:03I want it to look beautiful.
29:06For Cara, how this kitchen balances utility and beauty
29:10will be central to the success of the whole interior.
29:15Over the coming weeks,
29:17Johnny focuses on making this building function thermally
29:20by insulating the floor and installing the underfloor heating.
29:25There's a hell of a lot of time and effort that goes into it.
29:28This is endless.
29:30It takes Johnny almost two months to prepare the floor.
29:34It'll be screeded over in half a day.
29:37So these tripods, basically what you do is you set your main level,
29:41so obviously it's going to be that exact level all the way through
29:44and you just take them out at the end and then you smooth it off
29:47and that's your job done.
29:50Mixed on site, this liquid concrete floods into every room
29:54to leave a thoughtless level finish.
29:59Looking good.
30:01Now that there's flush wheelchair access inside and out,
30:04Cara can at last get more involved with the project
30:08and spend more time on site.
30:10So this is what? Where did this come from?
30:12A pub. Foot rail? Yeah.
30:14It's as good second time around as it was first time around.
30:17It's sort of better.
30:18It's going to be used in the kitchen, it's going to be used in the bathroom.
30:21OK, so this is going to be a grab rail. Is that right?
30:24Yeah, it's perfect, really.
30:26You know, it's not a white plastic crappy bar, is it?
30:29How easy is it to clean up?
30:31It is. Well, a bit of elbow grease.
30:33This is the first thing on the build
30:35that I have actually been able to physically do.
30:38It's empowering to think that I am involved now
30:41and it might be just polishing some brass,
30:44but to me, I'm doing something for our home.
30:46How long has that taken us? And look how good it looks already.
30:50As summer slips into autumn...
30:53..Johnny continues with the insulation
30:55and starts the first fix, electrics.
30:59When he's not on site or at work,
31:01he relaxes by refurbishing a collection of old electrical fittings
31:05he wants to use in the house.
31:07This particular one was £40.
31:10To buy a restored one, you'd be looking at £200, £300.
31:14So there's a bit of time and work involved,
31:16but I think it's quite rewarding.
31:18But just as this family begin to focus on their future,
31:22Cara has a serious fall
31:25and the metalwork in her back works loose.
31:28She now needs surgery.
31:31She's got to get on. Yeah.
31:34She's got to carry on and hopefully...
31:38Well, it will be OK. I've just got to get some corrective surgery.
31:41Hopefully, it's the pain, you know.
31:43I just get a lot of pain when I get surgery.
31:46And it just makes me feel like, you know,
31:48Johnny's out there working so hard
31:50and I just want to kind of do my bit.
31:52But just everything that comes with having a spinal injury,
31:55it's just a bit difficult sometimes.
31:58Cara has to wait for reconstructive surgery on her back
32:03and for the first time, the optimism which has driven this project
32:07seems shadowed by anxiety.
32:10You know Mummy's told you about her operation?
32:13What do you think about it?
32:15Scary. Yeah.
32:19All hopes for the future are now consumed by the present.
32:24Buildings are powerful objects.
32:28They can amplify our relationships with people and place.
32:32Sometimes they can even affect real change.
32:36They can change the way we think,
32:39they can change the way we feel,
32:42they can change the way we think,
32:45they can change the way we feel,
32:48they can change the way we feel,
32:51they can affect real change
32:54and help us become the people we dream of being.
33:00I am more than usually excited to see Johnny and Cara's house
33:05and to see Johnny and Cara because this is a rare project,
33:08a beautiful thing where they're trying so hard themselves
33:11to forge a new sort of way of building,
33:15a way of building for accessibility.
33:17I don't know if it's finished
33:19but I'm not expecting it to be completely done
33:23because the last thing I knew they were skint.
33:30Cara and Johnny's ambition for ergonomic, beautiful accessibility
33:35far outweighed their £380,000 budget.
33:39But they felt that with steely determination and boundless energy,
33:44anything might be possible.
33:47Wow.
33:50It is magnificent.
33:53All that zinc looks amazing.
33:55Far more than I thought there would be.
33:58Gosh, I think they've done such a beautiful job.
34:02The crisp zinc cladding is softened into the hill
34:05with a wildflower roof and bookended by the local stone gables.
34:10It is a faultless, fresh chunk of 21st-century Yorkshire.
34:16As rooted, proud and as hard-working as the couple who've built it.
34:21Hello, hello!
34:23Good to see you.
34:25Look at you. How are you doing?
34:27Great, I love your hair. Oh, thank you very much.
34:30You're both very smart.
34:32Almost as tidy as the house.
34:34Yeah, absolutely beautiful.
34:36So sharp.
34:38Sharp and at the same time there's a little dancing meadow on the roof.
34:41It's one of my favourite things.
34:43How's your back? How's the operation?
34:45My back is doing really well.
34:47And did they remove the metalwork?
34:49They did. Well, the metalwork tried to pop out and say hello.
34:52Yeah. So it all got taken out, yeah.
34:55Yeah. So this really is the starting
34:57of a really powerfully different chapter in your lives, isn't it?
35:01Oh, yeah. It's going to be huge, yeah.
35:03Oh, gosh, that's all positive. You are looking great.
35:05It's because I've got a beautiful home and a beautiful husband.
35:08We've created something beautiful in the eye of a storm.
35:12Shall we walk in? Of course we can.
35:14Shall we go in the front door? Yeah.
35:16I'd like the full... Let's go in.
35:18Oh, are you excited? Cos you shouldn't be!
35:20I am!
35:23I like the gold door.
35:25And super-flat floors everywhere, yeah?
35:27Everything's completely level.
35:32With that great view out there.
35:34It took a lot of work, but it was worth it.
35:38An open, accessible space,
35:41with level floor and a raised firm sofa for Cara to easily transfer onto.
35:46All beneath a palatial glazed pyramid.
35:50Every socket and switch has been considered.
35:54This is a self-built home, but you know the moment you walk in
35:57that it's built by an electrician.
35:59Where do you get these?
36:01Just online for probably 40, 50 years,
36:04in terms of when they were probably last used.
36:06I think there's something special about, you know,
36:08reusing something that's had a former life.
36:12Reinvention was always at the core of this project,
36:15underscoring a fearless attitude to accessibility design
36:19and embodied by two huge sliding doors.
36:22You ready? Yeah. Look at that!
36:25Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
36:27Oh.
36:28A beautiful kitchen, Kevin.
36:33Bricks are all... Are they all local?
36:35Yeah, just ones I've pulled out from jobs, you know.
36:38Fireplace has been pulled out.
36:40They're frogged with the names of the makers.
36:42I think that's probably the nicest thing about them.
36:44Listen, how is it all in terms of accessibility?
36:47The brass bars were used as handrails and as bumper bars.
36:52That just prevents Cara from hitting the units.
36:55Is that one of those things that people used to have in their pantries?
36:59And I've noticed there are bells around the house, right?
37:02The push buttons, yes. A bit of fun, really.
37:04If she needs some assistance... I love it!
37:06..then it's there.
37:07BELL RINGS Oh, yes!
37:09That is brilliant.
37:10Because the alternative to that delightful, fun thing,
37:13straight out of a Wes Anderson film... That's right.
37:16..is one of those kind of big red pull cords.
37:19We've designed what we want and we've made it work for us.
37:25Off the kitchen is a small sheltered courtyard...
37:28Can we get up? Yeah.
37:30..where Cara can hang washing for the first time in so long.
37:34We've got the utility room just there and all the windows are lower,
37:40which means I can push the washing out onto the bench and then...
37:44Hang it up? You can reach it? Independently.
37:47I haven't been to a washing machine in five years.
37:49You've regained something. Yeah.
37:51And that, to me, feels important.
37:54This house is full of life-changing and subtle accessibility solutions.
37:59A wheel-in kitchen pantry with appliances all out and ready.
38:04A level serving hatch that slides pans and drinks through.
38:08A floating lowered worktop,
38:10all thoughtful ways that enhance Cara's day-to-day.
38:13But the home can't just work for her, it's for her children too.
38:17This is my hallway of happiness.
38:20HE GIGGLES
38:21Open, wide corridors.
38:24For the first time, Winnie and Isaac have their own bedrooms.
38:28They too now have a new place to play.
38:32Your lives have been on hold and all of a sudden they've got their own rooms.
38:36I mean, that's a big step up for them.
38:38Yeah, I think they've been really excited, haven't they?
38:41The children's rooms are tall and spacious.
38:45There's also a small therapy room for Cara
38:48and a fully accessible family bathroom.
38:51At the end of Cara's hallway of happiness,
38:54Johnny has eked out a small office, a space for him.
38:58I like your taste. And all this glassware.
39:01That's my passion. You know, these old objects bring me joy.
39:05This is kind of another step back to life and normality again.
39:09Can you enjoy this yet? Yeah, definitely, yeah.
39:12We've done what we set out to achieve, I think.
39:15Oh, it's incredible. It's unbelievable.
39:19To pinch yourself, cos, you know, it's better than you could expect.
39:24Well, that's only thanks to Johnny's own remarkable selflessness
39:28and empathy in creating this house.
39:31His work here is quite noble.
39:34The main bedroom has a wheel-in wardrobe,
39:37the en suite an exquisite example of tailored, accessible design.
39:41Johnny's love for his family is in every detail.
39:47Did you ever suspect that Johnny was not going to be able
39:50to fully rise to the challenge here?
39:52Cos it's been him, hasn't it, all along?
39:55It has, yeah.
39:57His attention to detail is just so good.
39:59And every piece of tape seems to be put on with a spirit level.
40:02What kind of lease of life do you think this is going to give him?
40:05You know, Cara's condition is life-changing
40:08and we as sort of parents, you know,
40:11I sort of feel a deep responsibility for protecting her,
40:16just making sure she's safe.
40:19And I think she don't want that. She wants to be...
40:22She wants to live. She wants to live and be independent
40:25and I think this house... Will give her that. ..starts to do that.
40:28She wants to be the best mum in the world.
40:31She wants to be the best wife in the world
40:34and I think the house will be able to deliver
40:39something that will help her achieve that.
40:42I think we all hope for that, don't we? Yes.
40:44And I think we all believe it can. Yes. Yeah. I think so.
40:49This building is full of potential and new opportunity
40:53for Cara to explore and realise.
40:56She just has to allow it to show her what is possible.
41:00This is a really good width for you because it's safe and wide.
41:04Yeah. It's also a good... It's a good height for me to sit in.
41:07Is it a good height for you? Yeah, it's perfect.
41:09I've never seen you without your chair. Yeah. I know.
41:13This was one of the first things
41:15that we specifically designed for the house
41:18and it's lovely because I grew up playing in these fields.
41:23And now I can watch the kids doing it.
41:25This building gives me freedom.
41:29It means that I can do all the things that I've been longing to do.
41:34You know, I don't feel trapped.
41:37Me and Johnny have tried to show that just by thinking a bit harder,
41:44you can make accessibility work.
41:47I wanted it all and I've got it all and more, Kevin.
41:51Got it all and more, yeah.
41:55However bold the ambition contained within these walls,
42:00all construction is underpinned by fierce reality.
42:04For Cara and Johnny, their biggest fear was always money.
42:11I have to ask you, really, how you've done this,
42:14because the one thing you kept saying all the way through was,
42:17we've got no money, we're skin.
42:19And I think the quality of what you've got here
42:21and the fact that it is finished is entirely down to the fact
42:24that you've got stuff.
42:26Yeah, I think we wanted to make sure it was a good quality build,
42:30but money was always on the back of our minds.
42:33I mean, you were building in that terrible time
42:35when material prices were just...
42:37Everything jumped up and it just seemed like
42:40the material list was never ending.
42:42How much, then, did you spend all in?
42:44About £400,000, I think, all in.
42:47We'll never spend money like this again, you know.
42:49Got to say, you've been the main man.
42:51You've been the one doing the work, haven't you?
42:53I rang you up and said, you're a great electrician,
42:55we suspect you're a brilliant project manager,
42:57you build that house, would you come and build ours for us?
43:00Because I'm in a wheelchair. Sure, why not?
43:02Would you do that? Yeah, definitely, yeah.
43:04You know, we've learnt so much doing this house,
43:07and it's kind of a shame that you would learn all those skills
43:10and then never reuse them. Yeah.
43:12Are you excited about the future?
43:14Yes. I've always known that we would have a beautiful home,
43:18because that's just what we would do, that is us.
43:21You know, we've got force and determination, you know.
43:25We've done it, and it makes me so joyful for the future,
43:30to imagine raising our family here.
43:33I can see it all happening now,
43:35and I can see me being a part of it,
43:38not just watching from the sidelines.
43:40I feel like I'm in the centre of it.
43:44Doing it. Yeah, doing it.
43:46And we're in the centre of it,
43:48and it's just such a happy feeling.
43:50It really, really is. Yeah.
43:58Johnny and Cara never wanted to build this house.
44:02It's only here because Cara became paralysed.
44:08Filled with light and joy and their bravery,
44:13it breaks the mould of what accessible design means.
44:19So right at the start of this project,
44:24I admit I didn't think that Johnny and Cara
44:28could really achieve everything they wanted,
44:32because they wanted so much to build a house
44:36which was functional and ergonomic
44:39and delivered all the accessibility they needed,
44:43which was also kind of properly constructed
44:47and beautiful at the same time.
44:49It's a big ask, isn't it?
44:51But you know, they cracked it.
44:53They cracked it because, well, Cara has this amazing ability
44:56to stand back and see the bigger vision
44:59and to know what she needs.
45:01And Johnny also knows what she needs.
45:04He put so much energy and positivity into the project, of course,
45:09and has amazing stamina, but fundamentally,
45:11I think the secret weapon here
45:13was Johnny's understanding of Cara's needs
45:16in a way that no commercial builder, I think,
45:19could deliver everything she really required.
45:24I just hope going forwards, of course, that it does more than that,
45:28that in lifting their spirits and making them a little happier,
45:32filling the house with joy,
45:34connecting them to this landscape where she grew up
45:37and connecting them to each other and their friends,
45:41well, that surely, that surely has got to have
45:45a really positive impact on their lives.
45:56We are building a new house,
45:58a very environmentally friendly house.
46:01And to have a space that allows me to heal.
46:05So I'm basically making it up as I go along.
46:08It's a harmonious process when things move in flow and harmony.
46:13I'm way, way over budget. You know, you just have to do it.
46:17Oh, what trickery is this?
46:20That's incredible!
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