84 | Wanaka apprentice wins with own home T T Kelly Deeks Wanaka apprentice builder Sam Morris, who recently won a top award for the build of his own home. BUILDING Central Otago - McFarlane Building Wanaka A good work ethic and long hours have yielded results for Wanaka apprentice builder Sam Morris, who recently won a top award for the build of his own home. Sam, who works for architectural home building company McFarlane Building Wanaka, won the 2021 Southern Registered Master Builders Apprentice of the Year. The 29-year-old spent nights and weekends building his first home over 10 months, while working on high-end architectural homes during the day with McFarlane Building. McFarlane Building managing director Johnathon McFarlane says Sam – a reliable and hard-working apprentice – built the house mostly by himself but with the supervision of the rest of the team. “It was a good test for him to see how he went, and he nailed it,” Johnathon says. “We’ve all worked after hours when we’ve built our own house. The bank won’t help you out unless you have an income coming in.” The McFarlane Building entry for the 2021 Apprentice of the Year award is a smart modern home designed by Sam’s brother Jeremy, who owns Riverlea Architectural Design (RAD). The three-bedroom, two-bathroom home reflects Wanaka’s alpine design aesthetic with a mix of cedar cladding and contrasting colour steel. Scissor trusses elevate the living areas, adding a touch of flair and sophistication, while quality craftsmanship stands out throughout the home. Johnathon recognised Sam was a good candidate for the awards because of his consistency, quality workmanship, hard-working nature. and great attitude. “When working alongside Sam, the first things you’ll pick up on are his practical nature and high degree of foresight. “He will happily offer pragmatic solutions outside the scope of expectation, whilst consistently keeping the next step in the back of his mind. This eliminates problems and saves time.” During his training, Sam has not only been hard working and reliable, but really works to support McFarlane Building as a whole. Whether that is by putting in the extra hours to meet a deadline, sharing his knowledge to push other members of the team in the right direction, or just by being responsive to clients onsite. “Sam has continually impressed not only myself, but subcontractors, colleagues, and clients alike.” Prior to joining McFarlane Building, Sam had a background in farming – enabling him to transfer suitable skills for building work. “Sam’s pleased to be taking the building route and it’s paying off for him. He is handling certain aspects of each new build entirely on his own and putting his hand up to help some of the newer members of the team,” Johnathon says. When Sam joined McFarlane Building, he worked directly alongside Johnathon for the first year, then continued to work with both Johnathon and a series of other qualified and “When working alongside Sam, the first things you’ll pick up on are his practical nature and high degree of foresight.” experienced members of the team for the next three years. “He has learned through a variety of experts,” Johnathon says. “When we get an apprentice, we get them to do all aspects of the build. We give them opportunities to learn, to make decisions, and give their input. We want them to work with more than one team member because it makes them an all-rounder.” Collaborative relationships and a dedicated team are at the heart of McFarlane Building. “We apply this approach across all aspects of a build, while instilling this value within our team of highly skilled tradespeople. “We believe this is what helps us deliver premium architectural homes to our valued clients – producing beautiful homes that they can be proud of and will be around for generations.” 28 McNulty Road, Cromwell 03 445 0310 Cromwell Showroom Regionwide Service P R O U D S U P P L I E R S T O M C F A R L A N E B U I L D I N G W A N A K A C R A F T S M A N S H I P I N H O M E A N D C O M M E R C I A L I N T E R I O R S S A L E S @MA S T E RWO O D . C O . N Z WWW . MA S T E RWO O D . C O . N Z
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