Carter Grange Homes, custom home builders in Melbourne, are known for two things – quality construction and using Hebel in all their designs. We sat down with Director Rohan Forrest to discuss his experience in the trade and Carter’s very practical reason for using Hebel.
Humble beginnings for the Director
Rohan Forrest got his first taste of the building industry through an apprenticeship in carpentry, before working in the profession for a number of years.
Even though his days of circular saws and power drills are long behind him, Rohan acknowledges that the trade set him with the background knowledge that he would later use in his career. It also made him quite pragmatic in how he approaches building homes.
But it was appointments at Simmonds Homes as Construction Manager, and later the Procurement and Product Develop Manager at Porter Davis Homes, that gave Rohan the experience and skills he needed to have success with Carter Grange Homes.
Rohan’s relationship with Hebel exceeds a decade
Rohan’s experience with Hebel began in 2005 during his tenure at Porter Davis Homes. He learned quickly that it was great, reliable product even though it was not well-known in the residential space at that time.
“Hebel is a product that is quickly supplied and easy to construct, which is a plus in terms of time management. It also has the advantage of being backed by CSR in terms of manufacturer’s guarantee. Also CSR Hebel provides a labour taskforce that supports our business with tradespeople trained in installing Hebel products correctly.”
Carter Grange use Hebel for all their homes
Rohan Forrest says that Carter Grange Homes differentiate themselves through their design and innovative use of materials. One of the ways they do this is their 100 percent commit to using Hebel in all of their homes, whether it’s the PowerPanelXL external wall system for their high-end luxury single residential dwellings or PowerPanel for intertenancy walls. From day one at Carter Grange, they have always used Hebel.
Hebel complements modern design and construction
While Rohan acknowledges that there are many benefits for consumers and installers, his main motivation for building with Hebel as a business is due to issues surrounding other materials, particularly brick.
“Bricklaying is a dying art. There are less bricklayers around these days and the workforce is steadily getting older. Finding people is very hard – it can sometimes take weeks to find someone. That, with transportation of the material and difficulty using it in tight inner-city spaces, can really slow down the lock up stage payment, which is bad for business.”
Rohan’s career progression in the building industry has bred a desire for rational business solutions. This is the reason that Rohan has true belief in Hebel products and has no plan to change what has been a very successful partnership.
Rohan Forrest, director of Carter Grange Homes.