| 35 Ashburton: Des Millar Construction “Gib board is getting more and more difficult to source, and we’re often struggling to get pre-frames, frames and trusses ...“ Quality ‘comes at the top’ Tinwald based Des Millar Construction has recently completed two homes worth in excess of $1 million. • Textures & Specialist Coatings • Licensed Rockcote Plasterers • Interior & Exterior Painting • Factory Lacquer Finishes • Plasterboard Stopping • Wallpapering & Decorating FREE PHONE: 0800 TFC ASH (832 274) 15 Grey St, Ashburton| Ph: 03 307 8870 PROFESSIONAL DECORATING & PLASTERING Hugh de Lacy A buoyant demand for new housing has allowed Des Millar Construction to order key materials far enough ahead to – so far – avoid the Covid-driven shortages that are plaguing the country’s building industry. Based in Tinwald, Des Millar Construction has been serving Mid-Canterbury since the business was launched in the early 1980s. Qualified builder Des Millar immigrated to New Zealand from Northern Ireland in 1974. He was employed locally, taking on a range of carpentry jobs before starting out on his own. In the 40-odd years since, Des’ company has grown to employ ten staff working on mostly new architectural and residential builds, with a few renovation jobs thrown in. Des still has an overseeing role in the company, but these days son Sam Millar is running the outfit. Sam joined his father in the company in 2002, and took over management in 2019 along with his wife Sarah Millar, who handles the bookwork. The two big bug-bears of the Covid era, labour and materials shortages, are as much a challenge in Mid-Canterbury as anywhere else in the country but, driven by a strong farming back-bone, demand for new houses throughout Canterbury has meant that Des Millar Construction has so far managed to dodge the worst effects. “By late last year (2021) we thought we were on top of it, but the last few months have thrown up bigger and bigger supply challenges,” Sam Millar says. “Gib board is getting more and more difficult to source, and we’re often struggling to get pre-frames, frames and trusses, and are finding plywood difficult to get and some engineered timbers are taking up to four months to arrive. “We’re just lucky there’s a good amount of work and we’re able to rely on big lead-in times to order materials.” Staff loyalty has been a major factor in the company’s meeting the demands for its services at a time when advertising for qualified staff has proved futile because of the nationwide labour shortage. But Des Millar Construction is blessed in a staff that includes two foremen who have been with the company for more than 20 years, and a third for more than 11 years. With four apprentices on the books, the company has so far managed to keep a big enough workforce together to meet its commitments, and Sam says he’s happy with the size of the operation and has no immediate plans to expand it. Des Millar Construction has been selected to build houses by a succession of prominent Canterbury architectural firms including Studio 4, which has offices in both Christchurch and Ashburton, and O’Neill Architecture which has recently had the company build two residences each worth a million dollars plus. While a housing shortage is driving Christchurch demand, Sam says that in mid-Canterbury it’s the farming industry that keeps our building industry operating at peak. “Quality comes at the top of our business, and we are very grateful to have the loyal support of our Mid-Canterbury clients,” Sam says. REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT
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