| 77 T T Russell Fredric Choosing your builder wisely is vital As a member of Master Builders, Whanganui-based Masterbuilt provide the association’s guarantee that provides surety of completion. Masterbuilt BUILDING Kevin Tozer DIRECTOR PH: 027 242 4027 E: k.j.tozer@xtra.co.nz Kevin Tozer Decorators P.O. Box 942, Wanganui Kevin Tozer Decorators 021 468 425 | studio@drawingroom.co.nz | 7 Rutland St, Whanganui TD BRICK & BLOCKS Ltd WE DO ALL BRICK AND BLOCK JOBS Contact us! +64 274 285 402 Tommyd@outlook.co.nz pools and also any commercial from homes to swimming Proudly Supporting Masterbuilt Ltd Plumbers • Gasfitters • Drainlayers www.combinedplumbers.co.nz • Town & Country • Commercial • Solar Heating • Central Heating • Log fires • Core Drilling • Jayline Fires Stockist Simon Scott 027 481 1353 - 06 347 6970 combinedplumbers@xtra.co.nz 70 Wilson St. PO Box Wanganui 4500 In an economic climate that is seeing a concerning number of building companies going into liquidation, Masterbuilt director James O’Donnell advises people to choose wisely. His advice follows Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister David Clark reporting last December that New Zealand had 283 building company liquidations in the previous 11 months. “We are starting to see a few more builders dropping their CV’s around, so things are definitely tightening up and starting to slow down, but after every high there’s always a low so it’s to be expected,” James says. “I think we are probably in for a tough year or two ahead, maybe even a bit longer.” One of the most important decisions in the entire building process is the choice of building company and having certainty of completion, he says. As a member of Master Builders, Whanganui-based Masterbuilt provide the association’s guarantee that provides surety of completion, and of the quality of construction for new homes and renovations for 10 years. “Picking a master builder and a Master Build guarantee is a smart choice, because you have the safety net of the guarantee that someone will finish your project for you if the builder does go under; it’s great for peace of mind knowing there is a nationwide body there to help if anything does happen.” For Masterbuilt, quality and genuine commitment to its clients is second nature, with James being the second generation in the business which was started by his father Patrick more than 40 years ago. James was a late starter in the industry having previously worked in another career. “After uni, I ended up living in Melbourne in an office job and wasn’t really satisfied and enjoying myself very much. Dad was getting ready to retire and he said it was now or never if I wanted to do building, so I ended up starting my apprenticeship at 29.” About four years later in 2019 James and the company’s project manager, Peter Chapman, established a partnership which bought the business. “It’s been going really well for us.” Masterbuilt employs four builders plus two contract builders and has expertise in the design and build of new houses, renovations and commercial projects. James still works about 70% of his time on the tools while also taking care of the day-today site management of projects. With 18 months’ work ahead, he attributes Masterbuilt’s good workflow to providing quality at a fair price. “We all try to work hard and produce quality work combined with good communication and good relationships with our clients to keep them happy.” One of the largest projects Masterbuilt had undertaken is the extension of a Wanganui factory which added 800 square meters of storage to the existing facility. A key factor was that the client wanted the extension to match the existing building as much as possible. Construction involved building with concrete tilt panels which incorporated horizontal skylights at the top as well as concrete columns. James is pleased with the visual and practical connection that was achieved between old and new. “It was quite a good challenge to get it all lined up and to build it in a way that matched in with the older style of the [existing] building. “It’s come up really well, the factory looks really nice, and it works just like the client was hoping it would, so it’s been a great project and outcome.”
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