WEDNESDAY, MAY 23, 2018
Fresh wharenui P16
WAIRARAPA’S LOCALLY OWNED COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER PHONE˜06°378 9999
Youthstransform Joy to alleyway P1,3 the world P26 ADVERTISEMENT
4 MAPLE GROVE, MASTERTON (OFF SOLWAY CRESCENT) GRAND OPENING HOURS Saturday & Sunday 9-4pm USUAL SHOWHOME HOURS Tuesday & Thursday 12-3pm. Sunday 1-4pm
why
G.J. Gardner Wairarapa
WE BUILD MORE HOMES FOR NEW ZEALANDERS THAN ANY OTHER
Rural backgrounds make owners feel right at home With backgrounds in farming and building, G.J. Gardner Wairarapa franchise owners Trevor Low and Duncan Palmer feel right at home in Wairarapa.
BUILDER
Building a new home is the single biggest investment that you are likely to ever make so it’s crucial that you choose to build with a company that’s not going to let you down. For over 20 years there has been one building company that stood above the rest, from the start of the design stage to the final handover, G.J. Gardner Homes give their clients the best service and quality. To help make sure every client comes away without any surprises, G.J. Gardner have released their Home Prep booklet. It’s an exciting step-by-step guide to the building process filled with handy information and independent advice so that everyone can get the home they’ve always wanted with no regrets. Having built over 15,000 homes nationwide, G.J. Gardner have built up a solid reputation among Kiwi’s. Having won the Readers Digest Most Trusted Home Builders it truly shows that they are committed to giving their customers the best service and quality.
Trevor was a shearer and sheep & beef farmer before coming into the building industry, and soon after went into partnership with Duncan who has been involved in the building industry all his working life. After forming a partnership and contract building the G.J. Gardner homes around Manawatu, the pair then purchased the Manawatu franchise. Over this time the pair had been building G.J. Gardner homes in Wairarapa, and had always seen the potential and demand that Wairarapa had to offer. “Our dream has been to be embedded here as a local business employing local sales people and local tradies,” says Trevor. At the same time, Wairarapa clients enjoy all the benefits that the New Zealand Company has to offer, such as bulk buying discounts, highly organised processes, and dependability. Trevor sees G.J. Gardner as providing another option for home buyers in Wairarapa. “We are bringing something new that complements the other choices, and will be helping to build construction capacity in the region.” Trevor and Duncan are chuffed with the response from the local community.
G.J. Gardner new
“The demand has surprised us and is very exciting. We’ve been very impressed with the local tradies. And the local building supply companies have gone out of their way to be supportive.” Trevor and Duncan are keen to support the local community and have leaped in by being a category sponsor for the Wairarapa Times-Age Sports Awards. Duncan is a keen sports person himself, having represented New Zealand in mountain biking, while Trevor enjoys fishing in his spare time. Call in for a coffee and informal chat. The Wairarapa team would love the opportunity to build your perfect home for you.
showhome
G.J. Gardner officially becomes a part of Wairarapa with the opening of its new show home in Masterton this weekend. The showhome at 4 Maple Grove, Masterton (off Solway Crescent), will be open to view from 9am to 4pm on both Saturday and Sunday. The 179 square metre small family home includes an array of extra features so that visitors can experience some of the design ideas that can be incorporated into their own home. As you walk through the main entrance you are welcomed by a bright and sunny dining and kitchen area. The raking ceiling give a spacious cathedral-like feel, while five deep skylights channel copious amounts of light but without the intensity of the direct rays of the sun. The kitchen area includes all the necessary appliances with additional features such as a tiled splashback, tiled floor and stone benchtops. There’s also a large walk-in pantry. Walking through the spacious, carpeted living area, you pass along a short corridor and arrive at the master bedroom with its own ensuite and walk-in wardrobe. An additional feature is the vaulted ceiling which once again creates a feeling of space. From the master bedroom you can walk out
through sliding glass doors and on to the kwila deck which is also accessible from the living area. The main bathroom features a free standing bath and a featured wall of attractive tiling. Next door is a separate toilet. There are two more bedrooms in this section of the house. Walking past them, you find yourself back in the living area from where you can pass through a doorway, directly into the two bay garage. The external cladding is a mix of James Hardie Stria and Linea weatherboards. G.J. Gardner was established in 1983 by Greg Gardner, based on the principles of uncompromised quality and value, building homes designed to meet individual customer’s needs within a committed time frame. In 1997, enterprising New Zealand builders seized the opportunity to bring the successful formula here. Their vision was to become a team recognised for their integrity, commitment and dependability, who delivered great homes and an enjoyable building experience to all their customers. By 2014, G.J. Gardner has built 10,000 homes in New Zealand. Last year it was named New Zealand’s most trusted building company after independent research commissioned by Readers Digest.
opens this weekend
4 MAPLE GROVE, MASTERTON (OFF SOLWAY CRESCENT) GRAND OPENING HOURS Saturday & Sunday 9-4pm USUAL SHOWHOME HOURS Tuesday & Thursday 12-3pm. Sunday 1-4pm
Introducing our team Paul Anderson – your G.J. Gardner Branch Manager With the contract signed, the person who will become your guide on the journey to your new G.J. Gardner home is Paul Anderson. Paul grew up in Manawatu and worked as a builder after completing his apprenticeship, before becoming an Estimator at Placemakers in Palmerston North for two years. It was this background, along with Paul’s work ethic and friendly personality, that made him perfect for the role of Branch Manager, says Wairarapa franchise co-owner Trevor Low. Paul joined G.J. Gardner six months ago, and since then Paul and his wife Hélène have moved to Carterton. Paul will be working out of the office at the showhome along with the sales team of Pip and Nolan Mackie, and works alongside them to complete the pricing of the homes, and to ensure there are sufficient resources to complete the builds in a timely manner. However, much of his time will be spent on-site, managing the day-to-day running of builds, overseeing the trade’s people, and making sure everything is keeping to schedule. “I keep a close eye on the builds, to make
Pip and Nolan Mackie – your local sales team The first people you will meet at the new G.J. Gardner showhome in Maple Grove, Solway, are Pip and Nolan Mackie.
“They were streamlined, organised and pretty impressive. They were very transparent and upfront on everything,” says Nolan.
The husband and wife sales team will be working out of what would normally be its double garage, but has been turned into a comfortable office.
“The team were great people, from the support staff to the trades, and everyone was very respectful on site,” adds Pip. “And they were understanding and responsive to the changes we wanted to make.”
When Pip and Nolan talk about G.J. Gardner, and what they can do for you, they are speaking from experience. The couple moved to Wairarapa over three years ago, after choosing a lifestyle section, engaging Trevor Low and Duncan Palmer to build their new home in Greytown. Pip and Nolan were extremely pleased with the end result, while Trevor and Duncan were just as impressed with them. When they looked at starting a local Wairarapa franchise, Trevor and Duncan invited Pip and Nolan to be their sales team. Pip had previously worked in customer service and hospitality before becoming a full time mum for their three young children while Nolan worked in IT sales. “It was perfect timing for us,” says Pip. “I wanted to get back into work and the corporate world had lost its appeal for Nolan. We jumped at the opportunity to be involved in something so exciting.” One of the things that most impressed Pip and Nolan about building with G.J. Gardner was how “smooth and enjoyable” the experience was.
Three of the key features of a G.J. Gardner build, Nolan points out, “are that they can deliver a finished home in a timely manner, communicate with customers at regular intervals, and stick to the agreed budget which is fixed from the time of entering the contract.” Pip and Nolan can help clients design the initial concept for their dream home as both are experienced in CAD draughting software. There are over 40 G.J. Gardner house plans that can be modified to suit, or the couple can work off rough ideas that have been dreamt up by their clients. Pip and Nolan ensure clients are as well-informed as possible before they sign a contract. ”Building a new home should be exciting and enjoyable and we want to provide the same experience as we had to our clients in this great part of the country.” The couple are both involved in their community, especially through their children’s schools and sport. “Nolan was born in Masterton and our third child was born here so in a way we have gone a full circle as a family,” adds Pip.
We pride ourselves on having a well-managed build that is timely and keeps within the agreed budget. This has been proven with over 15,000 builds nationwide. sure the key dates are being meet.” Paul says. G.J. Gardner is outstanding amongst building companies for its streamlined processes, Paul points out. “We pride ourselves on having a wellmanaged build that is timely and keeps within the agreed budget. This has been proven with over 15,000 builds nationwide.” The other part of Paul’s job is liaising with the clients. “I keep them in the loop with regular meetings on-site. It is an exciting project for our clients so I like them to be part of the process, and keep them up-to-date with what is happening on site. At the end of the build, Paul and the entire team are present when the keys are handed over to the happy owners.
4 MAPLE GROVE, MASTERTON (OFF SOLWAY CRESCENT) GRAND OPENING HOURS Saturday & Sunday 9-4pm USUAL SHOWHOME HOURS Tuesday & Thursday 12-3pm. Sunday 1-4pm
testimonial Speed, quality and price of new home impresses seasoned real estate professional When asked why he and wife Barbara chose to build with G.J. Gardner, Kevin Mitchell answers without hesitation. “Very simple, they could give us a much earlier starting date, and secondly do it much faster.” Kevin has been selling real estate in Wairarapa for close to 40 years and is about to finally retire, well past 65. The couple had been thinking about downsizing from their lifestyle block but had yet to put their property on the market when an offer came through unexpectedly from a colleague. While this was great news, it left them renting as they had yet to buy somewhere else. They bought a small parcel of land at Cashmere Oaks, at
from one of our happy clients BUILDING WITH G.J. GARDNER HOMES
KEVIN MITCHELL the north entrance to Masterton, in November last year and G.J. Gardner was building their home on March 6th the couple being handed the keys to the house on June 14th. The home has four bedrooms, two living rooms, a bathroom and ensuite, separate laundry and double garage. There is also a separate garage/ workshop where Kevin, a skilled cabinet maker, spends a part of his time. The building team were “more than willing” to make any changes the couple wanted. “We changed our
in the main bedroom, and increased size of all the bedrooms. “These added only a small amount to the cost but made a big difference.”
They used local tradespeople as much as possible but when an electrician wasn’t available they brought one in from Palmerston North. mind on the exterior cladding three times but it was never an issue.” In the end, Kevin and Barbara decided on a distinctive coloured terracotta brick. Other features included a chapel ceiling in the lounge, recessed ceiling
Kevin was very impressed by the competence of the office staff, and the way the G.J. Gardner team never let anything get in the way of a speedy build. “They used local tradespeople as much as possible but when an electrician wasn’t available they brought one in from Palmerston North. “At one point they couldn’t find a concrete truck to pour the concrete for the path so brought one in from Palmerston North. That was the sort of efficiency that impressed me.”