Vadim Jefremkovs started out as a Carpenter’s Apprentice when he was twenty-four years old. Now, with over fifteen years of experience in the construction industry, he oversees a team of builders and craftsmen as Managing Director at Probuilt Projects.
Probuilt Projects received the award for best Restoration / Additions in the $1m+ at the 2017 Master Builders Association NSW Excellence in Housing Awards. Vadim also gained personal acclaim in the same year as he won the Young Builder of the Year award.
So after working his way up from apprentice to MD, what lessons has Vadim learnt about succeeding in the construction industry?
Your reputation is key in the construction industry. And whilst the quality of your work is extremely important, the way you deliver this work is a huge part of what your clients will remember and share with their friends.
Probuilt Projects only take on a limited number of home projects per year. This is so that they can focus on delivering a fantastic service. Their focus is on quality rather than quantity. With only a small number of projects to focus on per year, they can focus on the quality of their customer care, the quality of their workmanship, the quality of the design and the quality of the materials they use.
The Casa Vaucluse project (which received the award for best Restoration / Additions in the $1m+ category at the 2017 Master Builders Association NSW Excellence in Housing Awards) is a prime example of what it takes to overcome obstacles in the construction industry.
The construction and design was restricted by the fact that the building was essentially semi-heritage. Most of the facade could not be changed but a lot of the structure needed renovating or restoring. The building was also very old which made for difficult work.
The key to succeeding was remaining positive, collaborating with the architects and thinking creatively to work around those issues.
Vadim personally oversees every project. This allows the company to maintain a high level of customer service and communication but also ensures quality workmanship and craftsmanship.
He attributes his team’s attention to detail as one of the main factors that lead to their 2017 award.
“I think the main appeal of this project for the judges was the details of the work. To replace most of the structure inside without changing the facade was quite challenging. We had to match all the brickwork which is difficult because these days, you can’t get the same brick - they’re slightly different sizes. Luckily, we had the driveway where they used exactly the same bricks as the house so we reused these to patch it up.”
Thinking creatively and paying attention to detail really paid off on this project and is key to success in construction.
