46 | A bright outlook for Waikato builder Gavin says renovations require a different way of thinking, often adding on a new part to a home from the existing structure. T T Sue Russell REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Waikato: Waikato Build For Gavin Brown’s Waikato Build Ltd, after a slow 2024, this year has started much more positively, with two new builds currently in the consenting process, plus up to six more projects scheduled for down the line. Gavin, along with wife Emma, established Waikato Build Ltd in 2017 after completing his building apprenticeship in Christchurch, and eventually moving back to the Waikato. Based in Pirongia, south-west of Hamilton, the company undertakes new builds, renovations and extensions, and Gavin and the team work all over the Waikato. “It was great to get back to what I most enjoy, which is working in the residential space when we set up the company. We have a good mix of projects and plenty of variety for the crew,” says Gavin. Stressing that this is very much a partnership, with Emma undertaking important administration and supporting roles, Gavin says 2024 could best be described as challenging. “We could see the downturn coming, so I down-sized a little. While I’m at times working on the tools, I enjoy the flexibility that comes with having a very competent team, which leaves me free to find new work and support projects on the go to run smoothly.” Gavin says he prefers undertaking one job at a time to a certain degree. “It means the project gets all my attention. If you have too many jobs you stretch your staff and it doesn’t work well.” With one former apprentice just through his qualifications, the entire team are now qualified, and Gavin says that’s a good situation to be in. The company undertakes a lot of renovations, and one caught the eye of judges at last year’s Waikato Master Builders competition. “I was approached by the owner of the home in Rototuna, who suspected there were water ingress issues, starting with a leaking balcony.” Upon further inspection, Gavin found the balcony had been built flat over a bedroom and that the house showed signs of water ingress, thanks to the plasterboard used in its original construction. So the decision was made to give the home a complete makeover, and the only way the results can be described is ‘transformative’. “We removed all the cladding and the roof and most of the roof structure and everything was stripped back to bare framing. We then completed a series of extensions to transform the floor plan into a much more open and spacious area,” explains Gavin. The home, unrecognisable from the original, received Regional Category Winner and a Gold Award in the Builders Academy $1-$2million section. “We were absolutely delighted to have this project recognised. So much large-scale work was involved in bringing it back to life. Icing on the cake is that the owner now enjoys an under-stair wine cellar and loves living in the open-plan, characterful home.” Gavin says renovations require a different way of thinking, often adding on a new part to a home from the existing structure. To do this well, in a way that works seamlessly bringing together new and old, requires a lot of problem-solving and thinking outside the box. And although 2024 was quiet, Gavin used the time well to work on finding greater efficiencies with his team for each building process. “I wanted to find ways that would reduce labour hours without dropping the quality. Having this more systemised approach is certainly a good thing. “We’ve drilled down to each component of a build process to find ways to work smarter. It’s involved all of us sharing our ideas to find the best ways.” As an example of building in efficiencies, Gavin says the last project he completed, which was in fact two houses on one section, complete with landscaping, took him just three months and two weeks to complete. Residential/Commercial Brick and Blocklayers Proud to work with Waikato Build Ltd brickandblocklaying.co.nz Your Local Scaffolding Experts Proudly supporting Waikato Build 027 921 4866 / 07 280 7633 office@frontierscaffolding.co.nz
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