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Registered Master Builders House of the Year Awards - 2013
Glenn Diffey Builders l December 2013
Renovation experience leads to success Sue Russell Impeccable attention to detail, a high level of craftsmanship coupled with exemplary client communication has resulted in Hamiltonbased building company Glenn Diffey Builders receiving top honours in the Waikato region Registered Master Builders House of the Year Awards. The company won the supreme award in the renovation category for its stunning upgrade of a home near Hamilton’s western boundary. “The project took us two to three months and was characterised by a high level of communication between us and the owners,” says Glenn Diffey. “It really was their project and we spent a good deal of time talking about what they wanted.” His company does a lot of renovations and extensions and Diffey says it is the type of work he and his team of carpenters really enjoy. “When you’re dealing with existing spaces and the vision of owners who have lived in the home it throws up a whole lot of demands and expectations and requires a particular set of skills. “I spend a lot of time in the pricing phase and once the build is underway it’s important to maintain on-going dialogue with the client.” The company has been operating for more than 15 years, employs five carpenters and one apprentice, and is a team operation. Glenn’s wife Pauline is very much part of the business keeping the administration ticking over. “The guys are all exceptional in different ways, and are the company’s greatest asset. Will Johnston manages the jobs and has taken up a share in the business,” he says. Renovations and alterations have become a specialty for the company. Diffey says he realised a number of years ago that he liked doing them, for the challenges they present. “There’s a lot of problem-solving when you have a set space and a set funding limit to achieve the best outcome for the client. “Matching new materials to existing forms without losing integrity is often a challenge in itself. We enjoy that challenge and our attitude is very much to involve the team in problem solving.” Diffey’s father Max was a big influence when the company first formed. He taught him how important it was to approach pricing in a very methodical way, a practice he has maintained through all the years. “Labour can be tricky to price. We backcost once the job is finished, to ensure the
Glenn Diffey Builders won the supreme award in the renovation category for this stunning upgrade. pricing is as accurate as possible in the future,” he says. Underpinning Diffey’s business and working philosophy is a strong Christian faith. He says that faith has provided him with the foundation for his approach to engaging with his staff and with clients. “I decided to write a business philosophy. We haven’t gone at our work with the primary goal to make profit, instead our main goal has been to try to honour God and to conduct ourselves accordingly. It was a good thing to write this vision down. It sits there quietly guiding my decisions,” Diffey explains. Nowadays he says he is more inclined to take heed of his gut instinct, something he has learnt to trust in as the business has matured. He is also the first one to recognise the great team he has working with him.
Glenn Diffey Builders Ltd 07 847-2529 www.glendiffeybuilders.co.nz
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