The Finer Details

Little did Warwick Aitken know that when he signed up for an automotive apprenticeship as a teenager, he would go on to spend more than 15 years travelling the world, pursuing an impressive engineering career in the high-octane world of car racing. His time designing and building some
of the world’s fastest cars, and working in the extremely high-stress environment of racing pits, gave him second-to-none engineering expertise, hands-on problem solving skills and the ability to keep
a cool head under pressure.

The skills garnered in those years have contributed to the success of his building company, Beachside Builders, which has a reputation for delivering high-quality homes with an X factor. Warwick fosters trusted client relationships, has exacting standards for his projects, and constantly shares his enthusiasm and knowledge with his valued employees.

Tell us about your career abroad with racing teams

I did my apprenticeship in Tauranga and then left for England when I was 19 to take up an exciting opportunity working on a race team founded by F1 drivers. After five years as part of that team,
I went on to travel then work as a crew chief on an F2 team. That was when I got an offer I couldn’t refuse — working in the USA as part of the legendary Newman/Haas Racing team, whose driver
was Mario Andretti [one of the most successful Americans in the history of motorsports].

I was part of the team that designed and built the cars, and during the races I was also on the left rear tyre in the pits. We went on to win two Indy championship series, making it one of the most successful teams in the history of CART [Championship Auto Racing Teams] and IndyCar Series.

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What was the most rewarding part of that career?

Just to be part of that engineering team — to be so involved in the technical decisions about a car that must be highly competitive, very safe and able to go the distance at speeds around 400kmh.

What attracted you to the building industry?

After my wife Tracy and I had our children, Brandon and Corey, we decided to return to the Mount, where I am from, so our children could enjoy the same lifestyle that I had growing up.

When we got back, we needed a house, so I put my engineering and planning skills to work and designed and built a three-level, five-bedroom, three-bathroom home. I basically managed and
built the project by myself, which really pushed me to learn about the technical parts, but also led
me to discover a real passion for building.

I explored this further and worked on a few labour-only projects, but then went all-in by setting
up Beachside Builders 28 years ago, and the rest, as they say, is history.

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Tell us about your excellent team

My son Corey works with me, so it really is a family business, but also, we try to bring that aspect
of family through every part of the business, which I think differentiates us from other builders.

When you treat your staff as family, hire people who love what they do and where they live, and create an environment where they’re encouraged to grow and bring their best skills to the table,
you gain loyalty and trust. This, of course, also instils pride in our team members, who really take ownership of the work they do, and represent our brand when they’re out and about in the community. Relationships are really everything in this business (and any other, for that matter).
We work hard on our brand to make sure it resonates with our clients, and we pride ourselves
on our professional, well-groomed, organised team that share our values.

We take the same approach with our contractors by building strong relationships to ensure
quality and consistency for our clients. We like to work with trusted companies to help support
the local market.

How do you achieve great client relationships?

We don’t simply come to the site and build a house, we really focus on translating architectural
plans and collaborating with clients during each step of the process to create a home. And
if you’re building an architectural forever home, there really isn’t much room to go off-plan;
it needs to be perfect and that’s the expectation.

With 30-odd years of experience, I think my multi-layered approach of hard work, engineering experience, and passion for the business and the community adds a definite advantage to our business, and offers something invaluable to our clients.

For more about Beachside Builders and to view many of its previous projects, including the
awarding-winning Pāpāmoa property pictured here, visit beachsidebuilders.co.nz‍

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The lowdown on Beachside Builders

• Specialises in high-quality renovations and architectural homes across the
Bay of Plenty that complement the beautiful coastline and its natural elements.
• More than 20 years of experience in architectural concrete builds, featuring
concrete block basements with unispan and tilt panels. These are houses that can
withstand the Bay’s harsh elements.
• Was awarded Gold in the Master Builders House of the Year 2020 for a cedar-clad
beachside Pāpāmoa home. The project was a showcase of high-end detailing and
excellent craftsmanship, both inside and out.

Story: Clarissa van Emmenes House photography: Jereme Aubertin Portrait: ilk 

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