The Post Lockdown Post!

It’s been a while since we’ve written a blog and it’s astonishing to think what has happened in the world since then.

We spent the duration of lockdown working through what the different alert levels meant for the way we operate going forward. We also had plenty of Zoom catch-ups with our team to stay in touch and, we spent good quality time with our loved ones in our bubbles - everyone’s gardens have never looked better!

We anticipated that people wouldn’t want to spend their money for fear of a looming recession but it seems almost the opposite is occurring. It’s heartwarming to see all the New Zealanders supporting local businesses, travelling domestically and spending money in general to keep the economy moving.

Locally there’s been a continued demand for people wanting new homes built, or having home improvements made. Maybe it’s knowing that overseas holiday fund won’t be used for a while, or maybe it was the time spent at home over lockdown that has inspired the improvements. Either way we are proud of the way this country has continued to move forward.

Great work New Zealand!

Off to a roaring start in 2020

Following a well deserved break over the holiday season we have hit the ground running.

With 3 projects carrying over to 2020 and 2 new projects starting we have had all hands on deck to keep things moving along smoothly. We are in the process of finalising the pricing on a beautiful new home in Langs Beach and have several other projects lined up for pricing over the coming weeks and months.

Smith Construction now have 3 staff in the office working alongside Nick and 14 builders crafting magnificent homes.

We are proud of our team and what we achieve and we are feeling excited about what 2020 has in store for us!

Holiday season is upon us!

December! It’s that time of year again - it’s the big push to get projects completed prior to the Christmas break before we, like many contractors, close down until late January.

It’s a big month for us with some savvy scheduling taking place. It’s a time where we draw on our solid working relationships with our subcontractors and suppliers to deliver results. We’ve been busy adding the finishing touches to some beautiful homes ready for our clients to enjoy over the holiday period with their loved ones.

Our end of year celebration is booked in with some very tasty catering by the local Mexican foodtruck, Gringas. It’s always nice when our Smith Construction team - subbies and families included - come together and share good food and a few laughs. It’s a great way to wind down into the well deserved break.

We are proud to be supporting local with our staff and client gifts this year. The goodies featuring in our client gift bags this year include honey from Mangawhai Honey, chocolates from Bennett’s of Mangawhai, rose from Heron’s Flight vineyard in Matakana with the bags themselves being reusable cotton totes from Threadbox. Our hard working Smith Construction team will be receiving hams from Mangawhai Meat Shop amongst other goodies to share with their families.

We’ll be back into the swing of things on the third week of January where we have several projects to continue on with and some new projects kicking off.

A safe and happy holiday break to you all!

Building An Energy Efficient Home

With the rising cost of energy bills and the environmental impact of heating and cooling a home it is no surprise that more people are considering passive house principles when building their home.

Passive house principles allow for a comfortable, energy efficient eco-friendly home. A house that is cool in summer and warm in winter that saves you money over the long term. Who doesn’t want that?

We have listed some key features to consider when designing an energy efficient home.

High performance windows and doors - When choosing windows and doors with energy efficiency in mind look for double glazing, a low-e film coating and thermally broken frames.

A good level of insulation - An insulated concrete slab will create a thermal mass to absorb the daytime heat and radiate it out when the temperature drops in the afternoon and evening. Other examples of thermal masses are filled concrete block, stone or masonry walls or floors. It is also important to ensure a good level of insulation is achieved in the walls and ceilings of the building.

An air tight building - In a temperate climate such as Northland it is not as crucial to achieve absolute air-tightness. The use of RAB board (which stands for rigid air barrier) helps to reduce air movement under the exterior cladding. Special attention is given to the workmanship of joins and corners and any penetrations to the building envelope to achieve air-tightness.

Ventilation - Mechanical is best as the house can breathe year round. This is especially important in a holiday destination like Mangawhai when homes are not occupied 365 days of the year. These systems can be as simple or as smart as you require from a simple ducted fan system to a mechanical heat recovery system.

Building orientation - The best aspect is a North facing one with adequate sized eaves to control the amount of sun coming in year round. Attention should be given to the positioning of windows and doors - ideally the majority would be on the north facing side of the building with minimal, if any, on the southern side.

If you are planning a build and would like to know more there are some great resources available in print and online - or call us for a chat.

For more reading check out https://www.energywise.govt.nz/at-home/building/

The Smith Construction Build Process

We love meeting with new clients at the concept stage of a project. Being involved from the start means we can play a part in the design process - using our extensive knowledge and experience to advise the client on practical, budget-suited solutions. Working alongside the architect or designer we are able to ensure that expectations regarding timeline and budget are met and that the client’s vision is realised.

Whether we are awarded a project through a successful tender process or by a referral, getting to know our clients thoroughly is most important to us. Open, honest and regular communication throughout the project means we are all on the same page. A dedicated Site Supervisor is assigned to each project and they manage the day to day running of the site, with each project personally overseen by Nick.

We employ a select group of experienced, trusted and, where possible, local subcontractors to carry out the specialist sections of a project. It’s through these solid working relationships that we are able to deliver a consistent level of quality within the expected time frame.

It’s these long lasting relationships that form an integral part of our build process. Being based in a tight-knit community like Mangawhai we keep in touch with our client’s long after the project is complete and we really enjoy the sense of belonging that brings us.

Reducing Construction Waste

Reducing waste is a hot topic here at Smith Construction. The ban of single use plastic bags in New Zealand and the state of plastic pollution in our oceans and waterways has certainly started the conversation internationally, and is a step in the right direction.

This has got us thinking harder and looking closer at our building practices and ways we can reduce our environmental impact.

BRANZ states that “Waste is generated on building sites during each phase of the building life cycle. Evidence suggests that construction and demolition waste may represent up to 50% of all waste to landfills in New Zealand”. They are startling figures.

Recently we held a meeting with our Site Supervisors to brainstorm some positive changes we can make as a company. As a result we are reviewing our onsite recycling practices and we are also researching the use of reusable canvas covers for our timber packs to stay dry on their journey from the supplier to our job site - this in itself will eliminate a large amount of plastic waste generated on each job site.

One day we would like to be the most environmentally conscious builder in Mangawhai. For now we are making small changes, one step at a time.

For anyone interested BRANZ has some excellent resources on their REBRI site: https://www.branz.co.nz/REBRI