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27.10.2026<\/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>E<\/span>\u200bvery home has a wish list, and it\u2019s rarely a short one. The best projects make the place feel more like yours today and pay off when it\u2019s time to sell. Knowing where to begin is the tricky bit.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>Johnny is a Licensed Building Practitioner (LBP) with seven years in the trade, and the brain behind Johnny’s Fix and Finish, a renovations and decking business in Canterbury.<\/p>\n
We asked him for the five reno jobs he’d put in front of any homeowner. Here’s his list, in his order.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>![](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Johnny-from-johnnys-fix-and-finish-3.jpg\" "\\"Johnny-from-johnnys-fix-and-finish-3\\"")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>We sat down with Johnny from Johnny’s Fix and Finish<\/a>, who shared his thoughts on the best reno to do<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>1. A deck, because you double the living area<\/strong><\/h3><\/div>At the top of Johnny\u2019s list is something he\u2019s passionate about: decking.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdd a new deck to your house. This is a great way to add value to your home because you double the living area. It’s just awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n
Decking is seasonal, and summer is his busy time.<\/p>\n
\u201cEspecially because we’re coming into summer, [we\u2019ve] got heaps of decking enquiries,\u201d Johnny points out,<\/p>\n
\u201cwhich is awesome because my background is decking and I love it\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>
<\/i><\/div>Wondering what a deck would cost?<\/h2><\/div><\/div>\nGet a ballpark price before you talk to a builder. Our deck estimator asks for the area and the material you’re after, from pine and kwila to bamboo and recycled composite, and gives you a rough figure to plan around.<\/p>\n
Try it here: Builderscrack Decking Cost Estimator<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>![](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/481670-After-8375-1.jpg\" "\\"#481670-After-8375\\"")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>See how this homeowner turned an overgrown patio to a contemporary deck<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>2. The bathroom, where you\u2019ll get your money back<\/strong><\/h3><\/div>Johnny puts the bathroom second on his list and his reason is resale.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is money that you’ll definitely get back on your renovation,<\/p>\n<\/div>
because when you sell the house, most people look for a nice fresh bathroom.\u201d Johnny says
\n<\/span><\/i><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>There’s a catch, and he raises it before anyone asks. \u201cQuite often you’ll see on social media that you can do a major bathroom reno for under $10k, with full strip out, new tiles, all consented.<\/p>\n
But unfortunately this is often a misconception,\u201d says Johnny.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt gives homeowners an unrealistic idea of what you can get.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>![](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/What-Kiwis-paid-for-their-bathroom-renovations@2x.png\" "\\"What")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Data on share of Builderscrack bathroom-related jobs by cost <\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>His proudest moment so far is a bathroom too: a consented bathroom and ensuite, the acrylic shower out and everything tiled in.<\/p>\n
\u201cWorking with the council \u2014 that’s a whole nother like rigmarole in and of itself,\u201d is how Johnny puts it.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Post a job<\/span><\/a>Thinking about a bathroom this year?<\/h2>\nPost the job on Builderscrack and connect with verified local builders, then compare what each of them has included.<\/p>\n<\/div>
<\/div>Post a job<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
E<\/span>\u200bvery home has a wish list, and it\u2019s rarely a short one. The best projects make the place feel more like yours today and pay off when it\u2019s time to sell. Knowing where to begin is the tricky bit.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div> Johnny is a Licensed Building Practitioner (LBP) with seven years in the trade, and the brain behind Johnny’s Fix and Finish, a renovations and decking business in Canterbury.<\/p>\n We asked him for the five reno jobs he’d put in front of any homeowner. Here’s his list, in his order.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div> We sat down with Johnny from Johnny’s Fix and Finish<\/a>, who shared his thoughts on the best reno to do<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div> At the top of Johnny\u2019s list is something he\u2019s passionate about: decking.<\/p>\n \u201cAdd a new deck to your house. This is a great way to add value to your home because you double the living area. It’s just awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n Decking is seasonal, and summer is his busy time.<\/p>\n \u201cEspecially because we’re coming into summer, [we\u2019ve] got heaps of decking enquiries,\u201d Johnny points out,<\/p>\n \u201cwhich is awesome because my background is decking and I love it\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div> Get a ballpark price before you talk to a builder. Our deck estimator asks for the area and the material you’re after, from pine and kwila to bamboo and recycled composite, and gives you a rough figure to plan around.<\/p>\n Try it here: Builderscrack Decking Cost Estimator<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div> See how this homeowner turned an overgrown patio to a contemporary deck<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div> Johnny puts the bathroom second on his list and his reason is resale.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is money that you’ll definitely get back on your renovation,<\/p>\n<\/div> There’s a catch, and he raises it before anyone asks. \u201cQuite often you’ll see on social media that you can do a major bathroom reno for under $10k, with full strip out, new tiles, all consented.<\/p>\n But unfortunately this is often a misconception,\u201d says Johnny.<\/p>\n \u201cIt gives homeowners an unrealistic idea of what you can get.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div> Data on share of Builderscrack bathroom-related jobs by cost <\/em><\/p>\n<\/div> His proudest moment so far is a bathroom too: a consented bathroom and ensuite, the acrylic shower out and everything tiled in.<\/p>\n \u201cWorking with the council \u2014 that’s a whole nother like rigmarole in and of itself,\u201d is how Johnny puts it.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div> Post the job on Builderscrack and connect with verified local builders, then compare what each of them has included.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>1. A deck, because you double the living area<\/strong><\/h3><\/div>
Wondering what a deck would cost?<\/h2><\/div>
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>2. The bathroom, where you\u2019ll get your money back<\/strong><\/h3><\/div>
\n<\/span><\/i><\/div><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Thinking about a bathroom this year?<\/h2>
![](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Family-bathroom-1200x8007-1.jpg\")
![](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Family-bathroom-1200x8004-2.jpg\")
![\"Curtain](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/Curtain-Blind-Installers.jpg\" "\\"Curtain")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>![\"peeling](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-955872012-Painting-scaled.jpg\" "\\"peeling")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>![](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Clare-Grove-1200px-1246.jpg\" "\\"Clare")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>![](\"https:\/\/builderscrack.co.nz\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Clare-Grove-1200px-7121.jpg\" "\\"Clare")
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