Crux Projects

16/10/2026

BEHIND THE BUILD | DAY ?

Not every productive day on site involves getting your own tools out.

Today was about progressing the first-fix plumbing on one of our annexe projects alongside two brilliant Romanian plumbers: hard-working, knowledgeable and proud of their work.

What impressed me most was not just the quality of the installation, but how they advised the client, thought ahead and considered how everything would look and function when finished. They cared about the end result and that's why they get recommended.

When you have people like that on site, sometimes the best thing you can do is let them crack on.

Running a small building business can make you feel like you need to be doing something physical every minute of the day. But progress also happens behind the scenes: ordering materials, making decisions, anticipating problems and organising the next stages.

Helping the client make decisions about things that may be months away but affect what we’re doing today.

That’s a huge part of what we do at Crux. Yes, I I love being on the tools. But delivering a project is about managing the process, bringing the right people together and making sure the client doesn’t have to carry the weight of it all.

They stay involved in the decisions that matter without having to chase trades, order materials or wonder what happens next.

It may not make exciting Instagram content, but without it, the whole job grinds to a halt.

Good people, doing good work, with everyone taking pride in the end result.

That’s (still) a productive day.

14/10/2026

OLD STRUCTURE. NEW LEASE OF LIFE.

A pretty special setting for this one.

We were recently approached by a lovely young family who have recently bought an incredible rural property, tucked away in the countryside with some seriously impressive grounds.

Like a lot of older properties, there's plenty that needs doing, but also an enormous amount of potential.

One of the first jobs on their list was making the patio area beside the swimming pool somewhere they could actually enjoy spending time as a family.

Years of being covered in grape vines had taken it's toll on this pergola, with the timber completely rotten in places. It had reached the point where sections were falling apart and the whole thing was becoming dangerous.

Not exactly ideal with young children running around.

Rather than completely changing the appearance, the clients wanted to retain the character of the original structure.

So we've kept the same overall shape and traditional detailing, but rebuilt it using much more substantial, modern treated timbers, giving it the strength and durability it was lacking.

There's something really satisfying about taking an existing feature like this and bringing it back to life without losing what made it attractive in the first place.

And as much as we enjoy the big transformations, sometimes it's these relatively straightforward jobs that make an immediate difference to how a family can use their home.

Hopefully this is just the beginning of our involvement with this property. The clients have some pretty ambitious renovation plans, and we'd absolutely love to help bring them to life.

It's a fantastic place with enormous potential, and exactly the sort of project we want to be involved in more of.

On to the next one.

13/10/2026

A PRACTICAL PROBLEM DOESN'T HAVE TO MEAN A PURELY PRACTICAL SOLUTION.

A few weeks ago myself and Newell carpentry and joinery were asked to help with some of the finishing touches on this fantastic countryside self-build.

The entrance to the client's basement was exposed to the elements, with rainwater ingress becoming a concern.

The solution? A bespoke timber lean-to that would provide the necessary protection, whilst also adding a bit of character to the building.

Rather than something that looked like an afterthought, we wanted to create a structure that felt like it had always been part of the original design.

Working with the existing building and the changing ground levels, we constructed a substantial timber framework, complete with exposed rafters and traditional diagonal bracing.

We also built bespoke timber balustrading and laid coping stones to match the existing patio paving, helping tie the whole thing together.

The structure is now ready for its slate roof, which will be installed shortly.

It's the sort of work we really enjoy. A bit of problem-solving, plenty of carpentry and the opportunity to create something that's both functional and good-looking.

Looking forward to seeing this one with the slate on.

CRUX PROJECTS Design & Build Studio







EssexBuilders
Craftsmanship
BespokeBuilding

12/10/2026

BEHIND THE BUILD | A new week.

After ending last week feeling pretty frustrated with a few things, it's amazing what a weekend can do to turn things around.

Both kids won their football matches on Saturday.
at last pulled their fingers out and actually showed a bit of fight for once. Miracles do happen.

A brand new supplier absolutely pulled it out of the bag, sorting timber at short notice ready for first thing tomorrow morning so we can crack on with a pergola for a new client. Proper service, and exactly the sort of people you want to work with.

We're getting closer to the go-ahead on another two garage conversions. One for an existing client and another brand-new who's come through a recommendation. That last bit means a lot. When someone trusts your work enough to recommend you to somebody else, you know you're doing something right.

Outstanding payments (still), suppliers messing you about, tools breaking, plans changing. Some weeks it feels like you're constantly banging your head against a brick wall.

But with a few small wins, things start falling into place again.

Still plenty to sort out, plenty to get frustrated about, but moving in the right direction.

Onwards and upwards. Plenty more to build.

09/10/2026

Love the work. Could do without the BS.

Some days, running a small business really does test your patience.

The worlds biggest tool brand seemingly doing everything they can to avoid sorting out a warranty repair on a six month old tool which obviously you need working for next week.

A job that's not been paid for. Not a big invoice, but hardly the point. The work's done, the job's finished, so why should getting paid be the difficult bit?

It's funny really. You start your own business because you love building things, working with your hands and taking pride in what you do.

But you'll always fail to appreciate just how much time you'll spend chasing people and sorting problems that shouldn't exist.

But Monday we'll be back at it.

Love the work. Could do without the occasional BS that comes with it.

08/10/2026

Some days it can be repetitive. A process.

Measure, cut, screw, nail, measure again, cut, screw, nail, remove jammed nail from nailer, nail again, measure again...

But it's good work, honest work, and all part of the process.

You can't have the finished result without putting it in.

And I'll take this over over sitting behind a desk 9 to 5 until my eyeballs fall out from staring at numbers on a screen...

There's something pretty satisfying about focusing and building something with your own two hands.

It's not always exciting, but it's always worth doing properly.

05/10/2026

Van’s been retired.

Just trying to do our bit for sustainable construction.

Sonny & Buck are now responsible for getting the tools and materials to site.

Not sure what everyone's moaning about - we can drag more with the dogs than would ever have fit in the van.

Journey time to the next job: only 6 hours 45 minutes.

Hina Bokhari OBE AM
LBC Radio

05/10/2026

18/08/2026

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23/07/2026

Reclaimed decking...

The last thing this client wanted was a pile of brand spanking new shiny composite decking or green grooved timber boards. Especially when they already had a lifetime's accumulation of old decking to go at.

They wanted to be able to see the weathering and patina on the old boards which meant a LOT of sorting, throwing away and persuading the wood back to life.

Part of a much wider scheme to renovate an existing annexe so the client can downsize. This gains them an extra 35 sqm of outdoor living space.

To discuss a similar project drop us a message at Dan Fletcher for all your construction and landscaping needs