64 | Dirty Girl Landscapes & Construction CONTRACTING CREATE YOUR DREAM BACKYARD 0508 4 DECKS | sales@onestopdeckshop.co.nz | onestopdeckshop.co.nz CHRISTCHURCH | WANAKA | AUCKLAND We are your outdoor timber, decking and landscaping experts with products and solutions for everything decking, under your deck, around your deck and above your deck. 027 696 9006 jess@dirtygirlandscapes.com @dirtygirlandscapes.com Contact Your go-to for expert hardscaping & landscaping solutions. Getting down and dirty to create stunning outdoor spaces. Landscaping | Paving | Decks | Fencing Planter Boxes | Planting | Garden Edging Lawn preparation and new lawns Building a business with twice the skills Deck construction is an increasingly important part of the business, with the warmer months bringing renewed interest in outdoor living. T T Kelly Deeks A background in architectural building has given Jess Galbraith the practical skills to turn underused outdoor spaces into beautiful places where people want to spend time, with decks and fences now a growing part of her Christchurch landscaping business. Jess launched Dirty Girl Landscapes & Construction about 18 months ago, after seven years working in high-end construction, and three years gaining experience in landscaping. She is now building a name for herself through word-of-mouth recommendations, repeat connections, and a growing social media presence. “I’ve always loved the outdoor stuff, and landscaping is a lot more fast-paced than building,” Jess says. “You can make a bigger dent in your work in a quicker period of time, and you can really see what a difference you’ve made by the end of the week.” Her move into landscaping began when she was working on a building site and got talking to the landscapers. They offered her a job, and she decided it was time to try something different. Jess joined Christchurch landscaping company, Inside Out Design, where she developed her skills and discovered the type of work she wanted to pursue. She also began taking on her own jobs at weekends before deciding to establish her business full-time. The owners of Inside Out Design supported her decision, helping her get started with some initial work. Since then, she has relied largely on personal connections and recommendations from people she has met through the building industry and her work around Christchurch. Social media, particularly Instagram, is now helping Jess show potential clients what she can do, with photographs of completed projects making it easier for people to picture what might work in their own backyards. Deck construction is an increasingly important part of the business, with the warmer months bringing renewed interest in outdoor living. Jess enjoys the creative challenge of working with existing homes, where each space has its own limitations and possibilities. Planning a deck involves more than deciding on its size and materials. Jess considers the direction of the sun, prevailing winds, views, and access before working out how to make the most of the available space. She works with One Stop Deck Shop to source the materials needed for her projects. Her construction background is particularly useful when combining landscaping with built features, allowing her to approach outdoor projects with an understanding of how they need to be constructed, as well as how they should look. Client involvement is another important part of her approach. Jess uses visual references to explain ideas, talks through options, and encourages customers to contribute their own thoughts as a project develops. “I like to keep people involved in the process,” she says. “They might come up with an idea, and I’ll have another idea, and we work through it together.” Working across Christchurch keeps her busy, although she has also completed projects in Methven and on the West Coast. Jobs further afield, including an upcoming project in Nelson, needs to fit around her existing commitments as a one-woman operation. Jess has deliberately concentrated on establishing her reputation and demonstrating the quality of her work before considering employing staff. Her longer-term ambition is to take on more architecturally designed landscaping projects, creating outdoor spaces that work cohesively with the homes they surround. Her five-year plan is to build Dirty Girl Landscapes & Construction towards that goal, drawing on the experience she gained at Inside Out Design and the construction knowledge she has developed throughout her career.
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