SA Affordable Housing July - August 2019 // Issue: 77 | Page 39

PERSONALITY PROFILE
Conquering the tough
climb of construction
With a commendable 30 years of business under his belt
Hennie Badenhorst, managing director of Barwit Construction, gives
SA Affordable Housing a glimpse into his career and insights.
By Benjamin Brits
G
rowing up and completing his schooling in
Roodepoort, Gauteng, Hennie Badenhorst’s plan was
to start his career by studying civil engineering, but
alas, this was not to be as he didn’t qualify.
Instead he started work as an apprentice draughtsman
for a company that specialised in sinking mine shafts.
Badenhorst recalls, “I wanted to become a contract
draughtsman because there were about 35 draughtsman in
the drawing office, and those guys were all earning four
times what I was earning, but we were doing the same work,
so I decided that this is where I wanted to steer my life.”
THE PATH AHEAD
A week before his apprenticeship came to an end,
Badenhorst didn’t have a permanent position. The chief
draughtsman called him aside and said that he could offer
him a permanent opportunity, if he was interested. The
opportunity, at another company, was also in mine work
which was a good fit. That same day a meeting was set up
and the company met Badenhorst during his lunch break.
“I found this quite odd as they came to see me for an
interview, usually you go and see the company yourself
when you are looking for a job,” Badenhorst laughs.
“Having never been for an actual interview before (I
landed my apprentice job at a Christmas party I attended); I
went to the chief draughtsman and asked his advice. I
remember he told me that, ‘If I wanted R800 a month
(understand this was in 1980), then you need to ask for
R1 000 a month and then you can negotiate’.
I earned around R400 a month in those days. At the
meeting I showed the drawing that I had done and the
inevitable question about salary came, to which I
immediately responded that I was looking for R1 000 a
month (feeling very proud of myself). They said ok right
away, plus they also offered me a company car. So, of course
I took up the offer,” continues Badenhorst.
TAKING THE NEXT STEP
In all honesty Badenhorst always knew deep down that he
wanted to work for himself and when he got married, he
and his wife already owned the land (where he still lives
today). Wanting to build his own house, he took up a
weekend bricklaying course where he laid bricks every
Saturday morning learning the skills he needed to make his
plan a reality.
www.saaffordablehousing.co.za
“As I was doing draughting anyway, my wife decided to
advertise in the local newspaper that I can draw house
plans. Before I even saw the advert in the paper, I already
got my first phone call and since then I have been drawing
house plans, especially for alterations and additions. In
those days though, the payment I received was enough to
give me some good pocket money as a sideline but not
enough to tell my boss that I was heading off to do my own
thing,” says Badenhorst.
An opportunity came to do drawings for a company that
only did alteration work. After 14 months and 190 drawings
for them (and drawings were only given through once the
contract was signed) Badenhorst thought that if they can do
it, then surely he can do it? He already had access to people
who wanted drawings done. If those clients didn’t have a
builder, he could offer services as a builder too.
The point where Badenhorst got cemented into the
building space came shortly after he completed a building
quote for a client and on the evening of his return from a
short holiday with his family; he recalls, “During our quiet
time that night, I clearly remember praying when I was
interrupted by the call to say that I had got the job; I
thought to myself that this was a sign from above.”
Badenhorst went in to work and gave his boss five
months’ notice and then he was on his own. Through word
of mouth, news about his services spread and his business
really got going, after which it just grew and grew.
Looking back there is very little that Badenhorst hasn’t
done or been involved in from civil works to many more
projects. Badenhorst became involved in light steel frame
construction (LSFC) and, as it was something that he hadn’t
looked at before, he did all the necessary research on the
technology. At this point his son started working for him too
and together - when visiting exhibitions - they took brochures
to read anything to do with light steel frame construction.
Work with this technology naturally flowed in and the
first LSFC project Badenhorst completed was in Lenasia,
Gauteng, where he built a new house on top of an existing
one while the occupants continued to live there. This was
naturally an interesting start to the incorporation of LSFC
into the business.
THE ULTIMATE REWARD
Badenhorst expresses that his most significant achievement
is being in business and being his own boss for 30 years.
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