We asked Jordan to look at two small jobs for us, both relating to doors. Our home is located in an area of designated historic status, and the work done required some appreciation for this, as we were looking to make a seamless impression between the changes and what already existed.
Firstly, we have a sliding door from our hallway that opens into our kitchen and living areas. The existing door was at odds to the house and poorly hung, so we located a more appropriate replacement through an Auckland salvage yard. The new door was both taller and more slender, and for this we sourced some recycled native timber which was used to close up the door jamb, narrowing the door cavity to fit better the dimensions of the door. We also acquired new handles that needed to be fitted, so all in all the fit required attention and precision.
The second job was a pair of French doors we acquired off FB Marketplace. This joined two rooms previously unconnected, and for this we sourced a rimu door jamb and some rimu door trim. The cavity for the door was made through a closed wall, to the side of a chimney, and removing and preserving all the materials was critical. Also, this was in spaces already decorated so attention was required. What we hadn’t appreciated was that our doors weren’t square, and were slightly taller than our jambs. We worked through this together, as we did with issues around the door handles, where we chose to repurpose vintage handles when some modern replacements failed.
There’s a lot to consider even when you’re looking to do a seemingly simple job. My partner and I are both from Design backgrounds, so we’d put a lot of thought into what we wanted to achieve. Even so, it’s not always possible to think of everything, and so communication and relationships are essential. Also, there’s an element of calculated risk when working with someone for the first time. We were always confident about working with Jordan though, because he’s a genuinely nice person with considerable skill. I enjoyed being around when he was working, helping if I could, but for the most part I tried to give him some space. He’s calm, focussed, and considered, and treats your job like it was his own, and I found it was best just to let him get on with it. I also learnt that he’s a busy guy with a life outside of work, so sometimes there can be a delay or drop-off in comms. I was using this job to test our suitability for working together in the future, and my lasting impression is that I look forward to that day. Highly recommended.