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0:00:20 > 0:00:27- Tonight, a 1930s house in Mold which - is inspired by Japan, wood and food.
0:00:28 > 0:00:33- When Bethan Gwanas comes back - from her globetrotting trips...
0:00:33 > 0:00:36- ..she feels totally at home - in her garden.
0:00:37 > 0:00:42- Finally, we visit Steve Wilson - and Greg Stevenson's clom houses.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46- Welcome to 04Wal.
0:00:48 > 0:00:53- Wood and Japan are Tim Baker's - main inspirations in his Mold home.
0:00:53 > 0:00:57- Tim has seen the world - in his work as a theatre director.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00- His travels - have influenced his home.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07- I wanted this to be - a really simple house.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11- I demolished as many walls - as possible...
0:01:12 > 0:01:15- ..to do away with - the idea of living in rooms.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18- We wanted to have - an open living space.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24- What inspired you - to open up the rooms of this house?
0:01:24 > 0:01:28- I was sitting on a beach, - when I was on holiday...
0:01:28 > 0:01:32- ..and I built a wooden model - of my ideal house.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34- I just took it from there.
0:01:36 > 0:01:40- There are Japanese pieces - on the walls.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43- They're present - throughout the house.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47- You rarely have the opportunity...
0:01:47 > 0:01:53- ..to travel to the other side of the - world to see how other people live.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56- I fell in love with Tokyo and Japan.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01- I wanted to have a taste of - what I saw over there in my house.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04- This is a fusion of two cultures.
0:02:05 > 0:02:10- There's something very simple about - the way the Japanese people live...
0:02:10 > 0:02:13- ..and the way they set things out.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16- I tried to keep things simple - and clean.
0:02:38 > 0:02:42- This is the section of this - large room you use as a lounge.
0:02:42 > 0:02:46- There are numerous sections of wood - in here.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48- They're natural sculptures.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52- Yes, if there is a theme - to this house...
0:02:53 > 0:02:54- ..it is the worship of wood!
0:02:55 > 0:02:56- I love wood.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59- I have always enjoyed - working with wood.
0:02:59 > 0:03:05- Lately, I've delighted in finding - natural pieces of sculpture.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09- This is an example - of a piece of wood I cut.
0:03:11 > 0:03:12- It's gorgeous.
0:03:13 > 0:03:14- It's lovely.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20- A lot of the things in here - aren't permanent fixtures.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24- They're free-standing pieces - and I can move things around...
0:03:25 > 0:03:27- ..or move them out of the way.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30- This is the cooking and dining area.
0:03:32 > 0:03:37- People will be surprised to see - that you use barbecues indoors.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42- Yes, this is another Japanese thing.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45- There may well be two themes - to this house.
0:03:45 > 0:03:49- The worship of wood and - the worship of food and eating!
0:03:51 > 0:03:52- I really enjoy eating.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55- We cook things in a particular way.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59- We adopt Japanese methods - in the kitchen.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03- We prepare bite-size things - such as prawns in a sauce...
0:04:04 > 0:04:07- ..and we cook them at the table.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11- You don't have to use unconventional - methods all the time...
0:04:11 > 0:04:15- ..because you also have - a conventional cooker.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19- You have all the Japanese - cooking paraphernalia in here.
0:04:19 > 0:04:24- I'm fortunate in that I travel - quite extensively with my work.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26- I look out for these items.
0:04:49 > 0:04:50- Let's head upstairs.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53- This stripped bannister is lovely.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57- It's regained its former glory - and you just want to touch it!
0:04:58 > 0:05:01- There are some smaller - pieces of wood over here.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06- They're glued together to create - some interesting sculptures.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08- This paper came from Japan.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11- What a lovely pattern.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14- A small strip of it in a frame - looks great.
0:05:17 > 0:05:22- That's the bathroom, that's - the office and this is the bedroom.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27- Just like the rest of the house, - this is orderly.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31- Not the kind of orderliness - which masks a lack of imagination...
0:05:32 > 0:05:34- ..but a general neatness.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39- These pictures form a grid - when you look at them from the bed.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44- That grid is echoed - in the pattern on the duvet cover.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46- It all works perfectly.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30- I've never really lived here - in the true meaning of the word.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33- I've only recently noticed...
0:06:33 > 0:06:37- ..how much of a Japanese influence - there is in the house.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39- It's like feng shui.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42- There's something very organic - about living here.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45- I'm surrounded by natural materials.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49- I enjoy the feeling I get - when I'm here.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04- Author and presenter, Bethan Gwanas, - loves her house...
0:07:05 > 0:07:10- ..but we're here to see her garden - because this is where she relaxes.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33- You present - a series called 'Ar y Lein'...
0:07:33 > 0:07:37- ..and you said you couldn't wait - to get back to your garden.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40- Yes, because I'm happy here.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42- I'm happy in other places, too.
0:07:42 > 0:07:47- I come home and the first thing I do - is drop my bags on the floor.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51- I have a quick look around the house - and I come out to the garden.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55- I breathe my fresh air, - I look at my flowers...
0:07:55 > 0:07:56- ..and I start weeding!
0:07:57 > 0:07:59- Are you green-fingered?
0:07:59 > 0:08:00- Are you green-fingered?- - Yes, I think so.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04- I didn't create this garden, though.
0:08:04 > 0:08:09- It was like this when - I bought the house, four years ago.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13- If I weren't green-fingered, - everything would be dead by now!
0:08:13 > 0:08:16- All the plants are still alive.
0:08:16 > 0:08:21- I bought all the gardening books - and I listen to 'Gardening Time'!
0:08:21 > 0:08:25- You pick things up - and you learn by your mistakes.
0:08:26 > 0:08:27- I love it.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50- Let's meander towards the house.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53- These plants are glorious.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58- It's quite something, isn't it?
0:08:59 > 0:09:01- These colours are wonderful.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05- I don't have a planting pattern - in this garden.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08- If it manages to stay alive, - I'm happy.
0:09:08 > 0:09:10- I like the chaos.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13- You must work hard in this garden.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15- You must work hard in this garden.- - Yes, I do.
0:09:15 > 0:09:20- You've got to work hard in a garden - like this because it's quite big.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22- Weeding is a major undertaking!
0:09:23 > 0:09:25- This stream is a real bonus.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28- It's an easy way - to irrigate the land.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31- Yes, and it gave me - the name of the house.
0:09:31 > 0:09:35- It's called 'Ffrwd y Gwyllt', - meaning stream of the wilderness.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40- It's handy to fill my bucket - and water the plants in the summer.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06- We're sitting outside the house.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11- The different levels of the garden - are clearly visible from here.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14- Does each level - serve a different purpose?
0:10:16 > 0:10:19- I'm not sure - they serve a different purpose.
0:10:19 > 0:10:24- I want to grow vegetables on the top - level but I haven't done that, yet.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29- I struggle to get the lawn mower - onto the top level...
0:10:29 > 0:10:32- ..so it's wilder - than the rest of the garden.
0:10:32 > 0:10:37- The next level is quite wild. - Lots of plants seem to grow there!
0:10:37 > 0:10:41- The third level is less chaotic. - I recognise the plants!
0:10:42 > 0:10:44- The lowest level is in the shadow.
0:10:44 > 0:10:49- Do you make time to enjoy your - garden, rather than cultivate it?
0:10:49 > 0:10:51- Yes, I try to.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55- Cultivating my garden is tantamount - to enjoying my garden, in my mind.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59- I do spend some time in my hammock - on sunny days.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03- Writing can be quite exhausting.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07- I only have to be in that hammock - for two seconds and I'm fast asleep.
0:11:08 > 0:11:09- It's great!
0:11:27 > 0:11:29- 888- - 888
0:11:31 > 0:11:35- We think of clom - as a traditional building material.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39- It's something we usually see - in old, Welsh cottages.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42- We could use it - to build modern houses.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44- Steve Wilson did just that...
0:11:45 > 0:11:48- ..when he built an extension - to his house.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22- What's so special about clom?
0:12:24 > 0:12:29- It's important to use one-third - sands, one-third gravels...
0:12:29 > 0:12:32- ..and one-third clays and silts.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36- You can test the mix - by letting it dry out.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40- You then look at the mix - and feel its texture.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43- It's important - to have something quite hard.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48- Why is clom - better than concrete or bricks?
0:12:50 > 0:12:53- I didn't use much energy - mixing the clom.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57- Unlike most building materials, - clom actually breathes.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59- That's very important.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03- It helps control dampness.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06- The whole building can breathe.
0:13:10 > 0:13:15- We've seen clom before on 04Wal - and it's always been very rough.
0:13:16 > 0:13:17- This is smooth.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20- I wanted to have a smooth finish.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24- This is a contemporary building...
0:13:24 > 0:13:30- ..and I wanted it to look like - a contemporary building.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35- I trimmed the surface - with a pickaxe...
0:13:35 > 0:13:38- ..and packed the surface - with a mallet.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40- You can create a fantastic finish.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43- It looks nice.
0:13:44 > 0:13:48- How much of the materials - you used here did you buy locally?
0:13:49 > 0:13:54- A lot of the materials - came from this area.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57- The soil came from Dinas.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01- The stone we used to create - the low walls and the footings...
0:14:02 > 0:14:05- ..came from the quarry in Cilgerran.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07- What about the reeds on the roof?
0:14:08 > 0:14:10- The reeds came from Newport.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13- Alan Jones - is a thatcher from Newport.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16- He's known as Alan Thatch.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20- He's a master thatcher.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22- He's responsible for the roof.
0:14:23 > 0:14:24- He's done a great job.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27- It gives the house great insulation.
0:14:28 > 0:14:29- It's a natural insulator.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35- It's important - to keep everything natural.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38- There's no point - in having clom walls...
0:14:40 > 0:14:45- ..if you're going to put expanded - polyurethane foam in the roof!
0:14:45 > 0:14:48- I wanted to keep everything natural.
0:14:50 > 0:14:55- Steve has been restoring his house - for the past eight years.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57- He lives in the original cottage.
0:14:58 > 0:15:02- You enter the new extension - through the kitchen.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13- Looking at it from the outside...
0:15:13 > 0:15:17- ..there's nothing - revolutionary about it.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21- You could think it dated back - to the same period as the house.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25- What makes it different - is the materials used...
0:15:25 > 0:15:27- ..and the philosophy behind it.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31- This mud-walled extension - is far more modern...
0:15:31 > 0:15:35- ..than most things thrown up - in the name of sophistication.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56- It's a new house!
0:15:56 > 0:15:59- A swallow - has made its nest up there.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01- You've got some tenants!
0:16:02 > 0:16:07- I mixed up some clom and I left it - outside the front of the house.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15- The swallow used that clom - to build its new nest.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18- The clom you'd just mixed?
0:16:21 > 0:16:24- If it falls down, - we've got a big problem!
0:16:24 > 0:16:26- The first clom nest in Wales!
0:16:43 > 0:16:47- We usually see Greg Stevenson - up to his elbows in mud and rubble.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50- He's now finished his projects...
0:16:50 > 0:16:54- ..so let's revisit Troedrhiwfallen - and Ffynnon Oer.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18- This house was practically a ruin - when we were last here.
0:17:19 > 0:17:20- It now looks finished.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23- What have you done - in the meantime, Greg?
0:17:25 > 0:17:28- I've spent a lot of time and money - on this project.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32- Four of us worked full-time on it - for a year.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35- I spent 60,000 on it - and now it's finished.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37- How many people live here?
0:17:38 > 0:17:41- Nobody lives here. - It's rented as a holiday cottage.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45- I'm raising money - for my next renovation projects.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50- It's a small cottage - but it has a big croglofft.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53- There are two beds downstairs...
0:17:53 > 0:17:58- ..and there's a bathroom - and a kitchen in the extension.
0:18:21 > 0:18:22- This is the lounge.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24- Yes, that's right.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28- There's a croglofft above it - and a parlour below.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31- You've opened up - this part of the house.
0:18:31 > 0:18:32- Yes.
0:18:33 > 0:18:38- There was a whole floor here but - I changed it back to a croglofft.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40- It was like this originally.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42- You managed to save this wall.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46- Yes, these are the original - in and out panels.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48- All we did was brush them.
0:18:49 > 0:18:50- They're original.
0:18:52 > 0:18:57- To me and to our viewers, - this ceiling doesn't look finished!
0:18:57 > 0:19:02- It's been finished for 200 years, - so I'm not going to change it now!
0:19:03 > 0:19:05- It's completely open to the room.
0:19:05 > 0:19:09- It's in its original state - and few such examples exist.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13- It's one of the reasons - why I bought this house.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15- It's unusual and I love it.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18- The louvre chimney - is practically new.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21- The beam - and the top beam are original.
0:19:22 > 0:19:23- The rest is new.
0:19:24 > 0:19:28- We saw the chimney's original shape - in the soot on the wall.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32- We knew its shape and - we restored it, with CADW's help.
0:19:52 > 0:19:57- We head out of the house. This - building has a corrugated iron roof.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59- It's like walking out of a cave.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03- This is much needed. - We all want a few home comforts.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07- There's a shower, a bath, a basin - and a toilet in here.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09- This is the kitchen.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14- Greg has recycled old furniture - in this part of the house.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16- This chair is remarkably light.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19- He's given them a new lease of life.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21- This room is very simple.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23- Everything is plain.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27- This shelving unit - is set into the wall.
0:20:27 > 0:20:31- The tongue and groove on the walls - and the ceiling...
0:20:32 > 0:20:37- ..is reminiscent of sheds built - as house extensions in the 1930s.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42- The red floor - is also a throwback to the 1930s.
0:21:03 > 0:21:07- We first met Greg a few years ago, - at his home, in Ffynnon Oer Uchaf.
0:21:07 > 0:21:13- The extension - Ffynnon Oer Isaf - - is now complete and fully furnished.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18- The wall was half-built - when we first came here.
0:21:19 > 0:21:23- We jumped up and down in the mud, - in our wellingtons!
0:21:23 > 0:21:27- It's now finished. - The walls and the roof are in place.
0:21:27 > 0:21:28- What's that, on the wall?
0:21:28 > 0:21:30- What's that, on the wall?- - It's a lime render.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33- We used the same stuff - at Troedrhiwfallen.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35- Is that all mud?
0:21:36 > 0:21:40- Yes - clom walls, - built on stone footings.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44- Let's go inside.
0:21:58 > 0:21:59- Well, well!
0:21:59 > 0:22:02- I remember standing here, - talking to you.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07- You said, "The toilet goes here. - The kitchen goes there."
0:22:07 > 0:22:09- I thought, "Yeah, right!"
0:22:09 > 0:22:12- I didn't know - how it would come together.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15- You've fitted a lot - into this small space.
0:22:15 > 0:22:21- Yes, it's a small space but a - family of six would have lived here.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24- It's big enough for a couple.
0:22:47 > 0:22:48- I'm really happy.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54- We're seeing a change - in the situation in Ceredigion.
0:22:54 > 0:22:59- People are stopping to think before - they have plastic windows fitted...
0:22:59 > 0:23:02- ..or have plastic slate - laid on their roof.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06- They think twice - about demolishing old cottages...
0:23:06 > 0:23:08- ..and building bungalows.
0:23:09 > 0:23:14- Things have improved and many things - have contributed to the process.
0:23:14 > 0:23:19- I hope our cottages have played - a small part in that process.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37- S4C subtitles by- Eirlys A Jones
0:23:37 > 0:23:38