The hands-on builder
With Lavish Constructions’ online portal, clients have up-to-date access to their project
Tom Haydock has been in the construction industry for about 13 years, the last six of which he’s been at the helm of Lavish Constructions.
If one thing is clear upon meeting Tom, it’s that he’s in this business for the love of creating. “I’ve always enjoyed searching for different methods and products and compiling them into a project our clients can call a home, but seeing how happy that makes them, is by far the best part,” he said. He started with a carpentry apprenticeship in high school and followed his dream all the way to where he is today,with the 2018 Master Builder Individual Home ($351,000 - $450,000) award in the bag for the display home at 1 Sienna Drive, Glenvale. He won the 2017 Commercial Contractor of the Year award for the commercial fit-outs he’d done, but said he decided to focus more on residential custom builds this year and in future. “The things I like doing most, are custom new builds, and working from the design stage through to completion. I’d much rather be building something that’s a little more customised for each client.” For Tom, winning another award makes it all worth it and motivates him to keep doing what he loves, and to try even harder to build homes his clients will be happy with.
He goes to great lengths to ensure his clients know what’s going on. “Over the last 12 to 18 months, I’ve introduced an online system. My clients have an online portal to their project, where they can log in and see everything including their financials, documents, selections, and up-to-date photos of the job.” This gives the client total transparency and complete control over the project. Tom’s contractors and employees can also access this system, to see the schedule for the project and to know when they’re required to be on site, ensuring things run smoothly and giving the client peace of mind.
Tom says what sets him apart, is trust. There are many horror stories out there of clients who’ve had bad experiences with their builders, but Tom says he builds a relationship of trust with his clients. “Most builders talk about trust, but only a few deliver in terms of organisation and tranparency. I’m the owner, the director and the builder. I’m the guy whose licence is on the line every day. I want everything to be perfect, not only because I’m passionate about what I do, but also beacuse I’m totally invested in every client,” he said. Tom is on site on every job he has going every day, to make sure the project is running smoothly.
When thinking of engaging a builder, said Tom, give them a call and get to know your builder on a personal level. “If you trust the builder from the start, working together from start to finish, you walk out as friends, not just builder and client.”