Property & Construction | Buildtech Holdings
Helping tackle the damage Buildtech Holdings Limited is flat out repairing Christchurch homes, and is taking great care to be sensitive when dealing with stressed home owners. The company undertakes a wide range of construction work, including residential and commercial new builds and renovations, but has been heavily involved in earthquake repairs since its formation early last year. Buildtech Holdings (which employs 30 staff and up to 40 contractors) is split into three divisions – Buildtech Restorations, Buildtech Commercial and Buildtech Residential. Managing director Israel Cooper says the restorations division is primarily involved with repair work for the Earthquake Commission. “At this stage earthquake repairs makes up about 70-80 percent of what we’re doing. Over the last eight months we’ve worked closely with Fletchers EQR to put in place the necessary infrastructure so the company can grow,” Cooper says. “We’ve worked through the bugs and now we’re really ready to tackle that project. Earthquake work is going to keep us busy for the next four-five years.”
From left: health and safety manager Olga Zaytseva, accounts manager Judy van Dongen, managing director Israel Cooper, general manager Phil Cooper, administrator Marg Hooper, operations manager Martin Potts and administration assistant Rachel Harrison.
Communication is the key Buildtech Holdings works hard to ensure each earthquake repair job is handled sensitively, with good paths of communication with home owners. “We go into people’s homes but they haven’t chosen us, and they’re frazzled from the earthquakes,” says Cooper. “We find that as much as it’s a physical restoration of their home, it’s also a mental journey of going through the process. It’s very sensitive work and we’ve been mindful of that from day one.” Buildtech has employed liaison staff specifically to work with home owners and keep them informed of the repair process. “A lot of people just want to talk through things as they’ve never dealt with builders
before. The rules around earthquake repairs are complex. My father and I understand there’s a culture in the industry where builders are good at their jobs but not good at communicating. Our liaison staff act as a point of contact for home owners.”
Keeping workplaces safe Another big area of concern for Buildtech Holdings is to ensure all earthquake repair jobs are completed as safely as possible. “We have a fulltime health and safety officer. We’re all about prevention,” Cooper says. “It’s very different work to building a new home because you have the home owner inside the house while the work is being done. Safety is really important for us.”
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We have a fulltime health and safety officer. We’re all about prevention, it’s very different work to building a new home because you have the home owner inside the house while the work is being done. Safety is really important for us. - Israel Cooper
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