IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS
When it comes to building and renovating your home, the devil is in the details. Often, seemingly minor features get overlooked, and although it feels like a non-issue at the time, eventually, the lack of these small additions becomes a daily annoyance. But what if there was a way to avoid that headache? Join Sydney Home Design + Living’s Stef Grinberg as she chats to Ross Cummings, director of Braeside Group Sydney, to discuss the need for precision and custom elements within the building process.
When combined, Braeside Building, Joinery and Bathroom make up Braeside Group named after the area in Scotland where Cummings grew up. First immigrating to Australia in early 2009 with his wife, he first worked at Paul King Pty Ltd, (now Kinn Constructions). Paul King would mentor Cummings, teaching him about the industry and clients. It was during these six years working for King where Cummings would meet a couple that would impact his life more than he knew at the time; Ena and Keith. First starting as clients, the pair later became much more than that to Ross and his wife.
“They [Ena and Keith] were like grandparents to me and my wife here … we were over here on our own,” he said, crediting the name of his company to the couple, he would continue to say that “she [Ena] brought me back to my roots,” inspiring the name of Braeside Group Sydney.
Another nod to his Scottish roots is that Ross Cummings is ‘Scottish Elvis’ in his spare time, proudly performing in tartan when he’s off the clock.
LET’S GO BACK TO THE BEGINNING
Cummings started young in the construction industry. When he was 16 he worked as an apprentice at Newark Joiners, working at Ferguson Marine, a shipyard in
Scotland, the only producer of non-military vessels in the area.
“I was very lucky because in the joinery shop, we did a lot of work outside of the shipyard as well. So, I learned carpentry and joinery at a very young age,” he said, continuing “I travelled into Europe … all around Scotland, working and learning, which was unbelievable. I was very lucky to have had an apprenticeship like that …
I stayed there for a few years and then I started my own small business in Scotland.”
This unique entryway into the industry would go on to shape how Cummings goes about his work, teaching him various methods that assist him to this day. In Scotland, joinery and carpentry fall under the work of the same contractors, meaning that most, if not all construction workers are also joiners.
In contrast, Australia treats this industry as separate, creating a disconnect, and unique challenges, according to Cummings.
THE PROBLEM (AND THE SOLUTION)
Carpentry and joinery being divided in Australia means that the schedules, ideas and communication suffers, and Cummings understandably doesn’t “enjoy the headache,” preferring an in-house approach to joinery work.
But what is joinery? Why does it matter? Cummings would say “what makes a house is the joinery, joinery is designed around a person’s lifestyle, and this is what people completely forget.” Coming from a background in both building and cabinetry means Cummings has a direct understanding of the moving parts that goes into each project.
“The benefit of having all the joinery done in house for me is we can make sure everything works to our construction schedules … that’s the problem with builders and joiners, they’re both running two different schedules and often there’s not much communication between them,” Cummings explains.
He would go on to clarify that changes can be done more quickly and efficiently in house. In contrast to this, third party joiners require an extra step of communication, time management and an additional variation charge for any changes made.
Yet with an in-house approach, “we can manage the margins and make sure it’s more cost efficient for clients and us,” Cummings said.
WHY CUSTOM JOINERY MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE
One unexpected outcome of Cummings’ background, besides being a well accomplished Scottish Elvis impersonator, is the ability to work on complex designs. An example of this is apartments, with walls that don’t move and structural elements that can’t be changed.
Joinery is a way to enhance existing elements and adapt them to your daily needs and lifestyle. “What makes a house is the joinery, joinery is designed around a person’s lifestyle, and this is what people completely forget,” he says, continuing, “joinery is centred around your life and how you’re going to live … that’s why it’s important to have a really good design … [to] make sure your joinery ticks all the boxes of yourday-to-day life.”
Cummings would go on to discuss the differing types of questions you could ask yourself, including if you reach for a door or a draw in your bathroom vanity or how you want your wardrobe to be laid out. These seemingly small parts of our day-to-day lives have a larger impact than we realise.
“Everybody’s different, so it’s got to suit each and everybody, the way that they like,” he states, highlighting the importance of an individualistic approach to the joinery process.
In the kitchen, the heart of the home, Cummings would say, “everybody cooks differently, so, maybe they want their cooktop closer to the fridge … maybe you want an LED strip light on your overhead cabinets. There’s so many different elements to joinery … it’s designed around people’s lifestyles, if it’s designed properly, it’s designed around your lifestyle.” Most notably, Cummings would say the most important aspect of the building and joinery process is design.
He would explain the importance of creating a plan before beginning a project, ensuring that client, builder and designer all stay aligned on the same vision.
“Design negates ambiguity … everybody has a different perception … perception is the worst thing, because everybody has a different perception in how something should be done,” he concludes.