Tim Lowe is the Managing Director and Founder of Lowe Group, a property development and construction business which has been unlocking unique sites in Melbourne’s Bayside area. Tim started the company after growing up in his family’s construction business and working in Tier 1 construction and wanting to apply his knowledge and expertise of single dwellings to medium-density apartment projects in the Bayside area he grew up in. Comprising two divisions, Lowe Create (design and construction) and Lowe Living (property development), the group has established itself as a market-leader in the development and construction of high-end residential apartments and homes, with a development pipeline of $77.1 million and construction pipeline of $48.6 million.
Tell us about Lowe Group.
We’re a Melbourne based property development and construction business that delivers design-led, premium residences on unique sites in Melbourne’s prestigious Bayside suburbs. Our aim is to create a product that can’t be replicated. We have two divisions, Lowe Create and Lowe Living. Lowe Living specialises in the development and design of luxury, medium density apartments and homes and Lowe Create is a design and construction business.
What inspired you to start Lowe Group?
I grew up in my family’s residential construction business and inherited a passion for residential property development from my father. After working in my family’s business for a number of years, focussing on single dwellings, I felt there was an opportunity to cater for the “downsizer” and owner occupier in the medium density market. Many of the clients I dealt with in my father’s business were considering their downsizing options as their next step and were having trouble finding a high-quality developer and builder that provided what they valued. This inspired me to apply my expertise and knowledge to medium-density apartment projects and Lowe Group was born, offering a client focused approach to development that ensured astute home owners were able to engage with our team and get the outcome they desired.
Tell us about your career and background.
I studied a Bachelor of Engineering and after finishing my degree I worked for my family’s construction business and then on Tier 1 construction projects. My focus has always been in the details and it’s what makes me love complex construction and the finer design details of our projects, as well as a strong passion for customer service though product delivery and customer relations. No matter what the product is, whether it’s a one-bedroom apartment or a luxury penthouse, we apply the same level of planning and execution throughout the design and build process.
Describe a typical work day for you.
I arrive at the office at around 7am each day, after getting a morning coffee on my way in. I will generally start by with working through my emails and planning the day ahead before the team arrives in the office. Client and team meetings generally start around 9am and I spend most of day supporting the team to achieve our goals. We are very passionate about what we do and working closely together helps to fuel that passion and get the best out of the team. I will aim to get to each project site at least once a day to stay in touch with our progress and provide support to the construction team to ensure our delivery is to the highest standard. Family and work-life balance is an important value in our business, so I always ensure I am home before 6pm to spend some time with my son before he goes to bed.
What advice do you have for those wanting to start a business?
It is important that you love what you do and value what you produce. There are difficult times, and you have setbacks along the way but if you are passionate and dedicated you can learn from these setbacks and re-adjust your business. Having clear and simple long-term goals assists in prioritising your time and valuing the important components of your business.
What’s next for you, and Lowe Group?
We want to continue to strengthen our customer experience and I’m committed to shaping our business into the most customer focused property development company in Australia. We also want to continue sourcing development opportunities in unique locations where people want to live. We’ve recently secured Development Approval for our next project, which is in Brighton and will comprise four luxury residences, as well as site aqusitions in both Parkdale and BlackRock. Further to this, we’re actively looking for more sites in Melbourne, not just Bayside areas but also other suburbs that attract an owner-occupier market such as Armadale, Toorak, Malvern and the Mornington Peninsula.
We hope to increase our development pipeline organically over the next two years to deliver up to six projects a year and would like to eventually expand to other areas in Australia, such as Perth. We recently employed a new Director of Property, Jarrod Byass, to help strengthen our acquisitions strategy and really spearhead this part of the business.
