Future bright for building firm

ACTIVITY in Britain's construction sector shrank for the 18th month in a row in August.

This sector has been referred to by commentators as being 'the sick man of the UK economy'.

Far from complaining about the present woes of the construction industry Robert Clarke has a more enthusiastic take on the future of this sector.

As a director at Lodgico Ltd, Robert's vision is to build new developments using sustainable materials.

In the construction of a residential dwelling, holiday home or even a commercial building the use of renewable energy sources such as solar energy, wind turbines and grey water systems are encouraged.

Such standards have meant that Robert's company is an approved contractor to both Devon and Somerset County Councils.

Born and bred in Devon and the son of a policeman, Robert Clarke used his experience of studying engineering at Coventry University and managing a large sawmill depot to start Lodgico with his brother-in-law Lee Brailey.

Together with their respective partners and loyal staff they have developed their business into a forward thinking organisation.

Robert lives with his wife and two children in Landkey, North Devon.

What was your first wage?

When I left university I took a temporary job at Chapelton Sawmills working on a six-week contract as a yards-person earning £80 per week.

Little did I know that 10 years down the track I would still be there!

I worked my way up to manager in charge of a team of 32 employees with a turnover in excess of £3 million.

When did you buy your first property?

My wife and I bought our first property in 1995. It was built by Pearce Construction and it was a terraced property, we paid £40,000 for the property and spent three years there before moving on to our present property in Landkey.

What was the most influential piece of money advice your parents gave you?

Growing up my sister and I learnt the merits of not living beyond our means. My mother was a housewife and my father was a police officer, so although we didn't want for anything, we had a no frills upbringing.

I remember my father sitting me down and telling me not to borrow money. As a result of this advice my sister and I didn't have an overdraft facility; at University I worked my way through without incurring any debt so I was grateful for his advice.

How have you found the last 12 months in the construction sector and what do you expect to happen in the next 12 months?

Clearly the effects of the recession have bitten our industry more than most. Our traditional building side has been affected but we have a good book of work going forward and our reputation has helped us through the initial periods of difficulty.

Moving to the future we are continuing to develop our log home business. More than ever we will see a growing log-house sector.

Wood construction is popular in Europe with timber-built housing reaching 50% in Russia and 25% in Germany I expect this to increase rapidly in the UK and in particular here in the South West with an increase in holiday homes and second homes.

We are well placed to deal with this upward trend and we feel our professionalism and quality of service will put us in a prime position in the next 12 months.

If you were to invest £200,000 today what asset class would you buy?

Returns are still relatively poor through the banks and I don't have the appetite for shares so I would go for property. Being in the sector perhaps it is biased but I would buy a plot of land and build a Scandinavian style lodge.

The 'Sycamore Lodge' (www.lodgico.co.uk), is a four bed-roomed design that is available for £110,000 including appliances, this would be my choice for an investment.