We did the usual inspections of John’s previous work and felt pretty happy that he could tackle the job. What I didn’t appreciate until later were the challenges associated with the very fine tolerances of the house, and the locally difficult conditions, by the ocean. John performed superbly.

John is a perfectionist and that translates into an owner’s attitude to the project. This resulted in only ‘light touch’ inputs from us, and absolutely no dramas. John teamed well with everyone on the project and was fastidious in selecting the best subcontractors. His tradespeople all worked to the same text and as a result we have a house that we still admire for its building quality.

John is a hard-working builder. At Whale Beach he would be down in the mud digging a trench with the guys. But he is also a builder who respects what architects do. So he understands and values the aesthetic while ensuring that the building works.

He only wants to build things that look beautiful and work beautifully. It has to be strong and waterproof and long-lasting. He keeps working away until he’s accomplished that. Then he is happy.

John is unfailingly honest about how long it will take to build well—and about what it is going to cost. There are no games, and no surprises.

When I want to explore new ideas with high degrees of difficulty, John is first choice. If he isn’t available I have to modify the design to make it more simple and easier to build.