Introducing: DJL Builders

After 22 years building high-end homes in Australia, Daniel Lethbridge has returned home to New Zealand and has started his own company, DJL Builders.

Daniel grew up on Waiheke Island and did his building apprenticeship in Auckland before heading to Australia aged 20, following in the footsteps of his father and younger brother.

“People think there’s a lot more opportunity over there, but I think life’s what you make of it, no matter where you are.”

He has run his own building company on the Gold Coast for the past decade, employing 10 other NZ builders, working on large homes and swimming pools.

“Building is my passion. It’s always a challenge and every job is different.

“When you build someone’s house you develop a strong relationship. You are helping to create their dreams and you end up being their builder for life.”

But after 20 years away, Daniel says it was time to come home to a more relaxed pace of life and spend time with family. His mother owns the Sheepworld Caravan Park and his brother owns A&J Lethbridge Painting and Decorating in Warkworth.

“It’s great to be back. It’s a beautiful area here and I’m loving the fishing. The first thing I did when I came back was buy a boat.”

His first apprentices will be his two sons, Cullen, 15, and Ethan, 19.

“I’ve been a solo parent for the past 10 years and they’ve spent a lot of time on building sites from an early age.”

Since returning to NZ, Daniel has found there have been a lot changes to building regulations, which has resulted in safer building sites and better homes.

“The building code now ensures that homes are built in a way that reduces leaking and a lot has been done to ensure the job is safer. There are also a lot more building inspections than there used to be, which is a good thing for the industry. We all want to build the best home for our clients.”

Daniel is a registered builder, working from Orewa to Mangawhai.