| 109 T T Virginia Wright Staying on top of busy schedule Sticking to the build timetable they plan out from start to finish before they begin is the key to a project’s successful delivery. Aalbers Construction BUILDING Aalbers Construction was first established by Paul Aalbers in Auckland in 1992, but it’s been in the safe hands of his sons, Mark and Matthew Aalbers, since he retired in 2019, once he’d signed off on Matthew’s apprenticeship. Matthew is the youngest, but both the brothers did their apprenticeship with him as did their older brother, Chris, who moved into project management. “As our trainer and mentor, Dad really did take the time to go through the plans with us and make sure we understood the job entirely. We all got signed off in three and a half years, which is pretty quick these days,” says Matthew, now the Managing Director. Taking over the reins was a learning curve as they picked up where Paul left off but they soon had everything running smoothly and continued his legacy of delivering projects on time and on budget. They stayed with Bunnings as their main supplier and with Dennis Richards as their rep, “who’s been there almost as long as Dad’s been building,” says Matthew. “He would make sure we had all the materials lined up for a job with deliveries scheduled and we’d make sure we were ready for it.” Strong relationships are the key to staying on top of a building schedule with a lot of moving parts no matter how well planned it is, as Mark and Matthew both well know. They still use some of the sub-contractors their father used and have further well-established relationships with others. “Having good sub-contractors who do a great job and that we can rely on to show up when we need them really makes a big difference. Then it’s on us to make sure we get the job ready,” says Matthew. Sticking to the build timetable they plan out from start to finish before they begin is the key to a project’s successful delivery and that’s what they do. “If that means working a Saturday to hit a milestone then so be it but the amount of experience going into that initial timeline means it doesn’t happen often.” Whether it’s a new build or a renovation, the Aalbers brothers know that communication is the glue that holds the timetable together. They generally have weekly meetings on site with the client – especially if it’s a new build – to show them the progress, sort any issues on the rare occasion they arise, and outline next steps. It’s all part of keeping the timeline as tight as possible which is especially important when, as happened recently, their client had bought a house that they planned to do up and get back on the market as quickly as possible. The full renovation included losing a fireplace in the middle of the lounge, Matthew explains. “It was a structural wall, so we brought in Archwin Design and his engineer who we’ve worked with since Dad’s time, and they got the job sorted really quickly for us. We had to put in a big steel beam to take the load through the kitchen and the living room, which opened up that whole area to the new deck and barbeque area we built.” With Mark and Matthew each running a job, and their apprentice Sean Dove moving between them, they can allocate resources as needed to keep each job on track. With things finally picking up around them they’ll look to expand their team in 2026 to keep on top of whatever comes in. Regardless of who’s in charge their priority remains the same, to deliver a quality build, on time and on budget, whether it’s a new bathroom, a full renovation or building someone their new dream home. “Having good sub-contractors who do a great job and that we can rely on to show up when we need them really makes a big difference. " Yo u r P r o j e c t, O u r Pa s s i o n " NEW BUILDS | RENOVATIONS & DECKS KITCHENS & BATHROOMS Aalbers Construction is a solution based business which specialise in Residential Construction in Auckland. We aim to give you transparent quotes, weekly budget updates to keep your build on schedule. 0220514497 aalbers.constructionltd@gmail.com www.aalbersconstruction.co.nz Architectural Design & Draughting • New Builds • Additions • Alterations • Re-Clads From Concept to Reality Creating environments tailored to our client’s needs and lifestyle. Phone 834 3337 | www.archwindesign.co.nz Email office@archwindesign.co.nz 8/288 Te Atatu Road, TE ATATU SOUTH Switchboard Upgrades | LED Lighting Installation Kitchen & Bathroom Renovations House electrical re-wiring | Maintenance & fault repair AUCKLAND ELECTRICIAN P 021 027 04610 E dean@topshelfelectrical.co.nz www.topshelfelectrical.co.nz
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=