Working with new home builders from day one to hand over, Gary Sisson and Helen Bond of Havelock North’s Garhel Homes offer personalised, not standardised design and build services.
Garhel Homes is a successful building business built on the foundation of listening to clients’ needs and actively encouraging their involvement in every aspect of building their home.
Gary is a Licensed Building Practitioner in both designing and building, and he designs each home to suit its site and his clients’ individual requirements. He then project manages and even helps out on site at certain stages of the build.
Helen offers her talent and passion for interior design on every project, making colour and interior choices much easier for every client. Between the husband and wife team, they handle the whole project.
Gary’s designs are specific to the site they are for and always offer a point of difference. The materials used in the design and the quality of the workmanship all contribute to successful projects.
“We use the same subcontractors on every job,” Gary says. “Everyone knows the exact standard they have to be working to, and they have been working with us for many years.”
Garhel Homes uses two small teams of local LBPs which the company employs full time to construct about eight homes a year.
Gary says the current local market could offer Garhel Homes about twice as many builds per year, but he and Helen prefer to stay at this level where he can retain the project manager role and keep control of each entire project.
“Because we are not a large home building company, we truly have the time to spend one on one with our clients from the onset to the completion of their build, often building lasting relationships,” Gary says.
“We do a lot of repeat builds for our clients,” adds Helen. “In one situation we are on to our third build for the same client.”
Garhel Homes’ Gary Sisson designs homes that are site-specific and offer a point of difference.
Gary says with a solid local spec market, Garhel Homes has recently moved back towards a 50/50 split of spec building and building for clients.
When Garhel Homes has a client to build for, they will either approach the company with their section already purchased, otherwise Garhel Homes will work with them to secure an appropriate section, or offer a house and land package.
In the past three years, Garhel Homes has started to expand outside of urban Havelock North in its search for sections, with a lack of land in the Hawke’s Bay and particularly in Havelock North itself.
The company currently has four sections at the new Meissner subdivision, with one home under design, and will purchase more sections in the latest stages of Northwood, Mahora in Hastings.
For high end clients, Gary and Helen have recently secured a section at Ensleigh Farm Park in Havelock North, a lifestyle development close to the village with incredible views. When completed it will have walking tracks, tennis court, and an already established orchard.
This article was brought to you in association with the following businesses…
- Stratco
- Hawkes Bay Doors
- Hastings Aluminium Co
- Edward Gibbon
- Mark Turfrey Plumbing
- Construct-It HB Ltd
- Garhel Homes
