Construction firm lays down foundation for a bumper year

Hodgkinson Builders has said it is set to achieve a £20 million turnover this year and build double the number of homes.

The Pride Park-based construction firm has said it has seen dramatic growth since the Covid lockdowns, building properties across the Midlands, many of them for housing associations.

Managing director Ian Hodgkinson said that he was delighted the firm had managed to weather the storm during the pandemic months – with 330 homes currently being developed so far this year.

He said: “Our staff have been heroes and we have come out of the pandemic stronger and more resilient than ever before.

“We are pleased to be doubling the number of homes we build this year compared to 2020.

“It’s been a big year so far and it has been a lot of hard work, but we have been able to strengthen Hodgkinson Builders, take stock and reinvest with a different outlook.”

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Robert Hodgkinson, operations director at the firm, said: “The tech we use for remote working has changed the business for the office team forever.

“We have new ways of working flexibly – and we are still able to put roofs over people’s heads.”

One of the developments responsible for the success is a 34-house development in Spanker Lane, Heage.

This is made up of 16 two-bed, 16 three-bed and two four-bed homes.

Building work started in January and it should be finished in the summer of 2022.

Part of the company’s portfolio is a 30-home development at Ilkeston where it is reusing some of the stonework and signage from the Poplar pub to help preserve the site’s unique place in the town’s heritage.

The pandemic has also allowed the firm to cement its position with housing association clients, helped by a social housing report compiled in conjunction with the University of Derby.

In it, the firm says that social housing could be key to the UK building its way out of the pandemic.

The Annual Social Housing Report paints a warts-and-all picture of the current state of the construction industry, including the deep-seated problems caused by skills shortages and poor construction methods.

But its main focus is to highlight the crisis surrounding a lack of social housing and the need for people and organisations to change negative attitudes towards the concept of social housing.

Ian and his team are now urging businesses and the Government to use smarter, more sustainable methods to build much-needed social housing quickly.

He said: “Moving forward through 2021, we are responding to the increase in the demand for homes. It’s currently running at 16 people showing interest in every house on the market.

“We are focused over the next 12 months on our apprenticeships scheme and see training as a crucial solution to the skills shortage.”