| 101 T T Rosa Watson EQC new build brings its rewards The team got to work on the Cobra Street home in Halswell earlier this year, having demolished the existing earthquake-damaged building. Absolute Homes BUILDING Getting started on an EQC new build in Christchurch, more than 14 years after the devastating earthquakes rattled the city, has been a rewarding job for Darfieldbased building firm Absolute Homes. The team got to work on the Cobra Street home in Halswell earlier this year, having demolished the existing earthquake-damaged building. “I think it had some repairs done after the first earthquake (in September 2010),” project manager Glenn Harrison says. “And then after the second one (the owners) decided to just go new instead.” Absolute Homes took the same approach to the project as for any new build, with the addition of arranging the demolition of the existing house, Glenn says. It also required more planning around preventing disruption to the neighbourhood surrounding the site. Glenn says the demolition was a straightforward part of the process. After asbestos was removed, an excavator was brought in to complete the demolition. “They came in with a digger and it took them two hours to pull it down.” It gave the builders a clean slate to work with and fewer obstacles for the owners, Glenn says. “I know, for the clients, it’s a lot easier than trying to get through the repair process. It costs less to repair, but then the difference isn’t too much to build new, so they just decided to get into that.” While the existing home looked fine at first glance, closer inspection revealed the damage. “The (existing) house itself didn’t look too bad, but obviously once you look in it, there’s significant damage in there,” says Glenn. Once the new three-bedroom, single-storey home with brick cladding is completed, the owners will be able to move in and enjoy it. “They’re pretty stoked – they’re surprised at how fast everything’s going.” With many more EQC claims still to be completed, there could be more work in the space in the future, Glenn says. Absolute Homes has grown rapidly since was started five years ago, and in 2024 signed its 100th building contract. The company’s first show home was built at Kaiapoi last year, and the company has built numerous homes across the Canterbury region. There are now more than 20 on the team. “It’s grown pretty quickly over the past two years,” Glenn says. He says its success is down to owners Chris and Ange Cawthray, who have an ambitious mindset and approach. “They aren’t scared to take things on.” Chris, a licensed building practitioner, trained and worked in the New Zealand building industry before working in the United Kingdom for 15 years, gaining valuable knowledge and experience in running his own construction business. Ange is a qualified accountant, supporting Absolute Homes as business and financial manager. Much of the firm’s work comes in through referrals. It has a sales office in that heart of Darfield, where walk-ins are welcome. Darfield is a fast-growing area, being in close proximity to Christchurch, and around 40 to 50% of the firm’s builds are in the town, says Glenn. The homes were standard new builds but “a bit more up-spec”, including features such as tiled floors and showers. “We give the clients a lot of choice to customise it to what they want.” They have set plans and an in-house architect that finalises drawings with the client. NEW BUILDS ALTERATIONS MAINTENANCE WET BACK SYSTEMS PUMPS & FILTERS GASFITTING ken@ktpl .co.nz 03 421 6829 or 021 2 TOOHEY 0274 288 537 wes@butlerplumbing.co.nz butlerplum Proudly supporting Absolute Homes Ltd New Housing Heat Pump Hot Water Heating Bathroom Renovations General Maintenance Underfloor Heating Central Heating Rural work & more... Phone: 03 983 5500 waterfordpress.co.nz Your Business, Your Industry, Your News. DO OUR READERS KNOW YOU EXIST?
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=