Primebuild

OUR STORY 

I didn’t grow up planning to be a builder. I fell into it.

My dad, Bryan, was working on a large renovation in Remuera, and the builder needed an extra set of hands. I jumped on as a labourer, just to help out. At the time, it was just a job.

But it didn’t take long before that changed.

I got noticed pretty quickly. I worked hard, showed up, and I actually enjoyed the physical side of it. Before long, I was offered an apprenticeship. That’s where things started to click.

I went on to complete my apprenticeship under Sean Stevenson, who was running his own one-man operation. That experience shaped a lot of how I work today. There was no hiding behind systems or big teams. You had to take ownership of everything you did. If something wasn’t right, it was on you to fix it.

Early on, I made the mistake a lot of builders make.

I used to underprice jobs.

Not because I didn’t know what things cost, but because I felt uncomfortable putting a higher number in front of clients. I’d second guess it and bring it down to what I thought they could afford.

It cost me.

Jobs would run tight, margins would disappear, and it put pressure on the whole build. And the worst part is, it doesn’t actually help the client either. It just creates stress later when things don’t line up.

That was a turning point for me.

Now we price properly. Realistic quantities, the right materials, and everything accounted for upfront. It might not always be the cheapest number, but it’s honest.

Which means for you, no surprises halfway through the build and no corners being cut to try recover costs.

 

During those early years, I was also exposed to something that didn’t sit right with me.

I was often a bit of a fly on the wall on larger jobs. You’d see clients come in excited, sold the dream by a sales team. Everything looked great on paper. But once the contract was signed, they were handed over to a completely different team.

And that’s where things started to break down.

Information wouldn’t get passed on properly. Design details, selections, small but important things would get lost between office and site. From the client’s point of view, it made the guys on site look incompetent, even when they weren’t. They just didn’t have the full picture.

I saw that happen over and over again.

That’s when I realised something was missing in the way a lot of building companies operate. There was no real relationship. No continuity. The people actually building the home weren’t the same people the client trusted at the start.

That never sat well with me. And it’s a big part of why Primebuild operates the way it does today.

When you work with us, the relationship starts from day one and carries all the way through. There’s no disconnect. You know exactly who’s building your home, and I stay close to the project the entire time.

On a personal level, I genuinely enjoy the work itself. If you stripped away the business side of it, I’d still be doing this.

There’s something about building that I find therapeutic. Taking something from a concept and turning it into a physical result you can stand back and look at at the end of the day. That part never gets old.

I’m also pretty particular about how things are done. I wouldn’t say perfectionist lightly, but I don’t walk away from substandard work. If it’s not right, it gets fixed. Simple as that.

Over the years, I’ve backed that up with formal qualifications. I’m a Licensed Building Practitioner, hold a National Certificate in Carpentry, and a National Diploma in Land Surveying, and I’m a member of the Certified Builders Association.

One project that stands out is a large-scale renovation we completed on Island Bay Road on Auckland’s North Shore.

It was around a $1M project, and a full transformation of the home.

The clients came in with concerns around budget, especially with how volatile pricing was at the time. We worked through everything with them properly from the start, making sure the scope, materials, and allowances were realistic.

By the end of it, we delivered a home they were genuinely proud of, without the stress and surprises that often come with projects of that scale.

That’s the kind of result we aim for every time. Not just a good finish, but a process that feels under control from start to finish.

Outside of work, life’s pretty simple. I’ve got my wife Bianca and two young kids, Barrett and Summer. Most of our time is spent outdoors. Camping, riding bikes, getting to the beach, hunting and fishing when I can.

That balance matters. It keeps things grounded.

At the end of the day, I care about the work, I care about the process, and I care about the people I’m building for. That’s what Primebuild is built on.

 

“Building quality homes with pride”