Extensive land preparation for new home build.

“Here In 2011 my wife Helen and I Purchased 5,200 m2 of bare land in Whangarei Heads Road in order to build our retirement home in McLeod Bay. We knew it would be a challenge because of the raw nature of the land, its steep sloping terrain, and swampy water areas. We decided to hire the services of a local excavation company “Manaia Excavators” to transform the land. Leo Robinson came over and walked the land with us; listening to our requirements and desires. By the time we returned a couple of weeks later Leo had Robin and his team install underground drainage were required to drain the swampy areas and excavate a water reservoir. They also cleaned up the land and removed redundant fencing materials. This was a very impressive start.

Leo then asked what we wanted to do with the excess rocks and boulders they dug up. We stated that a rock wall around our lower pond would be great. We also told him that the old tree near the top of our property would likely intrude on our future house plans. Leo and Robin just made it all happen. We returned to view a beautiful rock wall curved around our pond and the tree just disappeared.

During our next visit Leo invited us up to his place were he introduced us to the rest of his team and told us that we would be dealing with his son Shaun from then on as he was taking over managing control of the company. From the start Shaun was friendly and easy to deal with. He listened to our requirements, offered advice and just got on with the job.

In February 2012 Shaun’s team started major excavation works for our new house. We wanted to build near the top end of our land to provide a sea view from the house; however, it was a challenge due to the steep sloping terrain. Shaun provided what turned out to be an excellent solution. He had the land reshaped to meet all our needs by installing a substantial retaining wall along one boundary and angled down through the section. He also arranged for about 60 truck loads of earth to be delivered on site at no charge to us.

Shaun automatically coordinated activities with our builder and the concrete company, shaping the basement area, garage, and driveway. At every stage he ensured all activity were in line with our requirements through his excellent communication skills. Shaun organized his team to compact the substrate as required and install the required steel reinforcement. When another wet area was discovered near the house, he had his team install piping to drain it off to the lower pond area. This was an excellent result. In September 2012 we decided wewanted to add a swimming pool. Shaun met with the swimming pool company and had his team prepare the required timber structure to retaining the pool. They worked directly with the pool company to install the pool making my job easy.

It was a pleasure dealing with Manaia Excavators during the construction of our retirement home in McLeod Bay. Helen and I are thrilled with the results. Shaun Robinson can be proud of his accomplishments in customer satisfaction. His excavation team is extremely reliable and can be trusted to produce professional results. We would recommend the use of Manaia Excavators to anyone without hesitation.”

– Ken and Helen Rozell