| 73 Central Otago: Bagley Construction Ange Davidson BUILDING The construction business in the Wanaka is showing little sign of slowing down despite the rising interest rates and Covid driven supply chain issues. “Wanaka is such a popular holiday destination and there’s still plenty of room for the town to grow,” says Hugh Bagley, Bagley Construction’s company director. “The last year has been challenging for everyone in the building industry as supply chains break down and prices for materials skyrocket, but I believe we’ve turned a corner. Much of our building work is high-end architectural new builds and rising interest rates don’t seem to affect the owners as much. It’s looking very positive.” “The supply chain is starting to correct itself although I will still write a building schedule in stages as opposed to the entire build. I always keep two or three builds happening at one time and at different stages so we can stagger the work between the team,” says Hugh. “We’ll have everyone working on a big house for the first few months but then we’ll spread out onto other projects in the latter stages. We need to have a few builds on the go as a project may come to a halt because a toilet is sitting in a port in Singapore and we can’t plaster until it’s on site. Simple things like ordering internal doors went from a four week wait to 12 weeks.” Hugh employs a team of four builders and when he’s not creating schedules and tracking supplies, he’s on the tools. “Building here is really enjoyable. It’s a small close-knit town and we have great relationships with all the subcontractors. Everyone is helping each other out. It’s a good vibe.” After 18 years of building in Wanaka, Hugh has developed good relationships with architects from around New Zealand and works closely with Threefold Architecture in Christchurch. He is now building his third home for his own family using the team at Threefold. High-spec homes a passion for builder The Kanuka house, designed by Threefold Architecture is a three-bedroom home in a simple sleek design on the backside of Mt Iron set amongst tall kanuka forest. “There is much more reward in building high spec houses. There are so many different dynamics and details with each architect and house.” “They are really good architects, and do a lot of great work in Wanaka,” he says. Two recent builds that stand out for Hugh and his team are both architecturally designed family homes. The Kanuka house, designed by Threefold Architecture is a three-bedroom home in a simple sleek design on the backside of Mt Iron set amongst tall kanuka forest. Another is the Cardrona house designed by Christchurch firm Johnston Architects. Built in steel and in situ concrete, the build was challenging but satisfying. “There is much more reward in building high spec houses. There are so many different dynamics and details with each architect and house. They all have their own flare,” he believes. For the client, Hugh acknowledges that building a new home can be both an exciting and confusing time, and he goes out of his way to take clients through all the processes required from start through to completion. “There are so many different aspects involved in building a home and we are experienced at bringing these together in a smooth, stress free and enjoyable process”, says Hugh. WANAKA S I T EWORKS www.taylorplumbingandgas.co.nz BAGLEY CONSTRUCTION PlaceMakers Wanaka proud Supply Partners to PlaceMakers Wanaka 8 Connell Terrace | (03) 443 0080
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