A story of a bespoke business literally rebuilding from the ashes
Meet dynamic hubby and wife duo James + Jess who are behind bespoke joinery biz ‘The Joinery Precinct’. They [along with some other epic team members] specialise in creating stunning custom designed joinery for our Highlands homes.
A few years ago, they made the move from the big smoke of Sydney to charming Balmoral village, but only 4 weeks later, amongst the catastrophic 2019 bushfires, their home and everything in it devastatingly burnt down.
The couple, along with their three adorable boys used perseverance, resilience + support from our wonderful Highlands community to rebuild stronger than ever!
This is their incredible story of how they not only survived such a tragic event but how they also set up this top-notch Highlands joinery business in the process.
1 :: How did you find yourselves in the Southern Highlands?
James :: We were living in Sydney and always dreamed of moving to the Southern Highlands. The idea really came to life when our second son was born. It was time to move beyond scrolling real estate sites and make the move.
Jess :: When he told me he was ready, I knew he was serious because two weeks later we were at an open house.
James :: Not long after that we found the place we wanted to buy and after some back and forth, we went for it and moved in.
2 :: Something pretty shocking happened next though, is that right?
James :: Yep, 4 weeks after we’d moved all our stuff in and got ourselves set up, the bushfires took over and our house burnt down. Everything just went up in flames.
Jess :: We were staying with James’ parents at the time and we didn’t know how bad the damage was. They weren’t letting residents into the area because the fires were still smouldering so we just had to wait and see. We had a holiday booked to Kingscliff to see my sister so we went anyway because we didn’t see much point in just sitting around and waiting.
James :: We were driving up when we heard that the roads had been opened back up to the house. I called my dad and asked him to take a drive over and look at the place. When he called me back, I could tell straight away by his voice that the news wasn’t good. He just said, “I’m sorry, it’s all gone.” We couldn’t believe it; it was like our dreams had been ripped away from us in an instant.
3 :: What a devastating experience. How was the road to recovery for you all?
James :: That first night was the roughest, but we had to stay strong for the kids. We knew there was so much we had to do. Lots of conversations with the insurance company.
Jess :: I was actually grateful we were up with my parents and sister that night, but it was also hard because my parents were planning to move with us and so they lost everything as well. It took us all down really.
James :: We went through waves of ups and downs. We even sought counselling for the whole family. We knew that this was something big and we would need a chance to process it all.
Jess :: We had to put everything on hold. We had plans to move our business down here but the fire had other plans. We had to stop that whilst we got our lives back on track. But now we’ve rebuilt, we’re so happy to be able to be working in the Southern Highlands at last.
4 :: Tell us more about your biz ‘The Joinery Precinct’. How did it start?
James :: I started cabinet making and joinery as an after school job in year 10. A family friend owned a cabinet-making business and took me on, I soon realised that I loved it. So, for the next ten years, I worked for other people, honing the craft if you will and then I decided it was time to go out on my own. That’s when we started The Joinery Precinct.
Jess :: It was just James at first, but as the business grew he was able to employ other people, slow down and focus more on moving everything here to the Highlands…. and actually get some sleep haha.
5 :: So how are you finding living and working in the Highlands?
James :: It’s great so far. We’ve met some awesome builders and locals to work with and we’re keen to meet even more. I love what I do, I’m proud of what we produce and I want to get the chance to share my work with Highlanders.
Jess :: Highlands locals have been just so welcoming and friendly. When the fire happened, we knew no one because we had just moved but we still felt so cared for by the community. We struggled a little to accept it at first but locals were pretty persistent and showed us it was okay to take help when it is offered.
James :: It was overwhelming, we were so grateful. There were donations of things like nappies and food. The fire shed was an amazing support. It all took my breath away.
6 :: Wow that makes us proud! What’s some of the kind of work we can expect from The Joinery Precinct?
James :: Pretty much all house fit-outs, any item of joinery in your house that you need. Kitchens, laundries, bathrooms, mudrooms, vanities, cabinets, buffets, dining tables… the sky’s the limit with joinery really!
We specialise in high-end bespoke joinery. I’m very particular about the details. I usually walk into a house that has joinery and my eyes are going everywhere. Checking the little things, noticing what could be done better, what I would have done instead.
Jess :: I’ll admit, James doing that used to irk me but now I do it too! He just has such an eye for fine detail and he loves to challenge himself.
James :: I’ve learnt a lot from the architects that I’ve worked with over the years. They showed me that by taking time with the smaller details you can make your clients really happy. I instil that in my staff as well.
We make sure that everything we produce is up to the standard of something we would have in our own home. We pride ourselves on giving clients that wow feature they’re looking for.
7 :: Woah! And we bet your clients love that?!
Jess :: They do, and because James is so particular we actually love working with clients who are particular too.
James :: People say they are fussy but I don’t think so. I think they know what they want and I love the challenge of helping them get it. There’s something special about these bespoke designs, they have a point of difference I believe.
Jess :: I know James’ work makes the clients happy. The feedback we get is so positive and it feels a bit like they become our friends in the process.
8 :: Jess, can you tell us more about your role in the biz?
Jess :: I’m all the background stuff, the invoicing, the pays, the marketing and pretty much anything admin.
James :: I take my hat off to Jess. She works so hard.
Jess :: I enjoy it, I feel like the whole team is one big family.Plus, I love working alongside James.
9 :: And what about your family, have you felt any big changes since moving here?
Jess :: Honestly the fire put a lot into perspective for us. We’ve always had a great relationship but having something like that, it shows you what matters most. Yes, we lost absolutely everything….
James :: But we didn’t lose each other.
Geez, that’s so beautiful guys. We can all take something away from your story and sure know now who to call when we need some joinery work done!
We can’t wait to see even more incredible things from The Joinery Precinct.
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