Business South March 2021

| 101 Southland - Waimea Building Getting off the beaten track Kelly Deeks As well as residential construction projects, the Riversdale community offers Waimea Building the opportunity to complete rural building projects and forestry huts. BUILDING F amily-owned and operated Riversdale construction firm Waimea Building brings passion and experience to Southland and Gore building projects, from architecturally designed new home builds to renovations, rural building services, landscaping, and maintenance. In business since 2012, James and Kayla Martin have provided many satisfied cus- tomers with affordable pricing, high quality workmanship, and close working relationships with a small, friendly, reliable, and commu- nicative team. James is recognised for his quality and experience, and the pride he takes in his work- manship. “High quality and a great working relationship are the important priorities to our building company,” he says. “Our repeat work is as much about the quality of the relation- ship as it is the quality of the workmanship.” James took Waimea Building to Central Ota- go in 2017, where high construction industry demand kept him busy for two years working on architecturally designed homes and tilt slab construction. Seeking a healthy work/life balance, he returned to Southland in 2019 and has contin- ued to expand Waimea Building ever since. “We love to service our home area around Northern Southland and the Gore surrounds,” James says. In the small town of Riversdale, James has built up experience in all aspects of construc- tion, and can complete any project from start to finish. He prefers however, to draw on the expertise of qualified subcontractors, which allows him to complete projects in a timely fashion to his clients’ expectations. As well as residential construction projects, the Riversdale community, with its strong sheep and beef, dairy farming, and forestry aspects, offers Waimea Building the opportu- nity to complete rural building projects and forestry huts. “I love to work in places where a van can’t get to,” James says. Farmer clients often like to help the builder out on their construction projects, which is fine with James. “They can see what they’re going to be getting, then can see how long it takes to put in 1000 screws, and they have an appreciation for what we do. “The smokos, the scones, and the three course lunches are a bit over the top. I’ve still got to get the nail bag on.” James built his first family home as an ap- prentice builder, and his second on his return to Riversdale. Now a couple of years later, he is building the third. Designed by the same architectural design- er, Peter Goodger, the new home is the Mark II version of the Martins’ current home. The floor plan remains the same, and the design has been slightly modified to what the Martins have learned from their past mistakes. The roof pitch is lowered, the bathrooms are bigger, and some of the materials are different. “I built a couple of walls with iron last time, but we’ve dropped that out and put linear weatherboard on instead. “We are on a gravel road and all the dust on the iron is a bit of a pain.” Specialists in Kitchen & Bathroom Joinery, Door & Windows, Interior & Exterior Furniture Makers & Polishers PARTNER TO PROUD SUPPLY ORCHARD JAKIMM PLACEMAKERS CROMWELL 4 MURRAY TCE | (03) 445 9202 P: (03) 445 0305 16 Wolter Cres, Cromwell E: central@designwindows.co.nz W: www.designwindowsgroup.com Proud Supplier for Waimea Building Ph. 03 208 6299 | gore@laserplumbing.co.nz | www.laserplumbing.co.nz Services Include: • All things plumbing & gas • Bathrooms, kitchens, drainage and spouting • New builds, additions and retrofit • Dairy shed experts • Septic tank cleaning • Effluent systems, rainwater recycling andwater harvesting Laser Plumbing Gore Laser Plumbing Gore is proud to support Waimea Building Your one stop plumbing shop • Your local gas fitting experts