Business Central December 2021

82 | First time entrants secure the gold T Karen Phelps “We care about what we do. Our customers deal directly with the business owners, which means a more personal building experience as well as quicker answers to their questions.” T to page 84 BUILDING House of the Year 2021: Latitude Homes - Taranaki D ressed in white brick with black cedar window heads the Latitude Homes Central show home has impressed New Zealand-wide. The home was named in the Top 100 nationwide and won the gold regional award in the show home category in the 2021 Registered Master Builders House of the Year competition. Franchise owners Kate and Gra- ham Wellington were first time entrants in the award and were delighted that their quality of build rated so highly in the competition. “It really shows we’re building quality homes to a very high standard,” says Graham. Born and raised in Taranaki, Graham and Kate bring a huge amount of expertise to Latitude Homes. Graham has over 20 years experience as a builder and it was after building a Latitude Homes kitset for their own home that he became a convert of the product. This led to Graham being invited to build for the then franchise owner before having the opportunity to purchase the franchise for Taranaki and Manawatu in 2016. Kate has a business degree majoring in hu- man resources so has taken over this aspect of the operation along with general admin- istration duties to ensure each project the company takes on progresses smoothly. It’s been an incredibly busy time with around 100 homes presently either under construction or in various stages of develop- ment. The couple employ a small, dedicated team and a larger group of trusted contract builders who they know can deliver the high quality they expect. They take a team approach and place a lot of importance on being effective commu- nicators. “We care about what we do. Our customers deal directly with the business owners, which means a more personal build- ing experience as well as quicker answers to their questions,” says Kate. The Wellingtons are great advocates of helping people into a great affordable home. “Our principal belief is that everybody should be able to afford their own home and our purpose is to help people gain security through home ownership,” explains Graham. No high overheads, efficient processes and group buying power help Latitude Homes Central to deliver a cost effective solution to homebuyers that doesn’t skimp on quality. Latitude Homes Central offers a range of plans and also a complete design and build option. Shaun 021 270 7311 turbineo ce@gmail.com Proud to work alongside Latitude Homes NEWHOMES | DECKS & FENCES |ALTERATIONS | RIB RAFT FLOORS