Reaching new heights in building quality
Simon and Rachel Banks operate High Country Homes Ltd – a design and build company located in Loburn, North Canterbury.
You might often see them supporting local suppliers in Rangiora, but you will more likely see them early in the morning heading for the hills or rural areas on their way to work.
Recently High Country Homes won Canterbury House of the Year 2015, in not one but two price categories! This was a major accomplishment for the team and irrefutable evidence of them being able to produce good design and consistent quality.
Although the company specialises in high country work, owner Simon notes that a lot of their work is in the towns and on the plains of Canterbury, so Rangiora and North Canterbury people should see them as a good option for local projects.
A lot of builders aspire to work only for "top end" clients but Simon points out that they have always enjoyed working for a cross section of different people in the community, and aren’t prejudiced in that regard. In fact, successful smaller projects are somewhat more rewarding because you’ve had to use your brain rather than cash and in turn that keeps you sensible when larger budgets come along.
High Country Homes staff are located all over the place, including Ellesmere, Leithfield, Kaiapoi, Rangiora, Oxford, Hoon Hay and Christchurch, so the company can tackle projects north and south of the city.
Part of Simon’s experience is with design. For many years he has been actively involved with pre-build design, engineering and quantity surveying. He uses a history in art and back country adventure to influence a style of building that is appropriate for the surroundings and sympathetic to the South Island environment.
Simon’s specialty is being able to arrive at an attractive roofline and practical layouts quickly without generating huge design expense. This is called concept design and can save much heartache early in the design process.
A lot of people don’t realise that with the House of the Year competition a great proportion of the marks come from the design side of the home. A category winner is generally scoring in the mid-nineties for both design and workmanship. So if you have a good design from seasoned professionals, you will also save money and unnecessary expense. That’s where it’s important to trust a good main contractor.
It’s necessary to understand the full role of a main contractor, Simon says. Today a main contractor is a wise first point of call. For example, a good main contractor will know the right type of architect or designer to suggest a particular style or budget. He will know the right sort of engineer and also what the capabilities are of local tradesmen and products. The older the main contractor the more experience and contacts he will have. He will probably smile and tell you "no" on occasions too, rather than trying to do something you can’t afford on Pinterest!
High Country Homes staff are all wellmannered, nice guys with excellent skills and attention to detail. Their skill level is very high and they really get into their respective projects.
Rachel Banks is the back bone of the company. Everybody knows when dealing with Rachel that they will have good communication and an accurate invoice. In turn when the contractors complete the work they get paid at the proper time. So if you are considering building in Rangiora, Kaiapoi, Ohoka, Oxford, Pegasus or Amberley consider giving High Country Homes a call.