Building Industry News

Four awards for Rustic Touch at HIA regional awards

Three Central Coast companies have won awards at the 2009 HIA-CSR Hunter Housing Awards. Central Coast builder, Rustic Touch took out four awards in the categories ‘Energy Efficiency Project of the Year’, ‘Renovations & Additions Project of the Year – under $200,000’, ‘Renovations & Additions Project of the Year – over $400,000’, ‘Custom Built Home of the Year under $500,000’.

In respect to their entry the judges said, “The builder has designed and constructed an energy efficient home with attention to detail in all areas with the use of a variety of materials and colours. The client’s brief has been achieved to the standard and beyond for their needs.”

It was the best year for the Glenning Valley based builder at the Awards, although having won the Custom Built Home of the Year in 2007 with their $1.7 million Yarramalong project, they went on to also win the National HIA Awards in 2008. Rustic Touch proprietors Antony and Debra Turner said, “It was exciting winning in five categories. We are now looking forward to the National Awards.”

Two other Central Coast companies were also successful at the HIA-CSR Awards. They were Kincumber builder, David Reid Homes Central Coast, and Gosford rain water harvesting specialists, Vision Water Pty Ltd.

David Reid Homes Central Coast won in the ‘Display Home of the Year – over $300,000’ category. In presenting this award the judges said, “This multi level home is suited to a split level block, and offers an open plan entertaining and living area designed to capture maximum amount of light and cross flow ventilation. Overall a home well suited for family entertainment.”

Vision Water received the ‘Water Efficiency Project of the Year’ award for the rainwater harvesting installation for a new home at Boat Harbour, north of Newcastle. Vision Water specialises in rainwater harvesting, sustainable building design and construction.

Vision Water invented and patented the WaterCell® technology system. The WaterCell® system for the Boat Harbour house has a storage capacity of 80 kL and will harvest over 500 kL of rainwater per year, which is 100% of the water used on the property. The water is used for all household purposes, providing a major lifestyle enhancement for the home’s occupants, never being concerned about excess water use or water restrictions. Out of sight, below the floor of the building, the WaterCell® remains accessible for service and maintenance.

Vision Water’s WaterCell® technology system is typically specified by architects but it is a practical solution for all developers, builders or individuals to incorporate the design into virtually any new construction project and make it sustainable for water without use restrictions. Geoff Ball, Chief Executive Officer of Vision Water accepted the award on behalf of the company.

Amarcon gears up for building upswing

North Wyong building systems company, Amarcon Group, is gearing up to take advantage of the upswing that will occur in the building industry over the next year or so by providing a total concept to completion service that will save their customers time and money.

In July this year, Amarcon relocated their Steel Fabrication Division from Charmhaven to a new purpose-built factory at their North Wyong production facility. The move followed the purchase last year of Jeskah Steel Fabrications which had been Amarcon’s steel fabrication supplier since opening in March 2003.

“When we first set up we specialised solely in the manufacture of custom made precast panels and outsourced other services and supplies,” said Managing Director, Clive North. “It worked well but we could see that we needed to vertically integrate the process if we were to offer our customers an efficient and competitive service. The strategy in buying Jeskah was to bring their operation in alongside ours and consolidate all our operations on one site so that we are all working together. It creates efficiencies that are essential to making us highly competitive organisation.”

Jeskah Steel Fabrications was owned by John Spath and had been operating at Charmhaven for over 20 years. It had a long reputation for quality work and a strong customer base. Mr Spath and his employees have moved across and joined Amarcon.

“Right now we have highly productive and efficient steel fabrication operation and we have added to that with a further investment of around $3 million in the latest state-of-the-art grit blasting and painting plant which we have just commissioned,” said Mr North. This large capacity facility with undercover loading and unloading has been built to the highest safety and quality standards. It is fully ventilated and filtered to provide a dust and fume free environment.

Amarcon also employs skilled design staff who can take a project from the conceptual or architectural drawing stage and turn it into shop drawings with 3D modelling and an in-house estimating service.

“All together, taking each Amarcon Division – custom made precast panels, steel fabrication, blasting and painting, design and 3D modelling services, we now have the capacity to co-ordinate a building project from concept right through to completion. It also helps with compliance issues which are a major aspect in construction these days and of even greater importance is our ability to control the quality process across all the elements,” said Mr North.

The precast panel plant has been operating at near full capacity for the past six years with work throughout country NSW and the Central Coast and has already been expanded to handle extra capacity. “It puts us in a strong competitive position to take advantage of the upturn in the building industry that will occur in the next year or so. We are now a much more efficient organisation and the downturn in the market has given us the opportunity to restructure our business and make us more efficient,” Mr North said.

An interesting aspect of Amarcon’s operations is that they have never had to promote their business, according to Mr North. “The work just comes to us and it has kept us going. We are well known and respected in the industry,” he said. “However, looking to the future and with increased capacity, Amarcon is now looking to take on more work.”

In a move to promote the Amarcon name more widely they will soon appoint a marketing representative and in a first step will hold an Open Day in late November. Their new website is evidence of a change in the way Amarcon now does business.

Amarcon’s operations at Lucca Road, North Wyong now have a total of 6,000sqm undercover. They are presently working on twenty projects in various stages and employ forty-two staff.

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