Timber iQ October - November 2019 // Issue:46 | Page 46

PERSONALITY PROFILE
A passion for
sustainable wood
By Dineo Phoshoko | Photo by G. Fisher
With almost 20 years in the timber industry, Grier Fisher of Town
and Country Projects, tells Timber iQ about his experience as a
businessman in the timber industry.
W
hile living in New Zealand, he gained a horticultural
background which exposed him to the timber
industry. Having a natural ability for timber
construction gave him an advantage and helped him get ahead.
“I’ve always had a basic understanding of the mechanics of
putting timber structures together,” explains Fisher.
Upon his arrival in Cape Town in 1995 with his wife, Fisher
got an opportunity to work on the thatched B&B chalets at the
Monkey Valley Resort in Noordhoek. He stayed there for three
months and during this time he learnt the traditional South
African way of building all the pole roof structures for nine
thatched bungalows. While in Cape Town, he also learnt other
valuable skills in different areas including reeded ceilings,
timber floors, external timber cladding and interior fittings.
After a two-year stay in Europe, Fisher and his wife returned
to South Africa in 1998. “After working for a decking contractor
for a year followed by a six-month stint with a timber frame
building company , I then decided to go on my own and started
Town and Country Projects in 2004, focusing on all aspects of
external timber design and construction,” he says.
As the owner of Town and Country
Projects, there are many
responsibilities including
project management,
designing, interacting
with clients and
supervising. “The role
is very diverse and
ever-changing. You
have to constantly
remind yourself
that anything can
happen or change
at any time – and it
usually does.”
“Growing up, I
have always had a
fascination with the
relationship between
structure and design,”
says Fisher. This motivated
him to pursue a career in the
timber industry. “While working
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OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2019 //
on different building sites in different countries over the
years, it was inevitable that I would become a self-taught
carpenter.” Embracing the challenges, taking full advantage
of opportunities and learning critical skills allowed him to
thrive in the industry.
THE POWER OF SHARING KNOWLEDGE
Having worked in New Zealand, England and South Africa,
Fisher has 19 years’ worth of industry experience. During
these years, he has faced many challenges in the industry. In
his view, cash flow is one of the major ones. “Almost every
structure we have built we have done with confidence and
worked out all challenges in the end. The difficult part is doing
this with little working capital or cash flow,” he explains.
On a lighter note, there have been many highlights. These
include winning regular national awards from the Institute of
Timber Construction South Africa (ITC-SA) and working on large
projects that have received a lot of attention from the media.
“I think my biggest highlight was when I was asked to
lecture at UCT (University of Cape Town) on the importance of
timber and timber structures for hard landscaping to post-
graduate students. It was supposed to be a three-hour
lecture; I was so scared I spent four days putting it together.”
The three-hour lecture turned into a four-hour question and
answer session between Fisher and the students. “I realised
only then how much knowledge I had obtained over the years
and that it did have value even though I am not a teacher. I
learnt a lot about the value of knowledge that day and the
value of teaching or parting with that knowledge,” he says.
Regarding the timber industry in South Africa, he is
optimistic about the development of the industry. “Coming
from a country where 85% of houses are timber framed,
there is still a huge scope here in South Africa. There needs
to be more awareness and education that sustainably grown
timber as a material is the best eco-friendly option by far as
a building material,” Fisher says. He adds, “Statistics in
favour of timber are unparalleled and there is a huge scope
for development with right-minded architects, developers
and ultimately clients.”
LOCAL INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT
Every industry has opportunities for development. The
timber industry is no different and in Fisher’s opinion,
www.timberiq.co.za