TWO DECADES OF SUCCESS: WORKING WITH TREVOR WILLIS, BUILDER AND CONTRACTOR

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With a half-dozen or so builders working alongside him, Trevor Willis, builder and contractor, is a man busy building million-dollar homes for clients across Auckland. He works to a high standard and with tight timelines, so he knows how important it is to have partners who can deliver quality work time and time again. That’s one of the reasons why he works with Deep End Pools to manage his clients’ new pool builds.

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GETTING THE BASICS RIGHT

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Trevor first started working with Karl in the early 2000s, when Karl himself was a contractor. When Karl went out on his own, Trevor was one of his first clients, and they’ve been sharing sites since then.

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“I kept working with Karl because he’s well priced and a great guy,” Trevor says.

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It’s a great relationship, with Karl developing a handful of pools for Trevor over the last twelve months alone.

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“Karl being owner-operator is important. With some crowds it’s the boss who prices the pool, and he’ll get the young fellas in to do it. Then you get grief cause you’re not dealing with the boss.

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“Karl’s the boss and the guy that does the job. There’s clear communication. He keeps it easy.”

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KEEPING THE PROCESS SIMPLE

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Staying on top of each project and keeping it as easy as possible makes a big difference for many of Karl and Trevor’s clients, since it’s often their first time encountering the pool construction process. While architects often specify the broader details of the pool design before applying for council consent, sometimes it’s the finer details that can make all the difference.

“Karl has some good ideas when it comes to each pool,” say Trevor. “And he’s got a good eye for water line tile and plaster colours – he’s been doing a lot of that, so he knows what combinations suit.” Ultimately, that means a happy experience for clients.

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A STRONG FINISH

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When it came to Trevor’s own home, Karl was the obvious choice for designing and installing a pool.

“We wanted a couple of day beds off to one side, and a recessed bar and stepping stones through the water so you can walk from day bed to day bed.”

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Trevor says they got a good combo, and Karl got a chance to showcase his skills for someone he’s worked alongside for 20-odd years.

“Really, he’s a fantastic guy and produces a good product,” says Trevor. “He’s reliable and does good work. What more could you want?”

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A BESPOKE POOL TO FIT A 'GRAND OLD LADY' HOME: JULIEN AND HEIDI'S STORY

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Julien and Heidi bought the ultimate “demo or do-up” in St Mary’s Bay. Once they’d started cleaning and re-piling the home, they discovered a grand old lady waiting underneath a layer of thick ivy: the original farmhouse of the area, with a history stretching back to 1885.

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Over the last decade they’ve restored the home bit by bit, bringing some fresh majesty to the character home. They’ve recently added another wing – to keep up with their growing family – and over the winter of 2019 completed the significant final step of adding a pool and completing the landscaping.

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“We’re keen water people,” says Julien. “Heidi grew up on a beach in Australia, and the kids have been swimming since they were born.”

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FINDING THE RIGHT SPOT - AND THE RIGHT POOL BUILDER

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“We did a bit of homework – we looked at pools in the wider Grey Lynn/Ponsonby area that we liked, talked with friends and friends of friends who had pools. We asked around to find out who people recommended – and that lead us to Karl at Deep End Pools.”

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Karl worked with Julien and Heidi to best maximise how the land was used.

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“We’re fortunate that we have a larger block,” says Julien. “But then there’s questions of how the pool might be positioned. Which way should it go? Along one side or the other?

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“In the end, we were able to get a bigger pool than we’d otherwise imagined at 7m by 3m. It’s in the perfect spot.”

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KEEPING THE ORIGINAL AESTHETIC

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The challenge, says Julien, has been ensuring renovations are in keeping with the 140-year-old character home, and that extended to the pool addition. Working with the original farmhouse aesthetic, plus integrating a spa into the pool design, made for something of a challenge.

Thankfully Karl’s design and build expertise proved invaluable. “What we both liked was that we were able to articulate to Karl what we wanted, and he’d realise it for us.”

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“Heidi takes a lead on the design elements like colour. She wanted a pool that would reflect the colours of the sea. Karl helped us get a one-off colour – an original aquamarine mixture he made – for the pool that does just that.”

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The look is completed with a beautiful stone path that connects to the front, the stairs, and around the pool. The stones, from a quarry in Northland, pick up the green hints in the pool and in the tiling.

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The result?

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“A friend came through the other day. They’d seen the pool develop over the winter, and their first comment was ‘Wow – It’s like it’s always been there’.”

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COOL UNDER STRESS

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At the final stage of the build, they encountered a speed bump. They’d managed to get the work done across winter – thanks in part to a temporary shelter Karl erected over the pool site – but the seasons weren’t done with them yet.

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 Before the treated pool water had been added and settled in, leaves from the surrounding trees had fallen in and settled on the plaster and turned a spot of cerulean blue plaster brown. And it wasn’t budging.

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“Karl had one last solution – get underwater with a scuba tank and start scrubbing. And he did just that. After about an hour, it was gone.”

That’s one of the reasons Julien and Heidi have enjoyed working with Karl on their project. Not only has he helped them with their design decisions, they’ve been consistently impressed by his focus, dedication, and his attention to detail.

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“He’s a really good guy to work with, as well as the team he employs. He’s a fantastic builder who takes pride in his work – that’s why he’s now doing our good friends’ home down the road.

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“We’ve been in the pool a lot since we’ve had a great early summer. The kids have their mates around and are in the water even after school – our little fish. We were enjoying the pool over the sunny weekend, and agreed – this is the best money we’ve ever spent.”

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