Outdoor Maintenance:
Reclaiming a back yard -Aro Valley
The area above the owner’s house was overgrown with ivy and weeds and was never used. The owner saw potential for it to become a recreational area (party deck!). After carefully cutting back the plants, we levelled out the ground for later use as a lawn and installed small retaining walls to control any further soil incursion. Finally, we hid the unsightly foundation concrete around the fence posts by adding solid seating on top of them.
Repairs: Cracked tile... and maybe worse problems behind the wall - Kilbirnie
Prior to putting their house on the market, the owners got a building report done. It found elevated moisture readings where a tile was cracked next to the shower, which potentially meant serious (and costly) problems in the bathroom wall. We took a look and found moisture but no damage. The problem was an unsealed gap between the aluminium trim and the acrylic liner. Water would be channeled down through the gap, causing perpetual wetness, silicone failure and black mould. The crack in the tile was a red herring... the result of rough installation of the tile on the curved shower tray rim. The tile simply needed to be replaced and the shower properly sealed. Job done, beautiful again.
Leak repairs: Water damage - Island Bay
For years, the owner of this 100+ year-old home in Island Bay had noticed discoloration of the ceiling in the bay windows of this ocean-facing home. Exploration revealed out-of-sight cracks in the concrete roofs of both bay windows. Although still sound, salt spray had penetrated the concrete causing the discoloration below. We applied a sturdy acrylic membrane, replastered and re-painted.
"We've had a couple of storms since then and no sign of a problem. The maestro did it!"
Sal, owner
Interior Painting: Water damage – Naenae
A leaking roof had caused significant damage to the textured ceiling underneath it, making the property impossible for the owner to rent out. Simply repainting was not an option; a bespoke texture had been used originally and this had to be matched. With some experimentation, we were able to recreate the same texture, returning the ceiling to a near-new look. Happy tenant, happy landlord.
Outdoor Maintenance: Drain installation - Paremata
The owner had noticed for years that water was pooling at the side of the house during heavy southerly rain. But thought it more of an annoyance than a major problem. They realised they had issues when carpet began to mould inside the house. Their attempts to seal the suspected leak failed and the mould worsened. It became a ‘must fix’ when time came to sell the property and the mould was noted on the building inspector’s report. Southerleigh installed a simple French drain, ensuring that any rainwater would travel away from the house, remediating the chronic damp that had caused the mould.
Tiling: Kitchen & Laundry splashbacks - Kelburn
As part of a major renovation, the owners of this 1920's Kelburn home recognized how much attention is given to splashbacks, especially in the kitchen. (Your eyes are on them every day, sometimes for hours, right?) They opted for geometric and floral tiles from Spain, inspired by the Moorish conquests of 1,300 years ago. With almost every tile being unique, occupying a carefully-chosen position on the wall, this left little room for error.
"It's beautiful. I'll be happily looking at these tiles for years!"
Paul, owner
Weather Proofing: Wet rot & borer - Island Bay
The property owner's tenant noticed borer on the wing (which happens from November to February in NZ). Wet rot was found at the base of decorative battens in the alcove. As it was south-facing, this part of the house never got sunlight and was perpetually damp, further encouraging borer. We replaced all affected timber, chemically treated the area and weather-proofed the new battens by adding a cove base and membrane. Our city is notorious for its southerly 'horizontal rain', but even the worst of Wellington's wet wind will not damage this area again!
Insulation: Installation and weather-proofing - Aro Valley
One third of a home's heat is lost through its ceiling if there is no insulation in it. On even a small heating bill of $100 a month for half a year, that amounts to many thousands of dollars of wasted heat in a home that's been standing for as long as this one in Aro Valley has. Incredibly, still without ceiling insulation. Because we were on site for some other work and had the scaffolding up, we were happy to install insulation for this elderly and budget-constrained owner. It was NOT EXPENSIVE. Less than $1,000 for the material and a few extra hours of our time.
In our experience, no home improvement offers a better return than ceiling insulation, providing significant health, comfort, and energy-saving benefits.
