Stepping out

Outdoor living ideas

By Timmi Aplin-Barrett

As the weather warms up and the skies begin to clear, outdoor spaces are getting more attention.

New Zealand weather can be really harsh on outdoor furniture, no matter what it’s made of so getting ahead of game is a good idea. The time of barbeques, drinks outside and dinner on the back deck is coming. It’s time to think about what that outdoor space is going to look like. Mitre 10 Mega’s Outdoor Merchandise manager, Tony Deller, says that bringing the indoors outside is a trend we’re seeing this year. “We’re also looking at natural colours this year,” he says. “It’s not just the colours either; it’s natural materials like wicker and wood.”

Wicker furniture pieces were trendy a few years ago and have made a comeback with customers.

Tony says that mixed materials like wood and alloy are set to sell big this year too. “This mixed materials look is something customers love. You know, New Zealander’s love wood so we’ve got some lovely wood and metal ranges in stock.” Mustard and pastels are the colours of the season this year with orange having been the colour for last year. Tony says this can be conveyed through accessories and says he can’t emphasize the importance of accessorising a space. “You can really make your outdoor space pop by adding things like cushions, pillows and umbrellas in the seasonal colours,” he says. “Rather than buying a coloured outdoor seating set which can be quite pricey, you can buy a plainer colour set or something with those mixed materials and add the colour yourself.” Another top trend for this season is low dining. “This trend has been around for a bit but is really coming in this year. “The furniture is really low to the ground so you’re almost sitting on the ground but not quite. “People are also getting into things like drinks trolleys and loungers more than they were a few years ago.” All of this really illustrates the overarching trend of bringing the indoors outside this season.

From the naturalistic materials like wicker and wood to the low dining options and colour palettes such as mustard to drinks trolleys, we can expect a lot of casual and relaxed outdoor spaces to crop up this year. The flow from an indoor living space to an outdoor living space really creates that summer atmosphere we’re all craving right now. Mitre 10 Mega are stocking some excellent outdoor furniture at the moment if you’re looking to replace your loungers or seating sets. The Nouveau Montego outdoor lounge setting three-piece features sustainably sourced teak with black powder coated aluminium to fit with the season trends. piece will add warmth, comfort and convenience to your outdoor space for $3,199. They also have some great wicker options in stock. The Nouveau Malay outdoor lounge setting three-piece features two comfortable chairs and a small table.

Excellent for smaller spaces, it offers comfort and style for $1,299. As mustard is the colour of the season, there are plenty of ways to bring it into your space. From planter pots starting at $5 each to outdoor dining chairs from $89.99 each, you can certainly incorporate the seasonal colours. There’s also some lovely Nouveau outdoor cushions in a honey colour starting at $24.99 each to had comfort and colour to your space. Cast your eye over that outdoor space and get inspired – it’s time for the sun! For more outdoor inspiration, tips and tricks and products, go to:

www.mitre10.co.nz.

• Driveways • Earthquake Repairs • New Home Specialists • Patios & Paths

Phone: 0508 873 7483

Email: sales@affordableconcrete.co.nz www.affordableconcrete.co.nz

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Starting from scratch

Part 1: Demolition and foundations

Nathan Applegarth, a Secure Scaffold manager, is the owner of his newly built house that he helped build in Parklands, Christchurch.

The demolition and foundation process weren’t too bad because being in the trades sector made the process a bit easier, Nathan says. He has a lot of contacts, which helped. The demolition of his old house started in January this year. Firstly, the engineering part took place before it was built. After that, there were only a few minor issues like time delays because of the company’s workload. The company Nathan hired to put in the internal doors was Independent Doors. The company had about a six or seven-week delay which turned over in eight weeks. The internal doors were only meant to take five weeks, and then the company ended up turning it around four weeks earlier due to receiving pressure from the builder, Nathan says. The only unexpected surprise he had was the cost of things as he underbudgeted and miscalculated.

However, he says, “Everything I got was pretty good value for money”. What went well that Nathan was most proud of with the first stages of the build was saving money by using his friend’s companies for different tasks required. He had a friend help with the foundation, which saved him $20,000. But when it came to the demolition, he over-budgeted. During the process, between five to 10 people worked on the 36 | B&R www.buildandrenovate.co.nz

During the process, between five to 10 people worked on the project and there were at least two different tradespeople onsite.

project and there were at least two different tradespeople onsite. The advice Nathan has for anyone wanting to build their own house is, “Running a great excel spreadsheet with all the costs and budget, and update it weekly or daily,” to keep on track of costs. The bank was strict because he didn’t have the pre-approval for the mortgage, which was risky going in, even though Nathan had the money for it and had been with the bank for about 30 years. “We still had to jump through hoops.” Nathan’s previous house he lived in for nine years needed to be repaired, but he didn’t know for the last seven years living in it that it was damaged until the Earthquake Commission said it was not up to standard. Nathan was going to have his old house as a rental and own another house but decided to “move on” and build his own house instead.

What would’ve been the repair costs for his previous house meant it was easier to build his own house anyway. At the end of the day, Nathan wouldn’t have done anything differently to the building process. If he had built the house for someone else, he could’ve saved a lot more money but because it was for himself, the process of the build worked out well, he says. There was a quick turnaround in terms of building his house “for the current climate”.

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