When talking to Chris Rofe about his career as a plasterer and XIT Limited, the plastering business he established in the early 2000s, you quickly realise he is a craftsman, driven and passionate about his work. Learning the art and craft of interior plastering from another craftsman plasterer, Chris spent four years honing his skills working on the refurbishment of Parliament House, recreating the very ornate fibrous plaster ceilings and walls. The decision to establish his own business, pronounced ‘Exit’, was based on making his own mark in the industry, and creating his own unique identity as a craftsman plasterer. Perhaps ironically, he says it has been his own personal name that has become synonymous with the work within the industry. “Many of our customers were private owners of the building, rather than being engaged by builders, developers or architects. It was word of mouth reputation. In the early days we were engaged to do ornate Carrara ceilings for beautiful heritage work. We also did detailed fibrous plaster work in high-end architectural homes, as well as commercial buildings. The fibrous plaster work was highly decorative and finished to a very high standard. It’s renowned for its glass finish.” Over time the business evolved organically, and Chris employed a number of staff including apprentices and subcontractors, enabling a larger volume and range of projects to be undertaken. Along with some spec homes, XIT catered for that top-end market that embraced architectural homes, heritage and commercial buildings. “I would pick and choose my work, and the work I got more ‘feel good’ from was public spaces, because everyone gets to enjoy the restoration work that has been done. We did all the detailed fibrous plaster work in the beautiful ceiling at Wellington Railway Station. We did theatres and schools, including the massive vestibule at Wellington East Girls College.” Based in Lower Hutt, the greater Wellington region including the Wairarapa and Kapiti Coast provided rich territory for Chris and his team to exercise their passion and talents on a diverse range of projects, but for Chris work on the extensive refurbishment of Wellington’s historic St James Theatre ranks as a career highlight. “We spent nearly four years working on St James. We had to remove a large corridor entrance including five grand archways and ornate ceilings to allow seismic strengthening, then recreate what we had removed to suit the new dimension. We were then asked to do a seismic upgrade to all the theatre ceilings, which are very detailed.” Working as part of a team to create a one-off sculpture 14metres long by 2metres high and positioned above the stage was both challenging and highly fulfilling for Chris. Having now bought some land in Wairarapa, with a beautiful big guest house in the planning, Chris has decided the time is right for XIT to take a well-earned rest, while he applies his craft to the new project. “I will continue to be a strong advocate for trade training, and going forward, I would like to become involved in managing some the regions larger projects, giving other plasterers the benefit of my experience and skill sets.” XIT Limited XIT LIMITED 021 948 695 | chris@xitnz.co.nz
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=