MEET NATHAN: BUILDERS ACADEMY GRADUATE AND CONSTRUCTION SUPERVISOR

24/01/2017

We chatted to Nathan Gill, a Builders Academy grad who’s recently traded bricklaying for supervising Simonds Homes’ Masterpiece builds.

​Name: Nathan Gill

Age: 39

Job: Construction supervisor with Simonds Homes

Training: CPC50220 Diploma of Building and Construction (Building)

“I started labouring with a mate. He was doing his apprenticeship and then I decided to do an apprenticeship myself.

“I completed that and from then on I was self employed. I was out on my own for about twelve months and then I started subcontracting to Simonds Homes.”

​“I subcontracted to Simonds for about ten years as a bricklayer and then they approached me about doing a course. I did the certificate IV and then the diploma with Builders Academy. I’ve been subcontracting for Simonds for about ten years and supervising for four weeks.”

​”Supervising is a lot different to bricklaying. It’s busy, you are constantly organising and reorganising and rescheduling.

“I’ve got my phone. I’ve got my lappy. I’ll pull up on a site and check stuff.

“It’s good to be off the tools. The body is enjoying it.”

​​“As a site supervisor you’re involved in everything from checking frames to marking out to organising trades to site inspections. There are different tasks at different stages of the build.

“You’re involved in everything that happens along the way. As you go through the build you oversee every aspect of the job — you’ve got to know a bit about framing, tiling, paintwork, electrical fit-offs, everything.”

​”I interact with clients too. I’m the point of contact. I get in touch once a week to let them know how things are going.”

​“Masterpiece is metropolitan Simonds for the central metropolitan area. These are bigger homes with more detail — more expensive homes. It’s high end.

“The clients come to us and say, ‘We’ve got a block.’ We check it out and work out what house design can go on it.”

​“I think you’ve got to have the right attitude. You’ve got to speak to everyone on-site in the right way. Go with the flow.

“It’s about knowing your job and having an eye for detail. Every time I come on site I have a book I write things down in and check things off, but you do keep finding new things as you go.”

​​“Career-wise I want to get stuck into this. I’m very much a physical, hands-on kind of person so I can see myself doing this for a long time. It’s good to be on-site and directly involved in the build.”

Legend! Thanks Nathan.

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