Catch Up with Long Time DRH Director Martin Wiltshire

Knowing and trusting your home builder is key, as they're helping you make some of the biggest decisions you'll make. We caught up with David Reid Homes North Shore-Rodney director Martin Wiltshire for some insight into why he loves what he does, and what his franchise can offer clients.

You’ve been the owner operator of David Reid Homes North Shore-Rodney since 2003. What is it about the industry, and David Reid Homes that you love?

It’s the challenge of producing a great product, and making sure at the end of the day that you produce a good house, and our clients are happy. That’s probably the biggest reward.

Has much changed in the time you’ve been with David Reid Homes in terms of the building industry and building trends, or have clients’ needs and requests largely remained the same?

In terms of visual changes, the biggest change has been that we haven’t got anyone requesting plaster houses anymore, when we started we were working with plaster a lot. Now we don’t really get anyone requesting a plaster house; so from a cladding perspective, that has changed.

Industry wise, there are a lot more players out there now, but it seems to be a lot more dominated by group housing companies, rather than solo builders these days. And in terms of clients, in the last two to three years there’s been a shift with clients in that they’re prepared to pay a bit more money to get a bit higher level of house. It’s either the stage they are at, or just that they want to know they are going to get a house which is going to stand up to the test of time, we do get a fair bit of that.

David Reid Homes North Shore has a core team of 6, and a lot of the sub-trades we use we have worked with for many years.

How do you adapt to make sure you remain on trend?

I guess it’s continuing to develop your systems. I think that training is a decent part of it, and it’s about changing with the market. We’re constantly developing systems and reviewing them. Project management, and costing is largely computer based now, so it’s about changing with the times, and a lot of our customer contact comes from email or through our project management tool, Buildertrend. People are more used to working online now so that’s been a really good development.

In terms of design, that’s largely down to our designers, so we’re constantly working with them to ensure the right products and details are being used to ensure the best outcome for our customers.

What is it that DRH North Shore-Rodney excels at, or makes you stand out above other building companies in your area? What makes you unique?

Our thing that we always hear from people is that we build a good quality house; that does set us apart I think. It’s something that seems to be synonymous with the brand, that goes with building good houses. We pride ourselves on that fact we take pride in the actual designs, and we’re involved from an early stage to make sure the clients are getting the biggest bang for their buck. Our input plays a big part in the end product.

Is there a type of build you would say you’re experts at, i.e, sustainable or hill builds, or a particular material you like to work with on your home builds?

We do a few things; we specialise in rural builds, homes which require tanks, septic systems, and significant earthworks. We commonly work with less stable ground, and specialise in the more difficult sites as well as the not so difficult sites.

What do you love about working with your clients, and what can you offer them for their build process and creating their dream home?

We just like to make the experience as enjoyable as possible for our clients, and hassle free. The main thing is that we get the product that they want and that they are happy with in the end.

Martin and the David Reid Homes North Shore team can be contacted on 09 414 1146, or you can find them at Unit C1, 17 Corinthian Drive, Albany.