A Decade of Work on a Property That Keeps Getting Better

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Some clients call once. Others become part of how you measure your own growth as a builder. This Cobble Hill property is the latter kind. What started as a traditional timber frame deck build in 2017 became an ongoing relationship that has returned the AS Design Build team to the property repeatedly, a wisteria arbour, a timber and glass carport roof, a garden bridge, deck maintenance, and eventually a significant run of interior renovation work through 2025 and 2026. Each visit has added something considered and the property shows it.

The deck was the foundation of everything that followed, and it was built to be there for generations. The structure was designed from drawings through to municipal permitting and demolition of the existing deck and concrete. New footings and columns were excavated, formed, and poured. The timber frame itself was milled on site, a 10x10 post and 6x12 beam design with traditional mortise and tenon arched knee braces, each one secured with a one-inch oak dowel. It is the kind of joinery that takes time to do correctly and that distinguishes a timber frame built for the craft from one built for the look. Decking, posts, railings, and glass were installed, and mortised timber stairs were built and fitted to match the structure. The upper Baker deck, oriented to capture the view of Mount Baker, received a torch-on waterproof membrane, a sleeper frame, and its own decking surface. A barn door screened seating area was built and installed off the carport, with soffit and lighting brought in to complete the outdoor space.

The garden structures came in subsequent visits, each one designed and built to the same standard as the original deck. The wisteria arbour required its own concrete footings and columns, cinder block wall construction, and a milled timber frame installed to support the eventual canopy of growth the planting would bring. The timber and glass roofs, one along the carport, one at the side entry, used milled cedar ledger and rafter construction with tempered glass panels, bringing weather protection to two key transition spaces on the property without closing them in. The garden bridge was built and installed with a post and railing design that carries a Caribbean influence, a deliberate departure from the more traditional timber language of the deck, and one that works precisely because it is clearly intentional.

The interior renovation work in 2025 and 2026 brought the same rigour inside. Basement bedrooms, a master closet, a basement bathroom built from a concrete slab cut for rough-in plumbing, an existing bathroom renovation, a TV room refresh, and a kitchen renovation were all managed through interior design, sub-trade coordination, and hands-on finishing work. Walls were thickened to improve the insulation value. Shiplap interior walls were installed and finished to match the character of the home. New windows and doors were framed and installed, exterior finishes were matched carefully, new interior doors with trim and paint were completed throughout. The kitchen renovation introduced new IKEA cabinetry with custom construction areas, a butcher block island secured in place, and hardware selected and installed across the full package.