100 | Father and son building a business The bulk of their work is in the residential space, and mostly renovations and alterations. AWB Build T T Virginia Wright BUILDING With his experience as a project manager, in 2021 Aaron Botherway decided the time was right to establish his own residential building business, AWB Build Ltd, in the Waikato. In the wake of Covid, and then an economy contracting with surges in interest rates and the cost of building increasing, Aaron is the first to admit there have been some stresses, though he doesn’t regret for one moment the decision to test the waters and be his own boss. “Trying to make sure we had enough work going forward was something I had to focus on. Fortunately, I had some good friends who helped, and I ended up taking over a couple of projects,” he says. Working with him is son Nathan, also a qualified builder. Aaron says the experience working together in the business has been very positive, after having important conversations early on about separating family from business. “Anything that happens at work stays at work, and it’s been very good for us both. We work together very well, and our apprentice has two qualified builders to learn from.” While there have been occasions when AWB Build Ltd has taken on commercial fit-out work, the bulk of the work is in the residential space, and mostly renovations and alterations. Aaron says, from an apprentice’s point of view, it’s imperative that their learning encompasses this type of work. “These are the vital years when understanding construction methods, solving problems that present during a renovation or alteration, dealing with the unknown to find a way forward, are all really valuable skills to learn. You don’t get that with new builds.” The apprenticeship pathway is provided through BCITO, which Aaron feels has definitely improved. Offering night classes for apprentices has been a productive development, he says. “Whenever the BCITO supervisor makes a site visit, I get alongside him and have a catch up as to how (name?) is going.” With another son in Year 12, Aaron says he’s pleased to see students that have an interest in the trades having more options to pursue, with programmes such as Gateway releasing them one day a week to experience working in real conditions. “I think that giving students a taste of what the trades are about, with all the expectations of being employed, is a good thing.” While undertaking renovations is always satisfying, Aaron says, it can bring its fair share of challenges. Twelve months ago AWB Build Ltd completely transformed a home at Te Pahu, west of Hamilton. “Before I became a builder, I was a qualified cabinetmaker and I was able to bring a lot of detailing and design into this project. You have an eye for detail which really adds value to your building skills.” In recent weeks, the AWB Build team was busy on a townhouse development in Hamilton. They have also been engaged on builds in subdivisions in Te Kauwhata, a township starting to really grow, given its location halfway between Hamilton and Auckland. As for future plans, Aaron says once the market picks up further, he would like to add another two or three to the team, enabling more projects to be tackled simultaneously. Your leading independent Building Merchant for all your Residential and Commercial needs Frame & Truss Manufacturing Timber and Building Supplies Aluminium Joinery Reinforcing to Roo ng Hardware and Tools Northland | Auckland Wide Waikato | Canterbury www.akaranatimbers.co.nz 0508 AKARANA Proudly supporting AWB Build New housing, roof & cladding specialists for Hamilton & the greater Waikato area MEMBER OF ROOFING ASSOCIATION N.Z. 0277663261 or 027AMROOF1 mike@amroofing.co.nz POWER SMART ELECTRICAL LTD MARK BLACKETT Owner/Operator Registered Electricain e: mark@psel.co.nz m: 021 655 382 p: 854 8936 Proud to support AWB Build FOR ALLYOUR ELECTRICAL SOLUTIONS
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