Houghton Auto body is a little slice of repair shop heaven. Darren and Jo Ksiazkiewicz bought the place, along with the house next door, two years ago and the shop was little more than a double garage.
Only 20 minutes drive from Adelaide CBD, the shop could be a million miles away as it nestles at the start of the Adelaide Hills. The shop may be small but it is perfectly formed. Every centimetere of space is utilised and organised to a T.
The tiny paint mixing room is immaculate, the workshop too with everything needed to repair a modern car – a new Carbench, an old but pristine Lowbake booth and the latest welding equipment.
Even while the couple were renovating the shop, the locals were coming in for quotes and were quite happy to wait until they were up and running.
The shop had been operating for over 30 years and Darren described it as very small and very rugged when they bought it. The couple undertook an extensive renovation, extending the workshop and setting up an office and a rather funky outside toilet.
Darren, a spray painter by trade, has run shops for others but had been looking to set up his own business for two years. The couple had driven past Houghtons and thought "if only that was for sale". Shortly afterwards, it came on the market.
The couple share the estimating while Jo runs the finances and oversees paperwork. Darren has picked up his spray gun again and there's one panel beater and a part time spray painter. The shop repairs around five to seven cars a week, mainly driveable, and that's a comfortable pace for their first year of operating.
The Ksiazkiewiczs plan to further extend the workshop and aim to build up to 10-12 cars per week.
Being just that short distance from the city means that Houghton Autobody doesn't have a lot of competition. Of course, the locals would much rather support a business in their community. In these circumstances some business owners might have been tempted not to make such an effort. Houghton Auto body may be small but it is highly professional both in its presentation and its repair procedures and business practices. As well as using the latest management system, iBodyshop, Darren attends I-Car training courses, offers online quoting and has an excellent website. Meanwhile, Jo oversees an active Facebook page.
Houghton Auto body is living proof that good things come in small packages.