FROM THE GROUND UP

Our apprentice column provides an opportunity for PAC members to share their views, experiences and ideas, while providing insight for builders who employ them. This month’s question is:

 

Q. Do you have much exposure to kitchen and bathroom fitting? 

 

Name: Amy
Location: Canterbury

I got heaps of kitchen and bathroom experience during my apprenticeship. I did it in Hamner Springs and there weren’t many specialist kitchen joinery companies there, so we had to do it ourselves. In my first week, I learned how to put in a shower and vanity, and I was soon working on kitchens too. 

I probably finished my apprenticeship with eight to ten kitchen or bathroom projects. Most of the kitchens would arrive in flatpack form and it would be up to us to put them together. My duties were generally cutting the sink out, installing benchtops and adding handles. I always found it really cool to see an empty space transform into a fully functioning kitchen.

In terms of bathrooms, we’d normally frame up baths and put in shower trays, wall liner, vanity and shower glass. It’s funny; some of the apprentices on site now have never worked on a kitchen or bathroom! I think it’s a useful skill to have in your locker.

Now I work in Canterbury, we generally have joiners put the kitchens and bathrooms together. It can be nice to be able to get on with other jobs, like cladding, while someone else does the kitchens; however, I do miss it from time to time!

 

Name: Amanda
Location: Queenstown

I haven’t had a lot of joinery experience yet. I helped install a giant bath a couple of years ago, but the chance hasn’t come around again. The houses that my company builds tend to be high-end – at least 500m2 – and take about three years to complete, so I haven’t been able to do many repetitive tasks, including joinery.

I’m currently working on cladding, so it’ll take me a couple of months before I start on any joinery. However, when we get to the kitchen and bathroom stage of our current build, I’ll be a part of the team. 

Not only is it an important aspect of my education, it’s an area that I’m interested in! All those neat little finishing touches can make a big difference to how a home looks and feels, and I think that’ll be cool to work on. Plus, doing something that creates a point of difference is fun! On the job I’m working on, I’ll be a part of the team installing a walk-in wine cellar and I’m excited to see the end product!

Looking at it from a career progression point of view, I want to keep working on high-end housing and I’ll need to learn and excel at skills like joinery to do so. Because we do everything from steel lintels to plaster-board and some landscaping, I need a varied skill set, and joinery is a part of that.

 

Name: Ben
Location: Wairarapa

I haven’t had much experience with kitchens or bathrooms recently, although I have worked on a few kitchen installations in the past, as the company I work for has its own joinery factory. Working with the finer detail of home building, such as kitchens or bathrooms, isn’t really an area that I’m interested in – I’d rather focus on the broader construction side of things. 

Although it’s not my favourite thing, I’m glad I’ve had joinery experience, as I believe that having a broad range of skills is important. I want to be able to have a crack at everything on site and be able to give things a decent go if they come up during a job.

I’ve also gained some broader joinery experience over the last few weeks, making doors and things like that. And, even though I don’t see myself doing that a lot in the future, it’s still good experience.

I expect it will come up again in the future. My main focus for my career will be residential work, as I’ve done commercial building and didn’t really like it. I love feeling a buzz after putting up frames, and you can see a building start to appear where previously there was nothing!