Practical Building Solutions

Residential Building

Hutt Valley

4.8

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4 Reviews

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9 Jobs completed

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About

We offer project management, accurate costing and a range of quality building, construction and sub-contracting services.

Everything we do is tailored to suit your needs, your budget and your timeframe. Simply tell us what you are looking for, how much you want to spend and we'll deliver it to the best standard. No dramas. No hassles. Always great results.

Contact us to find out more.

Credentials

Projects

Shipping Container Fit-Out for City Based Social Enterprise

Clients: The Free Store is a small grassroots 100% volunteer run not-for-profit organisation. TFS daily redistribute surplus food from 30 local cafes, bakeries and restaurants to those in need. They are based right in the heart of the city on Willis Street having re-opened in their new premises . . . a purpose-built 20-foot shipping container store. Timeframe: 24 months, part time Cost: Pro bono Brief: To convert a second hand shipping container into a functioning food storage and serving space. Complete with new windows and doors, lighting, bench and shelving, framing, insulation, linings and paint. All materials and labour were sourced and supplied free of charge. Large holes were cut into the sides of the container to house a large serving window, a smaller window and a door. Box section and steel shrouds were welded in place for additional strength as well as to provide shelter for the new joinery. A vapour barrier, cavity, and closed-cell, rigid insulation were installed to prevent condensation and create new internal walls for linings, benches, cabinets and shelving. Once the uPVC joinery was installed, work could begin on the exterior. Rust was removed and primed then TRITOflex spray was used ensuring that the container was fully waterproof and airtight as well as thermally insulated. TRITOflex is an environmentally friendly instant-setting liquid rubber that creates an impenetrable waterproofing membrane. TRITOtherm was also applied. An acrylic and ceramic based thermal insulating and protective coating which reflects UV rays and dramatically reduces heat transfer through a thermal insulating barrier. Neoprene washers and galvanised wing tek screws were used to attach the abodo wood cladding and signwork. Internal linings, plaster/paint, and custom made benches, cabinets and shelving were all installed making the container ready for pickup and delivery. Special materials: uPVC windows and doors Instant-setting sprayable waterproofing membrane Abodo timber cladding Recycled rubber flooring Kingspan vapour & thermal insulation Steel shrouds Powder coated signage Battery run internal led lighting Complexity rating: Medium complexity.​ Unexpected building work: The container was found to have a large concave causing water to pool on the roof. Larger ceiling framing was required to prop against and correct the issue. Drilling multiple holes into the sides of the container was unexpectedly difficult and required cutting oil and multiple drill bits. Delivering the container to site was made extra complicated by low hanging power lines and a historically protected boundary fence. People involved: Project manager, builders (2), apprentice (1), labourer (1), architect (Designgroup Stapleton Elliot), graphic designer, SpaceWise (container supplier), Engineer, Crofts (container transport), TRITOflex (waterproofers), Painter, vinyl layer.​ Client feedback: Jamie brought a wealth of knowledge to the table regarding project management, appropriate materials required and creative solutions to maximise the small space we were working with. His team completed the retrofit to the highest standard - no corners were cut despite the charitable nature of the project. Jamie and his team are hard-working, professional and full to the brim with integrity.

Challenging Renovation to a Two-Storey Century-Old Villa

Clients: Professional couple and their two children. Timeframe: Four weeks, full time. Cost: $37,000. Brief: [Phase one] To renovate one downstairs bedroom by installing new wall insulation, gib board, plaster and paint, as well as sealing and plastering an old external door. The wardrobe was resized and new wiring and wall-mounted lighting added to accommodate the lower downstairs ceilings. [Phase two] To assess remedial work required under the house (to the subfloor) and recommend options for repair. Special materials: Period feature finishings such as extra wide scotias, double-hung windows (recycled) and extra high skirting. Also ultra-thick wall insulation. Special machinery: Small digger (able to shrink and fit through a bedroom doorway) dump truck (to transport and dispose of surplus dirt and rock) conveyors (to transport dirt and rock from one side of the property to the dump truck stationed on the roadside) post-hole borers (to install the piles) 50-tonne bottle jacks (to lift the house for repiling). Complexity rating: High complexity. Unexpected building work: Extensive remedial work (under the house, at the subfloor level). The options for remedial were presented to the clients after Jamie’s team found the 200-tonne villa was supported by little more than a couple of damp and undersized wooden planks and dirt. Without a subfloor the house had begun to sink, raising issues of safety. Jamie’s team offered their clients two suggestions – leave as is or jack up the house, use a digger to dig out an area big enough for piling, add a subfloor and repile the house. The clients opted for the latter. Here is what Jamie’s team did. Step (1): Develop a plan and budget. Step (2): Remove the floorboards and use a digger to remove 10m3 of dirt. Step (3): Transport the dirt from the site to the roadside on conveyor. Step (4): Jack up the house. Step (5): Put new treated perimeter piles in place to support the house, while new piles, a subfloor, insulation and flooring were installed. ​People involved: Project manager, licensed building practitioner, builders (3), labourers (2), electrician, carpet layer, digger driver, plasterer and painter.

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