In this our fourth episode of A Building Conversation, Tony Huxley chats with Gareth Evans of Blue Chip Maintenance and Construction. We talk about legislation and building and how the new regulatory environment impacts builders and housing consumers. We discuss climbing costs. We explore client partnerships and now it's all about building trust, faith and confidence, building relationships and how communication is at the heart of bringing every customer partnership to life and how technology can help to achieve that.
In this third short episode of A Building Conversation, Tony Huxley of Trabr Limited chats with Gareth Evans of Blue Chip Maintenance and Construction. We talk about the home builder grant and what everyone thought was meant to be a pandemic stimulus. We talk about pandemic controls and how that's changed the building sector, the challenges of managing Covid19 protocols and more.
In this second short episode of A Building Conversation, Tony Huxley chats with Gareth Evans of Blue Chip Maintenance and Constructions. We discuss everything from growth to pandemics, to 2020 and 2021, the Federal Government's apprenticeship subsidies, the home builder grant, supply chains, industry and consumer mood and sentiment, funnel and pipeline building has been driven by lead generation sites like Hipages and Oneflare. The Blue Chip lead flow is growing and their pipeline for 2021 is definitely positioned them well for the year ahead. As a small but fast growing home renovation builder, their main focus is ensuring that their clients are happy with the work they're doing; that plus the fact that it's an exciting and empowering thing to be able to share knowledge and to help the young team members to grow.
In this first short episode of A Building Conversation, Tony Huxley chats with Gareth Evans form Blue Chip Maintenance and Constructions. A young and small but fast growing building business specialising in home renovation. They enjoy a lot of client interaction and do a bit of everything but their focus is on the renovation and extensions space. They have a passion for the detail that is renovation building. The intricacies and the juxtaposition of taking classic period homes and seamlessly blending them in with contemporary extensions. Surprising and delighting clients, that's what motivates Gareth Evans and the Blue Chip team.
Tony Huxley of Trabr interviews Dave Henson of Renxtend a builder in #Heathcote, a #shire suburb of #Sydney. In our final short episode we discuss #brand, #customercommunications , creating content, the importance of leveraging #socialchannels and how a builder builds #customerexperience in 2020, not to forget that we're all hoping for one crucially important thing to round out the year we'd all rather forget, being a #vaccines that works! Best wishes for a safe, healthy and happy holiday season and a #happynewyear to you all!
Tony Huxley of Trabr interviews Dave Henson of Renxtend a #builder in #Heathcote, a #shire suburb of #Sydney. In our 5th short episode we discuss what consumers look for in 2020, #customerexperience, #digitaltransformations in building, #painpoints for #builders, building contracts, teams and more. Dave tells us that for him working with customers is all about listening, and frank and honest communication. Using management software gives clients project visibility. Renxtend clients know what's going on, are involved - it's their home, they have to be. The world has changed, everyone's working and seldom is a partner at home, so we're all time poor, in need of news and information about their build project, Trabr does that for Renxtend clients. Everyone is moving to #digitise their business and how they build. #Building has changed little but #managingprojects and business is where opportunities lie. The #fixedprice vs #costplus conundrum is ultimately all about education - the benefits for customers are often far bigger than people expect but there's a mindset to overcome and banks are a roadblock with cost plus because they seldom lend on cost plus contracts.
Tony Huxley of Trabr interviews Dave Henson of Renxtend in #Heathcote a #shire suburb of #Sydney, in this intriguing 2nd episode we learn how "the look on a customer's face, the thrill of the transformation that building brings to people's lives, is the reward as a builder." And how, in 2020, the consumer's expectations have changed but that, ultimately, it's all about trust. #covid19australia impact has been modest other than supply chain issues and being open with your team, project partners and clients, overcomes the challenges of a once in 100 year pandemic. We discuss the building regulatory environment and how home builder's warranty is such a challenge, leaving Dave to ponder how an insurer can cap a builder's ability to earn? The domestic builder is being held to account for the sins of a few in the medium density residential space, but ultimately the consumer is paying the price. He suggests David Chandler OAM, NSW Building Commissioner, is on the right track and, whilst it's going to hurt getting there, the industry at large has to work with this for the greater good. The long term gains and cleaning up an industry isn't just necessary, it's crucial.
Tony Huxley of Trabr interviews Dave Henson of Renxtend. Located in #Heathcote a southern #shiresuburb of #Sydney, in this first episode we learn how, established for 10 years and with a track record in home renovation and despite all the pandemic challenges, quality building businesses are enjoying tremendous growth by responding to customer needs. Renxtend in their design, build and construct space for new custom built homes, along with high end renovations and swimming pools. Dave discusses the roadblocks and challenges with building in 2020 and how life is evolved for them and their customers and that, despite how tumultuous and a fractured a year that we've all endured, that ultimately customer experience, communication, design innovation and delivery drive business and growth.
Tony Huxley of Trabr interviews Dave Henson of Renxtend in #Heathcote, a #shire suburb of #Sydney. In our 4th short episode we discuss partnering with clients, changing customer expectations and exceeding them. In Dave's views, #partnerships with clients are all about being open and honest and communicating properly. Its also important to build a great trade team too, having everyone involved aware and on the same page. At Renxtend what underscores their success is the power of word of mouth that successful client partnerships and project delivery produce. So much of their role as builders is about educating their clients and helping make them more aware. #Customerexpectations have evolved, and everyone wants to save money but if you have specific requirements, its a balance of being prepared to pay for it; save money by all means but cutting corners invariably leads to disappointment. The single biggest investment in most people's lives relies on ideas and bringing those to life is the underlying objective of #builders like Renxtend.
#builder #homebuilder #homebuilders #homebuilding #homerenovation #homeimprovement #homebuildergrant #homerenovators #homeconstruction
In this final brief episode of "A Building Conversation" with Brett Blandin de Chalin of BDC Building, Tony Huxley of Trabr asks about where to from here for the home building sector? Brett, a suburban home renovation building specialist and former MBA Young Builder of The Year award winner, talks about how he believes that once Covid19 controls have abated immigration in Australia will experience explosive growth and that will change building in this country like never before, even materials in building will evolve more. Legislation, licensing, certifying and regulation will become even harder. The roadblocks in building approvals processes however will stymie that though. As well, the degree to which building codes and controls have become so subjective is a real risk and getting harder by the day and it won't get easier anytime soon. But in Brett's eyes (and ours to be fair), technology in the building sector is the way forward, of that there's no doubt.
In this the 5th episode of A Building Conversation, Tony Huxley of Trabr chats with Brett Blandin de Chalin of BDC Builders in Sydney, former MBA Young Builder of the Year, and we plainly come to understand that it's all about communication, to manage client expectations. We see first hand how technology helps respond to customer needs. How builders today are on a smartphone 90% of the time and that if they're not on the tools, they're not making money. We learn how contemporary builders are using apps constantly, all day every day, to manage and do everything in terms of project control, of how recording and documenting, validating, etc is crucial, and that cloud based filing of everything communicated, variations, etc, home owners warranty etc are all fundamental to sound business practice today.
In this episode of A Building Conversation, Tony Huxley of Trabr explores customer relationships in building in 2020 with Brett Blandin de Chalin of BDC Building in Sydney. Our 4th episode with Brett, suburban home renovation building specialist and former MBA Young Builder of The Year award winner, we explore partnerships with clients and how it's all about respect in the relationship. We talk about customer pain points, and how honesty and frankness underscores not just success in relationships but success in building outcomes. Perhaps the single biggest challenge, managing expectations and how overcoming communication bottlenecks is where expectations can so easily be addressed. The very nature of partnerships, it's a two way street. If everyone's on the same page, disputes can't exist. Keeping them all on the same page is the challenge, and that's simply a function of communication.
Building often (too often) gets a bum rap. In this episode of A Building Conversation, Tony Huxley of Trabr explores the building landscape in 2020 with Brett Blandin de Chalin of BDC Building in Sydney. A suburban home renovation building specialist and former MBA Young Builder of The Year award winner, this offers some incredibly interesting perspectives on the home builder grant (and what it is or isn't achieving), on the building industry in the media and how the pressures of speed, quality and cost aren't always happy bedfellows, how builder licensing seems to be more about the promise and less about the underlying needs and criteria, and we apply the lens of a residential builder to the sector of the industry that's tarring everyone with the same brush. Really interesting. Really worth joining us for this short episode. Insightful stuff.
Imagine you're a small builder, working in a big city renovating homes, and then coronavirus hits. Here, Tony Huxley, the Founder and CEO of Trabr, chats with Brett Blandin de Chalin of BDC Building Services. Brett, the 2013 MBA Young Builder of The Year and one of Sydney's small but highly respected renovation builders, talks about how he, his company, his clients and the industry has stepped up pragmatically, but vigilantly, to tackle Covid19 head on, and then some! Really interesting stuff. It's great chatting with real builders. It's also something that I take great pleasure in doing one-on-one. Insightful. No cliches, no clever perspectives or tortured metaphors, just honest insight and observations.
In this deeply interesting podcast series, Tony Huxley, Founder and CEO of Trabr, chats with Brett Blandin de Chalin of BDC Building Services. The 2013 MBA Young Builder of The Year, skips forward to talk about life, business and building in 2020. We get to understand the life and the journey that is building today for a small (but successful) builder, about the home renovation space for a smaller builder in the modern day building ecosystem and see that that means projects ranging from $300k through to anything up to $2million, and more. We hear about how needs have evolved and how people now are more include to rip it apart and start again, whether that be authentic detailed refurbishments or contemporary hybrid renovations and extensions. We learn about how for builders like Brett it's more about the love of the work, the love for the trade and for building, and how building today has become just as much about managing expectations, agendas and personalities than just getting on with the build.
Tony Huxley, Founder and CEO of Trabr Limited, interviews Ian Morrice, former head of Metcash in Australia, the former head of NZ's major retailer The Warehouse Group and European home improvement behemoth, B&Q. In this the final short episode of A Building Conversation with Ian, we talk about 2020 and the way forward. From Covid19 to how home improvement retailers globally all enjoyed a resurgence in 2020 as lockdowns saw consumers become engaged in home improvement and DIY more than ever before. And of despite the rampant and largely negative media speculation about housing, we can't forger that migration and population growth prospects mean the future looks promising. Its self evident how everyone is focused on being more technologically resourced and that the acceleration to a digital age in home improvement has taken a quantum leap. Building continues and in time will climb back to new heights and the economy settles and a more certain road ahead becomes clear.
Tony Huxley, Founder and CEO of Trabr Limited, interviews Ian Morrice, former head of Metcash in Australia and European home improvement behemoth, B&Q. In this sixth short episode of A Building Conversation with Ian, we learn about how a weekend-warrior (corporate exec by day) also became a property developer. We discover how all the interdependencies of building are firstly about the power of relationships. We hear how Ian came to understand that builders love building and that reputations and pride depend on outcomes arrived at together. We learn about the supply chain headache and of how awareness of your supply chain is crucial and of how decisions in a timely fashion saves fortunes, but underscores quality. We hear more of his B&Q and IHG experience and how, despite all that, it as his hands on experience that built a deep and ever growing respect for professional tradespeople. His orientation in Canada with B&Q showed him very clearly how the right tools is what efficiency is all about, and what building is all about. Which brings us to Trabr and how Ian believes it's a tool which should become the industry standard. I think I'm in agreement with that.
Ian Morrice, former CEO of Metcash and former MD of B&Q, Europe's largest home improvement brand, talks with Tony Huxley, CEO and Founder of Trabr, in this the fifth episode of their A Building Conversation. This is different, this is all about Ian's deep first hand experience in development and project management. We hear how he developed a property in Sydney, bought old dump, replaced it, developed it from scratch, so this is very recent hands on experience and with that comes very rich and real awareness of all the pain points that exist in the built environment. We talk about all the challenges, all the interdependencies of building and development and of how technology can simplify and overcome all of those challenges so simply, done right. I didn't ask him to but he talks about Trabr and of how we're already transforming the building industry (one builder at a time).
Tony Huxley, Founder and CEO of Trabr Limited, interviews Ian Morrice, former head of Metcash in Australia and European home improvement behemoth, B&Q. In this fourth short episode of A Building Conversation with Ian, we learn about how a globally respected corporate executive learnt equally from his early experiences as a DIYer with his Dad and later partnering with his designer wife, Linda, to take on and conquer everything from extensions, renovations, new builds, JVs and developments. The weekend warriors that they were ended up building and renovating on opposite sides of the globe over several decades. Personal experience and learnings that were in no small measure major contributors to building a successful corporate career leading enterprises generally and playing such a crucial role in the success of some globally major home improvement brands.
Tony Huxley, Founder and CEO of Trabr :Limited, interviews Ian Morrice, former head of Metcash in Australia and European home improvement behemoth, B&Q. In this third short episode of A Building Conversation, we discuss building materials and DIY and the whole supply chain challenge, relationships and what's challenging this massive space, here in Australia and globally. We talk stimulus, immigration and it's impact on our economy and the building sector, we talk new building and renovation starts and the ever increasing popularity of home improvement and of how sector fundamentals are strong, and getting stronger still, and how technology is the key to this sector's future. Interesting? You bet.
