74 | BUILDING Building Lab Taranaki T T Kelly Deeks Andy of Building Lab shows true grit New Plymouth building company Building Lab grew significantly over Covid, despite its owner being laid out with a back injury for several months. It didn’t keep him off the phone. Building Lab started in 2016 and during the 2020 lockdown, Andy and his business partner decided to part ways and focus on their passions, leaving Andy to drive the business and bring his vision to life. It wasn’t all smooth sailing. In May 2020, Andy and his wife Cheyan, welcomed their second daughter Esmae, younger sister to Eleanor, just weeks before Andy injured his back. With a young family to take care of, Andy did not let this hurdle slow him down. His determined nature pushed him to get on the phone and secure new jobs, which were completed by Building Lab’s first employed experienced builder, who had jumped at the chance to work with Andy. The timing was perfect for Andy to focus on growing Building Lab and whilst recovering from surgery, he was able to liaise with clients and start planning for the future of Building Lab. “I started working on the business, reaching out to people, and pricing as much work as I could,” he says, “I was able to start hiring more and more people and we just kept growing from there. I’ve never got back on the tools, and I’m proud to say we’re still growing.” A true family business, Building Lab now has three qualified builders and two apprentices, one of whom is Andy’s sister Hannah. His dad Ross owns his own digger and is also on hand to help tidy up and finish off projects. “We’ve got a good friendly crew and really good subcontractors,” Andy says. “I spent a lot of time at the start building relationships with my subcontractors to make sure we had the right team. They are all small, local businesses with a real emphasis on family like us. They provide the same exceptional standard of work we pride ourselves on, and I trust them to take care of every project we have with them, as we do for them. Those relationships are so important for smooth flowing projects and successful outcomes.” The Building Lab team prides itself on delivering extremely high-quality workmanship, great communication, and a professional working environment. They offer a range of services from new builds, renovations, decks and fences, to minor alterations and repairs. Building Lab completed a high-end renovation to an old home last year. With the experience, knowledge, and skills to exceed expectations, Building Lab loves transforming existing homes and bringing clients’ visions to life. “Renovations are often a challenge for many reasons, however these challenges come with so much excitement. We love working with clients to bring their visions to life and it is incredible bringing a new life to an old property.” It is no secret, the past three years have been hard for the economy and the building industry has certainly felt it. With shortages, delays, and sickness hitting hard, Building Lab has weathered the storm and maintained the professional standards that are so important to Andy and the team. They have even found the time to sponsor young local athletes in their dreams to attend Aims Games, and often make donations to local schools to support those in need.No matter the challenges thrown at it, Building Lab continues to be a valued and caring part of the community, and looks forward to a long future in beautiful Taranaki. Plumbing Gas Fitting Drain Laying Renovations & NewHomes carlin@verveplumbing.co.nz | 027 555 2566 | verveplumbing.co.nz Proudly supporting Building Lab Taranaki Contact us for your free roo ing quote 06 755 0006 www.dkroo ing.co.nz dkroo inglimited Talk The Talk, Roof The Roof ∙ Residential ∙ Commercial ∙ Metal Long-Run Roofing & Wall Cladding ∙ Locally-owned & operated Proudly supporting Building Lab Taranaki
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