| 105 BUILDING HTG Construction +64 27 904 9796 info@htgconstruction.co.nz www.htgconstruction.co.nz Complete Construction Solutions For New Builds, Renovations, Extensions, And More • RESIDENTIAL / COMMERCIAL WINDOWS AND DOORS • INSERTS AND RETROFITTING Matt Smith Ph. 06 755 0797 | Proud to support HTG Construction We measure, manufacture and install aluminium joinery Taranaki wide. matt@windowsmiths.co.nz T T Virginia Wright Loving attention to every build HTG Construction does a mix of new builds and renovations. “You’ve got to tie the new in with the old and nothing’s straightforward so it’s way more of a challenge compared to lots of new builds.” Hakatea Gaskell is now 27 and has loved building ever since his first day of work experience on a construction site before he left school. He went straight into an apprenticeship at 16 and by the time he was 21 had started HTG Construction in his hometown of New Plymouth. HTG Construction does a mix of new builds and renovations and Hakatea credits his time doing renovations while apprenticed to Pepper Construction with laying the foundations for his lasting enjoyment of that kind of work. “I love renovations,” he says. “You’ve got to tie the new in with the old and nothing’s straightforward so it’s way more of a challenge compared to lots of new builds.” Building his parents’ first new home has nevertheless been one of the highlights of the last few years for Hakatea. The three-bedroom, sturdy, 140sqm house in New Plymouth, warm and well insulated, low maintenance and built to last, is his parents’ dream home and he enjoyed having the opportunity to give their new home the loving attention it deserved. When an architectural build in Oakura for the owner of Navigation Homes wasn’t meeting the client’s expectations they brought in Hakatea to finish the build. He’d been working on the franchise’s new builds so the client knew they could trust him to complete the project with his customary integrity. It was 500sqm with feature macrocarpa used inside and out, including an al fresco area to make the most of indoor/outdoor living. “You can see everything, so you have to think about every cut, every pencil mark, every hammer mark, and it’s a softer timber as well so there was no rushing,” says Hakatea. The results speak for themselves and six months later the client happily moved into their new home. HTG Construction keeps its team small and flexible. It’s currently Hakatea and his apprentice Dylan who’s been with him for nearly a year, along with two full-time contractors who are both qualified carpenters. A steady stream of projects comes through word of mouth or from people who’ve seen Hakatea’s work and recognise the attention to detail which is HTG’s trademark. HTG Construction is also the trusted contractor used by New Zealand and Australia Insurance company John Lyng. Once he’s had a look at a project, Hakatea gives a detailed quote, but when the project’s a renovation he knows he has to allow for what can’t be seen. “I write out everything I’ve allowed for from the plans and what I can see, but you never know what you’re going to run into once you open things up,” he says. Timely and honest communication is central to the way Hakatea runs his projects and renovation clients in particular are warned to include a 10% to 20% contingency in their budget to allow for possible variations. On a recent project in New Plymouth he discovered most of the windows had no lintels which had to be remedied. His client’s contingency met the cost of that variation which helped keep stress levels to a minimum despite everything and the project remained within budget. He’s been a Master Builder since 2024 and regardless of whether it’s a new build or a renovation Hakatea still enjoys the satisfaction of being able to see what he’s done at the end of the day. Whatever the project is HTG Construction is ready to do the job, tailored to the client’s budget and backed up with honesty and clear communication.
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