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SIGNATURE HOMES Canterbury Spring 2013

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Signature Homes Canterbury

The Signature Canterbury difference

By Jo Bailey Building a new home should be a fun experience, and as stress-free as possible, says Rhys Gould, who with his brother Mike, owns Signature Homes Canterbury.

“With the right people working alongside you, the building process should be an enjoyable and rewarding experience. That’s where we come into the picture.”

The Goulds took on the Signature Homes Canterbury franchise in 2011 which was first established around 20 years ago.

“We both had a lot of experience in different areas of the construction sector and are passionate about building.

“We felt it was time to combine our skills and do our bit to help rebuild the city.”

Rhys says Signature Homes Canterbury is a family-orientated business, with values similar to those instilled in the brothers during their childhood in Dunedin.

“We are honest, up-front, and do what we say we’re going to do.

“We make sure all the basics are done well and encourage our staff to do the same right through the business.

“We’re here for the long haul and want our client’s experience when building with us to be so good they will return for their next home.”

Quality is a “big deal” for the Goulds, who say the feel, quality and finish of every home has to meet their own exacting standards.

Either Rhys or Mike personally inspect every home they build, and work hard to ensure their clients are “happy and comfortable,” says Rhys.

Mike Gould is directly involved with pricing the new homes and overseeing the company’s earthquake repair projects, with Rhys overseeing the company’s friendly sales team, headed by sales manager Kathie Gillespie.

“Kathie is an integral part of the team with more than 15 years experience in the building industry.”

Throughout the building process and longer term, Signature Homes’ clients also enjoy the

Signature Homes Canterbury owners Rhys, left, and Mike Gould - taking the stress out of building benefits and security of the company’s range of independently bonded guarantees.

These include a Fixed Price Guarantee (before work commences); a No Hidden Extras Guarantee; a Guaranteed Completion Date; Structural, Maintenance and Weather-tightness Guarantees; a Satisfaction Guarantee; and a Home Completion Guarantee, which provides 100 percent protection on any payments made by clients during construction of their home.

“We stand by our clients right throughout the process; guarantee the price and what they will get in their home; and stand by it for years afterwards.”

“We stand by our clients right throughout the process; guarantee the price and what they will get in their home; and stand by it for years afterwards. This takes the stress and risk out of the process, and makes building with Signature Homes Canterbury a hassle-free and enjoyable experience.”

He says the company is in a controlled growth phase at the moment after taking on experienced people in key areas such as project management, operations, design and estimating in the last few months.

“We are excited about what lies ahead over the two or three years as projects move through the insurance and council process into delivery phase, allowing us to help even more Cantabrians to rebuild their homes, and their lives.”

Signature Homes - Canterbury Office: 03 342-7788, 0800 8444 88 Rhys Gould: 0272 944-000 RhysGould@signature.co.nz www.signaturehomes.co.nz

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Signature Homes Canterbury

Homes to showcase the Pacific collection

By Jo Bailey Signature Homes Canterbury will open three new showhomes within the next six months, says director, Rhys Gould.

“The new showhomes are being constructed in the Silverstream, Wigram Skies and Prestons developments.

“They will showcase a cross-section of the design, top quality and great value of the homes in our Pacific Collection, featuring our latest interior colour schemes.”

The Pacific Collection offers a comprehensive suite of affordable pre-designed plans that provide practical, modern design and exceptional value for money, says Rhys.

“These collections are particularly suited to clients wanting the quality of a Signature Home on a more modest budget.

“Our pre-designed plans are pre-priced which gives people certainly early on in the process about how much their new home will cost.”

Rhys says the new 174sqm show home at Silverstream will open in December, followed

An artist’s impression of the new Signature Homes showhome being built at Silverstream in Kaiapoi. by a 199sqm home in Wigram Skies around early February; and a 200sqm show home at Prestons in March 2014.

“These new homes have been designed to meet the growing trend towards higher density living and show what can be achieved on more compact sections through clever design and placement.”

He says that Signature Homes has targeted these three developments as they will be a major focus of the company over the next few years.

“The Wigram Skies and Silverstream developments are well underway and we

expect titles to be released for the first of the 2300 sections at Prestons in December, making it the largest development in the city.”

The Signature Homes team is spending “quite a bit of time” getting to know these developments intimately so they can understand the layout of the sections and which of their plans best suits each section.

“If people say, ‘we’ve bought Lot 89’, we will already know which of our plans and designs are most suitable.

“Although this is quite a task for us, it saves a lot of time for the client.”

Rhys says some people prefer to buy their

section, then look for a design to suit, while others fall in love with a house plan and find the appropriate section.

“We’re happy to advise people either way and walk through the different scenarios with them.”

Signature Homes Canterbury will also offer house and land packages in these developments alongside the showhomes, and can also provide a design and build service with options right up to a two storey architectural home.

“Our plan is to continue to grow the business to ensure we cater for the widest possible range of clients, whatever their new home needs.”

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Signature Homes Canterbury

Celebrating 30 years of Signature style

By Jo Bailey Signature Homes this year celebrated 30 years in business - a significant milestone for one of New Zealand’s longest serving home building companies.

During that time the group has helped literally thousands of Kiwi families into new homes. It has also built a reputation for delivering homes of excellent quality and providing exceptional customer service.

The company was founded in 1983 under the ownership of Fletcher Challenge, with the current owners of Signature Homes Ltd, Gavin and Anneta Hunt, also involved with the brand at its launch.

Back then the company built only solid wood homes, with its entry into the market to compete with Lockwood Homes, one of the most successful building companies of the era.

In 1987, Signature Homes introduced conventional timber-framed homes in addition to its solid wood homes in response to changing home design trends and the worsening economic conditions at the time.

By the early 1990s, Signature Homes had diversified again, entering the Design & Build market for the first time and dropping the solid wood homes from its portfolio all together.

It launched a number of new home collections that were well received by the market.

Signature Homes became privately owned for the first time in 1995 and also started building homes, commercial buildings and resorts around the Asia-Pacific region.

Projects included The Sheraton Bora Bora Resort, The Cocoa Beach Island Resort and The Shanghai Golf Club.

With its export business flourishing, Signature was named the New Exporter of the Year in 1998 and 1999.

The new millennium saw Signature Homes set its sights on being New Zealand’s premier branded home design and building group.

It introduced a franchise system to support its network of builders around the country and joined the Franchise Association of New Zealand, winning its Business Leadership Award in 2002.

In the same year the Ministry of Education appointed Signature Homes its preferred builder of early childhood centres in New Zealand.

Signature Homes commercial projects have included tourist developments such as The Sheraton Bora Bora Resort in Fiji.

Signature has since built more than 100 centres, covering the length of the country and this work continues today through its Early Childhood Centre Design & Build Service.

In 2003 Signature was appointed the Health Foundation’s builder of lottery homes and in 2004 was included in the DeLoitte’s Fast50, measuring the 50 fastest growing companies in New Zealand.

The company was an early adopter of ‘cloud’ based business management tools, introducing The Signature Way package in 2005 which provides 24/7 access to its entire franchise network. The software continues to be enhanced and developed today.

By 2008 Signature had launched the first independently bonded building guarantee programme to provide even greater assurance to clients, guaranteeing the completion of their

home as set out in the building agreement. It also covered many other aspects of the home’s construction including weather-tightness, structural and non-structural defects, making it the most comprehensive guarantee programme available in New Zealand.

In 2009 Signature Homes built an impressive $100 million dollars worth of homes and buildings.

The following year it built New Zealand’s first 5-Star Eco-rated Kura Kaupapa for 80 students in Northland.

The company released its first magazine, Signature Style in 2010 with a second issue following in 2012.

The glossy, full colour publication showcases the latest in home design including comprehensive features on some of the most popular homes in its Pacific Collection.

It also covers a wide range of building materials, offers interior design tips and provides lots of helpful advice to ease customers through the building process.

Within the next month, Signature Homes plans to launch a new, refreshed website after considering the results of focused group market research using a specialist research company to find out what potential clients were looking for in a building company website.

The company’s ability to diversity into new markets, introduce new technologies and continue to provide a top quality product and service during three decades in business has helped to cement its position as a leading group home builder in New Zealand – which is something definitely worth celebrating.

Signature Homes marked the special 30 year milestone with a function earlier in the year.

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Signature Homes Canterbury

Signature’s four-steps to happiness Signature Homes has taken all the stress out of designing the floorplan and exterior of a new home with its simple, four-step plan.

Step 1 – Choose your Floorplan It is important not to worry too much about the exterior look of the home at this stage of the process.

The key is to choose a floorplan that suits both the size of the section and the client’s budget. The design team at Signature Homes will then work with the client to customise the floorplan to suit their tastes and individual requirements.

Emma Aitken and Matt Marr - absolutely rapt with their new Signature Home at Preston Downs.

More happy Signature customers

By Jo Bailey When Emma Aitken and Matt Marr’s house in Bexley was devastated by the earthquakes, they didn’t waste time looking for a new alternative, says Matt.

“We put a section in the Preston Downs subdivision in West Melton on hold and started looking around for a building company before our house in Bexley was even red-zoned.

“When it did finally go red we were ahead of the game, and were actually one of the first customers to build with Signature Homes Canterbury under its new ownership.”

Matt says the couple felt “very comfortable” dealing with sales manager Kathie Gillespie at the franchise.

“Kathie was great to deal with as she was so accommodating and really listened to our needs.”

The couple looked through Signature’s Pacific Collections with Kathie and was keen to adapt one of its existing plans for their particular section.

“We looked at three or four concepts before deciding on the right one for us.

“It was great to be able to put our own stamp on the design and position the home to take full advantage of the sun.”

The couple’s four-bedroom, double brick clad home features a kitchen with large separate scullery and spacious open-plan living areas.

The living areas have bi-fold doors that make it a “brilliant social house”, says Matt.

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“We had a party recently and opened the house right up, including the doors out to the patio.

“It worked really well.”

Matt and Emma are big fans of their Smartstrand carpet throughout the home, which has also impressed their visitors, he says.

To celebrate one year in their new Signature Home, the couple invited key members of the Signature team for morning tea.

“Signature was great to deal with throughout the build,” says Matt.

“They treated us with respect and were open and honest throughout the building process.

“Our home is everything we wanted. We wouldn’t change a thing if we built again – it’s perfect for us.”

Step 2 – Choose your Roof Shape Clients may wish to choose a combination of roof shapes, for example a gable and hip roof combination adds interest while keeping the cost to build the house down. A monopitch roof with one angle is another popular option.

Step 3 – Choose your Roof Cladding There are a number of options to choose from with the most common being long run metal corrugated; long run metal wide profile; metal tile, concrete tile; shingle; and clay tile.

Step 4 – Choose your Exterior Wall Cladding The choice of wall cladding goes a long way to determining the look and style of the home. Some clients choose a combination of claddings such as brick/weatherboard; plaster/ weatherboard and plastered brick.

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Signature Homes Canterbury

New homes a ‘more affordable proposition’

By Jo Bailey The shortage of existing homes in Canterbury and skyrocketing house prices has made constructing a new home an even more affordable proposition for many people, says Rhys Gould director of Signature Homes Canterbury.

“Although we’ve seen a lift in the cost of building materials, we can leverage of the nationwide buying power afforded to Signature franchises, allowing us to provide a cost-effective alternative to buying an existing home.”

The increasing number of sections being made available to the market is also a plus for people considering a new build, he says.

“The Silverstream subdivision in Kaiapoi is well underway, Wigram Skies continues to be developed and the massive Prestons subdivision is opening soon.

“All of these provide attractive options for buyers.”

Rhys says the insurance market is finally moving, which is helping to spur activity along.

“It is exciting to see projects going through council and reaching the delivery phase, particularly for those people who’ve come out of the red zone and have had to wait almost three years to get to this stage.”

Signature Homes Canterbury is currently working on a number of new home projects from conception through to various stages of construction.

Building a new home is becoming a more realistic option for many people.

“We are also exploring the potential to provide more house and land packages in some of the other popular subdivisions,” says Rhys. “Some people don’t want to go through the process of designing and building their home so this is a great option.

“We like to make the process as easy as we can for our clients.”

“We are also exploring the potential to provide more house and land packages in some of the other popular subdivisions.”

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Signature Homes Canterbury

Signature - helping to rebuild Canterbury Signature Homes Canterbury continues to be one of the few group home building companies in the region to be involved in large-scale earthquake repair works, says director Mike Gould who oversees this division of the business.

“We have two dedicated teams of professionals who handle our quake-repair works. They assess and gain necessary rebuild approvals, then progress and manage the building works.”

The company recently took on a new contracts manager, Glen McConnell, who is charged with scoping and procuring the earthquake repair work, and dealing with insurance companies.

“Glen came to us from Lumley Insurance for whom we do a lot of repair projects. He has a great understanding of the insurance sector which is a huge benefit to our clients.”

Mike says he is well supported in this division by Kathryn Mitchell, who deals directly with the home owners and prepares and coordinates all the documentation. She also assists with gaining building consents and preparing for works to begin on site.

“It’s really satisfying to assist people’s return to a healthier warmer home, and in some cases combine repairs and renovations with remodelling work to give a modern update.”

Signature Homes’ earthquake repair division is run separately from its new home building operation, but is under the Signature umbrella.

It has already completed numerous major repairs over $100,000 and has built relationships with all the major insurance companies.

On-site health and safety is a major focus for Signature Homes Canterbury, given the more complex and sometimes dangerous nature of

Glen McConnell, and Kathryn Mitchell who manage Signature’s earthquake repair division alongside director Mike Gould. deconstruction, rebuild and repair projects, says Mike.

“All of our staff and any sub-contractors we use are Site Safe qualified. The whole landscape for health and safety has changed and it has become a more costly process. However we welcome the changes and take the safety of our people and clients very seriously.”

Although repair and rebuild work is not

what Signature Homes is traditionally known for, Mike says it has enabled the company to expand and develop its skills and expertise.

“It has also given us a different perspective of dealing with clients and the issues they face which makes us a better all-round builder.”

Longer term, he expects some of the company’s repair work to flow into more new home projects.

Knock Down and Rebuild Signature Homes’ Knock Down + Rebuild service can make the process of removing or demolishing an existing house and rebuilding a new one on the site a far less daunting prospect for home-owners.

“This service is a good option for people who have a great section but an old home that has passed its use-bydate,” says Rhys Gould.

“They could knock down the old one and build the house of their dreams, or even build two, rent one and live in the other, or sell one or both. ‘The possibilities are endless” He says that the Signature team works closely with clients to outline what is involved in the process including the

permits required and the costs that will be involved.

“They then manage the project for clients and guide them every step of the way.

“This service is well suited to earthquake-damaged homes and is ideal for people who love their current location, but whose older home no longer meets their needs.”

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“The company has grown from scratch on the back of this insurance work, which has enabled us to take on staff and establish relationships with suppliers and sub-contractors.

“We look forward to continuing the relationships we have developed with clients on the repair side of the business so they will hopefully choose us when they build their next new home.”

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