Home Addition, Erindale
Project Brief
Homeowners Anne and Michael have resided in their 1940’s Erindale home for the last 17 years. With two grown children raising families of their own andan empty nest, Anne and Michael, still loving the location, decided it was time to give their home some much needed attention after discovering a water leak.
The back of the house was old, dark and run down, with significant water damage from the upper story extension which was done during the 1980’s. With it literally raining in one of the upstairs rooms, they realised it wasn’t just about fixing the damage and walking away, it required some major TLC! Along with having to fix the water leak, Anne and Michael also desperately wanted more light in the kitchen, more storage and a better laundry.
Anne told us that they struggled finding a professional builder to work with, they either didn’t show up, or left them extremely confused as to what could be done and what they would be paying for. In the end, it was a word of mouth referral from a friend that led them to ZJ Building. After discussing all their options, we soon came to the collaborative decision that the best approach was to knock down the rear of the home and start fresh, with a bright open space that Anne and Michael could easily and happily entertain, relax and grow old in.
“To be able to sit down with Zak to talk about, look at, this is what you’re going to get, and Zak was painstakingly clear about each step and what it would be, and for this money, this is what you’re going to be able to do. And he kept it within the budget that we’d set, which was great. It was clearly explained and that’s, I think something that we, well everybody needs, and that fixed price was what it was, it was great.”
The hardest part for Anne and Michael was wrapping their heads around how they could live in the house whilst the work was taking place. Together, with our subcontractors, we came up with a plan to ensure Anne and Michael could stay in their home and actually function in their house during construction. Tim, our project manager, played a monumental part in making sure the project ran smoothly from start to finish.
Deciding to extend the kitchen made a huge difference to the home’s ambience, with all the extra light coming in, it has made it cleaner and easier to look after. What started with a water damage issue, soon turned into the perfect opportunity for Anne and Michael to create the kitchen and living space they truly deserved!
Here’s what Anne had to say about their experience:
“No questions were ever too difficult, nothing was ever too hard, and the same with all the trades who came on site. The three boys who worked for ZJ were phenomenal.
Communication, right from the start, was really clear and really good. Everybody understood what was going on and what needed to be done. It’s just outstanding. I would certainly recommend them, yeah. They’re just friendly and nothing’s too difficult.”
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