| 97 T T Hugh de Lacy Keeping clients in the loop Woodsmith is focused on the top end of the architecturally designed new homes, renovation and alterations sector. Woodsmith Building “We’re really big on the personal side of things, focusing on developing a mutually trusting relationship with our clients that endures beyond the completion of the project.” BUILDING Accentuating the personal side of client relationships has been the key factor in the establishment and growth of uckland company Woodsmith Building as a high-end residential construction business in a competitive market. Getting its name from founder and owner Mike Smith, Woodsmith is focused on the top end of the architecturally designed new homes, renovation and alterations sector, often in tandem with Auckland architectural firm Buildology. With a staff of nine, including himself and four apprentices, Mike and his company are pretty well booked out to the end of this year, thanks to a focus on the client. “We’re really big on the personal side of things, focusing on developing a mutually trusting relationship with our clients that endures beyond the completion of the project,” Mike says. “In turn, our clients love the way the Woodsmith team keeps them in the loop: we take care to really understand their needs, while always stopping to consider the aesthetics, and consistency in communication. “Our name Woodsmith is not just a play on my surname but reflects our identity as craftspeople. We pride ourselves on the quality of our work and our attention to detail.” While Mike sources much of his own work, he has a strongly based professional association with Buildology and its architect owner Rome Smit, whereby he refers any of his work needing design input to her, and she refers her own clients to him. This relationship started in 2021 after the two businesses worked together on a major project on Tamaki Drive, and in doing so found they shared a common set of business and personal principles that has stood them in good stead ever since. “A typical recent collaboration of ours was on the refurbishment of a 1990s’ home in St Heliers that had been badly damaged in Cyclone Gabrielle, in no small part because the timber framing had rotted under the plaster cladding,” Mike says. “This required us to prop the mid-floor up so the exterior corners and lintels could be replaced, and then do a complete re-cladding of the exterior with bevel-back weatherboards.” New joinery, a modern matt-coloured tray roof, and updates of the kitchen and bathroom completed the project. Woodsmith Building also recently received the ultimate compliment when an interior designer commissioned it to refurbish her own home in Grey Lynn, built in 1938 as a how home for Winstone Brick. “This was another tricky job, requiring special framing to tie the brick cladding to the structure, the reconstruction of the deck landing, the addition of decking, landscaping, and the demolition of an old garage to make way for a studio.” Woodsmith has a strong community involvement, especially with the Foster Care Awareness group, which holds an annual fund-raiser and profile-builder early in the year. Mike himself is a grateful former foster child, who was able to maintain his relationship with his birth mother, though he never knew his father. “Foster Care Awareness is a wonderful charity and we take pride in supporting it,” he says. • Structural steel fabrication & install • Bespoke architectural metalwork • Staircases and Balustrades • Seismic repairs & upgrades PHILLIP BLAKE - Director 027 636 5371 info@blakesteel.co.nz www.fletcherplumbing.co.nz | 02040753795 fletcherplumbing@gmail.com Warkworth’s Premier Roofing Specialists Residential New Builds Re-Roofing Roof Repairs Roof Maintenance At Resolution Roofing, we bring over a decade of experience in supplying and installing long run roofing and cladding. As trusted roofing contractors in Warkworth, we specialize in new residential builds, roof replacements, and general roof maintenance. Contact Us resolutionroofing.co.nz 022 0848328 resolutionroofingnz@gmail.com
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