Retaining wall.
The ground below this orchard on a sloped section was falling away, slowly drifting down the hill. So, a digger was brought in to cut it back and drill some holes for the post. Access was so tight and steep that the digger nearly became a lawn ornament, but painstakingly, it made it out.
The wall was then able to take shape from the ground up, not only regaining a huge amount of flat space on the hill, but also turning a messy slope into a beautiful feature.
The original sleeper stairs were then re-modelled into a stunning curved staircase that ties the new wall into the old walkway up to the back of the property. With a bit of stone chip, topsoil and grass seed, the whole space looks incredible.
Gravel staircase.
Having a steep slope on your property can be a huge pain, and what better way to create easy access than a solid and cost-effective staircase?
This project produced some big physical challenges: big timber, about 4 tons of gravel, and no room for machine access. It was all carried and wheelbarrowed from the driveway to this incredibly steep section.
As always, the effort pays off and now a beautiful staircase sits, built seamlessly into the hillside, providing easy access to the bottom of the property.
custom pergola.
This pergola now sits where an old gazebo had been for years. Some strong winds knocked the gazebo over, taking a kiwifruit vine with it.
The kiwifruit was saved and propped up by this new pergola in a truly magical spot on the hill.
The client wanted to re-use as many of the old concrete pavers that made the floor of the gazebo so we made a nice pattern to blend them together and now we have a beautiful, paved floor that will last.
The tricky part for this build was the access: a steep grassy cross-slope which made for some hard and heavy wheelbarrowing.
Custom chicken coop.
This was a fun one. I never knew there was so much to think about when building a chicken coop.
The scope of this project included the coop and the fencing for the run. Being on a steep slope made it challenging but we were able to create a useable space that these chickens can enjoy for many years to come.
