96 | DRD Builders BUILDING The team at DRD Builders is committed to ensuring clients have a positive building experience and an exceptional result. When asked how business has been these past 18 months, owner and co-director of Wellington residential building company DRD Builders Jesse Dyson, described it as ‘insane’. “We’ve just been flat out with work fully booked up through this year and with no sign of it letting up.” Established in 2012, Jesse and fellow director Hadleigh de Reus, have amassed a team of 22 staff and offer a broad suite of building services, from renovations, kitchen/bathrooms, extensions, to new builds and landscaping. “We grew every year but have been operating at our current level for the last three years,” says Jesse. A builder by trade, these days Jesse looks after all the pricing, estimating, variations. While he is pretty-much self-taught in terms of pricing, Jesse says it is a skill that balances a science and a gut feeling to arrive at the right sums. A couple of the team concentrate on the smaller jobs while the other builders work in teams under the eye of a site foreman. “We have also taken on a Contract Manager for the last 12 months, so we are really well set up to take on a wide range of projects. That’s good for the variety, challenges and learning opportunities it brings to our apprentices.” Plans ahead are to take on work in the rapidly growing Wairarapa region which may include light commercial work as well. Asked what he considers to be the fundamentals to the company’s success Jesse says it comes down to a commitment to doing great work consistently, to ensure clients have a positive building experience and exceptional result. “We put a lot of effort into understanding what the client wants. While some of our work is straight tender the vast majority is negotiated contracts, so its possible we can be working with someone for upward of two years.” Jesse has a strong commitment to support new builders entering the trade and currently employs a couple of school leavers and an adult apprentice. Back in 2006, he was awarded Apprentice of the Year in the Wellington Region Master Builders Competition. He then took up additional study in Business and Construction Management. Hadleigh is a Licensed Building Practitioner and has worked on heritage listed projects throughout New Zealand. When Business Central spoke with Jesse early February, a challenging build in Kelburn was underway. “We are excavating a 15metre high retaining wall and we are working right on the footpath so there is very little room to work in. We’ve been shifting dirt from the site for over a year now and there’s still another year ahead on the build itself.” Looking ahead, Jesse is confident the buoyant building market will continue in the region and says a challenge many builders are facing is in the time-frames for building permits to be processed by Council. “I think there is some work to be done by Council to streamline how it processes these given the unprecedented level of building activity in this whole region, with no sign of it slowing up.” Meanwhile Jesse says he and Hadleigh are confident they have a great team and structure in place to meet market demands. “We’re not about taking on too many projects but rather ensuring our clients enjoy the very best building experience with us.” DRD team ‘flat out’ in the capital T Sue Russell (06) 377 1331 www.prestigejoinery.co.nz Proud to be a key supplier DRD Builders KITCHEN & BATHROOM SPECIALISTS, WELLINGTON & WAIRARAPA WINNER — MASTER JOINER’S KITCHEN OF THE YEAR 2014 & 2018
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=