Ben Farrell might consider his career as a chippy to be ‘bog standard’, but it’s certainly far from it. The 25-year-old Geelong carpenter works his tail off on a weekly basis, but for him it’s only the beginning…
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Like many tradies, Ben’s decision to get into carpentry came as a fork-in-the-road moment when he arrived at high school. A talented saxophonist; Ben was already killing it in musical competitions and gigs.
“My music helped pay for my first car,” he said.
“I was tossing up between music or doing something more hands-on and then something just clicked for me, I had a lightbulb moment, I knew that I wanted to be a carpenter and so I threw myself into the industry.”
NON-STOP
Ben completed his apprenticeship a couple of years ago and went full throttle from the start. During weekdays, Ben’s working with Wade Builders, supervising younger members of the crew.
“When I arrived at Wade Builders, I just hit the ground running and I wanted to bring my skills to the team and that was my organisation,” he said.
“I’m over-organised so I fit in well with what was needed when I joined, within the first week they gave me the freedom to flourish and bring my organisation skills to the table.”
When he’s not with Wade Builders, Ben’s doing a bit of small-time construction such as pergolas and outdoor decking, and with the little spare time he has, Ben’s laying the groundwork for his business – Ben Farrell Carpentry & Repair Work.
How does he get it all done?
“I don’t really know,” Ben answered.
“I get really immersed in it and really love it. A lot people go home at the end of the day and switch off, but I can’t switch off. I have discovered my passion in life and I just live and breathe it.
“It’s good from the builder’s perspective, because I’ll go home and draw up plans – I am just trying to help them out as much as possible so in the morning we can get as much done throughout the day, I enjoy taking ownership of the work I am doing.
“It helps as im going for my building registration now, I feel like I can contribute more to wade builders with that extra knowledge.”
But without his partner Chelsea supporting him, he’d be in a world of trouble.
“She’s great about it, she knows I’ve got a massive workload and helps out where she can,” he said. “She’ll cook dinner for me and is super supportive of everything I do; I am so lucky to have such a great support like her.”
SKILLED WITH THE SAW
Ben’s brimming workload has him working on plenty of top-end projects, which is where he sees his career heading in the long run.
“My expertise is more at the high-end which will see me working with architects who are designing houses that are bespoke for clients, where I can be spending anywhere from six to 12 months on a single house,” he said.
CHECK IT OUT: Ben Farrell Carpentry & Repair Work
With business cards, signs and even hoodies and hats done up sporting ‘Ben Farrell Carpentry & Repair Work’ lettering, Ben’s mind is well and truly set on making it on his own.
“I really like working with clients to understand where they’re coming from and what they want so they’re happy at the end of the job,” he said.
“I have been lucky that people I have worked with have given me the scope to make cool and crazy designs come to life. “That’s my market going forward, it’s harder to get into but it’s where my expertise is. If I can show people that in my carpentry, then hopefully people can recommend me onto others and I can grow my business.”
ROLLING IN SILVERWARE
Ben’s obsession with work isn’t for nothing, and he’s got the hardware to prove it. A collection of tradie awards sit on Ben’s shelves, including multiple Apprentice Of The Year finalists and certificates for best in fourth year and best overall apprenticeship.
“I didn’t even know the awards existed. I was just completely stoked,” Ben said.
“After I won that first award, my boss kept nominating me and I just kept doing what I was doing, it really was a surprise. “I started attending these awards nights all over Melbourne and they were a lot of fun, everyone was dressed up in their suits and ties and my family came along and it was really something.”
When he can finally catch a break from work, Ben loves going off-road for a bit of camping and 4x4ing with his mates.
“I would love to do it more. Doing weekend work helps paying for some of those accessories I need to go camping with,” he said.
“I try and get around and explore Victoria as much as I can, but it’s hard to find the time these days.
“I mainly set my rig up for touring, not necessarily with a big lifts and massive tyres. Just enough to get through most obstacles to get to remote campsites and secluded areas.”
Whether it’s camping, building his own business or working on-site, it doesn’t seem like there’s any stopping Ben when he puts his mind to something.