Monthly Newsletter January 2026

Welcome to the 34th edition of the Concept Carpenters monthly newsletter. As we kick off the 2026 season, we’re energised and ready to go after a well-earned three-week break spent enjoying Christmas ham, champagne, and quality time with friends and family.

Over the past 2 months we have seen a noticeable uptick in enquiries for new projects which is very refreshing. Projects of all shapes and sizes including new build homes, residential renovations, commercial renovations and maintenance. Listen to an Opes Partners podcast recently Ed McKnight-host commented his view is the property market is half-way to the top of its cycle. Some banks increasing interest rates recently is another sign of a recovery. Concept is here to help as your network begins to grow their nest egg through their homes or investments. 

See below HM with our good friend Matt Pearson from Black Box Plumbing nailing a striped marlin. The importance of work/life balance is often talked about internally in the office—what better way to re-balance than spending some quality time out on the briny.

Below is a recap of January and a snapshot of what we’ve been up to over the past month onsite, we hope you enjoy it.

Ponga Road, Drury

Out on the beautiful lifestyle property in Dury, Ethan, Foreman and Project Manager Cam, along with the wider team, have been busy since we last spoke. The garage cavity wrap is now complete, all roofing has been installed, and cavity battens are in place throughout.

Exterior joinery units are now 80% installed and glazed, and we’ve successfully achieved a full framing pass from Auckland Council. During construction, our client added an entry roof to the scope, which we’ve seamlessly accommodated and is now essentially complete.

The transformation of this property has been incredible, with the extension really taking shape. A standout feature of the build is the striking gable-end triangular windows, which add a very cool architectural element to the home.

Weona Place, Westmere

Over in Westmere, Project Manager John and his awesome team have been hard at work. This is a great progress shot captured via the site security camera. With our clients based overseas for this project, we’ve made sure they can keep an eye on progress live as things unfold—watching from the couch on the other side of the world while we’re on site creating an amazing space.

Since mid-December, we’ve completed the timber mid-floor above the garage at the rear of the house, and all blockwork for the main house structure at ground level is now complete. The project has involved some thorough footing and formwork to bridge a public sewer line that runs through the centre of the concrete slab.

After allowing a week for the block fill to cure, we’ll begin backfilling the ground-floor slab area with aggregate. By the end of February, the slab will be down. Bring on the slab-warming party!

Esplanade Road, Mount Eden

Over in Mount Eden, James, Jack, and the team have completed a cool little project assisting Ficino School with improved sports equipment storage. We’ve worked with the school a number of times over the years, and on this occasion they were looking for a cost-effective solution to upgrade and beautify their existing storage facilities.

The client came to us early with their requirements, and we were able to explore and present several suitable options. Not only is Concept a market-leading building company, but we also provide practical, cost-effective design input grounded in real on-site experience. Being hands-on in the build allows us to understand true costs and constructibility—insight that can’t always be gained from the drawing board alone.

The result is a great outcome for the school, utilising modified containers to provide clean, practical, and efficient storage for sports equipment. Our demolition contractors did an excellent job safely removing the old, retired structure, and with the new containers ordered ahead of time, the entire scope was completed in just two weeks on site.

Another happy customer, and we look forward to working with the great team at Ficino School again in the not-too-distant future.

Strategy for the win

At Concept HQ, the senior management team has recently been focused on strategic planning, with a strong emphasis on systems and processes. We’ve implemented a new construction management and costing software, LenTune, which we’re very pleased with. This platform gives us a detailed, real-time view of the financial performance of our projects, further strengthening the level of service we provide to our clients.

On site, we’ve also introduced new software to support more streamlined, user-friendly digital processes for health and safety, site auditing, and quality control. This ensures the highest standards of workmanship are consistently met and that nothing is overlooked.

Below, you’ll see a Post-it note flowchart illustrating the lifecycle of a project—another recent focus area as we fine-tune roles, responsibilities, and best-practice processes to deliver the best possible outcomes for our customers.

At Concept, we strive to be better every day. There is no finish line—only continuous improvement.

Closing words

And that’s a wrap for the 34th edition of the Concept monthly newsletter. We hope you’ve enjoyed the recap of what we’ve been up to over the past month. With some very exciting projects set to kick off in April, we can’t wait to share more with you soon.

Wishing you all a positive month ahead as we enjoy the summer weather and long evenings. If you require any construction support or feasibility advice, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Stay positive and keep testing negative,
HM