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REVIEW: Here at Stuff we run lots of stories about people who have opted for a nomad lifestyle in a motorhome, and love it. But Moving Houses meets a couple wanting the opposite – they want to give up life in an RV and put down roots.
Wendy and Ian Sutton put it bluntly: “It gets to a stage where you just want your own space.” And Wendy hasn’t had a bath for 12 years. They’re both clearly over it.
Presenter Clarke Gayford meets up with them at their section in Matatā in the Bay of Plenty. The “quirky” couple (Gayford’s words), are former dairy farmers, and they’ve been in the motorhome for 12 years, finding seasonal work in different parts of the country. Now, they have permanent jobs (Wendy is a school bus driver and Ian a quarry manager), and they have grandkids. It’s time for a house.
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Ian and Wendy Sutton are overcome with emotion to finally have a permanent home in Matata after 12 years living in their RV.
They’ve spotted a two-bedroom bungalow for relocation to their site, which is a huge piece of land in the countryside. And here’s the crunch. They bought the land for around $200,000 and the house is costing them $145,000 resited, so that’s $345,000 all up, plus whatever they want to spend on any renovation work. You can see why relocation has become so popular.
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* Tiny home owner’s rough start with no water, power or plumbing after builder goes under
We learn Wendy and Ian “parked up” here four years ago to be close to Ian’s mum Nola, who lost her home in the devastating floods of 2005. Sadly, she has passed, but the couple still have her cockatoo Charlie – he travels with them.
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This is the Sutton’s house after the move – there are decks front and back, and the house is positioned for all-day winter sun.
Their house is sitting in Progressive Housemovers’ yard in Ngatea. At 115m², it’s compact, but as Gayford says, compared to the RV it’s huge. And, incredibly it’s a well-travelled house having been relocated twice before – it started life in Auckland.
The house will be sliced in two for the move (not for the first time, presumably). Interestingly, they park the trucks under the house before they cut it in half.
The move needs to come over the Kaimai Ranges and the forecast is dire. There’s also a low overhead bridge, which means the roof needs to be trimmed as well. But they get a clear, freezing night, and Gayford is in a very old and cold Kenworth truck from 1981 (no heating and no seatbelts). But it’s great to see such a classic still in service.
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Before the move – Wendy loves the wall of hearts left behind in the house.
The move is pretty smooth, apart from unscheduled roadworks, which has been a common problem this series – communication lacking somewhere.
Police chase at 2am
And then this happens: A police chase at two in the morning. There’s always at least one idiot on the road in Moving Houses. A car with lights on full speeds straight towards them, ignoring all the signage asking cars to slow and pull over. The police are in pursuit.
Pilot vehicles make it very clear what’s coming up, but their signage is so often ignored. You may remember the idiot in the small truck that had to back up 500m in the Devil’s Staircase in the first series.
The other act of selfish stupidity I recall from the first series was the woman in Remuera who deliberately parked her car right in the way of a truck pulling a house off the section next door. Why would you?
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The moment of arrival – the Sutton’s RV can be seen at left. The truck on the right is a classic Kenworth from 1981.
Meanwhile, Gayford is freezing as the temperature drops to 2 degrees. He is given a hotwater bottle, but still can’t feel his toes.
They make it to Matatā on time, and the next morning Wendy and Ian are there to see the house. It’s an emotional moment for Wendy, who tears up when she sees it.
They get to walk through while the house is still up on stilts and Wendy says she just can’t wait to get into that kitchen and start cooking. Let’s face it, it’s been 12 years of making do in the RV. You can feel her excitement.
Gayford, meanwhile, sees a news item about a man being found with gunshot wounds in Matamata. And the blokes wonder if it had anything to do with the police chase – the timing was right.
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The house is lowered onto temporary piles in its new resting place – it’s fourth location.
Grand reveal – ‘just like winning Lotto’
Six months later, Gayford is back for the reveal. The motorhome has gone, and the house looks like it has always been there. It’s the right era, for sure. It has been transformed, with a driveway, fencing, landscaping, big decks front and back, and a shed.
It’s beautiful to see how much it has transformed their lives, especially Wendy’s. She says spending the first night in the house “was just like winning Lotto”.
Maybe you have to live in an RV for a really long time to appreciate a roof over your head, and to take such pride in making a house a home. It’s quite something to see this, and Wendy’s “chill-out room” – finally, a space of her own to sit and read.
Ian’s mum’s antique Victorian furniture now has a new home, and the interior is immaculate, with large Persian rugs on the original timber floorboards. And there’s a bath, an ensuite for the guest room, and a wardrobe at last.
Wendy has also fixed up the “wall of hearts” that came with the house – the hearts have special meaning to her.
And the cost? They went $75,000 over budget, but we don’t actually hear what the budget was. But it’s a lovely home for what we would guess is somewhere around $550,000 – $600,000.
Gayford’s gift is perfect. It’s another heart for the heart wall, carved from timber from the house, with references to their lifestyle. A great end to a great episode.
Moving Houses screens on TVNZ 1 on Tuesdays at 7.30pm and on TVNZ+
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