A Day in the Life of: Builder Grant Jefford
In the first of our new series, Houzz joins the crew of All Time Constructions at a new build in Sydney's Wollstonecraft
With multiple sites to juggle, contractors to hire and clients to liaise with, builder Grant Jefford’s day begins at 6am and often finishes at 9 or 10pm. But he wouldn’t have it any other way. With almost three decades of experience in the building game, the director of All Time Constructions still thrives on the planning and process of constructing a new home or executing a tricky extension. We visit Jefford and his crew on site in Wollstonecraft, where they’re building a four-bedroom house for a couple and their two children.
Jefford went into the building trade 28 years ago and hasn’t looked back. “There are always dramas in building, things you have to deal with; you get a thick skin because it’s a challenging trade, but we’re very big on communication and we work hard at it,” he says.
“At the end of the day we build beautiful homes that we’re proud of, and that’s what keeps us going. A lot of our clients are still great mates and I think it should be like that. It’s not always like that – it’s not a perfect world – but the vast majority we end up having a great relationship with.”
“At the end of the day we build beautiful homes that we’re proud of, and that’s what keeps us going. A lot of our clients are still great mates and I think it should be like that. It’s not always like that – it’s not a perfect world – but the vast majority we end up having a great relationship with.”
This is Jefford’s key crew. “I’ve got two amazing Irish guys, Stephen and Austin [to the left and right of Jefford]. Stephen, our construction manager, is a major asset and Austin is a fantastic foreman who’s done everything from $50-million projects to $200,000 extensions with me, and then I’ve got my Samurai carpenter, Koji, whose attention to detail and precision makes all the difference.”
When Jefford’s off site, he’s back in his Annandale office coordinating sub-contractors, resolving details with clients and liaising with engineers and architects. “I’m making sure everything’s lined up so it runs smoothly,” he explains. “We’re a pretty lean, mean machine – there’s only five core guys and then my wife and sister help in the office; you really need that backup.”
When Jefford’s off site, he’s back in his Annandale office coordinating sub-contractors, resolving details with clients and liaising with engineers and architects. “I’m making sure everything’s lined up so it runs smoothly,” he explains. “We’re a pretty lean, mean machine – there’s only five core guys and then my wife and sister help in the office; you really need that backup.”
Jefford and carpenter Koji were once flatmates and used to surf together. “Koji was over here on a working holiday visa from Japan so I had him labouring on one of my sites at the time,” says Jefford. “He went back to Japan and studied traditional Japanese carpentry with the masters for about 10 years. Then he called me out of the blue saying he wanted to come back to Australia and work for me. That was 10 years ago.”
Koji still uses many of his Japanese tools, working to the millimetre as precisely as a joiner. “He’s central to what we do. He does the work of two men, it’s quite incredible.”
All Time Constructions does a lot of extensions for inner-city terraces, jobs Jefford says are rewarding but complicated. “We’re good at it but when we get a new build like this that’s easy, it’s a bonus for us.”
One of the benefits of a new build is that there’s more room to move and easier access for materials and tools.
“We’re off to Balmain next where there’s no parking and you have to bring everything in through the front door. The boys perform miracles.”
Since Houzz launched in Australia four years ago, Jefford has come to rely on it. “Houzz is wonderful. It’s a beautiful site and it’s given us an edge because it’s so professional,” he says. “Clients love it and they’re happy to put reviews on there, which makes it easier for people coming along. This job came from Houzz and I’ve had a number of other quality jobs come through.”
One of the benefits of a new build is that there’s more room to move and easier access for materials and tools.
“We’re off to Balmain next where there’s no parking and you have to bring everything in through the front door. The boys perform miracles.”
Since Houzz launched in Australia four years ago, Jefford has come to rely on it. “Houzz is wonderful. It’s a beautiful site and it’s given us an edge because it’s so professional,” he says. “Clients love it and they’re happy to put reviews on there, which makes it easier for people coming along. This job came from Houzz and I’ve had a number of other quality jobs come through.”
All Time Constructions has been working on this house for three-and-a-half months and is six weeks ahead of schedule. “We’re roughing in now and we’ll start lining in a few weeks. This job will be about gyprock and plumbing next and the guys here now will move onto the next project. The total build time will be six months.”
On this site, initially the volume of concrete required was a challenge. “The footings were a metre deep in one section because we hit rough ground, so that meant 55 cubic metres of concrete just in the footings alone. Once we were out of the ground it was a lot easier.”
On this site, initially the volume of concrete required was a challenge. “The footings were a metre deep in one section because we hit rough ground, so that meant 55 cubic metres of concrete just in the footings alone. Once we were out of the ground it was a lot easier.”
“We’re not just about making a buck and getting out, we’re about enjoying the experience,” says Jefford.
Many of Jefford’s clients have a complete plan when they approach him for a quote. “I have a couple of architects I work with a lot, but these days people are well educated, they’re pretty savvy, so if they can save some dollars by doing some of the project managing themselves they often will,” he says. “They often engage an architect early and have an ongoing consulting arrangement with them rather than having the architect manage the site.”
Even the most elaborate plans don’t cover all the details, however, and not everyone can visualise what a design will look like from a plan. Changes are inevitable during the build. “I’m pretty flexible with those things, that’s one of the reasons people like working with us. We try to solve problems as we go. When you have a good relationship with a client, those things become easier to solve.”
Even the most elaborate plans don’t cover all the details, however, and not everyone can visualise what a design will look like from a plan. Changes are inevitable during the build. “I’m pretty flexible with those things, that’s one of the reasons people like working with us. We try to solve problems as we go. When you have a good relationship with a client, those things become easier to solve.”
Jefford has two children, a 15-year-old daughter and a nine-year-old son. “Sunday is generally family day,” he says. “It can be hard to get away for holidays, but I have a great team now and I can trust them. Also, technology means we can FaceTime when I’m away for work or on holiday with the family. Everything I need is on the iPad. It’s just the way it is now.”
To maintain energy and focus for long days on the job, Jefford tries to eat green and clean as much as he can. “We still love our pies and burgers and all that rubbish, but we’re a bit more health conscious now.”
To maintain energy and focus for long days on the job, Jefford tries to eat green and clean as much as he can. “We still love our pies and burgers and all that rubbish, but we’re a bit more health conscious now.”
When he’s not on site or coordinating other projects, Jefford is meeting with potential new clients and providing them with quotes. Here, he and Koji are working in what will become a bedroom for one of the clients’ daughters.
“Sometimes I’m burning the midnight oil doing quotes; that side of it’s pretty intensive,” he says. But getting cost projections right at the beginning is crucial to the success of a job. “You get better at estimating costs over time, to the point that when you sit down and do the calculations, you find your projections are about right. That just comes with experience.”
“Sometimes I’m burning the midnight oil doing quotes; that side of it’s pretty intensive,” he says. But getting cost projections right at the beginning is crucial to the success of a job. “You get better at estimating costs over time, to the point that when you sit down and do the calculations, you find your projections are about right. That just comes with experience.”
“We’d rather give clients a realistic estimate of what needs to be done up front, and we do give good value – we can work efficiently.”
Because of that, Jefford can have a waiting list of 20 people. “It’s not 20 at the moment, it’s about six or seven,” he says. “And it’s not just us who’s in demand; it’s busy out there.”
Pictured is a completed extension the team took on in Mosman.
Because of that, Jefford can have a waiting list of 20 people. “It’s not 20 at the moment, it’s about six or seven,” he says. “And it’s not just us who’s in demand; it’s busy out there.”
Pictured is a completed extension the team took on in Mosman.
This was a project the team took on in Bronte. Next up is a cottage extension in Balmain and a Haberfield extension.
This project was a new build in Annandale.
Jefford says his favourite part of the job is when it ends. “I like seeing the finished product and all that hard work pay off and seeing the client happy with what you’ve done. I do enjoy getting things prepared too – I’m a bit of an organiser – but the best part’s the end,” he says.
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Builder: Grant Jefford
Company: All Time Constructions
Project spotlight: Four-bedroom, four-bathroom new house in Wollstonecraft, on Sydney’s North Shore, NSW
When we catch up with All Time Constructions, a building firm based in Annandale, the crew is busy building what will become a grand four-bedroom home for a professional Sydney couple and their two daughters. The first step for this project was removing the tennis court and swimming pool. The land was part of a subdivision of a neighbouring home.
A typical job for the crew is an Inner-West extension – Jefford lives in Leichhardt and has an office in Annandale – but they also take on renovations and new builds in the Eastern Suburbs and on the North Shore.
“We’ll go wherever we need to, but I keep it close to home where I can because it’s more efficient,” says Jefford.