\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tUpdated:<\/p>
18.10.2021<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
Share on:<\/h4><\/i><\/a><\/span><\/i><\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>W<\/span>alking up the long driveway draws out my anticipation of two things: seeing just how much the backyard has changed, and whether I got everyone\u2019s coffees right.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>As I reach the back of the house I\u2019m given a warm welcome by homeowner Lex, and following inquisitively behind is his kitten Naki \u2013 in M\u0101ori meaning \u2018to glide\u2019, and in Ng\u0101i Tahu dialect, \u2018cat\u2019.<\/p>\n
Naki jumps up onto the newly finished deck as if to begin the grand tour, and I\u2019m amazed \u2013 what a transformation! It\u2019s completely reinvented the look and feel of this space.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not long before Ashraf joins us \u2013 he\u2019s the tradesperson who got the job done with his teammate Conor. And after a few minutes of seeing Lex and Ashraf talking, it\u2019s clear as to why this job went so well; there\u2019s a lot of respect here.<\/p>\n
Ready for the project rundown and eager to sip our coffees, we take a seat at the modern stone table (which on a side note, compliments the deck so well).<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>![](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/481670-After-8373-1.jpg\" "\\"#481670-After-8373\\"")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>![](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/481670-Before-ReEdit-7413.jpg\" "\\"#481670")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Naki \u2013 in M\u0101ori meaning \u2018to glide\u2019, and in Ng\u0101i Tahu dialect, \u2018cat\u2019 | Photo: Alana Shinn<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>In this Project Story you\u2019ll discover:<\/p>\n<\/div>
- <\/i><\/span>\n
The tonnes of effort required to prep (quite literally)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/li>
- <\/i><\/span>\n
The full list of landscaping upgrades<\/p>\n<\/div><\/li>
- <\/i><\/span>\n
Their advice for homeowners (involves hiring a tradie!)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/li>
- <\/i><\/span>\n
Plus, the epic before and after photos.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/li><\/ul>
\nLet\u2019s get stuck into it!<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>![\"Before\"](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/481670-Before-ReEdit-7403-2.jpg\")
![\"After\"](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/481670-After-8397-1.jpg\")
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>A sneak peek of before and after | Photo: Alana Shinn<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>It\u2019s a Jungle Out There<\/strong><\/h3><\/div>During lockdown, Lex spent his weekdays working from home in his role as an Education Consultant \u2013 and the rest of the time \u2013 he was putting in the hard yards outside.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was overgrown, closed in and dark at the back here; so we filled up a giant skip with branches and stuff we pulled out from the garden,\u201d Lex says.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore, it was cold, unused and a bit of an afterthought, so now that we\u2019d cleared it up, we thought we might as well make it a liveable space.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>![](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/481670-Before-ReEdit-7386.jpg\" "\\"#481670")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Lex filled up a giant skip with garden waste to prep the area | Photo: Alana Shinn<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>Timing is Everything<\/strong><\/h3><\/div>Lex\u2019s older brother who\u2019s a civil engineer originally put his hand up to do the deck. But due to time constraints it wasn\u2019t going to work, so Lex decided to get someone else in, and so ensued the brotherly banter.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m the youngest, so if you have older brothers, you\u2019ll know what I mean when he says things like \u2018make sure you do this, make sure you do that\u2019,\u201d Lex laughs.<\/p>\n
And at a time when people were being laid off or without work, Lex says something that speaks volumes for the kind of guy that he is.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought, don\u2019t put it off, now\u2019s probably the best time to put it through the platform so people can get some work.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>![](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/481670-After-ReEdit-8314.jpg\" "\\"#481670")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Lex, a Christchurch homeowner | Photo: Alana Shinn<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>The Brief<\/strong><\/h3><\/div>When Lex posted his job, he was looking for:<\/p>\n<\/div>
\n- Sustainability:<\/strong> Materials that had a lower environmental impact than others<\/li>\n
- Aesthetics:<\/strong> A design that would make the most of the space<\/li>\n
- Affordability:<\/strong> To try and achieve what he envisioned<\/li>\n
- Durability:<\/strong> To ensure the deck would last, and<\/li>\n
- An owner-operator:<\/strong> A preference to give the work to a small business or independent contractor.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>
\u201cAshraf was very thorough; he spent the most time here, took the most measurements, asked me the most questions, and he talked me through his solution for the job,\u201d Lex says.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd he had some pictures of previous work he had done, that was really important,\u201d Lex says.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>![](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/481670-During-ReEdit-7734.jpg\" "\\"#481670")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Ashraf from Top Corner Construction | Photo: Alana Shinn<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>Thinking Outside The Box<\/strong><\/h3><\/div>On the same note, Ashraf from Top Corner Construction appreciated the amount of effort Lex put into the job posted on Builderscrack.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really good, because before you go in you can kind of picture what it\u2019s going to look like, and build on that by talking with the homeowner \u2013 it\u2019s a good starting point,\u201d Ashraf says.<\/p>\n<\/div>
\u201cI came and had a look, met Lex, and he discussed what he wanted to do with the deck.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom there, I said we\u2019re going to have a bit of an issue fixing the decking to the concrete slab; so we came up with the idea of cutting some out to allow for the moisture gap and joists.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>![](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/481670-During-ReEdit-7784.jpg\" "\\"#481670")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>![](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/481670-After-ReEdit-8322.jpg\" "\\"#481670")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Ashraf appreciated the amount of effort Lex put into the job posted on Builderscrack | Photo: Alana Shinn<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>When The Unexpected Happens<\/strong><\/h3><\/div>From day one to completion it took around 80 hours, or 8.5 days \u2013 one day more than Ashraf estimated.<\/p>\n
\u201cInitially when I looked at it, I thought sweet, we\u2019ll pull the pavers up and bore out the holes for the piles,\u201d Ashraf explains, \u201cbut we flipped the pavers up and there was about 50mm of concrete underneath, and then asphalt, and then all sorts of other stuff in the ground,\u201d Ashraf says.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we spent the whole day with a jackhammer getting it sorted.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut once we were through that \u2013 all the set out we did at the beginning to make sure it was all square \u2013 it all came together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alluding to the hindsight, Lex jokes with Ashraf that it was lucky he didn\u2019t opt to grow grass instead of building a deck; and I think, how cool it is that they\u2019re on good terms, even after the unexpected happened.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>![](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/481670-During-ReEdit-7803.jpg\" "\\"#481670")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>![](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/481670-During-ReEdit-7799.jpg\" "\\"#481670")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>From day one to completion it took around 80 hours, or 8.5 days | Photo: Alana Shinn<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
W<\/span>alking up the long driveway draws out my anticipation of two things: seeing just how much the backyard has changed, and whether I got everyone\u2019s coffees right.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div> As I reach the back of the house I\u2019m given a warm welcome by homeowner Lex, and following inquisitively behind is his kitten Naki \u2013 in M\u0101ori meaning \u2018to glide\u2019, and in Ng\u0101i Tahu dialect, \u2018cat\u2019.<\/p>\n Naki jumps up onto the newly finished deck as if to begin the grand tour, and I\u2019m amazed \u2013 what a transformation! It\u2019s completely reinvented the look and feel of this space.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not long before Ashraf joins us \u2013 he\u2019s the tradesperson who got the job done with his teammate Conor. And after a few minutes of seeing Lex and Ashraf talking, it\u2019s clear as to why this job went so well; there\u2019s a lot of respect here.<\/p>\n Ready for the project rundown and eager to sip our coffees, we take a seat at the modern stone table (which on a side note, compliments the deck so well).<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div> Naki \u2013 in M\u0101ori meaning \u2018to glide\u2019, and in Ng\u0101i Tahu dialect, \u2018cat\u2019 | Photo: Alana Shinn<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div> In this Project Story you\u2019ll discover:<\/p>\n<\/div> The tonnes of effort required to prep (quite literally)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/li> The full list of landscaping upgrades<\/p>\n<\/div><\/li> Their advice for homeowners (involves hiring a tradie!)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/li> Plus, the epic before and after photos.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/li><\/ul> A sneak peek of before and after | Photo: Alana Shinn<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div> During lockdown, Lex spent his weekdays working from home in his role as an Education Consultant \u2013 and the rest of the time \u2013 he was putting in the hard yards outside.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was overgrown, closed in and dark at the back here; so we filled up a giant skip with branches and stuff we pulled out from the garden,\u201d Lex says.<\/p>\n \u201cBefore, it was cold, unused and a bit of an afterthought, so now that we\u2019d cleared it up, we thought we might as well make it a liveable space.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div> Lex filled up a giant skip with garden waste to prep the area | Photo: Alana Shinn<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div> Lex\u2019s older brother who\u2019s a civil engineer originally put his hand up to do the deck. But due to time constraints it wasn\u2019t going to work, so Lex decided to get someone else in, and so ensued the brotherly banter.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m the youngest, so if you have older brothers, you\u2019ll know what I mean when he says things like \u2018make sure you do this, make sure you do that\u2019,\u201d Lex laughs.<\/p>\n And at a time when people were being laid off or without work, Lex says something that speaks volumes for the kind of guy that he is.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought, don\u2019t put it off, now\u2019s probably the best time to put it through the platform so people can get some work.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div> Lex, a Christchurch homeowner | Photo: Alana Shinn<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div> When Lex posted his job, he was looking for:<\/p>\n<\/div> \u201cAshraf was very thorough; he spent the most time here, took the most measurements, asked me the most questions, and he talked me through his solution for the job,\u201d Lex says.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd he had some pictures of previous work he had done, that was really important,\u201d Lex says.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div> Ashraf from Top Corner Construction | Photo: Alana Shinn<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div> On the same note, Ashraf from Top Corner Construction appreciated the amount of effort Lex put into the job posted on Builderscrack.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really good, because before you go in you can kind of picture what it\u2019s going to look like, and build on that by talking with the homeowner \u2013 it\u2019s a good starting point,\u201d Ashraf says.<\/p>\n<\/div> \u201cI came and had a look, met Lex, and he discussed what he wanted to do with the deck.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom there, I said we\u2019re going to have a bit of an issue fixing the decking to the concrete slab; so we came up with the idea of cutting some out to allow for the moisture gap and joists.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div> Ashraf appreciated the amount of effort Lex put into the job posted on Builderscrack | Photo: Alana Shinn<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div> From day one to completion it took around 80 hours, or 8.5 days \u2013 one day more than Ashraf estimated.<\/p>\n \u201cInitially when I looked at it, I thought sweet, we\u2019ll pull the pavers up and bore out the holes for the piles,\u201d Ashraf explains, \u201cbut we flipped the pavers up and there was about 50mm of concrete underneath, and then asphalt, and then all sorts of other stuff in the ground,\u201d Ashraf says.<\/p>\n \u201cSo we spent the whole day with a jackhammer getting it sorted.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut once we were through that \u2013 all the set out we did at the beginning to make sure it was all square \u2013 it all came together.\u201d<\/p>\n Alluding to the hindsight, Lex jokes with Ashraf that it was lucky he didn\u2019t opt to grow grass instead of building a deck; and I think, how cool it is that they\u2019re on good terms, even after the unexpected happened.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div> From day one to completion it took around 80 hours, or 8.5 days | Photo: Alana Shinn<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\nLet\u2019s get stuck into it!<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>It\u2019s a Jungle Out There<\/strong><\/h3><\/div>
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>Timing is Everything<\/strong><\/h3><\/div>
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>The Brief<\/strong><\/h3><\/div>
\n
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>Thinking Outside The Box<\/strong><\/h3><\/div>
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>When The Unexpected Happens<\/strong><\/h3><\/div>
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>
![](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/481670-After-ReEdit-8413.jpg\" "\\"#481670")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>