Avant Homes

In the last year, Avant have won two Premier Guarantee Quality Recognition Awards for the Darach Fields site in Glasgow. How does it feel to be recognised for your consistent high standards?

Everyone at Avant Homes was very pleased and proud of the Darach Fields team in achieving our first Premier Guarantee Quality Recognition Awards. These are testament to the efforts that the team and supply chain put in to achieving an exceptional standard of quality throughout our build which clearly is very important for our clients. Our site team’s drive of quality is exemplary, and it is very satisfying to see this recognised.

Can you tell us about the Darach Fields site? 

Darach Fields is positioned in Robroyston, Glasgow and is delivering a large number of family homes ranging from 3 – 5 bedroom, 2 and 3 storey detached and semi-detached. These homes come from our standard portfolio range.

One aspect of your site that impressed the Premier Guarantee team was the meticulous approach to consistency such as QR codes that allowed all trades access to relevant data for each unit. Can you tell us a bit more about this approach and why it works?

We passionately believe in teamwork, and excellent communication with our sub-contractors on site is key to this. QR Codes are a simple and efficient way of communicating the latest site/plot/house type information to the trades quickly and without fuss. If the trades are working consistently with the key information at their fingertips then they’re happy and if they are happy then we are too. Good quality consistent progress is made by everyone and it’s a really simple and efficient way of constantly being able to communicate well.

Sharing knowledge via honest conversations is at the heart of what Premier Guarantee are about? In the interest of continual learning, how valuable do you find this open engagement with industry peers?

The honest conversations we have enjoyed with Premier Guarantee have been very helpful. Every day is a school day, and continual learning is very important for us. We should never stand still in this regard and the engagement we have had with the Premier Guarantee team has been rewarding in helping us to constantly review and improve things across our build. It’s really all about marginal gains and the PG team have been a big part in this process.

Premier Guarantee recently held one of our Consistency Days at Darach Fields. How did you find the day?

We were happy to assist in hosting the Consistency Day. One of the biggest challenges throughout the industry is the subject of consistency so if there is an opportunity to engage in this subject then why wouldn’t we! It was refreshing to meet the wider PG team and have really honest discussions with everyone being actively involved, whilst at the end of the day reaching some really positive helpful positions on what consistency should look like. All of our Avant team enjoyed the day and got really good feedback and information from the day. We’re positive that the Consistency Day will help us roll out a better degree of consistency across our developments and across our trades supply chain.

Avant, you pride yourselves on giving the customer a first class experience. Can you tell us a bit about this?

At Avant, we recognise the desire to own a dream home and we are passionate about providing a level of quality and service that will result in a very satisfied client. This approach starts at the very beginning of the process in terms of what we design and where we build it, and further how we build it. This is where our drive for a quality product is so important, and where Premier Guarantees help is so important too. We constantly monitor standards and benchmark these standards, with robust inspection processes in place throughout our build process which involves not just the Avant team but our wider supply chain. But it doesn’t stop there; we engage regularly and positively with our customers throughout their journey with us, from point of first contact right through to the initial years of them settling into their new homes. Our dedicated Customer Service Team ensure this dialogue is maintained during this post move in period with our ultimate goal being very satisfied customers.

You recently received a 5* HBF rating again this year meaning over 90% of customers said they would recommend Avant to a friend. Can you tell us what this means to you and your approach to customer satisfaction?

We’re very proud of our 5* HBF rating and this is testament to everyone involved in providing a first class service to our customers. Achieving an excellent level of customer satisfaction is a goal that we have for every customer, every time and our teams are passionate about this and ensuring we continue in this regard. Customer satisfaction doesn’t stand still and there will be ongoing opportunities for providing excellent levels of customer satisfaction throughout the future, so we won’t stand still either. Our efforts to continually improve and engage positively and proactively will continue with our customer base.

Teamwork and collaboration in the build process is, among many other values, what sets Avant apart. How important do you believe this cooperation is in achieving the home for your customers? 

Teamwork and collaboration in the build process is extremely important to achieving goals in both production and quality. Successful developments depend on these values, without them all aspects become very disjointed and difficult, and ultimately goals are missed. A key part in providing teamwork and collaboration is strong leadership from the site management team. There are so many component parts and people involved in building quality homes that the leadership which develops and nurtures the teamwork and collaboration is the essential glue which binds these values together.

You clearly treat each project with unique care and passion, valuing the relationships that help the build process along. Where did Premier Guarantee fit in this journey and what was your experience collaborating with them like – from pre-construction right through to completion?

Premier Guarantee understand the complexities and challenges in the whole process and have a very pro-active approach in the relationship from pre-construction right through to completion. They understand the technical teams responsibilities and key deliverables, and they understand the complexities and challenges of the site manager. In our experience, PG work with us throughout all these factors in a robust, but flexible, way. Together, the job gets done; and a quality product is delivered. 

What would you say to anybody considering using Premier Guarantee in future?

I’d absolutely recommend Premier Guarantee as a warranty provider. This is because they collaborate really well, understand and care about the challenges we face, and have a flexible approach which is geared to providing a high level of robust assistance to site managers.

And finally, personally what do you enjoy most about your role at Avant?

I enjoy people engagement. In my role, I’m constantly communicating. Our day to day operations constantly change for a whole host of reasons so being on your toes and match-fit is really important to be able to deal with pop up challenges that occur. Positively engaging and motivating people is key to getting on top of these challenges and when you see results go the way you plan for is very rewarding. I enjoy encouraging and coaching others to get out of things what they wish. I also enjoy the fact that we’re building homes, which are going to be there for years to come, families within.