At least by some measure, James Kleverlaan owes a debt of gratitude to his chiropractor for success as a home builder. Early career experience working as a bricklayer for his uncle, also a builder, took its toll on the intervertebral discs in James’ back. After several years, they began to lose their ability to recover from the repetitive lifting and twisting required of a brickie.

“I was a good client of his, it’s true,” James says, grimacing at the memory. “My bricklaying days were numbered, but I knew I wanted to become a builder and, a few years later, I found myself supervising for a small building company, and running shops and offices on Bridge Road, as well as working on four-storey apartment projects in Collingwood. My back was in bad shape, and I got to the point where I asked myself ‘Why am I doing all of these hours for someone else?’”

In 2006, when he and his wife and business partner, Kim, began operating as Kleev Homes, James was already well prepared to run his own shop, having not only the standard industry experience under his belt, but also hands-on time overseas in Kobe, Japan, constructing apartment buildings according to strict earthquake codes. James had also gone to night school in formal preparation for a career as a builder. He had given himself a broad base on which to assemble his future in the industry.

“And then it sort of happened,” James explained. Word of mouth paid fast dividends as his good reputation placed two jobs before him—not big ones, but substantial enough for a new business. It grew rapidly from there. “Trade-wise I had a healthy network I could rely on, and a lot of them still work for me now.”

Kleev Homes focuses on custom-designed renovations and new houses. James explains he does no design work himself, choosing instead to leave that to the architects, with whom he has long-standing relationships. When a client approaches him, he can present his portfolio of completed work and help steer them to the architects he feels would be best able to meet their needs. It’s a formula that has worked well for builder and architect alike, with multiple awards to demonstrate it.

At the Master Builders Excellence in Housing Awards this year, Kleev Homes received a special commendation for their deft renovation work on a heritage-listed Hawthorn residence. This is just their most recent accolade, the first having been earned in 2008, also for an exceptional renovation. In all, Kleev Homes has collected Master Builders awards five times, including James having been named Young Builder of the Year in 2011.

James and Kim work from an office in Upper Beaconsfield, and occasionally tackle a new home in their immediate area. There are merits to building a less demanding house, James explains, though he thoroughly enjoys the challenge of more architecturally ambitious projects.

“When you’re doing a display home, you know exactly how many nails are in the job, and you can determine your margins pretty well,” James says. “The architectural jobs can be very difficult. It can take me a month to quote a job, but I enjoy the opportunity to work with architects on their designs for more ambitious and technical projects. I’ve worked with over twenty different designers; for two of them, I’ve even built their own homes. I also enjoy the mateship with the all of the trades involved on a project. I still enjoy that culture.”

Typical of a dedicated builder, James enjoys seeing the finished product, but he also relishes the moment when he can see that he’s made the client happy. Oftentimes, he says, that moment comes when he and Kim receive an invitation from the clients to celebrate.

“They’ll have us over for a barbecue. They usually don’t get to meet Kim during the whole process, and it’s nice for her to see the end product as well.”