JEFF SAARIKKO

Entering his 17th year in the building industry, Jeff’s journey started on the Gold Coast back in 2005, when at the tender age of 14 he took up a carpentry apprenticeship with his brother James and joined an industry that has been a part of his family for generations.

By 2008 Jeff had completed his carpentry apprenticeship and spent the next few years honing his craft working for James. 

With a lull in the building industry on the Gold Coast in 2011, Jeff came south of the border with James to the small mining town of Muswellbrook.  It was here that Jeff first met his future wife Jordan through mutual connections in the building industry - talk about building foundations! 

After 18 months in Muswellbrook, James decided to return home to his family on the Gold Coast and Jeff felt it was time to venture out on his own as a sole trader, Mastercraft Carpentry. With his relationship with Jordan blossoming and growing friendships through his involvement with the Muswellbrook Rams RLFC, Jeff made his home in Muswellbrook and started sub-contracting with builders in the Upper Hunter region. 

By 2015, Jeff had quickly established great relationships with numerous builders throughout the Hunter Valley region through a commitment to high quality workmanship and an old-school work ethic. These relationships led to increased work opportunities in the Upper Hunter and Hunter Valley regions resulting in the formation of Saarikko Constructions Pty Ltd. 

In 2017 Jeff completed his Certificate IV in Building and Construction and made the move to Newcastle as his work and reputation within the local building industry continued to grow. Over the next two years, Jeff continued his work with numerous builders as a carpentry sub-contractor, whilst also taking on supervisor roles for many construction projects ranging from new builds to complex high-end renovations. 

Jeff’s commitment to hard work and drive to continually develop his trade saw him obtain his builder’s licence in early 2019 and started a real year of growth for Saarikko Constructions expanding from a 2-man crew to a 6-man crew. With a dynamic and hardworking team established, a growing reputation in the Newcastle and Hunter region for high quality work and every increasing opportunity presenting itself, Jeff and Jordan set to work on turning their vision into a reality and Lulamon Projects was born. 

Outside of building, Jeff is a loyal family man and loves spending time with wife Jordan and their young daughter Layla who keeps them well and truly on their toes! Jeff loves rugby league, and he takes his same hard-working attitude onto the field where he plays front row for the Central Charlestown Butcher Boys in the local Newcastle Competition. As a Gold Coast boy, Jeff loves to surf and will often start his weekend with an early morning surf at one of Newcastle’s beaches. Jeff also has a keen interest in horse racing, having shares in a couple of horses and enjoying the occasional punt with his mates.