What we found
The previous fit-out was barely four years old and already past saving. Hinges had seized shut. Drawer channels were gritty and stiff. Mild steel railings had pitted and streaked rust down a painted wall. Emulsion on the sea-facing elevation had blistered and lifted in sheets, and the wardrobe carcass bases had swollen where damp had wicked up from the floor.
None of this was bad workmanship. It was ordinary specification in an environment that punishes it.
Why standard specification fails near the sea
Salt-laden air carries chloride, and chloride attacks the nickel plating on standard hardware within two or three seasons. Once the plating goes, the steel underneath corrodes fast. Ordinary emulsion has no meaningful resistance to that environment either, and commercial plywood swells the first time humidity gets behind a sealed edge.
The failure is predictable, which also means it is preventable.
What we specified instead
- SS-304 hinges, channels and handles throughout, not nickel-plated
- BWP marine-grade plywood with every cut edge sealed, including the hidden ones
- Powder-coated aluminium in place of mild steel anywhere exposed to outside air
- Coastal-rated PU on exposed elevations rather than standard emulsion
- Natural stone counters instead of engineered surfaces near the outdoor kitchen
- Synthetic and treated fabrics only — untreated cotton and linen mildew here
What it cost
The coastal-grade specification added roughly 14% to the carpentry and hardware line. Set against a full strip-out and rebuild every four years, it pays for itself before the end of the second cycle — and the owners do not spend those years watching their home degrade.
Showing a client the failure on their own existing fit-out is more persuasive than any explanation. It is almost always visible during the first site visit.
Result
Handed over at 104 days. We will look at it again at the two-year mark, which is when the previous fit-out had already started to go.
