localbusiness
April 16, 2014
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Pro-Dig
Paul de Vries
People also call the business when they want to sell, as a smart-looking deck can make a significant difference to a property’s value, says Paul. Sandra agrees. “The wife is going for the kitchen and the deck,” she says. The business has also branched out into garage carpet, which can also add thousands to a property’s value, says Paul, because it effectively adds an extra room to the house. “If you take your average double garage, you can turn it into a rumpus room or living room. To build one, you’re looking at $60,000 for a room that size.”
Change is in the air for Wayne and Elaine Dodds — they have started an earthmoving business, Pro-Dig, after owning Trench & Power for 12 years, and they have moved onto dry land after five years living on a yacht. It was time to move on from their trenching and cabling business, Wayne says. “But we are not finished with the earthmoving industry and will continue to offer our services and my 40 years’ experience,” he says. Pro-Dig will work on everything from landscaping, to laying driveways and tidying up building sites. “I’ve always been involved in earthmoving. That’s what I’m good at and that’s what I know,” Wayne says. He and Elaine ran Trench & Power from the 65ft yacht they also lived on. They moored the yacht on the Mahurangi River and, after Wayne installed a fireplace, it was comfortable all year round, he says. “You meet a lot of nice people on the river. It’s a big boat and you’ve got all the comforts of home,” he says. “We’d fish flounder off the back of the boat,” says Elaine. “We also had pet eels and pet ducks.” They have done up five yachts over the past 30 years and have kept the boat for the odd getaway. But after living back on land for about a year, they are enjoying the change.
Wayne and Elaine Dodds
“I’ve got gardening to do now,” Elaine says. They are looking forward to the challenge of the new business, and are incredibly grateful to the customers they’ve had in Rodney over the years, Wayne says. “We would like to thank all our customers from Trench & Power Services, in particular local power network Electrix and GJ Gardiner have been great to us over the years,” he says. “Derek and Jan Browne have taken over the business now and we wish them well.”
We Clean, Stain, Paint & Restore
FREE QUOTE 3Timber Decks 3 Garden Furniture 3Timber Fences & Trellis 3 Garage Doors & Front Doors 3Brick, Block & Plaster Fences 3 Garage Carpet
• Driveway • Excavations • Tip Truck • Earthworks Pro Dig Wayne & Elaine Mob: 021 738 554 Home: 09 425 6074
www.deckandfencepro.co.nz
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Deck & Fence Pro After 17 years of running an office products business in South Africa, Sandra and Paul de Vries were keen for a change. Paul’s brother lived in Howick, so they decided to move to Auckland, where he originally worked for Carter Holt Harvey’s Infotech division as an asset auditor. But after a few years they ended up buying the West Auckland franchise of Deck & Fence Pro. At the time they were living in Titirangi but once their children moved out, they decided it was time for another change. So they sold the business to their son, and moved to a rural property in Wellsford. They have now bought the North Auckland Border franchise of Deck & Fence Pro, which covers much of Rodney. The business specialises in paint, oil and stain restoration of decks and fences, and prides itself on saving its customers money by extending the life of their decks, without the huge cost of replacement. “We recently did a quote for someone and a renovation cost $2800, compared to a new kwila deck, where just the timber was $10,000,” says Paul. “We can get a good five or six years extra out of the timber before they need to replace it, so it’s saving them heaps and extending the lifespan of the deck a bit longer.”
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