Carpentry is the trade Ovas Build started with, and it's still the backbone of nearly everything we do. Most jobs around a house come back to it at some point, from the structural framing that holds the place up to the trim work you actually see. The Ovas Build team has spent more than ten years doing both ends of it across Wollongong, the Illawarra and the Southern Highlands.
Structural carpentry
This is the work that everything else relies on, so it has to be right the first time. Bearers and joists, wall and roof framing, lintels over openings, bracing and tie-downs, all sized and fixed to suit the load and the span. We do this as part of our home extensions and granny flat builds, and as standalone structural work.
A fair bit of structural carpentry down here is repair. The older homes near the coast cop years of salt air and the odd southerly buster, and once you pull a floor up you find soft joists, rotted bearer ends or termite damage. We cut out what's gone, splice or replace in the right timber, and tie it back into sound structure so the floor stops bouncing and the wall stops moving. Sloping blocks are their own thing too, and a lot of these suburbs run uphill into the escarpment, so we set out subfloors and deck frames to work with the fall.
Roofing, cladding and the outside
We frame and sheet roofs, fit fascia and gutter lines, and clad walls in weatherboard, fibre cement or whatever the design calls for. Done properly, with the right flashing and ventilation, this is what keeps an Illawarra home dry through the wet months. We use coastal-grade fixings because cheap ones don't last near the water.
Decks, pergolas and outdoor areas
A deck or pergola is one of the best ways to make a coastal home livable year-round. We build them end to end in merbau, spotted gum, treated pine or composite, set out level over sloping ground and fixed with galvanised or stainless hardware that copes with the salt air. We sort whatever approval the job needs.
Fit-outs and finish carpentry
Once the structure's done, it's the finish work that makes a job look right: hanging doors, fitting architraves and skirting, building or repairing stairs, and the built-in joinery. Matching is the part people underrate, because plenty of older homes here have profiles you can't buy off the shelf, so we match what's there or have it run to suit. For the cabinet work, see our joinery page.
Tidy work, a fair price
You get a fixed-price proposal after we've had a proper look, not a number plucked out of the air, and we keep the site tidy as we go. We're licensed and insured.
Got a job that needs a good chippy? Call us on 0434 037 851 or get in touch through the contact page for a free quote.
Common questions
- What kind of carpentry do you take on?
- The full range. Structural framing for new builds, extensions and granny flats, roofing and cladding, decks and pergolas, internal fit-outs and trim, plus remedial work where old timber's gone soft or termite-affected. If it involves timber and a square, it's our trade.
- Can you repair rot or termite damage in an older home?
- Yes, and it's common down here. Plenty of the older fibro and weatherboard homes near the coast have soft bearers, joists or wall framing once you open them up. We cut out what's gone, splice or replace in treated timber, and tie it back into sound structure so it stops moving.
- Do I need approval for carpentry work?
- It depends on the job. Like-for-like repairs and most internal trim work are exempt, while structural changes, decks over a certain height, and extensions usually need approval. We work out what your job needs and handle it, and we always build to what's been signed off.
- Do you build decks and pergolas as well?
- Yes, end to end. We build decks, pergolas and outdoor areas in merbau, spotted gum, treated pine or composite, set out and fixed to handle the salt air and the southerlies. We sort any approval that's needed as part of the job.