62 | King House Removals Southland Ltd CONTRACTING Business booming at King House Removals King House Removals is the oldest house moving company in the South Island. Ange Davidson Rising interest rates and an increased work-load go hand in hand for King House Removals based in Christchurch and Invercargill. “We were really busy during the last recession as building a new home became too expensive for many people. We have a real variety of clients from dairy farmers, first time home buyers, to people wanting to put a crib on a section. We need to have a variety of houses to meet that need,” says Warren Willis, co-owner of King House Removals. “We have houses available in our Invercargill and Christchurch yards from 1 to 4 bedroom homes, two-storied and new transportable houses, through to office blocks and classrooms. We need to have a house for every type of person.” As the oldest house moving company in the South Island and a reputation for excellence, a request to remove a house in Christchurch during the 1980s led to the Invercargill based business to establish itself in the city. They now have three yards in Christchurch where there’s a greater variety of houses available. “Invercargill’s housing stock is older and more original than what we pick up in Christchurch, and we deliver all over the South Island. We found that after the Christchurch earthquakes, it was often the concrete slab which was damaged, not the house, and we removed around 200 houses off site. “A lot more houses could’ve been saved as they were bowling perfectly good homes,” believes Warren. “We were lifting three-monthold houses off a concrete pad and putting these onto a wooden floor. Once we splice houses back together, clients can’t even see where we’ve cut them.” Before the earthquakes the company had two truck and trailers in Christchurch and now has six seven on the road plus around 20 auxiliary trucks in support. All maintenance is done in house with the company employing full time engineers, mechanics, and truck painter. “We’re pretty self-sufficient and when we get to a job, nothing breaks down. Everything is well maintained, and we regularly buy new trucks to stay on top. “Our truck painter does an incredible job on the signage and that’s how we advertise. People see us doing a tidy job, and they give us a call,” says Warren. “We have the longest house trailer in New Zealand with a 27-metre deck. You can shift up to 11 metres wide but that’s too wide for a lot of areas,” he says. “Some two-storied houses are cut into 10 sections while others are cut in half. “The easiest work for us are new transportable houses. We give building companies the measurements and they build them to fit their destinations” From choosing a house to having it ready for fitting out the interior, a client is looking at around a three month wait. Much of that time is the consenting process which the company organise. The actual lift may take two to three days. “There is so much opportunity and we’re only held back by lack of staff. We fully train people for the job so we can get any fit and strong person into work,” says Warren. “People absolutely love working in house removal once they start. “It’s really great work with lots of variety and travel around the country. We work hard and have a particular sense of humour in this industry.” King House Removals is a family affair with Warren’s father, Fred, buying the well-established Invercargill business in 1959. Warren now owns the company with his brother Grant, and their respective partners, Donna and Debbie. Warren’s son Jake has also joined the team. 24 HOUR-7 DAY HYDRAULIC & PNEUMATIC REPAIR SERVICE 56 Leet Street Invercargill PHONE 214 4484 0800 722 999 fluid transfer solutions Service & Supply Centres Specialists in All Auto Electrical Repairs & Servicing 4 V i c tor i a Avenue , I nv ercarg i l l Phone 03 2 1 8 3 200 admin@ajautoelect r i cal .net .nz Proudly associated with King House Removals Southland
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