108 | Pinnacle Builds & Renovations BUILDING FOR ALL YOUR BUILDING SUPPLIES māori owned & WHānau operated • New builds • Renovations & EXTENSIONS • SWITCHBOARDS & UPGRADES • ELECTRICAL MAINTENANCE & REPAIRS PROUDLY SUPPORTING MANAIA KINGI OWNER/ELECTRICIAN 0275039115 | MANAELECTRICAL@OUTLOOK.COM PINNACLE BUILDS & RENOVATIONS GHTiles&Decorating For all enquiries: 021 0827 4857 GHTILES &DECORATING are proud toworkwith Ben at Pinnacle Builds and be a part of creating beautiful homes for Ben's clients • • Ardex accreditedWaterproofer • ConstructionChemicals accreditedWaterproofer • Bathroom refurbishment service • Painting &Wallpapering Making homes work better The business covers Whakatāne, Kawerau and Ōpōtiki, with occasional work further up the East Coast. T T Anne Boswell For Pinnacle Builds & Renovations owner, Ben Marshall, the past 18 months have reinforced something he already knew: there is plenty of work in making existing homes work better. Based in Whakatāne, Ben has 18 years’ building experience in the Bay of Plenty, and has run his own business for almost five years. While the building industry has changed considerably, his focus on renovations, extensions and smaller projects continues to serve the business well. “The renovation and smaller jobs are still pouring in, whereas the companies doing the bigger jobs and new builds seem to be feeling the pinch,” Ben says. Pinnacle Builds is a team of four, including Ben, and is supported by a casual contractor. The business covers Whakatāne, Kawerau and Ōpōtiki, with occasional work further up the East Coast. Bathrooms and kitchens remain a significant part of the workload, with the business completing around 40–50 units of joinery each month. For Ben, variety is one of the attractions of renovation work, which he has increasingly appreciated since moving away from new builds. “I really enjoy renovations, and the variety that comes with that,” he says. “I’ve done enough new builds, where you’re on the same site for months.” His experience has also helped him develop a reliable process for pricing renovation projects. “It can be tricky for people who don’t know where to start,” he says. “I now have a well-established process for assessing and pricing renovation projects, so I can quote quickly and accurately.” Renovations generate plenty of repeat business, with small initial jobs often leading to further work as homeowners gradually improve their properties. “We get a lot of repeat work, and a lot of it is word of mouth,” Ben says. The business has also increased its visibility over the past 18 months, establishing a new website and building its presence on Facebook. However, the fundamentals remain unchanged. For Ben, quality workmanship goes hand in hand with leaving a clean and tidy site. “I say to my guys, clients remember two things when they have work done on their house: they remember what it cost, and how clean the builders left the site,” he says. “We are always tidy and clean, and work through any problems that arise.” Working with existing homes also demands versatility and practical problem-solving. “We’re often working with what’s already there, so you have to be able to think on your feet and come up with solutions,” Ben says. More homeowners are choosing to renovate rather than move, with Ben recently working with clients extending their existing homes to make better use of their sections. However, rising material costs continue to put pressure on margins, while the business’s hourly rate has remained unchanged for several years. “With the price of materials increasing, it’s been disheartening to see the margins slip away – particularly because our hourly rate is the same as it was three years ago,” Ben says. “Some days can be hard, but you just keep going.” For Pinnacle Builds, the focus remains on practical renovation and extension projects, delivered by a small local team committed to quality workmanship and service.
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