Businessman Today

Building, it's all around us. We see it right before our eyes; we see it in cities, small towns, in magazines and on every other reality show on television. In recent years we have seen the "leaky homes" debacle, "cowboy" tradesmen and bankrupt developers leaving clients high and not so dry. What happened to the "good guys"? The builders who have been doing it right. Builders who exceed client expectations from the very start. Yes, they are all around us too and Rod Percival and his company Rod Percival Builders Limited is at the forefront of excellent building, service, quality and most importantly, consistency in everything they do.

Based in Whitianga on the Coromandel Peninsula since 1984, Rod has emerged as one of New Zealand's most recognised builders, expanding his company to take advantage of the region's rapidly developing tourism industry, concentrating on innovative architectural homes, permament residences and contemporary beach cottages. Across the board, Rod maintains the company's ambition to provide the best product at every level and at every budget.

Rod has ensured that his company has moved with the times, pushed boundaries, evolved to meet clients' ever changing needs. However, he hasn't forgotten a critical factor in every successful building project; the builder/client relationship. "We want to get back to the days when customer service was built on tried and true relationships... raising our standards by attending to the client's individual needs. We don't want to just do the job and never see the client again. We do it right and are there for the long term."

Over the past 22 years, the company has thrived through their honest approach to building, ensuring their houses are consistently of the highest quality. In 1993 Rod began entering his houses in the Master Builders Federation House Of The Year competition and has been receiving awards every year since, culminating in winning the New Zealand House Of The Year in 2002 for a home in Matarangi. In 2006 Rod was awarded three Golds of which two were named Gold Reserver and have been entered into the National Awards. One of these homes was also a National Finalist in Home & Entertaining's House Of The Year Awards. Only five homes from across the country were featured.

Rod attributes this success to maintaining a commitment to outstanding quality, exceptional service and promoting industry innovation. "The standards have become tougher since more builders are entering each year. It keeps us on our toes and encourages us to do that little bit extra, to look for new challenges, new trends in building". One such trend is "Green Building"; a trend that is sweeping the world at the moment. "It's about being aware of the environment and materials around us, sensitive to the products and services we use and the reduction of fossil fuels and non-renewable resources. Rod Percival Builders are putting this into action, using environmentally friendly products, recycled timber, double glazing and solar energy."

2007 sees Rod begin the construction of new premises for his company as well as his own new home. Built entirely around the Green Building philosophy, these will be a testament to this exciting change in the industry. Rod is travelling to New Mexico, USA to research Green Building techniques and hopes to bring these back to New Zealand and adapt them to suit our environment and resource capability. "We must make changes now. Building isn't about putting up a house; it's about creating homes that keep us safe, our environment safe and our families healthy. We need to wash our hands of leaky homes, shoddy workmanship and cowboy builders".

From our Project Gallery T & J Anderson Beach House Location: Matarangi Project Folder