82 | BUILDING Keith Hay Homes - Whangarei T T Sue Russell Competitive edge to pre-built homes All Keith Hay homes leave the yard with a Code of Compliance. Mark Squire, from Keith Hay Homes, knows the residential home building business’s competitive edge relates to its capacity to pre-build its range of transportable homes. “We have complete control of all parts of the design and build process. Given our longevity and market share, we can supply homes with certainty to our customers, regardless of where they are.” In his role Mark oversees all Keith Hay Homes’ eight branches as the National Sales Manager and is based out of the Warkworth branch when not travelling across the country. “Its important to work closely with each branch, their managers and the sales consultants to keep the finger on the pulse being family owned and not franchised. We can work together in changing markets and make sure we are leading the charge in each region, this involves being in touch with our in house support services, draughting, QS and stores and working closely with the National Production Manager to delivery quality builds. “All homes are designed to be transportable. The majority of homes are built at branch sites but dependent on the region we do have some built on site or even in the yard and then craned over existing houses to limit disruption of tenants or a subdivision.” Long standing relationships with the investor markets, APIA, NPIA and other Property Investor groups keeps the consultants busy in the regions sharing knowledge on how to capitalize on existing properties and for future plan changes. Houses can be transported to another site and the exisiting site re developed if need be. “We have pre-built and consented homes which reduce timeframes for customers and then of course we can also build any one of our 45 plus plans for a customer. When being delivered the houses leave the yard with a CCC (Code of Compliance). It’s not known to many but we do supply a commercial range to sites and provide quite a few classrooms for schools. Being a family-owned business with a long and strong history adds an intrinsic value into the mix, something that is hard to put into words, yet no less real. Not many companies can say that the Guarantee is backed by a personal guarantee and in the nearly 90 years of existence every single house has been built, completed and delivered. Keith Hay Homes is not a franchise. Each branch supports another. Mark says all the “Our focus is always on smart design, optimising space well and building quality, ensuring an energy efficient home.” branches get on really well and have their eye on the bigger picture and follow the company’s “Green Book” of vision and values. The history of Keith Hay Homes is a whole story in itself. Founded in 1938 by then 21 year old Keith Hay, the company pioneered transportable housing in New Zealand and ultimately the use of Radiata Pine as a building material, in an era when there was a heavy reliance on imported timbers. Keith went on to grow a business that provided sound, comfortable homes to hundreds of thousands of kiwis. He also took on a leadership role in local politics being elected Mayor of Mt Roskill Borough Council in 1953. Retiring in 1990, leaving his sons to take over running the company, Keith Hay Homes today offers buyers a raft of home design options across its five design categories & commercial range: First Choice, The Classic Collection, Coastal, Designer Range, Urban Residential and the commercial range. “We certainly have something to offer everyone. Our focus is always on smart design, optimising space well and building quality ensuring an energy efficient home.” And while its history is long, Mark says the company is nimble and very much about moving with the times. As part of the Keith Hay Group, Roskill Timbers supplies all the branches with the timber they need to construct the homes so the certainty of supply that this provides is a significant strength of the business, particularly in times when many home building entities can experience wait times and shortage of supply. “The beauty of Keith Hay Homes is that it is a very steady business. Through the COVID years we didn’t have to let go of one person in the company and because we can sell inter-branch we can move stock around as needed to meet demand. It’s a very effective and efficient model.” Mark is also proud of the fact that many staff working in the business have been with it 20, 30+ years. “We’ve been in the business of building homes for so long, that we’re able to help entry level, first-home owners work through the myriad of questions they have and help them define what it is they are really wanting in their home, or on the other side talk through the investors or second home owners looking for a bach that may be part of the wider or architectural range” Mark’s also proud of the impact Keith Hay Homes has in supporting NZ businesses with 80% of services and products used in their homes coming from NZ owned companies. “We also uphold our fixed-price promise. These days for a company to go fixed-price is almost unheard of but that’s what we deliver to our customers; the certainty of the cost.” We are definitely “Built on a Solid Past, Shaping the Future.” • Metal Roofing • Metal Cladding • Metal Tiles • Metal Guttering • Metal Spouting • Steel Purlins • Girts & Tophats • Metal Fencing • PV Solar Solutions • Metal Insulated Panels • Composite Steel Flooring P: 09 470 0870 E: sales.whangarei@metalcraftroofing.co.nz A: 42-44 Rewa Rewa Road, Whangarei www.metalcraftgroup.co.nz
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