Mel Lewis, Jonathan Burbery
Aoraki Frame & Truss Ltd was started by Directors Mel Lewis and Jonathon Burbery, along with their wives Faye Lewis and Pam Burbery, in 2004 after noting an opening for a Frame and Truss business in the market.
Operating from purpose-built premises at Washdyke Industrial Park, Aoraki Frame and Truss haven’t looked back and now have numerous clients including commercial and residential builders, and also private clients on their books.
The advantages of local businesses having the design, detailing and production of key building components produced right here in Timaru was seen as an advantage. With decades of building experience, the company is able to provide advice to owners and builders alike. The company believes that “no project is too small” from renovations to upper floor additions and roof conversions – it can be done.
One of the company’s key strengths is the ability to come up with solutions for clients’ projects that they may not have believed possible. The company works with a great variety of configurations and designs, such as curved, raking and scissor trusses, and can usually let clients know on the spot whether or not their idea will work.
One of the company’s more challenging projects was to complete trusses with curves in both the top and bottom chords for a house in Geraldine. The trusses spanned over 11 metres and were curved over the lounge area but flat at each end for the rooms either side. The longest Truss the company has produced was 21 metres for the Hervey Motors Building in Timaru.
Aoraki Frame and Truss has an experienced team of 8 with 4 of them having been in the industry around 20 years each. The company also has a highly skilled detailer whose technical expertise is up there with the best. The Truss designing is done with the PrydaBuild system and the company uses Pryda fixing components on their Frames and Trusses.