Q&A with Associate Director & Senior Quantity Surveyor Jeremy Blake
Q&A with Associate Director & Senior Quantity Surveyor Jeremy Blake
Jeremy Blake is an Associate Director and Senior Quantity Surveyor, based in our North Shore office. Jeremy has been with Hampton Jones for 9 years and is a highly valued member of the team. Originally from the UK, Jeremy and his family moved to New Zealand in 2010 and became citizens in 2018. Our Marketing Manager, Margaret Browne recently sat down with Jeremy to ask him a few questions:
How many years have you been quantity surveying?
Too many…I graduated last century (1992 to be precise), so that’s not far off 30 years!
What do you do during a typical day?
A wide variety of tasks, and that’s what I enjoy about my job. Every day is different; it may be meeting existing or new prospective clients, chairing a meeting on site, discussing an insurance claim with loss adjusters or lawyers, team meetings…and emptying the dishwasher.
What do you like most about what you do?
I really enjoy the variety of work and the variety of clients I have the opportunity to work with. I also like the mix of being out on site and in the office.
What’s the hardest part of your job?
Juggling priorities!
What do you like most about working for Hampton Jones?
It’s an open, family friendly company, and I’m fortunate to work with such a great QS team. We all muck in together and get the job done.
What project would you consider your most significant career accomplishment to date?
I’ve really enjoyed the work we’ve completed with Kainga Ora; the wide variety of contractors involved, differing construction methods, and most importantly, building quality homes for people who need them.
The Hampton Jones vision is to champion better buildings, because better buildings make for better lives. How do Quantity Surveyors help to create better buildings?
By contributing to the cost management and contract administration, to achieve a quality building on time and budget.
Which Hampton Jones value resonates most with you?
To ‘Do the right thing’ – as this effectively encompasses our other HJ values of Holding the highest standards, Work hard to create understanding, and Have the courage to challenge. Construction is a people industry. If I can encourage high standards for both myself and others, whilst spreading understanding, even if that may entail challenging people’s perceptions, then hopefully everyone gains.
Is it better to be perfect and late, or good and on time?
It is probably in a QS’s nature to strive for ‘perfect and on time’, however ‘good and on time’ is more realistic. A client is not going to appreciate a ‘perfect’ piece of work if it is produced too late to be of use.
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not at work?
Renovating our property and spending time with my wife and daughters.
What’s your favourite social media platform?
What’s the best place to eat on the North Shore?
Our kitchen on a Friday evening with family and a beer!
What’s your favourite building in New Zealand?
Tough question – maybe Christchurch cardboard cathedral – it was a really innovative solution.
What’s your favourite building outside New Zealand?
Marina Bay Sands Hotel, Singapore
Get in touch with Jeremy at jeremy.blake@hamptonjones.com or call him on 021 931 366