84 | Clive’s legacy of excellence In 2022, the company received a Sapphire Award in acknowledgement of their outstanding record o winning success in Canterbury. T T from page 82 Clive Barrington Construction BUILDING Clive first got a taste for building through his father’s work in the industry. Clive often spent time at his father’s side on building sites in weekends and school holidays. By the age of 12, he was already a dab hand with a hammer. He became an apprentice at 16, working for a local builder named James Bond. “That really was his name – we called him Jim. He represented New Zealand in rugby league and was captain of the Kiwi rugby league team in the 1970s. He was a legend in his own right and a great worker – he taught me how to work, too.” Clive’s first big solo project was building a house for his sister. He took time off work to complete it, and by age 20 he had launched his own business. Today, Clive Barrington Construction employs a highly skilled and experienced team of 45, including foremen, leading hands/carpenters and project managers, who are all trades-qualified and can work on the tools if needed. All carpentry is done by the company’s own carpenters, rather than by contractors. “It means we have control over what’s going on and the results are a lot better. Our approach is bespoke – we’re not a production line. We understand and appreciate what we’re building, what the finished product will be and how to deliver it. ” Clive’s business partner, director David Walker, who has been with him for 34 years, manages day-to-day operations. “Without David, it would not have been as successful as it has been.” In the years that Clive served as a House of the Year judge, the company took an extended break from entering the awards. In their first year back, in 2021, they entered six houses and won six gold medals. Five made the top 100 best homes in the country and one was named New Zealand’s Supreme House of the Year, (‘Ahead of the Curve’, Architect: South Architects). “I decided that if I was going to build, I wanted to build nice things.” Clive’s first 2003 National Supreme House of the Year winner was a hard-edged modernist home, a frontrunner of its day. “It is an exquisite house that has stood the test of time.” Winning the same title almost 20 years later with an expertly crafted home topped with a sculptural copper roof is testament to Clive and his team’s unwavering drive for excellence. In 2024, Clive Barrington Construction has more exciting architectural homes underway in Akaroa, Scarborough, Redcliffs, Cashmere, Fendalton, Merivale, Ohoka and as far as Kumara on the West Coast. Proudly supportingClive Barrington Construction Plumbing | Gas Fitting | Drainage Proudly supporting Clive Barrington Construction 0800 545 729 www.kilrayplumbing.co.nz 63 Grassmere Street Papanui Christchurch 8052 Representing Excellence Master Plumbers
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