86 | Wrap-around building business family focussed A touch of Palm Springs in the Richmond Hills. Blac Design & Build T T Kelly Deeks BUILDING A true family business based in the heart of the area it operates, BLAC Design and Build in Māpua provides clients the benefits of a full wrap around construction service, with six family members all lending their own specialist skills to every project. Barrett Armstrong Building Solutions was started in 2016 by father-in-law and son-in-law team Sean Barrett and Jared Armstrong, and their wives Harley and Eden. By 2021, Jared’s sister Alysha Andrew and brother-in-law Duncan joined the partnership and BLAC Design and Build was born. Construction manager Sean is an old-school builder with more than 30 years of experience. He sets a high bar and is well-known and respected amongst other local builders. Harley is BLAC’s health and safety officer and she prides herself in her work and in keeping the team safe and happy. General manager Jared is as at home on the tools as he is in the office, pricing new builds, ordering materials, and leading the BLAC team from the front. Eden takes care of BLAC’s admin and marketing, and she loves being part of the relationship BLAC builds with its clients, as well as the people and businesses she connects with via BLAC’s social media activity. Operations manager Duncan has more than 15 years of residential building experience and has project managed hundreds of builds, from apartments to architectural homes. He project manages every BLAC job from the first meeting to the home hand over, and is each client’s port of call and problem solver during this exciting, but often overwhelming process. Interior designer Alysha provides BLAC’s in-house interior design service. Alysha has built and renovated several of her own homes and helps clients to navigate their way through a huge number of important design decisions and selections, ensuring a fun design process and a cohesive home. Alysha and Duncan will introduce every client to all of BLAC’s suppliers and when needed, offer guidance with the selections made. Two qualified builders make up the BLAC team. “Māpua and Tasman have got everything. Close to the sea and still a bit rural, lots of amenities, and a great community feel. It’s hard to beat for anyone who wants a chilled out, laid back lifestyle in a beautiful location.” “Joel and Josh are hard-working, honest guys who compliment our family design and build team amazingly,” Eden says. “We do a four day working week which is extremely rare in the building industry, but it works for us and we think it’s great to prioritise a healthy work/life balance.” Eden says the market has changed a lot since the record levels of building activity post-Covid, and the higher-end builder is now building for clients who have already owned one or more homes, and clients moving to Nelson Tasman from other centres. “They’re coming from Wellington and Christchurch and moving to central Māpua, or the surrounding Tasman area for those wanting a larger lifestyle property,” Eden says. “Māpua and Tasman have got everything. Close to the sea and still a bit rural, lots of amenities, and a great community feel. I “t’s hard to beat for anyone who wants a chilled out, laid back lifestyle in a beautiful location.” One of BLAC’s recent projects is a stunning four bedroom, two bathroom home, unique, light, and bright amongst its neighbours. Bold lines and angles give the entrance to the home a striking profile from the street, and its dynamic mix of cedar and white linear oblique cladding gives a touch of Palm Springs in the Richmond Hills. “Our clients were so amazing and they had a really clear vision for their home,” Eden says. “It was great to see all the design decisions they had made along the way come together at the end of the project, and we ended up with a very stunning home that many locals seem to know and love.” 308b Queen St, Richmond info Proudly Supporting Blac Design & Build
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