100 | Rag Renos Reno skills in demand from page 98 Matt Cathcart put his skills to the test in the2021 Master Builders Apprentice of the Year. BUILDING FOR ALL YOUR SCAFFOLDING NEEDS • Residential • Commercial • Mobile Towers • Roof Edge Protection • Temporary Roof • Enclosed Structures Proud to support Rag Renos Call FREE 0800 924 807 • matt@countiesscaff.co.nz • www.countiesscaffolding.co.nz House/Commercial Sites • Bulk Cartage • Tree Work • Tip site Rock-Breaking • Heavy Transporting • Product Bagging Contact Ryan admin@njwood.co.nz 027 460 3223 “We specialise in character renovations, we love the challenge of fixing up old houses,” says John, “and the new builds tend to come from people we know or have done work with before. Some of our renovations and extensions are so big it’s almost like building a new house anyway.” One of their current extensions is a good example, as they’re building a 260 square metre extension on a house in Whitford which will eventually total 600sqm. They work all over Auckland Central through to Waiuku, 60km’s south, with members of their team scattered throughout the area who can do the work without undue travel. They are as happy restoring a bungalow in Kingsland as they are renovating a kitchen in Pukekohe, but working on character houses remains what John likes doing best. “We’re currently about halfway through a villa restoration and extension here in Waiuku,” says John, “which is absolutely awesome.” Rag Renos aims to keep the character of the older houses while bringing them up to modern standards with insulation and double glazing; making them as good as new without sacrificing the look of the original villa or bungalow or whatever it might be. It’s not everybody’s cup of tea but John’s team and the tradespeople they work with all enjoy the work, and they’ve got the experience to do it efficiently and well. It’s that experience which means that they can advise clients as to what’s realistically possible in the renovation they might be planning with the budget they’ve got. “It’s knowing what old houses are going to throw at you with old timber profiles and knowing where to source matching products to blend in with the original features. “Often products are not available to match existing features but we always find a way to make or source materials to keep these classic homes looking classic,” says John. “It’s all good problem solving using the knowledge we’ve got from our previous work.” One of Rag Renos’ apprentices who is now a qualified builder, Matt Cathcart, last year applied through the Master Builders Apprentice of the Year program to become an Apprentice of the Year. Having successfully done the paperwork, gone through an interview and had a panel of judges do an onsite visit to look at his work, Matt joined several other finalists in a practical assessment. “They spent four or five hours in direct competition, each building a complex shoe rack, with lots of design problems to test a builder’s mind out. Matt came third in Auckland which is fantastic, and funnily enough many years ago I entered the same competition and came third in Auckland too,” says John with a laugh. John enjoys long-standing relationships with all their sub-traders and values their attitude as much as their work skills. “They have the same vision as us of building people’s houses. We want to have people enjoy it and for it not be stressful. “We hear so many horror stories of people not enjoying the process but it’s about being organized and having great communication with your clients, and our sub-trades are fantastic because they’re on the same track as we are to make it as easy as,” says John.
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