The Brief
The outdoor space at Gus and Ana's Mount Pleasant home had the bones of something special: an elevated site with sweeping views over the Christchurch estuary and out to the Pacific. But none of it was usable. There was no deck, no connection between the house and the outlook, and the grounds needed serious work.
They called Ecocare to fix that.
What We Built
We started with the structure. The framing went in first: a full treated pine subframe built level across the slope, with closely-spaced joists to handle the large kwila boards and give the deck the solid, premium feel the site deserved. Phillip surveyed the framing before a single board went down.
Then came the kwila. High-grade kwila hardwood, laid in clean parallel runs and finished in a deep rich stain that glows warm in the afternoon light. It's a timber that handles coastal UV, salt air and Christchurch weather without cracking or greying out: built to last, built to look good doing it.
Around the perimeter: frameless glass balustrade on polished stainless spigots. No posts, no rails blocking the sightline, just clear glass and the estuary beyond it. The view stays completely open from every seat on the deck.
Steps in matching kwila lead down into the garden, where we laid a geometric pathway of large square concrete pavers framed in timber, set into dark basalt chip. The path connects the deck to the rest of the property cleanly and intentionally.
The garden beds were cleared, planted out with low-maintenance architectural species, and finished in dark organic mulch. The whole site was cleaned and green waste removed before handover.
The Result
Gus and Ana now have one of the best outdoor spaces in Mount Pleasant. The deck is large enough to properly entertain on. The glass balustrade means the view is never compromised. You sit on the deck and you're looking straight out over the estuary and the coast. The pathway gives the property flow. The planting ties it all together without creating future maintenance headaches.
After handover, they signed up for Ecocare's ongoing quarterly maintenance program to keep it looking exactly like this.
Project Snapshot
| Location | Mount Pleasant, Christchurch |
| Services | Kwila deck construction, frameless glass balustrade, geometric paver pathway, garden softscaping, mulching, green waste removal |
| Timber | Kwila hardwood, rich stain finish |
| Balustrade | Frameless glass on stainless spigots |
| Pathway | Large concrete pavers, timber framing, dark basalt chip |
| Ongoing | Quarterly garden maintenance |
