ISLAND BAY DECK PROMISED 'TUESDAY' NOW ENTERING THIRD YEAR OF TUESDAYS
The Auckland chippie who took the job in 2022 has since had two kids and one divorce.
A back deck at an Island Bay property, first promised complete by "next Tuesday" in November 2022, is now on its 156th Tuesday. The builder insists he's "pretty much there, bro".
Homeowner Priya Ellingham, 44, hired the tradie on the strength of a good rate and her brother's recommendation. Neither survived the Cook Strait. "He drove down with his tools in October '22. Half the pile holes got dug. Then a southerly came through and he said he had to go home and think about it. That was the last full day of work."
The builder, Callum, contacted at what he described as "a job in Westmere I'm just finishing up", said the Island Bay deck was "literally next on the list, cuz". Asked which Tuesday, Callum said: "The one after this. Got a tangi. Got the Ranger in the shop. It's complicated, ay."
Neighbour Roimata Whaanga said she'd watched three piles of framing timber arrive on the berm and sit through a winter each. "First lot went grey. Second lot the possums moved into. Third lot the council took. Seen more progress on the convention centre and that's a fucking disgrace too."
Ellingham has since got a quote from a Newtown builder who took one look at the site and said the original work was "a bit rooted". He quoted Tuesday. She did not ask which one.
Callum, asked for a final comment, said Priya was "a good cunt" and he'd "be down before Christmas". He did not specify the year.
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Reader Letters
Trev_Hornby
He'll never finish it.
MumOf4_LowerHutt
Typical Kiwi overpromise, underdeliver... My own driveway has been munted by a similar 'next Tuesday' fix. Tradies need to get their acts together. It's not that hard to pick a bloody date and stick to it! All this mucking around is just not cricket. Honestly, I've got neighbours doing better jobs with DIY and they're not asking for half a cow to do a day's work.
couchgremlin
Lol, Island Bay is cursed.
Garry (Halswell)
This sort of thing wouldn't have happened in my day. We knew the value of completing a job on time and without excuses. I remember helping my neighbour build his deck back in '87. We had it up in two weekends and that included a six-pack break every arvo. Maybe Callum just needs to set his priorities straight.
Rangi_Dude82
Mate, you can't compare Deck of '87 to now. Building regs have changed heaps. Plus, everyone's too busy scrolling through TikTok to finish a job these days.
ShazFromThorndon
If the possums have moved into the timber then it’s time to reevaluate the project. It's a bit rooted from the get-go, isn't it? Maybe Priya should just move to Westmere as well! Better chance of finding a functioning deck there.
KiwiConspiracist4Life
I bet Callum's mate works in the convention centre. Birds of a feather and all that—none of them actually finish anything.
Glenn_Ado
Didn’t the cook, um, river bit get worked on and said you couldn’t drive up in a ranger? But now Westmere? Yeah, nah.
sandyshore
Glenn, it's the Cook Strait, not a river, you muppet. And you can definitely drive to Westmere. It's just up the road, mate.