Why I use Bunnings Trade frame and truss

As managing director of Allworth Homes, a role he’s held for two decades, Stephen Thompson knows a thing or two about what works and what doesn’t in the home build game. And he’s generous with his advice for other tradies and business owners, including why he made the switch to use Bunnings Trade supplied frame and truss.

“About five years ago, we switched to Bunnings [Trade] for all our frame and truss work across our entire build area,” Stephen says. “Before that we had two suppliers, one in the north of NSW and one in the south. One supplier ended up having financial issues and that’s when we first started working with Bunnings [Trade]. Then the other supplier sold the business and the new owners put the prices up dramatically. At that time, Bunnings was building and about to open a large, much more automated frame and truss manufacturing service in the south of Sydney. The timing was right, the faster install times were appealing and the price was competitive. So, we decided to go with Bunnings for the lot.”

Tip:  Always wear the appropriate safety equipment (safety glasses, gloves and a mask, for example) when required on the job. Always follow the instructions for the product or equipment.

Why use Bunnings prefab frames and trusses?

• For custom-made solutions. Experienced estimators and designers create products that meet specifications. 
• They are fast and efficient. Get it all delivered direct to site, ready for install.
• Lower your labour costs. Reduces the need for tradies to spend a lot of time constructing onsite.
• They are created with advanced Pryda Australia manufacturing software, which has exceptional versatility.
• Easy and high-tech assembly. A smartphone scan of the barcode on each frame reveals the whole layout in 3D to show exactly how it fits together.
• For flexible fulfilment. Deliveries are aligned to your build schedule and a crane truck delivery service can be provided, where required.

Tip: Did you know we have a dedicated team of frame and truss specialists at 134 TRADE (134 872) ready to help you with all your building needs? You bring the plans, and we’ll bring the frame and truss to match – no matter the size of your build.

Where it all started: Building a business

A young Stephen had no plans to become a professional builder or to take over Allworth Homes, the successful contract building business his father, Peter, co-founded in Sydney in 1978. But following the sudden death of Peter’s business partner, 21-year-old Stephen joined the family company as a mature-aged apprentice – and never left. Today, Stephen employs 60 staff and builds homes along the NSW coast. Stephen has weathered the ups and downs of running a trade business and here he shares more of the lessons learned along the way. 

Decide on a niche

“What we’ve found is if you stick to your specialty and try to be the very best at it, then you come up trumps,” Stephen says. “We operate out of display homes and we exclusively build homes for mums and dads who have a block of land or want to knock down the house they’re in. That’s what we’ve been solely doing since the company started way back when. It’s sometimes easier to say what we don’t do – we don’t do speculating, turnkey packaging, townhouses or medium density housing. I liken us to a shoe business. We only make shoes, not pants or shirts, because I don’t have the people to do that, and I don’t have the expertise to do that.”

Deliver on time and to budget

“Our point of difference is that we build homes on time and absolutely on budget,” Stephen says. “We’ve got very good systems in place to manage the construction process, and we never bite off more than we can chew – we gauge our workload with the availability of trades and supply so that we don’t end up with too much on and unable to complete.”

Build a strong reputation

“We do very little advertising and marketing, but we seem to be able to punch above our weight,” Stephen says. “A little while ago, supplier costs increased pretty much on the spot because of the level of work that was out there. Normally you get some time to adjust your sell price, but suppliers were saying the increases would be from the next order. We copped it and didn’t pass on any of those increases to our customers. Our bottom line took a hit, but our reputation stayed intact.”

Manage long-term risk

“Our financial structure is such that we have zero debt and we own everything, so we can ride out any storm,” Stephen says. “It’s part of the reason we’re able to stick to our niche. It’s really my dad’s legacy, as he’d worked in businesses that were highly geared. If you have cash flow issues, you don’t sleep at night. We have a structure that passes the pillow test.”

Need 10 more reasons to use the Bunnings Trade frame and truss service?

Check out our story on why builders prefer to use prefabricated frames and trusses.