100 | T T Kim Newth Construction-led design the key BUILDING Versatile Pukekohe has enjoyed considerable success in recent years, having won six, Registered Master Builder House of the Year awards since 2021, a franchise excellence award and several other awards, too. In 2024, the team picked up regional Gold and Bronze awards in the House of the Year competition. “We always invite the homeowners to the awards night, but of course you feel nervous going into it because of not knowing what the outcome will be,” says franchise owner Wenny Lubbers. “Winning these two latest awards was pretty special for all of us.” Wenny and wife Arean purchased the Versatile Pukekohe franchise in 2016, and together share a wide skill-set spanning property and construction. Wenny, a qualified carpenter, has a bachelor’s in building environment and a wealth of experience in project management from high-end new homes to commercial buildings, both in The Netherlands and New Zealand. Prior to taking up the franchise, he managed operations at Versatile Pukekohe for six years. Arean brings a background in property management to her current sales support role. Their professional team also includes a project manager, two salespeople and an office manager. “I’ve worked with Versatile for 14 years now and we’re still using the same trusted team of subcontractors too,” says Wenny. “We are uncompromising when it comes to achieving quality for our clients.” Versatile Pukekohe’s latest regional gold award winner (New Home $1 million to $1.5 million category for Auckland/Northland/Coromandel) exemplifies their ‘yes, we can do that’ approach to building. Set in green pastures on the Āwhitu Peninsula, this unique three-bedroom, two-bathroom homestead embodies the ideas of a designer-savvy father and his Latest awards add to record of excellence Our Projects T T Virginia Wright Ryan and Nathan Strawbridge established their building company Our Projects in Auckland in 2019, with their choice of name being given careful consideration as they wanted to reflect the essence of their approach to what they do. In effect, that means every project, whether a renovation or a new build, would be given the same level of care and attention they would give their own. They come at the construction industry from different angles and run their company along well-defined lines. Older by seven years and a qualified builder, Ryan observed in his time contracting as a site supervisor that things often went sour towards the end of the build. It’s a problem he and Nathan actively work to avoid. Ryan runs Our Projects’ building sites, working closely with builders, subbies and clients alike to ensure that the lines of communication stay open from start to finish. With an electrical engineering degree under his belt, Nathan took a graduate job with KiwiRail, where he worked his way up to become an asset manager. “A good way to learn about getting value for money and being an engineer is all about problem solving, so I took those skills and applied them to the construction industry,” he explains. He already knew a bit about it as their father had his own construction company when they were growing up, and before Nathan studied for his degree, he and Ryan had worked together contracting out as labour to group-home builders. Nathan now runs the business side of things, including securing the projects in the first place. He works closely with clients to put together the outline of something they know Our Projects can deliver for the agreed price. He then hands them over to Ryan to make sure it’s delivered on time and on budget to happy home-owners, who perhaps had a tricky site, or wanted something a little different. “We’re offering a start-to-finish solution to people who want to do renovations or new builds in the custom space,” Nathan says. “We talk about what you’re trying to achieve and what’s the best way to do it. What’s the budget, how do we work to the budget and what’s the best way to get a solution that’s practical without costing the earth, and we go through the design process every step of the way.” Our Projects runs a team of five qualified builders working on the tools as well as Ryan and Nathan. The brothers discuss every project to analyse where the risks are, especially with renovations, which are inherently unpredictable. They are happy to work with clients to break the process up into affordable chunks and to work together to solve whatever problem might be lurking behind those 100-year-old walls, and are equally happy to work on someone’s brand-new forever home. daughter, who made many of the decisions while her husband was busy working on the farm. The client’s personal touch is evident in the cedar cladding, nuanced interior palette and impeccable kitchen fit-out. Guiding and advising them at every step, Versatile Pukekohe pulled it all together. The heavenly result includes a night-sky raked ceiling in the open-plan living hub, where extensive glazing makes the most of beautiful pasture-to-sea views. There are so many lovely little details in this home, like a timber-lined nook in the entrance, tiled laundry and bathrooms, and a boardwalk-style entrance. This outstanding H-shaped 278sqm property also sets the stage for relaxed outdoor living with well-designed deck areas and a sheltered portico. “We did a lot of preparatory work on this home, such as making sure windows were made to size for the cladding. The clients are over the moon with the end result and are so proud that their home has now won Gold.” Versatile Pukekohe’s Bronze award winner comes with a tale of woe that ended happily, thanks to a rescue mission by the Versatile team. This project started as a house-and-land package with another builder, who then went into liquidation. The owners lost their deposit and it looked like the end of their new-home dream. Having built a house for the couple in the past, Versatile stepped in to save the day. They cut their margin to help the couple out, building their stunning pavilion-style, four-bedroom, two-bathroom home in Waitakaruru, south of Auckland. “They moved in just a couple of days before Christmas last year and couldn’t be happier with how it turned out,” says Wenny. Covering the wider Franklin area, Versatile Pukekohe is one of the biggest franchises in the Versatile stable, building not only new homes, but also garages, sleepouts and commercial projects such as school caretaker sheds and commercial office buildings. “We have our own draughting team that can translate sketches into plans. From rural to urban, we can do it all.” Versatile Pukekohe decade tested excellence • Renovations, new builds and maintenance • Data, alarms and CCTV • Switchboard upgrades • Heat Pumps • Garden lighting • Plus all other electrical needs (022) 177-3677 brad@newelectrical.co.nz www.newlightelectrical.co.nz MOBILE 021 415 594 nils.mcgeeroo ng
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