114 | Baird Built BUILDING Kyle says innovation is part of a wider change within the company. T T Kelly Deeks Rangitīkei building company, Baird Built, is turning a solution to the challenges of remote construction into a potential new way of delivering bespoke homes, after being nominated in the Innovation category of the PROTRADE United Awards. The Taihape-based business, founded and directed by qualified builder Kyle Baird, has built a reputation across Taihape, Mangaweka, Hunterville, and the wider Rangitīkei district for high-end residential construction and renovation. Kyle started his trade through an apprenticeship on luxury homes in the Coromandel and Auckland, becoming an Auckland Apprentice of the Year finalist, and later working on a renovation team that won a Gold Award in the over $500,000 category. That experience continues to influence the company’s approach, particularly its focus on detail and quality. The award nomination recognises a recent project that pushed Baird Built to rethink the traditional construction process. The architecturally complex home was located far enough from the company’s base that building it entirely on-site would have meant months of travel, exposure to weather delays, and extended periods away from home for the team. Instead, Baird Built constructed the home as panels in its own workshop, installing cladding and ceiling linings before the panels left the building. The completed panels were then trucked to the property, craned into position, and assembled on-site. The approach delivered substantial efficiency gains. Cladding was about 25% more efficient than an equivalent on-site build, while installing the ceilings using plywood panels placed directly onto the rafters and screwed through reduced installation time by about 75%. Scaffolding requirements also fell by about 80%. Although craning and transporting the finished panels added costs and time, Kyle says those were more than offset by savings in scaffolding and labour. The workshop environment also provided greater control over quality and precision, particularly on the home’s charred timber cladding where exposed screw lines needed to be consistently positioned. The team spent about five months building in the workshop, from September to February, with about two weeks spent on the foundations on-site. Kyle estimates the process saved a similar amount of time to what the crew would otherwise have spent living and working away from home. “It was as much a test as anything,” he says. “We wanted to see whether we could build to the same standard or better, while cutting down the time our guys spend away from their families on remote jobs.” Smart decision extends company’s capabilities The trial has influenced the company’s next move, with Baird Built working through the resource consent process for a dedicated offsite modular construction facility. The proposed facility would allow the team to build several bespoke homes each year in a controlled workshop environment before transporting them to their sites, turning an experiment into a repeatable part of the business. Kyle says the innovation is also part of a wider change within the company. Over the past year, Baird Built has been moving away from a model heavily dependent on his direct involvement in every project, with tradespeople taking on more responsibility and developing the skills needed to deliver high-standard work independently. The nomination reinforces this is the right direction for the company, giving Kyle confidence to keep building a stronger, more capable business that can take on bigger opportunities while maintaining the quality and innovation it has become known for. Proud to support Baird Built Plumbers • Gasfitters • Drainlayers Proud to support Baird Built Commited to quality, attention to detail and high standards. combinedplumbers.co.nz | 027 481 1353 | Whanganui
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