Hi I'm Richard. Welcome to our website, I hope it has been informative and hope it helps you in your search to choose a builder. The following will help you to get to know a bit about us. Right from a kid I knew I wanted to be a builder!! In fact I was actually nicknamed "The little Supervisor" as a 4 year old, by the builders who were building in our street. When I was 10, I won a competition for my age group for designing the "Keith Hay Homes Home of the Future". Complete with Hydro slide and glass roof. After four years of getting top in woodwork at Rangitoto College, I started a building apprenticeship on the North Shore of Auckland. During these four and a half years we worked on residential homes, light commercial and multiunit developments. I quickly embraced the challenge and by the age of 20 I was foreman. At the start of the year 2000, on completing my time, I wanted to get out of the city and move to Whitianga. The place I considered home and where my family had been since the late 1800s. I then worked for nine years with local business Rod Percival Builders, well known for building award-winning homes. The last four years I was a foreman and together with my team, we were acknowledged with many Master Builders awards for the quality of our work and level of craftsmanship. With a year and a half gap in the middle of this period, I worked in London as a foreman for a High-end Property Developer, renovating homes and "mansion apartments" in the Kensington, Clapham and Wandsworth areas.
In 2009, together with my wife, two year old and 3 week old daughters, we took the plunge and started HAMR Home. Fourteen years later, another daughter (whos now 11) and up to eight workers, we have proven ourselves to be top quality, award winning builders, with a raft of very happy clients. Building truly is my passion and I love my job - but when I do take time out I enjoy spending it with my family and of course doing what Whitianga is known best for ...... boating and fishing!!
I'm Hannah - the 'H' in HAMR Home! I am the Office Manager and 'mum' in the business. I support the building process by keeping the office running as smoothly as possible. I love working with clients to help them make their choices of products and colours throughout their build. This includes keeping our online project management site up to date with different options, upgrades and changes. I'm passionate about making this an exciting, transparent and memorable experience for our clients. We also supply and install Blinds, so I provide a free measure and quote service and do the paperwork for this side of the business. Although I leave the installing of the blinds to the rest of the team.
The rest of my time is spent caring for and trying to keep up with our three girls, Amelia, Maggie and Anabelle as well as the rest of the HAMR Home Family. We enjoy living and working in such a beautiful part of the world. Having the beach so close by makes a wonderful lifestyle for raising children. Prior to us setting up HAMR Home I was a Social Work Supervisor both in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Although I have really enjoyed the work I have done in the past, raising a family and running a family business has been a wonderful development in our lives. I really enjoy working with clients on their projects and seeing their dreams and ideas coming to light.
I look forward to working with you to help make your building experience as positive and as stress free as possible.
Hi I'm Dan, born and bred in Whitianga. It's my home, I love it. Building seems to run in the family as, though I never meet him, my Granddad was a builder and helped to build homes in this area.
My love of building started in the woodwork room at Mercury Bay Area School and from there at 17yrs of age I was lucky enough to land an apprenticeship with Master Builder Rod Percival. That's where I meet Richard Warwick, one of the Foreman I worked with and learnt from.
A couple of years after qualifying I headed off on my big OE spending a year doing form work in Perth before heading off to England where I continued with building work in between travelling around Europe.
But home is where the heart is and so I'm back, back working with Richard, Hannah and the team and excited about where the company is headed.
On a more personal level, I love hunting, fishing, golf, rugby and a multitude of other things and look forward to designing and building a home of my own together with my partner in the near future.
Hi I'm Mac. I was born and raised in Whitianga. My interest in carpentry sparked from my Pop, he was always working away on something in his shed. Seeing the things he created, made me want to learn the same.
This interest continued through school in woodwork class, from Mercury Bay Area School to Hamilton Boys High school, where I made the honours hall for best in carpentry in 2006. I came back to Whitianga in 2007, and got myself an apprenticeship in town.
A couple of years after finishing my apprenticeship, I moved to Karratha in Western Australia where I got the opportunity to become a foreman. After 3 years, I returned home from Australia in 2016. In 2020 I began working for Hamr Homes and have enjoyed it ever since.
My life outside of work includes my hobbies of hunting, fishing, golf, and a few other things. I’m lucky enough to have my own home here in Whitianga with my fiancé and 2 year old daughter.
I am originally from Northern Ireland but have spent the majority of my life as an expat living and working outside of Ireland. I joined the Navy as 16 year old having passed the equivalency tests to allow me to join as a Marine engineer. There I attended a BTec national Diploma in Marine engineering specialising as a fitter and turner. Whilst in the Navy I competed in multiple sports and my love of sport has carried over to this very day. Upon leaving the Navy I moved to London and in 1998 came to NZ to play rugby and travel. Whilst in New Zealand I worked in the Saw Mill as a grader and a Machinist. This also gave me the chance to play rugby and experience a lifestyle that I would fall in love with. In 1999 I returned to London and took a job as CNC stone cutter at a high end marble and granite works and moved to the position of production manager by 2002 when I returned to NZ to start a family.
Upon returning to New Zealand I built my own house under the watchful eye of my Father inlaw Richard Simpson of RESCO Builders. This gave me my first taste of building in New Zealand which I loved due to the many skill sets that you must possess. After completing the house I began work with Justin Barrett Builders and built my first few architecture homes, which I absolutely loved.
I then moved to Rod Percival Builders where I first met Richard and Dan as co-workers. I then moved to Keith Nightingale Builders who then contracted to HAMR Homes. So the transition to work for HAMR Homes was seamless as Richard gives us the time, the space and the leeway to work as craftsmen when required which results in great work satisfaction for myself and a great outcome for the client. As my Father told me when I was very young, if I do a job I love I will never have to work a day in my life.
I’m Charlie, apprentice at HAMR homes. I arrived in Whitianga from Brighton (England) in 2019, planning to play one season of rugby for the local side and I haven’t left yet 4 years later.
The process of seeing a build develop over time is the most rewarding part of the job. Watching a set of plans become someone’s home gives me great satisfaction and is something that I plan to do for my own home in the future.
I also like working as a part of a crew. I wanted to specifically join the HAMR homes team for the knowledge the builders hold, and for Richard and Hannah’s enthusiasm and experience in the trade.
On a personal level, I love a range of sports but in particular rugby and cricket. I also enjoy fishing and diving, which I never realised till I moved to Whitianga
