110 | Restoring the character of older homes in Chch Husband and wife team Guy and Jo Gillespie specialise in renovations and extensions. Character Builders T T Hugh de Lacy BUILDING A mutual passion for older homes led husband and wife team Guy and Jo Gillespie to specialise in renovations and extensions, and appropriately name their Christchurch building company Character Builders Ltd. The couple started the company in 1997, initially by teaming up with an existing third generation builder, Lewthwaite and Son. Character Builders’ focus on older homes really came into its own in the wake of the 2010-2011 Christchurch earthquakes in which many timber-framed homes were damaged, but not beyond repair because of their inherent flexibility. In the mad rush to fix the damage, builders from all over the country descended on Christchurch, and Character Builders, which previously employed four staff, suddenly found itself with no fewer than 32 on its books. That boom of course did not last long, and since then the company has been able to get back to a “much more manageable” five staff, Guy says. “The Christchurch industry has now gone the full circle and we’re back to servicing a more realistic market, but we’re still able to make older homes our specialty.” Guy was brought up on a dairy farm, and tried a couple of other industries before initially becoming a furniture removal owner-driver. With Jo’s support, Guy decided he wanted to exercise the practical and creative skills he’d picked up on the farm, so he took up an adult carpentry apprenticeship in the mid-1990s with local firm Paul Finch Builders. Guy finished his time within the usual three years, and Paul Finch himself then headed off to Australia, leaving Jo and Guy to set up their own company, building it up with the marketing skills Guy had learned while owner-driving. A brain-storming session had them come up with the name Character Builders to reflect not only their own passion for older homes but also the integrity they were determined to bring to their operation. Today the company can take on anything from new residential and light commercial builds to renovations, repairs and extensions, but the love of old houses still remains. A typical current job involves an old home on Hackthorne Road, Christchurch, requiring the replacement of the original Welsh slate roof and the carrying out post-quake levelling and repairs. Another job recently completed was a St Albans home in which Character Builders re-formatted the layout, restored a second storey and added an extension for a new master bedroom. “These are the sorts of project we really like, making a modern and efficient home out of an old one, and giving it at least a further hundred years of life,” Guy says. “We pride ourselves on having a welltrained workforce in an age when houses are increasingly mass-produced, reducing the need for many of the carpentry skills learned during apprenticeships. “We’re keen to keep those skills alive – they’re a must on the older homes we refurbish – but we can also apply them to the range of other projects we undertake, from mall and shop fit-outs to schools and even churches,” he says. “These are the sorts of project we really like, making a modern and efficient home out of an old one, and giving it at least a further hundred years of life.” EPS FOAM (CHCH) LTD Expanded Polystyrene Manufacturers www.epsfoam.co.nz � XPS Sheets � Polystyrene Sheets � Pods � Packaging Material � Fish Boxes � Mesh Steel 3/70 Shortland St, Aranui, Christchurch 03 382 9117 / 021 894 957 eps.foam@xtra.co.nz Proudly Supporting Character Builders Ltd Your premier destination for professional plastering and drywalling services. 0272339177 jimmy@jdslimited.co.nz www.jds-limited.co.nz.
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