Skip to main content

Ian & Elise Simondson

Owner/Director & Owner/Business Manager

Skookom owners Elise and Ian Simondson started building in 1993 and have worked together since to establish a well-earned reputation for creativity, integrity, exceptional results and outstanding client service.

Ian has extensive experience in the domestic and commercial building sectors in Tasmania, interstate and overseas, including in remote areas, as a carpenter, site supervisor, project manager, estimator, consultant and builder.

This varied experience has enhanced Ian’s technical knowledge and given him an insight into working with people from different cultures and backgrounds.

Elise was ‘on the tools’ for a period of time, this hands-on knowledge and an Interior Design Diploma gives her an unique understanding of the practical side when assisting clients with their design choices and executing her role as Skookom's business manager.

They are a strong team reinforced by their skilled and trusted trade network that pride themselves on quality service and an uncompromising attention to detail.

Brendan O’Connor

Division Manager

Process driven, solutions focussed and committed to the journey, Brendan O’Connor is Skookom’s Division Project Manager, heading up Skookom Light. A division aimed at bringing the high quality, efficiency, and sustainable practices of Skookom’s first rate builds to new markets.

Having managed teams for some of Australia’s largest builders, Brendan has a strong focus on the do’s and don’ts of operating processes and client pathways. As well as having a strong background in engineering and design, Brendan is a strategic operator and works tirelessly to keep projects within scope, within budget and on track – delivering builds to site in a succinct and straightforward pathway.

With a focus on high ethics, honesty and open communication, backed up by a strong technical base, Brendan will be your first port of call on your journey through Skookom Light.

Dicky Spalding

Site and Apprentice Manager

Dicky is the site manager and apprentice manager at Skookom. He will be your first port of call once your build goes from paper to reality. He will support the build team, keep you in the loop, help you understand the build process and assist you in decision making.

Dicky is strong on problem solving, with 28 years of experience on projects in Australia and the UK. He has worked with a range of newer building materials and techniques including CLT, SIPPS and passive technologies. He has a BA (hons) in Furniture Design and Craftsmanship and has worked on a wide range of projects in domestic and commercial; from renovations, to 400-year-old houses in the UK, to the first CLT residential build in Tassie, to nursing homes, cafes and even school toilets up a mountain in Nepal. Dicky can draw on this wide experience to deliver neat solutions to the most complicated build issues.

Dicky loves building with an eye to lasting quality and environmental sustainability. He likes to get the small details right that elevate a good build to a great build.

The Chinook people, Native Americans from the Pacific North West, have a special word that’s hard to translate into English. It can mean ‘strong’, ‘good’, ‘brave’, ‘excellent’, ‘unique’, ‘the ultimate’ or ‘the best’. It’s ‘Skookom’.

These are all perfectly appropriate qualities to describe a building business that specialises in high-quality projects that require initiative and creative solutions.

If you’re aiming to achieve an exceptional result for your next building project, then consider working with us — we embody all these ‘skookom’ qualities in everything we do.

To learn more about the unique Skookom service and to hear how we can help create and realise your project, please contact us.

The Chinook people, Native Americans from the Pacific North West, have a special word that’s hard to translate into English. It can mean ‘strong’, ‘good’, ‘brave’, ‘excellent’, ‘unique’, ‘the ultimate’ or ‘the best’. It’s ‘Skookom’.

These are all perfectly appropriate qualities to describe a bespoke building business that specialises in high-quality projects that require initiative and creative solutions.

If you’re aiming to achieve an exceptional result for your next building project, then consider working with us — we embody all these ‘skookom’ qualities in everything we do.

To learn more about the unique Skookom service and to hear how we can help create and realise your project, please contact us.

View our projects

We build The Skookom way – We understand that you don't want to just build a house - you want to build a lifestyle, a sanctuary, a place that reflects who you are. And that is why we go to great lengths to understand you and your dreams.