Celebrations last week at the 20,000th home by G.J. Gardner in New Zealand. Photo / supplied
Celebrations last week at the 20,000th home by G.J. Gardner in New Zealand. Photo / supplied
New Zealand's biggest housebuilder last week started construction of its 20,000th home since it started here nearly a quarter of a century ago.
Grant and Ellie Porteous of G.J. Gardner said a Ngāruawāhia home for the Tily family at the River Road Estate was a milestone for the national housebuilder.
Jonathan and Rachel Tily with children Bradley and Izzy were on-site to celebrate the milestone with G.J. Gardner Hamilton franchise owner Jeff de Leeuw. The children left handprints in the concrete beside the number 20,000.
BCI New Zealand today put G.J. Gardner's output at almost triple its nearest rivals, having completed 1631 homes in the year to August valued at $723m.
Mike Greer Homes built 657 residences valued at $194m.
Third-biggest is Classic Builders with 627 homes worth $236m.
Daughter Izzy Tily at the Waikato site last week. Photo / supplied
In a sector dogged by lack of supply and failures that can have dire consequences for homeowners, G.J. Gardner's success is something to be acknowledged.
The business was established here in 1997 but Grant Porteous said it never intended to be as dominant as it has become.
"We never set out to be the biggest home builder in New Zealand. Our ongoing goal is to be a great business, with good family values like keeping our promises, and respecting everyone from customers to trade partners to the people in the supply chain," said Porteous who is headquartered on the North Shore.
Construction of the 20,000th house started last week. Porteous said he and Ellie watched on Zoom as the concrete slab was poured for the Tily family.
Ellie Porteous said the achievement was also celebrated throughout the franchise network.
"We could not have achieved such a result without our incredible team of people, including our trades and suppliers. It's our people who bring our values to life, work so hard to make our customers happy and deliver not just great homes, but a great experience," she said.
Bradley Tily leaves his mark in his family's new floor slab. Photo / supplied
In 2014, the business marked the construction of its 10,000th home.
Grant Porteous said doubling that number to 20,000 homes just seven years later was a mark of not only the ever-increasing buoyancy of the property market, but also the "crawl, walk, run" strategy for sustainable growth that has led to G.J. Gardner being the largest homebuilder in the country across 31 franchises.
The Hamilton franchise which poured the slab on that 20,000th build last week had built 11 homes for the members of one extended family in the region. The home was also the second G.J. Gardner had built for the Tily family, he said.
Desperately needed skilled employees working in the construction sector had their careers fostered and enhanced by such a successful house-building company too.
"Many of our trades have grown their businesses with us over the past 24 years. Equally our relationships with suppliers are strong and longstanding. Thanks to our industry-leading systems, we are working to try and secure materials six, sometimes 12, months ahead of time for our customers and our trades who we view as part of the wider G.J. family. We must do everything possible to try to overcome the challenges of the current pandemic environment," Porteous said.
Ellie Porteous said the role came with a huge responsibility: "For most of our customers, building a home is a huge investment for their families, a responsibility we don't take lightly."
She cited the example of the business last year investing in training in communication skills for staff members nationally to ensure that every part of the business was able to keep customers informed and reassured during the pandemic's uncertainty.
Grant and Ellie Porteous. Photo / supplied
"Open and good communication is another component we see as critical in building trust between our team and clients," Ellie Porteous said.
Grant Porteous said trust was key. When the couple joined G.J. Gardner in 2002, a Master Builders' Association survey found under 30 per cent of people who had built new homes said they would repeat that.
"Our vision is to have every customer recommend us to their closest friend and we are fortunate the team nationwide strive to achieve this by their actions every day," Grant Porteous said.
