110 | Returning to his roots Mcins Built Woodbank Builders Duplex project offers broad choice for buyers T T Rosa Watson BUILDING Tom McLorinan, the Director of Mcins Built Limited who did his building apprenticeship in Queenstown has moved his residential building company north, to his home city of Christchurch. Tom branded his company with his own nickname, and currently has a staff of four building his parents’ up-market house on a lifestyle block in Mandeville, north of Christchurch. Mcins Built was incorporated in January 2021 after the company Tom was employed with issued redundancy as it closed its doors to the industry. Fortunately Toms work ethic and communication skills allowed his new formed company to grow in Queenstown. Tom and his team took on many group housing jobs, with one company in Particular, Classic Builders Queenstown. “A fundamental part to Mcins Built having work at the very beginning was thanks to Jules Thornburgh from Classsic builders. Jules gave me the opportunity to build a house as soon as I was ready and confident. I will always be thankful for that.” From the end of 2021 until early 2023 while the construction industry was booming Mcins Builts employees grew to eight at its peak and steadied to a comfortable Four. “When the demand declined we once again were fortunate to be contacted by Ben Brown from BMB Building. This was an exciting time for us as Ben was an architectural builder. I had downsized to only the two of us so we took this opportunity to learn a much as possible and really fine tune on all aspects of carpentry.” Tom always knew he was moving back up to Christchurch as soon as his parents house made it out of council, in December of last year the time had come. “We broke ground on the foundations on December 27 of last year, and expect to finish in December this year, just in time for my parents to move in before Christmas,” he says. Tom’s parents’ house is typical of the up-market space Tom works in: it’s a four-bedroom home of 255m2 with a large double garage and huge living-dining area. Tom mentions they are building for the future and taking steps to achieve a better performing home whilst staying on a budget. Finding labour was a bit of problem in Queenstown too, so it was something of a relief to return home where he could easily find help from among the community he grew up in. Tom currently has one qualified builder, one apprentice and a part time labourer working alongside him. “I like building up-market homes where I can engage with the clients right at the drawing-board stage, and then involve them as much as possible in the developing project, clients need to involve the builder right from the start, because it saves teething problems later on” Tom says. Tom likes to work alongside architects and engineers to help bring his clients dreams into reality no matter how big or small their budget is. Tom mentions he finds it difficult to take his business to the next level and gain trust from future clients to trust him with there biggest financial assest as he is not a household name builder. “I am grateful I get to showcase what my company can produce in terms of workmanship and affordability.” He says. He’s particularly keen on incorporating the latest residential technology, including the Passive House concept, and his long-term goal is to “just keep building amazing houses for amazing people.” A Selwyn-based builder with 20 years’ experience in the region is playing a key role in constructing homes to meet demand in the country’s fastest-growing region. Woodbank Builders has been operating since 2005, and with a small team carries out mostly new builds, developments and some renovations. Currently underway is a project building six architecturally designed townhouses in Brynley Street in the Christchurch suburb of Hornby. Formed as three duplexes, the homes are mixture of single- and double-storey, ranging in size from 100sqm to 130sqm. This concept offers broad appeal and a range of options for buyers, catering to everyone from first-time buyers or investors to those looking to downsize. The layout allows for increased natural light throughout and around each home, enhancing the living spaces. Each home is also solar ready. Designed with solar orientation in mind, the homes maximise sunlight exposure through carefully orientated windows on the sunniest sides, while minimising window size on cooler sides to improve thermal efficiency. Plastered exterior panels give the building clean, modern lines, while the seamless fiverib roofing flows across each roof and down the side walls, creating a cohesive and harmonious architectural look. The goal was to build quality, durable construction with a high level of thermal efficiency, Woodbank Builders owner Mark Turner says, and he was looking forward to the floor pour taking place. The project was not without its challenges, one being getting a particular product – Aquapave permeable concrete – approved by the council. “We have had to deal with the council accepting or understanding one particular product we are going to use. This led to delays and expensive council bills for their time.” Aquapave, a relatively new product to Canterbury, is a permeable concrete driveway where the entire driveway and 60% of the roof rainwater catchment is dispersed through the aeriated concrete and into a chip base course below. The water is stored there until it soaks through the sub soil. “This saves having to have on-site storage tanks to slow the stormwater release to the street in big rain events,” Mark explains. He says issues with collecting rainwater from housing, driveways and roads, and where it all ends up, were highlighted in the flooding event experienced in Christchurch in May. “Coming from a farming background – I was a farmer for several years – I can fully relate to the benefits of having good infiltrating soils.” Mark began a building apprenticeship in 1994, working on architecturally designed homes around West Melton. Now with Canterbury in a period of growth, particularly the Selwyn District, he isn’t expecting things to slow down for some time. “Canterbury seems to be a popular spot at the moment with more post-earthquake build projects coming up, and excitement is building around the new stadium. “There’s also easy access to rivers, lakes and ski fields,” he says. “I would expect good growth for Christchurch and Selwyn going forward.” • Landscaping • Renovations • Foundations • Residential • New Builds Meaning we like to be involved from the very beginning. We are committed to delivering high-quality construction solutions with a focus on craftsmanship, reliability, and client satisfaction. Our attention to detail ensure every structure we create stands the test of time. We take pride in building not just projects, but lasting relationships. We build from the ground up 027 502 7633 tom.mcins.built@gmail.com At QS Developments, we take pride in delivering well-crafted, reliable homes tailored to your lifestyle. From the foundation to the final touches, our expert team is committed to quality, value, and customer satisfaction across the Canterbury region. Building Quality Homes Throughout Canterbury Let us bring your vision to life — with QS Developments, you’re building with confidence. 027 648 8686 qsdevelopments@outlook.com
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