Testimonials

We first met Colin Gregg of Gregg Builders when he and his father, Bruce, came to Mendip Hills nearly thirty years ago to rebuild our woolshed after the old one burned down in a fire. It would be true to say Bruce was not just a builder; he was a craftsman. That was the term I used when we had our opening ceremony, a good old-fashioned country party, to wet the building.

As a result, Colin was himself crafted well. He learned his trade from one who knew what it takes to lead a team of builders, who may take pride in their work, birthing projects and delivering them to their eventual owners to the satisfaction of all, with steps along the way suitably managed.

When the Kaikoura earthquakes hit Mendip in November 2016, along with countless other farms and townships, and our then venerable homestead from the 1920s had to be demolished, it was natural that Gregg Builders would be among those tendering for the job to replace it.

We already knew Chris Wilson of Wilson & Hill Architects. And so it was also natural that we went to him to design for us a new homestead, one which would be a home, yet one that would do justice to the Station, fitting seamlessly into the environment, satisfying all the complex requirements, including integrating some of the old with the benefits of the new. Chris and Colin and all the other members of the team fulfilled the vision admirably, with skill, patience, and humour - despite unforeseen setbacks, like Covid lockdowns!

The result was not merely the one we sought; it also declares the care required to accomplish truly one’s craft, from design right through to the fulfilment that may now speak for itself. Gregg Builders may justly take pride in their art.

Bryden & Catherine Black

Exceptional Partnership!

Mt White Station (www.mtwhitestation.co.nz) is currently going through a 3-year period of substantial development with a goal to create resilient and profitable place.

Farmbuild is our main partner in rebuilding the entire infrastructure of Mt White. We have been working together now for more than two years. Farmbuild is constantly providing a top level of workmanship. They construed numerous farm buildings and dwellings to a high standard and durability required for our rugged alpine conditions.

Colin is a professional who takes care of his team and his clients. He goes further, thinks thoroughly about his work and truly enjoys what he does. This makes difference. We have created exceptional partnership based on trust, while going through many challenging projects over the last two years.

I would recommend Colin and his team to everyone who is looking for an exceptional and honest builder!

Lukas Travnicek

Colin Gregg employs a staff, consisting of young energetic dedicated builders. They worked late into the night and early mornings. They lived on site and completed our homestead of 550 sqm in five months, from June until October. (Conditions including ice, snow and howling winds!) Kate, Colins wife was also very much part of the team.

There was never a delay for the subcontractors; Colin had them well organized in advance. There was no job too big or too small for Colin and his men. He is a superb organizer and helped us through issues with great tact and diplomacy! Always keeping his sense of humor and would go out of his way to show us examples and ideas.

We thoroughly enjoyed our 5 months with Colin Gregg resulting in a beautiful home of the highest standard of workmanship; and new friendship.

We would thoroughly recommend them for any project.

Ted and Sandy Phipps

We have been using the services of Colin Gregg for the last 20 years. They have been involved in the building of 2 woolsheds, a homestead, a number of farm buildings and cottage renovations.

As a small family run business they are a friendly well organised team. Communication is excellent, workmanship is of a very high standard and jobs are well thought out. They are competent, resourceful and skilled builders.

They have been given very challenging tasks at times but consistently turn out a quality job. Colin, Bruce and their staff have stayed with us many times over the years and our family have enjoyed their company and friendship.

Johnny Douglas-Clifford

Stonyhurst Station, an historic farming station near Cheviot in the Hurunui District, was founded in 1851 and has a long family legacy attached to it. FarmBuild has been working with the station since 1981, when Bruce Gregg ran the company and his son Colin was an apprentice.

“Bruce and Colin were the only people in the business back then,” says Peter and Johnny Douglas-Clifford, Stonyhurst’s owners. “They came in and built us a big new woolshed to go alongside a 100-year old shed. We liked their design, we liked how much they understood farming.”

A fire destroyed both sheds a decade later and Colin and Bruce were back quickly with a similar design, incorporating steel grating and Oregon trees from the property. “This was a first for FarmBuild sheds,” Douglas-Clifford says.

Stonyhurst Station sits on approximately 3000 hectares of land, and over the years, FarmBuild has developed numerous other projects for the site, including Peter and Fiona Douglas-Clifford’s own homestead.

All concrete for the Stonyhurst homestead was made on-site, and as much timber as possible was sourced from the station itself. The building has many of the typical design features of any great country homestead – including rimu doors and trim, and a granite kitchen with diesel AGA (which both cooks and heats the house) – and it runs mostly on windmill power with all facilities on-site.

Colin Gregg says one of the most rewarding parts of his apprenticeship was working on this station. “This is the only project where we have gone to the forest and picked out 80-year-old timber, cut it down, milled it, and by that afternoon have nailed it up into frames on site,” he says. “That was a very satisfying accomplishment.”

Another notable FarmBuild project at Stonyhurst was a new six-stand woolshed, where yet again all concrete was made on the premises, and all timber milled off the station grounds. “There’s a lot of history and heritage at Stonyhurst, it’s over 150 years old,” Douglas-Clifford says. “We like to do things in certain ways, and FarmBuild is good at understanding what we want to achieve – not just for our generation, but the next generation.

“Over the years, they’ve become really connected with the place. They know what we’ve done in the past, and they’re keen on seeing us into the future because they understand the farming lifestyle and what’s required.”

Peter Douglas-Clifford

We have known Colin Gregg for many years and over than time have had him constructing various buildings for us. Because we knew of the quality of his workmanship and professionalism, we had no hesitation in employing him to build our 440 square metre, architecturally designed house. We are delighted with the result.

During the nine months building period, we were impressed with his attention to detail and pride in his work. He worked well in the rural situation where a lot of forward planning is necessary. He proved to be punctual, energetic and always cheerful and pleasant to work with. He had good rapport with his labourers, organised his time well and kept the site tidy.

We would have no hesitation in recommending him to anybody considering building.

Stuart and Debbie Anderson