Ryan – Director
Growing up with a builder for a dad, I had a hammer in my hand before I could hold it. I grew up in Auckland and started playing rugby and whatever sports were offered to me as soon as possible and from this stemmed some of my strongest characteristics – determination, getting the job done, and a good work ethic.
Leaving school in 2000, I started a building apprenticeship and I completed this in 2004. During this time New Zealand was impacted by the global recession and this had a direct effect on the construction industry. I saw first hand the pressure and stresses this created and I believe this taught me a lot. I now look at things with a hint of skepticism and factor risk into every situation. More often than not this means that the outcome is much more positive and the reality outweighs expectations, which is a lot better than the other way round.
Auckland is currently in a stage of huge growth and the construction industry is busier than ever. I started Ryan Wilkinson Builders in 2012 as a company with two employees, and today we are a team of six full-time builders and two labourers.
Every project that I have completed has been unique. Among the projects completed over the last 5 years as Ryan Wilkinson Builders has been the conversion of a historic fire station with heritage building restrictions into a home; I was the main contractor on one of the houses on The Block NZ which involved television crew, extremely tight deadlines, and high-scale consent conditions; and a new build on Rakino Island which has remote access and no mains power. All of these projects presented new challenges to work through and overcome, and the end product of each one was incredibly rewarding.
The skills I have learned from working for others, and now from running my own business, are invaluable. Working in an ever-changing construction industry in Auckland over the last 17 years has exposed me to a range of situations and taught me ways of coping in all of them. This is the real life experience that I can bring to your project and this is why I am so passionate about what I do.
Running my own business has meant that my communication skills have really developed, an important part of managing a successful project. This ensures that I can work with clients to establish an idea and provide input from my varied experience, to make your building project perfect for you. This produces an end result that is so rewarding for everyone.
2019 has had an exciting start to the year with the arrival of our second son. I am excited to continue to grow those things that are important to me, and that provide such a high level of satisfaction – my business and my family. The foundations and plans are in place to do so, and I am looking forward to continuing this rewarding journey.
Ryan Wilkinson Builders History
Ryan Wilkinson Builders was founded in 2012, with two full-time employees, and has grown to where it is today with six full-time builders and two labourers. The company’s experience to date is predominantly in residential building, including full house renovations and additions, residential new builds, new dwellings, and residential-scale excavation and landscaping works. All work to date has been obtained by referrals and recommendations from previous clients which is a testament to the company’s high standard of work resulting in customer satisfaction.
Since founding the business in 2012, Ryan has been presented with unique challenges on each and every project, and this has brought the business to where it is today, with a wealth of varied experience.
One of the first projects undertaken by Ryan Wilkinson Builders was a house new build, 500 sqm in size. The house’s very large floor area included an attached self-contained unit. The property was semi-rural and therefore the organisation of materials and resources was a critical part of ensuring the project ran smoothly.
In 2016 Ryan was asked to be the main contractor for one of the houses on The Block NZ. This tested the company’s credentials as they had to be flawless in order to meet the criteria to be able to work on the site and withstand the intensive site pressures and restrictions. Contestants Nicki and Tiff won room after room on the show – a testament to Ryan’s commitment and high standard of workmanship as it was tested by extremely tight time frames and multiple inspections by council staff, site foreman and the show’s judges.
A new build on Rakino Island has been one of the most challenging and interesting projects completed by Ryan Wilkinson Builders to date. The island sits between Auckland City and Waiheke Island, is without mains power, and the public ferry only runs to the island once a week. The procurement of materials and subcontractors had to be planned for months in advance to ensure that everything lined up for the build and nobody was caught on the island without something critical which could potentially mean months of delay until materials could get to the island on the next barge.
Ryan worked closely with the client throughout the procurement stage to ensure everything was considered and accounted for. In this situation the procurement stage ran longer than the build period where the team went over for periods of four days at a time, working during all daylight hours while they were there. Hard work up front resulted in nothing being overlooked and therefore no delays due to anything within their control.
The future of Ryan Wilkinson Builders
Over the next five years, the aim is to continue to grow Ryan Wilkinson Builders and to be able to offer more services to our clients. One way that we have been able to do this recently is through excavation works. Having one main contractor throughout the project provides continuity and security for our clients and ease of communication. The top priority for each project is the client’s needs and meeting these.
Ryan ensures that his employees are of the highest standard and takes the time to regularly check their work and make sure that they are constantly learning and progressing too. As the business grows, and employee numbers increase, this will still be a high priority to ensure that at the end of the day the quality of work delivered by the company is of the highest standard.
One of the unique qualities of Ryan Wilkinson Builders is the client contact and how intimate this relationship is. Ryan is aware of how this can be lost when a business becomes too big. Instead of expanding the business in employee numbers and losing this intimacy with clients, Ryan would rather the business expands by providing more services. This way the intimacy and ease of communication will not be lost, but strengthened because there will be fewer contractors to deal with through the build and its surrounding requirements. Ryan Wilkinson Builders will be the one point of contact throughout the works, and will be able to subcontract the trades if the service is not provided directly by the company. This is done whilst keeping client communication and satisfaction the top priority.