Property and Construction

Notable Builder Of The Time

Robert McCallum was a builder by trade. He had his own construction company, employed a number of people (and frequently fired them), and built both public and private residential buildings.

In later years he was a successful entrepreneur, land and property investor.

Projects

Many of his projects were high profile jobs with considerable public interest. In addition he took on projects of variety.

He built schools, hospitals, grandstands, bridges, stables, banks, town halls, wharfs, pavilions, hotels, factories, retail stores, wool stores and tram barns.

He also built many homes for private clients. Later on he built cottages for himself and rented them out or sold them for a profit.

26 Oct 1904      The recent destructive fire at Rotorua, the Grand Hotel in flames

A Self-Made Man

There is much to admire about the man. He was self-made, fiercely determined with a relentlessly strong work ethic.

  • Skilled: McCallum was clever with tools and never shied away from hard labor. At the same time, he was equally savvy on the financial side of the business.
  • Hardworking: After a hard day on the job site, frequently in tough conditions, additional hours were often spent late into the evening, in his office measuring plans, collating prices, and preparing tenders (bids) for new projects.
  • Growth: He created a flourishing business which enabled him to live a good lifestyle. As his business grew, he would have multiple projects going at the same time. Days were spent coordinating and running from one job to the other. 

Location… Some Remote Jobs

The majority of McCallum’s projects were in and around his home town, the city of Auckland. Some however were further afield.

He was not afraid to venture considerable distances for his work, often hundreds of miles away from his home. He built hotels in Rotorua, a school in Kokako. He built in Cambridge, Whangarei, Thames, and Paeroa.

These projects were 100-400 miles away from his Auckland home, a challenge considering travel conditions at the time.

Harsh Conditions

McCallum’s day often started early, 4:30-5:00 a.m. was not uncommon. He worked exceptionally long hours, often not finishing until dark. Many times he continued to work “on the books” through the evening.

Conditions were often harsh. On some of his earlier jobs, the land was still wild, rugged, and “hellishly difficult to get to”. He paints a picture of miserable conditions, muddy dirty sites, mosquitoes, dense bush and topography obstacles.

When the projects were remote he frequently set up camp in the bush, pitched a tent and slept on site, or in his shanty where he stored his tools.

Access Challenges

Remote construction locations posed formidable access difficulties especially when it came to the delivery of materials. The diarist takes us on delivery expeditions such as:

  • Loading timber, bricks, and materials on scows
  • Wading through twisting rivers
  • Navigating the tides and getting stuck after storms
  • Unloading and reloading materials again onto horses and drays
  • Horses and materials stuck, wedged in mud and sledge
  • Carting through thick bush to the building site

Characters

McCallum introduces us to the many people he interacts with in his daily work life; his clients, subcontractors and suppliers.

Many of them appear on multiple jobs, they become his favorites or regulars. We see relationships develop and get to know them as characters.

  • His trusted foreman (and brother) Pat
  • Architects (many notable incl. Edward Bartley)
  • Clients (private and public incl. The Harbour Board)
  • Council (for permits)
  • Suppliers (incl. timber mills)
  • Inspectors (a thorn in his side)
  • Carpenters
  • Labourers (navvies)
  • Bricklayers (bricky’s)
  • Plumbers
  • Painters
  • Plasterers
  • Paperers

Job Frustrations

Site conditions and construction processes were different a hundred years ago. Some things however remain constant and many modern-day builders will be able to empathize with McCallum’s job frustrations.

 

  • Missing out on a job due to being late on the tender deadline
  • Not getting a job after being so close to the winning bid
  • Dealing with councils trying to get permits
  • Firing labourers off the site, after being fed up and exasperated by their antics
  • Running short of labourers and having to advertise for additional resources
  • Unreliable subcontractors not turning up as promised
  • Bricklayers going on two-day drinking binges
  • Building in the wrong location and having to rip up and start again
  • Freezing conditions cause havoc with the soil
  • Bailing water due to storms
  • Rain delays and building leaks
  • Late delivery of materials or being stolen from the site
  • Finicky building inspectors making him do extra work
  • And the worst, disputes about the payment such as clients late or withholding payment and refusing to settle the final account.

Construction Costs Of The Time

The diarist’s meticulous record-keeping provides a primary source of building prices of the time.

We learn the cost of land and house prices.  He discloses subcontract bids offering us a breakdown of the plumbing or painting components of a job.

He mentions the cost of labour and payroll giving us a glimpse into the wage rates of carpenters, labourers, and bricklayers.

19th-Century Construction Processes

McCallum’s propensity for detail offers insight into late 19th – early 20th-century building practices.

  • Pre-construction …we follow him viewing sites, measuring and “taking off the bill of quantities”, reviewing, colouring, and tracing plans, and estimating costs.
  • Tendering and bidding …We see him working all night in order to meet deadlines for submission of his tenders (bids). We share in his wait and anticipation, his glee of successfully signing a contract for a project, or his despondence if he missed due to his quote being too high.
  • During the construction phase …we follow the progress of seeking permits, ordering materials, pegging the site out, excavating, foundations, framing, roofing, coordinating the bricklayers, plumbers, painters, etc.
  • Job completion …We observe him navigate the various inspections, change orders and finally obtain the final certificate.
  • Bygone ways …We learn of bygone trades, materials, and features. There is the blacksmith, the ironmonger, and the lead-light maker. He talks of going to the timber mills to source native woods such as totara, rimu, matai, and kauri. There are Maraetai bricks and Oregon timber, hot pitch, lead, and lime bags.We learn of rooms such as the scullery, wash house, drawing room, and strong room. He references building elements such as scrim, friezes, picture moulds, sash weights, skylights, mantelpieces, and steel ceilings.