Bushnell Builders was founded in Christchurch 40 years ago. Bushnells are a locally owned and operated family business with a proud track record in both commercial and residential construction work.
Owner and director Lance Austin has been at the helm for the past three years, following the retirement of company founder Matthew Bushnell. Lance has been with the company for 30 of its 40 years.
His son Brad, who joined the business in 2007, is an inspired project manager with qualifications in property and business management.
His brothers Camden and Corey work in the company and are studying, respectively, architecture and quantity surveying. Supporting one another as a team is a key part of the company culture, as is a commitment to building a better community and maintaining strong relationships with clients, consultants and subcontractors.
Bushnell’s projects in the community include the new Spencer Park Surf Life Saving clubhouse and Onuku Marae, while the company also sponsors a range of sports clubs and charities. Bushnell Builders has a stable and long-serving team of experienced and qualified tradespeople, with considerable capability.
The whole team is very experienced at running worksites and delivering high end commercial and architectural projects.
Clients enjoy a seamless service from initial design and project costing through to consents, compliance and completion.
The end result of this smooth design and build process is a project that will meet client requirements, built on time and to budget.
In the heart of Merivale, one of the company’s current projects is well underway. As well as having a superb location, the traditional new home design by Courtney Architects-Designers is proving a real stand out.
A construction project such as this requires a high level of care, craft and attention to detail and Bushnell Builders is proud to have been entrusted with the job.
“We have a great working relationship with Courtney Architects, having been involved with many projects together,” Brad says.
“This home has timber exterior windows and doors which have been oiled on the interior faces to emphasise the rimu and traditional look.
“It’s fantastic to be able to use traditional building techniques; we’re excited to be getting back to the old methods of installing this sort of joinery. While it is more labour intensive to install than aluminium joinery, for example, the timber finish look is timeless.”
The new two-storey home has a 250sqm footprint, including garaging, and is sited on an established 1200sqm section, which has site supervisor Scott Tree excited.
“There is a generous family area, plus kitchen and sitting room downstairs, with three bedrooms and two bathrooms including the master ensuite upstairs. Wanaka schist stone is being used for the chimney and will be used as the interior stone too,” Brad says.
Construction got underway last October and is on track to be completed in May. At the time of writing, the home’s roof had been installed and cladding was being completed.
Looking ahead, Bushnell Builders anticipates a positive year and welcomes enquiries from those thinking about building their dream home or commercial property in 2019.
This article was brought to you in association with the following businesses…
- Watertight Logistics Ltd
- Polar Energi
- Spencer Painters & Decorators
