56 | BUILDING James Hunt Residential T T Kelly Deeks Clever ways to build and renovate “By working with people’s budgets we can get there and these clients can finally get into their new dream home,” says James. Plumbing Gas fitting Solar hot water systems Property maintains New builds Renovations Finn Plumbing Ltd Nigel Patterson - Certifying Plumber and Gasfitter 022 099 2768 | finnplumbingnz@gmail.com PO Box 92001 Farington, Rolleston 7650 Proudly building healthier homes for New Zealand living Phone 03 344 3126 www.nkwindows.co.nz As the recession bites and rising interest rates put a dampener on feasibility for new home builders and renovators, teaming with an experienced building company like James Hunt Residential can help to cut out some cost and bring that dream home or renovation project back to life. James says one of the most unique features of a construction journey with James Hunt Residential is that he guides his clients through the whole process. “Everyone wants something different in their house. Architects are there to design a cool house and they do a great job with that, but it can go out of people’s budgets and they end up thinking they can’t afford to build a new house. That’s why we step in earlier and try to work that out by finding ways to save substantial amounts.” For example, less corners in a new home can rack up to tens of thousands of dollars saved. “We can build a beautiful home with less corners, and spend a smaller amount on some nice ‘bolt-on’ features like a nice feature cladding or a stone fireplace. By working with people’s budgets we can get there, and these clients can finally get into their new dream home.” James takes this guiding approach because it’s so important for his clients’ experience to be enjoyable. “I really want to go the extra mile with that extra personal touch. Maybe it’s not that profitable when compared to a more structured model, but it does help our business to build up credibility and get referrals, so it is profitable when you look at the span of your career. And we want to be here for the long haul.” A recent project saw James Hunt Residential deliver a large bespoke home for a young family who had almost given up on their dream. They believed they couldn’t afford to build, then found they were also priced out from buying an existing home. “I said to them ‘don’t write it off just yet, let’s crunch some numbers and see where we stand’.” James came up with a workable budget, prioritising each feature of the home and making a list of additional features that could be added if and when the budget allowed. “We designed and built them a really big house, five bedrooms, three toilets, and a mudroom outside with a shower and a toilet. We kept the house simple and designed it around efficient construction methodology. Labour is a huge component of the cost of a new home, so we used methods that eliminated some of the process and cut the time and labour required for the build.” As well as building beautiful new homes, James Hunt Residential is heavily involved in the renovation space, where James takes the same guiding approach. The company takes a sustainable approach which centres on ‘looking after what you’ve got’ and keeping and reusing as much as possible of the existing home, without having to bring in new materials which have to be manufactured and transported, or having to send demolition waste to landfill. So if that new home or renovation seems out of reach, James Hunt Residential might just be able to pull it back in and make it a reality.
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