Pennod 15 04 Wal

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-Welcome to 04Wal.

-Our odyssey through the archives

-has reached 2007.

-Many of our rural houses sit

-perfectly within their location...

-..almost as though

-they'd grown there from the ground.

-We'll visit Ceredigion

-and Pentrefoelas later...

-..but first to Glanmerin.

-Inheriting a house

-can be a mixed blessing.

-Alun and Iola Jones started

-restoring Glanmerin two years ago.

-We're back here in the Machynlleth

-area to see the end result.

-There has been a home in Glanmerin

-since the 17th century.

-Thanks to their hard work

-and tenacity...

-..Alun and Iola have settled here

-with a houseful of children.

-We were last here two years ago.

-You were totally confident

-you'd get this house on its feet...

-..but I wasn't so sure!

-Yes, we originally thought

-it would take ten months...

-..but we hit obstacles along the way

-and the project took two years.

-What difficulties did you encounter

-when you rebuilt the house?

-We knew we'd have to do things

-such as re-roof the place...

-..but we used lime plaster and it

-took longer than expected to dry.

-That held us back.

-The walls weren't dry enough when

-we had the timber floors fitted...

-..and they warped.

-This room is the heart of the house.

-You can't enter any other room

-without walking through here.

-Basically, it's a walkway,

-so do you use it as a sitting room?

-There are four doors here...

-..and, as you say, you enter

-the other rooms via this one.

-We sit here in the evenings,

-particularly when people visit us.

-It gets more use on weekends.

-It's a very versatile room.

-We enjoy relaxing here.

-Are you pleased with this room?

-Yes. It was far from easy but we're

-pleased with the end result.

-Head down the corridor

-and you'll reach the master bedroom.

-Here's the master bedroom

-at the front of the house.

-Alun and Iola lie beneath

-this canopy of ancient beams.

-This lovely room wasn't a bedroom

-in the old layout of the house.

-It was a junk room, basically.

-It has now become a luxurious space.

-The great thing about this room,

-other than these splendid beams...

-..is the breathtaking view you

-can see through the Velux windows.

-The views are truly spectacular.

-Was the experience of

-rebuilding the house a pleasant one?

-It was a nightmare at times,

-believe me!

-Looking back, I did enjoy

-doing the majority of the work.

-I'm not sure I'd do it again!

-If we tackled another project...

-..it would be to build a new house

-from scratch.

-We'd be more in control

-and have fewer shocks!

-We usually talk to the owners

-of properties featured on 04 Wal...

-..but Jez Danks has been

-Hendy's tenant since 1974.

-It must feel

-as if the house owns him!

-What makes the house so special?

-The history of the place.

-Its atmosphere.

-The knowledge that so many people

-have raised children here...

-..lived here while they farmed

-the land, come rain or shine...

-..and overcome hardship.

-It leaves its mark on you.

-I can't explain it.

-How were you first drawn

-to the house?

-I wanted an old property.

-I don't know why.

-I wanted fireplaces, so I could

-gather firewood and burn logs.

-What was the first thing you did

-after moving in?

-I painted my bedroom.

-I painted it cream.

-The ceiling

-in the old buttery was rotten...

-..so I pulled it down.

-There was a bedroom up there

-but the timber was rotten...

-..so I didn't replace the ceiling.

-I kept it as a studio.

-It's a feature of my time here...

-..that people have always been

-around to lend a hand.

-My neighbours and my children

-have always been happy to help me.

-I had no spare cash when I moved in

-so my options were limited.

-I had to leave

-as much as possible unchanged.

-I often ask people

-if they have plans to move house.

-That choice whether to stay or go

-may not lie in your hands.

-That's true.

-I've rented it for a long time.

-I don't mind.

-I enjoy living here and I appreciate

-being given the opportunity...

-..to live in such a beautiful house.

-Some people work hard on a house

-but they never actually move in.

-I think that's a crying shame.

-It's high in the mountains.

-This is a lovely spot.

-I can see the Carneddi and Tryfan

-through the windows.

-I can even see a small part of

-Snowdon from the decking at the rear.

-It's really exposed to bad weather

-but when it's sunny, it's wonderful.

-Bryn Dedwydd is a happy home

-on the outskirts of Pentrefoelas.

-It was an old cowshed

-until Paul Weston and Rob Pitwell...

-..capitalized on

-this wonderful location.

-It would have been easier

-to build a house from scratch...

-..and have lovely square corners!

-It took three years

-to complete the project.

-We wanted to enjoy the project

-and do the work gradually.

-When we were fed up,

-we went on holiday for a week...

-..and came back feeling refreshed.

-We never got sick of it.

-Were you aware of it

-before you bought it?

-Yes, I'd been aware of it for years.

-I never thought I'd get a chance

-to do something with the building.

-You created a home

-that has lots of character.

-Yes, it worked out really well.

-It was a long, expensive process

-but it was worth it.

-I'm delighted with the result.

-This is the new front door.

-There was no original front door

-because this wasn't a house.

-The door opens out into the hall.

-Walk past the cloakroom

-and in we go, to the new lounge.

-This was an old cowshed

-and it had three doors.

-There was a door

-where the window now sits.

-Those doors

-lead to the front of the house.

-What a lovely lounge! All the

-colours are from the same palette.

-Red, brown and light brown.

-These old kilims may be worn

-but they make good cushions.

-Dotted around the house,

-with three examples here...

-..are Rob's paintings.

-His style really suits

-the house's character.

-Here's a lovely feature of the room,

-it leads out onto the decking...

-..where you can gaze

-at Snowdonia in all its glory.

-There's a lovely atmosphere

-in the house.

-Sometimes, you visit old properties

-and you feel a bit uneasy.

-That isn't the case here.

-I have no regrets.

-It's a wonderful house.

-It's always cosy inside,

-even when we have rough weather.

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-Welcome back to 2007.

-We'll see the home of Hafina

-and Mark Davies in Cwmgiedd...

-..after we've visited Gelli Fach,

-Peter Lord's home.

-We took a look at that remarkable

-property not once but twice.

-Art historian, Peter Lord and

-Ioan, his son, live in Gelli Fach.

-Peter is working on an extension.

-It will include an office,

-a spare bedroom...

-..and a gallery

-for his art collection.

-Until recently, if you wanted

-to extend a listed building...

-..you had to use the same materials

-as the original house.

-Those guidelines changed

-three years ago.

-The idea then

-was what's known as a pastiche.

-You don't have to do that now.

-You must make it different...

-..to create a distinction

-between the old and the new.

-That's why we used corrugated iron.

-It looks completely different

-from the stone house.

-You can see what part is original

-and what part is an extension.

-The exterior is almost complete

-but there's work to be done inside.

-We returned to Gelli Fach

-some months later...

-..to see the newly renovated house.

-You were keen to create something

-contemporary and very unusual.

-You wanted to make a statement.

-Did you achieve your goals?

-Is the extension

-now a part of the original house?

-I still feel it makes a statement.

-The philosophy behind it

-is greater than the actual building.

-It takes time

-for a building to settle down.

-It still has that brand new look.

-No plants have grown around it

-and that will take time.

-There's a stark contrast

-between the two sides of the house.

-Yes, I'd agree with that.

-We're sitting in the area

-where the old meets the new.

-What I like about it is the way

-it's altered the axis of the house.

-The front door was here,

-opening out onto the fields.

-Due to the extension,

-another axis has opened up...

-..all the way through here.

-I enjoy walking from the old house

-into the new house.

-I'm aware of the fact I enjoy it.

-It feels great to leave the old

-house, which is dark and cramped...

-..and step into an open space.

-I love it.

-The link between the two areas

-is a success.

-There's an entirely different

-atmosphere in here.

-Yes, even the acoustic is different

-and I really like that.

-You walk in and it opens right up.

-It's a feature

-of David Thomas's work

-It's a large space

-bit it's well-defined.

-There are spaces

-within the main space.

-Yes, there are three areas.

-There's a special ambience upstairs

-and we have two ground floor areas.

-I wanted a warmer feel

-in this section.

-It isn't just a gallery.

-It's a living space too.

-There's a rich, warm sofa there

-and I painted the wall red.

-An unusual feature of this room

-is that it's longer than it is deep.

-The shape is misleading.

-You expect it to stretch back there

-but it doesn't.

-The dark colour

-creates the illusion of extra depth.

-Do you prefer the new extension

-or the old house, Ioan?

-I like both.

-They're both interesting.

-What do you like about this area?

-What do you like about this area?

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-I like the shape.

-I'm really fond

-of the shape of the ceiling.

-I like the railings and the fact

-you can look out over them...

-..and see downstairs.

-It's very light.

-How do you sleep here?

-We close the blind

-and we wait until it gets dark.

-Yes, of course!

-It's enough for me.

-I'm not a megalomaniac.

-I have no desire

-to extend it further.

-It suits the way I live.

-I see myself living here

-for the rest of my life.

-I hope to have a chance to enjoy

-Gelli Fach, just the way it is.

-This is the fifth generation

-of my family to live here.

-My grandmother and my mother

-were born here.

-My children

-are now being raised here.

-My family has been here

-for more than 100 years.

-The house was half this size.

-It was old-fashioned.

-There was no kitchen

-and just a small bathroom.

-My grandfather had fitted

-large windows to let in light.

-The house was in a poor condition.

-A lot of people thought we were mad

-to buy the building.

-Hefina and Mark Davies's home...

-..was built as part of Aberpergwm

-estate in Glynneath.

-Hefina and Mark live here with

-Elis and Macsen, their children.

-Preparing the house

-for the next generation wasn't easy.

-Did you know what style you wanted?

-We tried to preserve its character,

-externally.

-We fitted smaller windows

-but larger than the original ones.

-We kept the roof and the gables.

-Despite the extension, the exterior

-hasn't changed drastically.

-We spend most of our time

-in this room.

-This is the television room.

-The children love it.

-It's our family room.

-This was the parlour years ago.

-My grandparents

-turned this into a lounge.

-There was a fireplace there

-and they'd sit here every night.

-Was there a wall here?

-Yes. My grandfather removed it

-to give it a sense of space.

-This was a small house.

-The kitchen was out the back,

-was it?

-Yes, this was the kitchen.

-I don't think

-the roof has been changed.

-We took down the ceiling to find

-a water tank and electric cables.

-Years ago,

-they'd hang a pig from that hook.

-You've changed everything, really.

-Yes, and I think it looks right.

-It certainly meets your needs.

-It certainly meets your needs.

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-Yes, it suits us, as a family.

-This is the master bedroom.

-It's a simple, calm space.

-It's a wonderful sleeping area.

-I love the light above the bed.

-There was a guest bedroom

-through here...

-..but it's now Macsen's room.

-Who needs to invite friends to stay

-when you have a room like this?

-Isn't it fantastic?

-This bedroom has a cowboy theme,

-in case you hadn't guessed!

-Through here is Elis's room.

-Elis is a bit older

-and he likes cars.

-This room has

-a cars and motorbikes theme.

-Every bedroom offers views over

-the garden, down to the river Giedd.

-How do you feel

-about being back in this house?

-I'm delighted.

-It's wonderful to have been able

-to come back to my ancestral home.

-My grandfather wanted it

-to stay in the family.

-I hope one of my children will

-want to live here in the future.

-S4C subtitles by Eirlys A Jones