KENNETH LIM

 

hello there! i’m ken.

I’m a qualified carpenter who is passionate about architecture and design and the building and construction industry. I am currently working for Dome Building Projects, a classic and contemporary residential builder which specialises in building architecturally designed homes, period restorations, renovations, and extensions.

I enjoy solving complex problems, approaching them with a calculated and methodical process in order to deliver quality solutions with an emphasis on attention to detail.

I have completed a Certificate IV in Building and Construction which has given me a strong foundation in estimating quantities, completing take offs as well as understanding key building principles. I am currently undertaking a Diploma of Building and Construction, as well as a Diploma of Project Management, specialising in construction through a career advancement scholarship from Master Builders Victoria.

I believe I’d be a great addition to your team as I’m a passionate craftsman who takes incredible pride in my work, and I believe quality should take precedence above all else when building homes.

 
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what are my goals?

As a qualified carpenter with strong team management experience, I’d be looking to come on board as a leading hand, with ambitions of stepping into a site manager role in the next 3-6 months.

Ideally, I’d also like to work closely with a construction manager and/or project manager to gain exposure to understanding projects from a macro view including estimating, planning and coordinating with trades in order to develop my project management skills.

My ambitious mid to long term goals would be to acquire the knowledge and experience to be a construction manager with the ability to project manage, and develop further as a complex problem solving specialist.

how can I contribute to the team?

I have always worked in the residential space and have extensive experience with renovations, extensions and new builds. I’m familiar with the complexities involved with incorporating modern and contemporary designs and structures to tie in with existing houses, often with heritage overlays.

I am a passionate craftsman who takes immense pride in the quality of my work, and I’ve been fortunate enough to spend the past six months in a workshop environment which was a unique mix of carpentry, joinery and woodworking where I was able to hone my precision and attention to detail, sometimes working to tolerances of 0.2-0.5mm.

The type of work that I excel at and enjoy the most would be solving complex problems, approaching them with a calculated and methodical approach. I enjoy combining the various skills I have to solve problems with the scope triangle in mind. I am always looking to find ways to do things more efficiently, resulting in cost savings without compromising on quality.

As someone who has taken to carpentry at a later stage in life, I’m significantly invested in this career path. I’ve amassed an army of tools and I’ve also committed countless hours outside of work to further develop my knowledge of the building and construction industry.

I have a wide-ranging skill set including plenty of hands-on experience at every stage of the build process; I have a solid foundation in estimating quantities, a strong understanding of technical drawings, team management experience and a solid understanding of design and design principles. I’m an articulate and effective communicator, I’m extremely proficient with digital technology and I’m a fast learner with the ability to quickly grasp new concepts.

Ultimately, with a broad set of skills and a friendly, approachable personality, I believe I could be an invaluable team member and would have the ability to seamlessly slot into various environments and roles.

 

Skillsets

-Experience in all phases of the build process including demolition, setting out, ground works and excavation, steel and concrete, foundations, framing, lock up, fix, fit off and defect rectifications

-Creative flair with meticulous attention to detail, precision and the ability to work to fine tolerances

-Solution-focused ethos with excellent problem-solving skills

-Strong understanding of technical drawings and complex details

-Experience in estimating quantities and completing take-offs

-Articulate and effective communicator

-Strong networking and interpersonal skills

-Ability to quickly establish rapport and build relationships

-Strong team management skills

-Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, Canva and Squarespace and ability to quickly grasp new programs and systems

Work experience

Carpenter | Dome Building Projects

August 2021 - Current

-Worked on over 10 sites, ranging from $1m - $8m.

-Spent six months in a workshop environment which was a unique mix of carpentry, joinery and woodworking. Became well-versed in workshop machinery including a panel saw, bandsaw, thicknesser and jointer as well as a drum sander.

-Honed my precision skills, often working to 0.2mm - 0.5mm tolerances.

-Part of a two man team which made and installed a highly complex cedar feature ceiling for BE.Architecture at Shakespeare Grove, Hawthorn. The ceiling had a lot of intricate details made with over 400 individual pieces, including a mixture of cedar veneer panels and solid cedar straps, panels angled off the ceiling to create different reveals and panels where the widths reached close to 2.8m wide with specific grain directions and angles. I took the lead on meticulously planning, calculating, and breaking down the architectural plans into the individual pieces, using trigonometry extensively as well as doing the site set out to ensure the potential for unsightly gaps were eliminated as it was to be a caulk free install.

-Created samples for architects, often workshopping ideas with a construction manager to come up with “how” to build and execute complex and challenging details.

-Wrote an Excel spreadsheet for a Construction Manager which reduced the manual calculation of custom cavity sliders to 1/5th of the time. The spreadsheet only required the input of six measurements and was able to calculate the quantity and measurements for all the pieces of the cavity, as well as what door sizes needed to be ordered.

-Established a reputation as “Jig Lord”, creating complex router jigs to create precise, repeatable and efficient cuts/shapes into timber. In one instance, I made a dovetail jig for American Oak skirting boards that was able to route out the two opposing pieces in five minutes, where as the previous hand cut technique would have taken over 40 minutes. This brought down an estimated one week/two man job to a two day/one man job to create close to 50 dovetail joins. Another jig I made was used to route out five $2000 doors to house a Fritsjurgen pivot hinge with only 3mm of the door “skin” left on either side of the hardware.

-Specialised in architectural door hardware installation which included routing out complex concealed hinges, mortice locks and pivot hinges. I was privately engaged by Bowens to install an AGB/Formani hardware display pod which included over 50 different types of handles and 40 mortice locks.

Apprentice Carpenter | Reed Built

November 2019 - July 2021

-Contributed towards eight large extensions/renovations, including six from start-to-finish.

-Heavily involved in all aspects of the build process including setting out, excavating, laying steel reinforcement, pouring concrete foundations and slabs, setting stumps, framing, lock up and fix as well as defect rectification.

-Tasked countless times with running smaller jobs on my own, including instances where I was leading a first-year apprentice.

-Studied architectural plans in conjunction with engineering drawings and soil reports for the last five projects, and have completed partial and complete take-offs. My last take-off was for a complete build in Caulfield South, including all the key components for the slab/subfloor, framing, and lock up. My estimates were accurate, with an estimated 44m3 of concrete and the actual order being 43m3. I estimated 18 sheets of SL82 mesh (259m2) with our total wastage at approximately 2m2 and my estimated quantities for our strip footings which required 35 lengths of 3-L12TM and 6 lengths of 4-L10TM had zero wastage.

-In one instance of studying the plans, I was able to suggest a resolution to an issue identified on-site where the true boundary line did not reflect the actual layout of the house we were working on. The back of the house actually crept into the neighbouring property, and the proposed extension was a further eight meters with a design that included a firewall that sat tight to the boundary line. The back of the property (which was approximately seventeen meters past the existing house, was actually 200mm over the true boundary line into the neighbouring property. Rather than shifting the entire extension 200mm away from the boundary, I used basic trigonometry to suggest we could claw back around 100mm if we just worked out how far we could push just the extension (at just under half the distance to the back of the property) towards the boundary line. The result was clawing back 98mm of the potential “loss” of space.

Apprentice Carpenter | Reed Builders

September 2019 - November 2019

-Part of the team that built the Lexus Marquee for the 2019 Melbourne Cup

Sales Manager and Store Manager | Giant South Yarra

July 2011 - April 2019

-Working alongside the business owner in every facet of the business from sales forecasting, stock procurement, inventory management and day to day operations

-Forging relationships with schools and clubs, including submitting tenders resulting in a long term relationship with some of Melbourne’s leading private schools in the heart of Toorak and bayside based triathlon squads

-Developing and implementing strategies to increase sales through sponsorships and product placement

-Handling all the administrative duties including ordering, receiving, pricing and liaising with suppliers

-Managing a team of five which included scheduling and overseeing workflows for the sales and service team

-Handling customer complaints and disputes, ensuring a positive outcome for both the customer and the business owner

-Providing seamless support and service to a varied client base that included corporate customers, high net worth individuals and charity organisations

-Handling complex sales transactions including sales to overseas customers, payments utilising finance options and transactions that included financing on sales and discounted items which would have otherwise been ineligible for finance (This was achieved by creating a new system that streamlined the calculations of deposits and repayment amounts, whilst ensuring the business was not exposed to additional costs or risks. This resulted in a 300% increase in financed sales)

Entrepreneurial experience

Co-Founder | Duck Luck

(2016 - 2019)

www.duckluck.com.au

Duck Luck creates and supplies premium quality Vietnamese coffee to over eight cafes around Victoria and Tasmania. As Co-Founder, I was responsible for the branding, website content and management, product sourcing, partnerships, and business development opportunities.

Founder | Bicycle Emporium

(2012 - 2019)

I created Bicycle Emporium, which helped facilitate the transaction of second-hand bikes with the goal of achieving the highest possible resale value and offering customers a streamlined service. Since its inception, I’ve handled over $250,000 worth of products.

Founder | Press Supply Co.

(2012-2016)

I started Press Supply Co. after seeing an opportunity in the market to source and supply custom-made cycling musette bags and bamboo fibre cycling socks to businesses, local bike shops as well as local cycling groups. Previous customers include Deloitte, REA Group, Giant Bikes Australia, and Hurford Hardwood.

Website design experience

Reed Built

www.reedbuilt.com.au

Duck Luck

www.duckluck.com.au

Personal Resume

www.kennethlim.co

Education

Diploma of Building and Construction

2022 -

Diploma of Project Management

2022 -

Certificate III in Carpentry

2019 - 2022

Certificate IV in Building and Construction

2020

Bachelor of Interior Architecture (deferred)

2008 - 2009

Monash University

Victorian Certificate of Education

2007

Box Hill High School

Languages

English (native)

Mandarin (basic)

Hokkien (basic)

Interests and hobbies

Cycling

Running

Triathlon

Mixed Martial Arts

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Photography

Personal achievements

Recipient of a Career Advancement Scholarship through Master Builders Victoria in 2022

Competed in a mixed martial arts fight in 2018 (and won! currently undefeated at 1-0)

Completed the Melbourne Marathon in 2015

Completed the Melbourne Ironman in 2014

References

Craig Jansen

Owner of Giant South Yarra

0412 255 249

Greg Doriean

Work-based delivery teacher for Certificate III in Carpentry

(available upon request)

 
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Let’s get to know each other!

hello@kennethlim.co

0430 541 969

 
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