120 | Variety is the spice of life Alton also took on 10 projects relating to Cyclone Gabrielle damage in late 2023. Bookabuild T T Sue Rusell BUILDING PLUMBING Proudly supporting BOOKABUILD Owner and operater of Whangarei building business Bookabuild, Alton McKeown, says Northland is an exciting region to live and work in, with plenty of opportunities arising. Bookabuild is a small company at this stage, with Alton on the tools, organising subtrades and qualified offsiders, and training apprentices as workflow dictates. His partner Georgina supports the business in the administration space while working part- time and raising a three-year-old. Working with Alton is a young man he describes as very keen, with a good work ethic. “Nandor is about halfway through his second year with Building Academy, and is proving to have great potential as a builder with the right attitude,” Alton says. Talking through projects he’s been working on, Alton says he’s in the process of completing work on one of Whangarei’s longest-running daycare centres which is a housed in a large 1910 villa. The villa was gifted to the community by a former mayor of Whangarei and is run by a community-run charitable trust. “A hazardous asbestos situation within and around the two support buildings situated on the property in the mid-’60s had come to being far past safe to operate in,” says Alton. Alton worked with the daycare’s manager to plan removal of the asbestos and design new admin/staff and classroom buildings to remedy the situation. “This came about after we fixed up a rotten laundry and completed other repairs to the historic villa. Fortunately, the local council came to the party providing $150,000 for the long-awaited upgrade. “I drew a few floorplan options for the three new buildings, along with siteplans and pricing several variations before presenting the final option to the Board of Trustees and treasurer for consideration. “I’m literally working on the front fence at the moment. It’s been a really interesting and rewarding project to undertake and means a great deal to our community. “Building on a budget is not easy, but that was the aim from the start,” says Alton. Alton also took on 10 projects relating to Cyclone Gabrielle damage in late 2023, after several other companies had said yes and then walked away. “It was a very busy time, because the majority of those projects became much more than anticipated,” Alton reflects. One of Bookabuild’s next projects is very interesting – the construction of staircases for a new seawall being built on the Tutukaha coast. Alton became involved in this project after becoming friends with the owner of a cyclone-damaged home on the sandbanks of Whangaumu Bay. “The owner is an ex-defence leader and has taken it upon himself to do something, as the sand dunes erode after each major storm, so he’s had meetings with iwi and organised each person along the stretch to pay their share of the wall.” Alton is also very keen to provide people with affordable housing options through the new, 60sqm building policy changes coming into play this year. “Transportables can be very easy and cost-effective to construct if all goes to plan.” Looking ahead, Alton says his plan for the business is to expand as opportunities present, especially with the new regulations providing opportunities for families with lower incomes to purchase a home. “My main goal is to produce the first homeand-land package, and I’m looking at ways I can finance this project either for myself or a deserved community member. “I’ve been building now for 20 years, starting in the architectural realm, and I really want to see something come of this initiative, to meet a huge demand for solid, quality and affordable homes.”
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