76 | Bespoke homes a focus T T Hugh de Lacy Putting new spin on the humble duplex Walker Residential BUILDING Conder Construction With material shortages over and a steady stream of work, residential builder Peter Conder continues to navigate business successfully through the persisting burdens that Covid 19 has placed on the industry. Peter Conder, the founder, and owner of Conder Construction commented that alterations, additions and new sheds are currently more predominant than new house builds and keep business ticking over nicely. The company is also working extensively with Peter Brown’s Hamilton business, PSB Construction which focuses on insurance claims, repairing fire and flood-damaged buildings. Even though Waikato wasn’t hit as badly by Cyclone Gabrielle as Tairawhiti and Auckland, it has still left plenty of work in its wake. In pursuit of a new challenge and a change in lifestyle, Peter Conder established his business nine years ago after working for a decade with Hamilton City Council, initially processing plans and then inspecting buildings. “This decision enabled my wife Marian to re-establish her teaching career while I initially took care of our children between consulting contracts and building a client base”. Conder Construction now has five full-time building staff, Peter now prioritises his time between being on the tools and managing projects on the various building sites through to completion. As well as his own staff, Peter hires sub-contractors to complete houses as required and thereby avoided labour shortages that continue to plague the industry. However, Peter said that labour comes at a high price these days, along with transport, it is the greatest financial challenge in the industry. Having to buy in skilled labour such as drainlayers has imposed a more significant cost since Covid-19, and we are probably paying 40-50% more in transport. With demand remaining sound over the next few months, Conder Construction has plenty of alterations in progress and several house builds that are scheduled for later in the year. Recent advertising on the Archi-Pro website and developing a Facebook page has established an online presence for Conder Construction. This has supported workflow that is usually gained through word of mouth. Focusing on designing and building bespoke homes, Peter prioritises developing positive and professional relationships with clients and subcontractors to ensure quality outcomes for all involved. When carpenter Hayden Walker came home to Hamilton in 2015 after four globe-trotting years plying his trade in the luxury home building markets of Sydney and London, he applied his high-end skills to the humble duplex – and won a couple of prestigious awards for his efforts. Hayden’s company, Walker Residential, is a two-person residential development company that acquires large inner-urban sections, typically quarter-acres (1100m2), relocates the original home if it’s worth saving, or demolishes it if it’s not, sub-divides the section and builds pairs of houses connected by firewalls. His partner in Walker Residential is his wife, Gemma Walker, who’s a chartered accountant, originally from Woollongong in New South Wales. Gemma handles the business side of things while Hayden is usually out on site with his labour-only building contractors, most of whom are friends from when he was doing his carpentry apprenticeship in Hamilton. The couple usually completes two developments a year, comprising two- or three-bedroom units on the newly-subdivided sections. Unit sizes range from 87m2 to 120m2 and although they’ve been in business barely eight years, they’ve already garnered some high-profile awards for their work. In 2019 they won the Gold Award for Houses in the $1m-$1.5m Range at the Master Builders New Zealand annual awards. Last year they topped that by winning the Builder’s Own Home Gold Award for the 180sqm Rototuna North three-bedroom house, with two bathrooms, that they share with their two children, aged three and four. “It’s a tidy little house,” Hayden says – modestly so, given that his new home went on to be named on the Master Builders’ list of a hundred best houses built in New Zealand that year. “I’ve used my experience in working on luxury houses and mansions in Australia and England to bring the best possible value to the duplex,” Hayden says. Walker Residential’s current project is slightly larger than usual, a 10-unit development on a 2200qsm site close to the new flagship suburb of Peacocke Road, where a two-bedroom walk-in unit is for sale for $679,000, and three-bedroom units from $725,000. Once the company has bought a suitable property for development, it calls in the services of Israel McDean of Native Bird Drafting to design the project in tandem with surveyor and planner Troy Radovancich of RAD Surveying who handle the sub-division and planning. Hayden manages the build with a trusted team of sub-contractors, while Blair Pointon of Lodge Real Estate of Hamilton does the marketing. Buyers of the units pay Walker Residential a 10% deposit, with the remainder payable on completion, whereupon they just turn the key and walk into their new home. “These are interesting times for the residential market right now,” Hayden says, and, while it hasn’t been easy, the market’s been good to him and Gemma so far. They’re keeping a close eye on it and have no immediate plans to expand the business. “It’s just about the right size for us now, giving us time to get over to Oz to see Gemma’s family occasionally.” • Transport Engineering • Light Structural Engineering • General Engineering Proudly supporting Conder Construction 027 439 2767 www.cspengineering.co.nz cspengineering@outlook.com Scafpro are proud to support Walker Residential
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=