BUILT BY US

Do you remember watching your parents work as a child?

Do you remember being four or five and thinking I am going to be just like my Dad or Mum when I grow up? It is not too often that you actually do do the same work as your parents, or as in our case, you sit down to realise how alike your lives actually are especially when you start writing and remembering it all!

Hi, I am Karena. A builder’s wife, the woman behind the man who builds, fixes, repairs and creates amazing spaces. I create THIS space, the space that allows you to see into our everyday world of Built By Drew.

Built By Drew is our building company. Created by my husband Drew, carpenter and builder. Who is very much like his Dad and me, I am very much like my Mum.

Our Dads were builders – tradesmen who worked physically hard for their dollars. Our Mums were the nurturers’ – the supporters, the carers of the family and the ones that made sure Dad stayed sane!

Our Dads would leave home at 5am, off to take on the day’s labour, working hard for their living, building houses and pools, getting the job done. Not a mobile phone in sight.

Our Mums took care of us kids, kept the house, ran the business, the bookwork, took the phone messages, made sure dinner was on the table by 6pm and kept the household together like glue.

This is how I grew up; this is how Drew grew up too.

It was the 80s & 90s. A simple life. Our childhoods rolled up in those 20 odd years at home watching your folks build other people’s homes and a great life for us at the same time. Being around a creator or two all your life rubs off a bit.

And it rubbed off on us.

We both come from building families. Both from generations of creators who built their own castles. We have always been involved in creating new spaces. It is what we do best! We are kicking off into a new virtual space, showing you more of our everyday and possibly a little more of how much we are like our parents (Love you Mum xxx).

We want to show you the processes, the messiness, the beautiful finales, what our team does, who we do it for, why we do it and how we do it. Our journal is just the start to show our kids in 30 years time, how much they are like their parents too.

Karena