Client Profile: Joshua Milgate, Custom Building Approvals

In this July edition of the Client Profile series, we introduce Joshua Milgate, a seasoned building certifier whose journey began in his teenage years working alongside his father, Bruce Milgate.

Gaining hands-on experience in commercial and residential projects, Joshua was inspired by his father's entrepreneurial spirit to found his own building certification firm, Custom Building Approvals.

Read on to learn more about Joshua's background and what drives his passion for building certification.

Can you tell us a bit about your background and what inspired you to become a Building Certifier?

Sure! When I was around 15 or 16, I started working with my dad, Bruce Milgate. He was a builder back then, so I did my apprenticeship with him and learned all about the building trade. We worked together on and off over the years. Later, he moved to the Sunshine Coast and trained to be a building certifier with the council before certification was privatised. He worked at Noosa Council first, then Caloundra Council.

Once certification went private, Bruce started his own business, BLM Certifiers, in Maleny. He eventually merged with another certifier and created Alliance Building Approvals. Then, when Andrew Stuart from Caloundra Building Approvals wanted to sell his business, Bruce bought it out and took over.

During all this, I was still in the construction industry, working on both commercial and residential projects on the Gold and Sunshine Coasts. Around 2015, Bruce asked me to join him at Caloundra Building Approvals and encouraged me to get my Level 3 Building Certification licence. I worked with him for about 6 to 7 years until he retired in December 2022.

After he retired, I decided to start my own firm, Custom Building Approvals. I took on some of his old clients, acquired some new ones and have been running my own business ever since.

Your website mentions that you have a combined industry experience of over 100 years. How did that come about?

Between Dave, our Inspector, Tomika, and myself, we have close to 100 years of experience in the industry. My dad, Bruce, who helped me out when I was starting the business, also contributed to this figure with his many years in the field.

Both Dave and I are certifiers, bringing a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the team. We also have three administrative staff members, including Tomika. She's incredibly experienced in the admin side of Building Certification and handles many tasks to support Dave and me. With our combined skills and experience, we've built a solid foundation for Custom Building Approvals.

What attracts clients to work with Custom Building Approvals?

Most of our business comes from word of mouth and the connections I've made throughout my life in the industry. People know us and know that I'm easy to get along with, which definitely helps. I’m good at finding solutions without making a fuss, and that’s something clients appreciate.

Because the industry changes so much, we're realistic and adaptable. Our prices are fair, and our turnaround times are much better than those of our competition. All these factors help keep our customers coming back.

That said, I am planning to ramp up our marketing this year as we grow. We're bringing on another staff member, building a new website, and getting active on social media. All these steps are part of our plan to expand the business.

How do you find running your own business? Is there anything you weren't aware of or find challenging? Did working for your father give you the tools you needed to hit the ground running?

Running my own business has been a bit of a rollercoaster! While I was partly prepared and had no issues with the certification side of things, running the business itself takes up a lot of time. If I could go back to the last six months I had with Bruce, I would have studied time management.

Balancing the business with family life is challenging, especially with a young family. When I started, I wore multiple hats and tried to do everything by myself. This year, I’m focusing on delegating more of the admin tasks so I can concentrate on growing the business and starting our marketing efforts. Working with my father helped, but it didn’t fully prepare me for the demands of running a business on my own.

How do you differentiate yourself from other Certification firms?

We stand out from other certification firms in a couple of ways. First, we use Visual Approvals to streamline our processes, which allows us to have a very fast turnaround time, especially for smaller jobs like pools and reroofs. VA is invaluable for helping us complete these tasks quickly and efficiently.

Another big differentiator is the personal touch we offer. My clients can call me directly with any queries, and we sort things out right away. In bigger certification firms, clients often don’t get that level of direct contact with the company owners. This direct contact is a major benefit of working with us.

Can you share what services Custom Building Approvals offer?

We primarily focus on residential projects, including houses, sheds, pools, reroofs, and renovations. Business has been good, especially with the housing developments in our area. However, I feel that government regulations are holding back development, and things could be progressing faster. There’s a lot more potential for growth, especially with the housing and rental shortages here on the Sunshine Coast.

What are your insights on the current housing scarcity issue?

It seems like the state and federal governments are aware of the housing shortage and are putting plans in place to address it. However, the local government appears to be slow in releasing land for new developments. Whether this is due to short staffing or planning issues, I'm not sure.

In the two estates we have here, Aura and Harmony, there’s a noticeable struggle to get the next parcel of land released, with significant time gaps between stage releases. It would be great if the local council could speed up this process and provide more consistency with land releases and development applications. This would help avoid the peaks and troughs that put pressure on everyone involved in the development process.

Can you walk us through a typical day in your life as a building surveyor?

I'm up at 5:30, say hello to the kids, and then head straight to the office. I spend most of the day at the computer. To break up the day and get through the afternoon, I try to hit the gym at lunchtime. I also make sure to check in with everyone in the office to ensure everything is running smoothly.

I use a follow-up system within Visual Approvals that schedules my day. It prioritises tasks so I can handle the critical and urgent jobs first, followed by high and normal priority tasks. I try not to check my email during the day and instead dedicate a set time for it in the afternoon, usually around 3 PM. The VA follow-up system has been a game-changer for time management.

Dave handles all the inspections, but I join him some days if there are too many or if they’re too spread out for him to cover alone. I don't do as many inspections now because that’s all I did for five years straight when working with Bruce, and I don't miss doing that every day.

I also like to visit my clients' offices to say G’day and have a chat with everyone.

Which areas do your services cover?

We've expanded our coverage significantly since working with Bruce. While he focused mainly on the Caloundra, Sunshine Coast area, Noosa, and a bit of Morton, we now work across all of Queensland. Thanks to the technology we use and a network of inspectors throughout the state, there aren't many jobs we can't handle.

During inspections, we often use cameras to monitor what's being inspected, ensuring everything meets our standards. We also have a license for New South Wales, so we're starting to branch into that state as well.

Are you looking to expand your business in the coming 12 to 24 months?

This year, my goal is to take on more work, hire more staff, delegate tasks and make the company more profitable, allowing me to spend more time with my family.

Tell us what you love about the industry you work in.

I get to help people achieve their goals and try to make the building process as stress-free as possible for them. I also enjoy chatting with our clients; they always have interesting stories and challenges.

Doing research is a big part of our work as certifiers, and I genuinely enjoy it. Learning about building regulations, acts, and construction codes is always interesting. By constantly learning and updating my knowledge, I can help clients right away when they have questions. I find that an incredibly rewarding part of the job.

Is staying up-to-date with the latest code introductions and regulations a challenging task for certifiers?

It can be. Recently, we've experienced some major changes, particularly with the introduction of Liveable Housing standards. These changes, affecting things like door and hallway widths, have fundamentally altered how houses are built. Communicating these new standards to everyone involved in the building process has not been easy.

Additionally, there have been changes in energy efficiency requirements, and releasing these updates so closely together was not the best idea. It would have been beneficial to have more educational initiatives for builders and the public before implementing these changes.

What more could be done to attract people into the role of certification? How do you bring in new certifiers to your team?

It’s tough finding new certifiers these days. Because they're so scarce, I’d rather train someone from scratch than try to employ one. My plan is to bring on a cadet this year and start training them up to a level 3 certification.

Is this a trend in building certification companies?

Oh, definitely. Everyone I know who runs their own company is keen on bringing in cadets and training them on the job. It has become necessary because the relevant training institutions cannot be relied upon to conduct the courses. There was an entire year when the certification course wasn’t offered here in Queensland. That really doesn’t help when we’re trying to get more people into the profession.

Many qualified and experienced certifiers are approaching retirement age, and we just don’t have enough new ones coming through. Since Bruce retired in 2022, I’ve seen four other certifiers retire, just here on the Sunshine Coast. That’s a lot for one area.

Actually, one of those was from Kawana Building Approvals. I ended up buying him out and merging his business with ours.

What are your thoughts on female representation in the building certification industry?

Absolutely! I think it’s great. I would like Tomika to get her certification, and if she wants to do that, I’d fully support her. For those considering a career in building certification, having a solid understanding of the building industry and knowing how to read plans always helps. As long as someone is committed to the study and sticks with it, anyone, male or female, will do well in this career.

How do you unwind during your free time?

I spend time with the kids. I work most of the day on Saturday, so when I get home, it's all about family time. Sundays are dedicated to family as well, and we always plan something fun to do together. Whenever I do get some spare time, I like to tinker around the house or work on my old car. There's always something to do at home—it never ends!

How has technology transformed your business?

Technology is at the core of our operations, and Visual Approvals is absolutely essential for us. We are constantly integrating new features, which is exciting. VA regularly releases updates with new functionalities, and I am looking forward to working with the new portal where clients can upload documents.

How has the integration with Xero helped your business?

Yes, it is awesome. At the start, we had a few teething problems, but I’m told it works very well now. It’s fantastic.

Lastly, would you be willing to share a few words about your experience with Visual Approvals software and if it has contributed to your success?

I started working with Andre and VA back in 2015, and we've always gotten along well. Over the years, both VA and our businesses have evolved. I wouldn’t use anything else because VA is specifically built for certification and works perfectly for our needs. It's great to see the team growing, which means more support and new features all the time. I have recommended Visual Approvals to other certifiers in the past and will continue to do so.