A select number of local builders have been handpicked to bring the master planned vision for Ginninderry to life. All of the builders were assessed against a number of criteria, in particular their desire and ability to add to the vision for Ginninderry, as well as offering exceptional value for money and quality.

Our weekly Meet the Builders series will help you to get to know our builders ahead of the release of their house and land packages for sale in 2017.

In our first question and answer of the series, we speak with Firas Zakout from Achieve Homes.

Give us a bit of background on you, your company and your story to date.

Achieve Homes launched eight and a half years ago. We started out working on our own homes, then began doing homes for clients. One thing led to another and we now have homes in display villages in Googong, Moncrieff, Denman Prospect, and soon Ginninderry. We pride ourselves on our quality and processes, which has helped us become one of the leading companies in the industry in the ACT.

We aim to offer customers a holistic approach to building their home. We bring a one stop shop for design, land and colour, as well as help our customers to organise their finances. Plus, we have our huge colour section studio, so customers can see and touch all colours and materials before they make their decisions.

I became interested in building when my father hired builders to renovate our family home and did not have a great experience. I felt that building or renovating a home should be an exciting and enjoyable time for anyone. This inspired me to start studying construction management, and eventually led me to start Achieve Homes. My goal is to ensure that whoever we work with has the best experience possible.

What type of homes will you be involved in building at Ginninderry?

We will primarily be working on creating house and land packages for three bedroom, four bedroom and two story houses, but we will also be working on other aspects of the Ginninderry project.

We will be putting a heavy focus on terrace products, for people who want a compact or more affordable home. We really believe in making real homes for real people. We think it is important for customers and their families to buy homes that are value for money.

We are also focusing on creating energy efficient homes. Basically, we want to make sure it does not cost people an arm and a leg to keep their houses running.

What do you think makes the Ginninderry development different?

That’s easy. Affordability, proximity to established areas, and proximity to the river system. The energy efficiency target is also a big standout – that is definitely something land developers will want to pursue.

Why did you want to be involved in this development?

Ginninderry is a very exciting development because it is going to keep growing for years to come. Achieve Homes is really suited to something like this, because we are interested in helping the community develop. We love to see developments flourish; we love the community atmosphere. Our team gets involved with anything we can – local schools, sporting teams, community groups.

We cannot wait to get involved in Ginninderry. Our team is keeping an eye out for community and support groups, or anything we can be a part of. We are here to support, develop and really get entrenched in the community.

What do you love about working in construction?

There are so many things to love!

Our colour selection studio allows clients to customise their own designs, materials and colours to suit them better. It is so great seeing it all come to life. I love seeing the end product after it has been built. It gives me such a sense of accomplishment.

I also love the development side, helping families get in to their first or second home. Buying a house is a great achievement and we feel we are a part of their growth and achievements. It is not about just building a house, it is about building a relationship with customers, and customers building a life. We thrive on that.

The construction industry is so huge! I love all the people I get to meet. It’s not just tradesmen; there are customers, solicitors, land developers, banks, marketers… so many people are involved in the process. It is such an important industry because it provides so much to an entire community.

Click here for more information on all of Ginninderry’s builders.