GJ Gardner’s Tony Quinn shares 20yrs of business success in ‘tricky’ construction climate

A longstanding, key player in the Queensland construction industry has revealed the harsh reality of rising costs and how he’s stayed successful amid a spate of builder busts.

Tony Quinn, has worked on the Sunshine Coast in the building industry for 20yrs and has seen the impacts of skyrocketing costs.Picture: NCA NewsWire / Sharon Smith

A longstanding, key player in the Queensland construction industry has revealed the impact skyrocketing costs have had on builders amid a spate of company collapses.

Tony Quinn, who has operated the Sunshine Coast branch of GJ Gardners since 2004, has seen a lot of change in the region over the past 20 years but says a number of factors in the last four have given the industry its biggest shake-up.

While Mr Quinn has successfully steered his business through two decades of building homes, a number of other construction companies have folded, including Sunshine Coast-based National Construction Management, Descon Group Australia and CMG Homes.

Tony Quinn, from GJ Gardner on the Sunshine Coast, has successfully steered his business through two decades of construction.

Mr Quinn said while the Sunshine Coast provided a “buoyant market” for building companies, skyrocketing costs continued to be a major challenge post-Covid.

“There are plenty of people coming into the market looking for new homes, there’s plenty knockdown and rebuilds in the older areas,” Mr Quinn said.

“But not just here, everywhere in Australia there has been a huge number of builders that have gone under because they just haven’t kept ahead of the curve when it comes to pricing,” Mr Quinn said.

“Some of the biggest builders, they try to absorb all of these additional costs.”

Building construction. generic. Photo: Brett Wortman / Sunshine Coast Daily

Mr Quinn said the cost increases, which began skyrocketing during the pandemic, had put “a lot of pressure” on all constructions companies, including those which were well-established.

“From back in 2020, our prices have gone up about 50 per cent, that is including labour charges and materials,” Mr Quinn said.

“A house that we would have sold a couple of years ago, is now 50 per cent more in price, the land prices have gone up as well, so people are having to find more money.”

Mr Quinn said overall the building sector was “not an easy business to be in”, with costs jumping by up to 70 per cent in the past 10 years.

“It is a shame because there is enough work for all the builders, but it is survival of the fittest.”