up, up and away Story: Cass Proudfoot Putting on a second Zak Nixon has been in the construction For years, Nixon Build and Design specialised in storey is one way to get industry all his working life. He learned fromremodelling and renovating heritage homes, raising his father, who spent time helping out on them up to provide habitable space underneath. more living space into a building sites with his own father, who is also ‘It’s important for the work to be authentic to the home, but in Queensland a builder. As a third-generation builder, mentored byoriginal character of the structure. Those techniques they are building his father Bret Nixon, Zak has done new builds and are all part of our trade, the real art in renovation is in renovations, including heritage renovations. keeping the charm of the building and remodelling it the second storey But these days his Queensland business specialises into a contemporary space,’ Zac says. underneath. in house raising and structural steel placement. Zak There are lots of reasons to make this kind of is the director of Nixon Build and Design. Zak and thechange to a home. team use their own pier jacking system to raise timber ‘Some people want a parent’s retreat and rumpus homes from Townsville to Brisbane, often in heritage orroom, or space for elderly parents. Others raise up character precinct areas, or areas subject to flooding.the house to create space underneath for cars, utility Zak’s grandfather was involved in house raising and storage areas, and a boat,’ he explains. decades ago when his father Bret Nixon was a child. Sometimes, it isn’t about raising the house but ‘He actually developed the first principles of repositioning it. Some owners just want to shift their the lifting gear back then and we’ve perfected it home to one side, rather than going up. Others since. In the first system my grandfather used big want to rotate the building for better views or hardwood pier jacks. After two jobs he moved onto orientation. All of that is possible. That said, most steel because the timber had limitations and was ofthe work requested of Nixon Pro-Jax is house™ very heavy. Since then, my father Bret has been raising to allow practical and livable use of the refining and improving the system,’ Zac says. space underneath. The pier jack system they use today is their own Originally, many old Queenslanders were built on Pro-Jax structure lifting system with patent priority™stumps about five foot high. ‘Just about forehead established. height where you smack your head on the main The lion’s share of house raising work comes bearers,’ says Zac. Unless the house is raised, the from people who are looking for a bigger house space can be used for storage, but not living areas. on a small block, or homeowners in a character ‘Originally, the point of raising the house was precinct with heritage restrictions on their homes. for cooling and it was convenient for construction Heritage homes can be raised up, and a new storey at that height,’ explains Zak. ‘At that height the Zak Nixon, director of – or two – added at ground level, without altering builders at the time could more easily lift the timbers Nixon Build and Design the character of the home, or the street. onto the stumps from the ground.’ NOVEMBER 2018 HOUSING 89 BUSINESS • BUSINESS PROFILE