72 | Virginia Wright Renovations growing trend for builder Rowberry Builders specialises in high-end renovations and architectural new homes. Tasman: Rowberry Builders BUILDING Travis Rowberry of Rowberry Builders will soon turn 50. Thanks to his parents insisting that he either went back to school, or went into a trade or qualification, when he wanted to leave school as soon he could, he started a carpentry apprenticeship in Lower Hutt when he was 15. He credits his bosses, Gary Stokes and John Taylor, both from England, with giving him the strong and lasting foundation on which his building company is based. “I cut my teeth with those two Englishmen, doing a lot of historical homes, working on old villas, in Tinakori Road. I was lucky to learn those old skills from those boys. They didn’t just teach me how, they taught me why as well.” After moving to Nelson to raise a family 25 years ago Travis soon started working for himself. A third-generation carpenter he established Rowberry Builders in its present form 21 years ago with high-end renovations and architectural new homes as their core business. It’s a family business. Travis’s wife Tracy does all the financial side, and his youngest son Zac, already doing trade building modules in Year 12 at school, will be working with them over the Christmas break. Their current team of four includes Harper McGee. In the final year of his apprenticeship he went through Nelson College with the older Rowberry boys, and Travis isn’t surprised that he just came third in the Nelson/ Marlborough Region Registered Master Builders Apprentice of the Year Awards given his work and the value he brings to the team. “We’re quite tight as a team and Tracy and I often take them out for a meal, we enjoy hanging out together. We really try to focus on the goals as a team and not individually and if we hit our deadlines early we share the advantages.” Hitting a deadline early might mean a joint fishing trip or some other activity they all enjoy, and thanks to the software that Rowberry Builders uses, everyone knows what the deadlines are and how many hours have been allocated to achieve them. “It helps everyone understand the scheduling of the job, the materials allocated and how the different sections fit together, so it’s easy to track where the jobs are at, and it helps keep the team connected. It’s like having a running total of how things are going instead of having to wait until the end to see how the whole job tracked,” says Travis. Although they’re currently doing a 300sqm architectural new build, over the last few years Travis has seen a trend of people re-investing money into their own homes, making the most of what they’ve got rather than moving. A successful renovation for Rowberry Builders, “We really try to focus on the goals as a team and not individually and if we hit our deadlines early we share the advantages.” regardless of the era, is that it doesn’t look like add-ons, and that even if they’re mixing old with new that the end result feels natural. “Regardless of whether it’s a villa, a bungalow or an 80’s build, you’ve got to tie the addition in with the old house and work to maintain the integrity of the house.” says Travis. Often clients know they want to renovate but they don’t know exactly how to translate their ideas into something concrete. Rowberry Builders will work closely with them to come up with the plan, take it through the consenting process, and build it. Whether they’re spending $50,000 or $500,000 Travis understands the importance of getting it right, to achieve a renovation that works with the existing structure. The $100,000 plus kitchen that went into the villa on a recent job resulted in one of the nicest kitchens Travis has ever seen. “It was amazing how it kept the integrity of the old property with marble tops, classic lines, brass handles. It really showed the consideration that the interior designers put into the job.” Jobs like that allow Travis to do for his apprentices what his first bosses did for him; to give back to the industry at large and to pass on the broad range of skills which are still part and parcel of being a quality builder in New Zealand. • Membrane Roo ing • Rotary Plastic Moulding • Sheet-Metal Fabrication PH 03 545 7999 | www.pyers.co.nz Proud suppliers of Building materials to Rowberry Builders
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