| 97 Relationships ‘critical’ to business success T T Lindy Andrews Echo Homes managing director, Sam Chapman: “It’s a matter of doing the basics, but doing the basics really well.” Echo Homes BUILDING Positive business-to-business and interpersonal relationships are one of the most critical building blocks of commercial success, believes Echo Homes managing director, Sam Chapman, who views successful relationships as essential. From its head office in One Tree Point on the southern reaches of Whangārei Harbour, Sam’s company builds homes from Mangawhai to Dargaville and in Whangārei itself. Solid relationships and regular communication with council planning and consenting staff, as well as clients, are project-management fundamentals, Sam says. “It’s a matter of doing the basics, but doing the basics really well. Those relationships become critical when you are running multiple standalone projects at one time. We have our own architect to draw up the plans, which are then submitted for building consent. We build right up to hand-over, which means multiple on-site inspections with the council inspector. “To keep things running efficiently and avoid hold-ups, we’ll ring the booking office a week before – or even longer depending on how busy the inspectors are and what stage of the build we are at. We pride ourselves on being very system-based, efficient, and continually improving our processes.” Echo Homes’ target market is people seeking to build homes in the $600,000 to $1.2 million mid-range. It offers custom design-and-builds, a range of standard plans and house-and-land packages. For clients, the journey towards their new home starts with Echo Homes’ designer, who works alongside them to transform their vision into the perfect plan. The Echo team will check town planning rules and subdivision covenants to make sure their design is buildable for the chosen site and meets all council requirements. Once the build contract is signed and the plans are going through the draughting and building consent stages, Echo has plenty of ways to keep eager clients busy. A colour consultant will help with design and décor options, such as flooring colours, internal and external painting, kitchen cabinets and benchtop options, joinery colours – all the things that come together to make a new house a true home. At pricing, a standard electrical plan is provided. Echo will also organise an electrical consultation with its electrician to go over the plan and add any “must have” extras. Arguably the most important room in the house, the kitchen rates special attention. The team will also organise a consultation with their kitchen supplier to discuss design options and bespoke essentials. “We build homes that meet our clients’ needs, as well as those of the site,” says Sam. “Every client has different tastes and aspirations. We like working closely with them to accommodate what they are after, at the same time providing practical, efficient ways of doing things, and value for money.” Pre-construction and on-site meetings, along with fortnightly construction updates, photos and projected build schedules for each stage are all part of the service. For Northland people and newcomers to the growing, sundrenched region it’s a great time to build an Echo Home and enjoy all the lifestyle choices it offers families and retirees alike. We're a friendly local Whangarei based company. Looking after your drainage requirements. We install septic tanks, effluent fields, secondary treatment plants & dripper irrigation, water tanks, sumps & soakage pits. Free advice, quotes & site visits. Proudly Supporting Echo Homes Dev / Shane 027 556 0603 ssdrainage@xtra.co.nz FOR HOUSE SITES AND Free quotes and genuine advice 021 404 467 info@wallisearthmoving.co.nz wallisearthmoving.co.nz Your Business, Your Industry, Your News. Each edition priority delivered to your door. i i i i li . www.waterfordpress.co.nz/subscriptions . t f . . / i ti 03 983 5525 Stay informed; we work with business owners and decision-makers across all economic sectors, profiling their success. t i f r ; r it i r i i - r r ll i t r , r fili t ir . businessnorth
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