• Housing member specialising in custom homes
• Member since 2012
• Located in Warragul

Leigh Allchin has always been a hands-on kind of person. He joined Master Builders in 2012 on the advice of carpenter Brett Neilson.

“Brett said how much help he’d received over the years and how good Master Builders was, so I took that on board,” Allchin said. “And Master Builders has ticked all the boxes for sure.”

In those four short years, Allchin has not only expanded his business, Allchin Builders, but has taken out one of Master Builders’ most coveted awards, Young Builder of the Year, in 2015. Since then, Leigh has used the award to his advantage.

“The awards are a great marketing tool. You can have your plaque up on the wall and advertise that you’ve won or been a finalist – on your website or social media,” he said.

“Master Builders is a well recognised association, so we have Master Builders branding on all of our cars, job sites and banners. People recognise that and feel safe with Master Builders.”

Allchin Builders has built a reputation in West Gippsland as a quality home builder. Allchin says each and every home he builds as though it were his own. In fact, the home with which he won the Master Builders award was originally to be his own home.

“I build every home as if it were mine. Once it’s done, it’s to the highest possible standards. That’s how we build and sell the homes,” he said.

Having recently completed Green Living training, and now in the process of obtaining his Commercial Building License, Allchin said that undergoing Master Builders training had been smooth process.

“Finding the course and enrolling was very easy. I just spoke to my local Master Builders representative [Rod Ware] and he chased it up for me,” he said.

“The course was very good. The teacher was really knowledgeable and knew exactly what he was talking about.”

Mr Allchin has also used his Master Builders membership to access OHS advice.

“We organised someone to come down from Master Builders through a local meeting. They came to our site to make sure we were doing everything properly and ticking all the boxes, and that was a relatively smooth process,” Allchin said.

Now that Allchin Builders is aiming to become a commercial builder, Allchin said he had already investigated the need to change his insurances. “I’m thinking about changing my warranty insurance. I made the enquiry when I decided to get my commercial licence,” he said.

“Just having discussions and going to meetings and listening to how much cover MBA Insurance can give you on top of everyone else – it’s a much better product at the end of the day.”

Allchin Builders often calls upon the Master Builders legal department. Even if it’s just to get some quick contract advice, Allchin said having this service free as part of their membership was invaluable.

“Just having that legal response and someone to call on straight away to help you out when you do need advice is very handy,” he said.

One of the biggest challenges of being a regional builder is keeping abreast of trends and changes in the building industry. Mr Allchin uses his membership to keep in the know by being a part of the Gippsland Section Committee and attending meetings regularly.

“I just thought if I can give back, I should. I enjoy going to meetings and hearing what’s going on and what’s relevant to our region,” he said.