Built by lifelong friends since 2016.

Astute Build was founded in 2016 by lifelong friends Jesse Crooks and Matt Foggo. After working abroad (Jesse in the UK and Matt in Australia), they brought their experience home to New Zealand.

We’re now a team of ten, tackling projects of every size and complexity, always with the same goal: building legacies through homes people are proud of.

Our Team

Matt Foggo
Founder/Director

Matt is a father of two and married to fashion designer Victoria. He returned to New Zealand in 2015 after eight years in Sydney.

BCITO trained, Matt brings extensive experience across architectural homes, high end renovations, restorations, and complex builds. In Sydney, he worked as a site foreman for a boutique builder specialising in bespoke architectural homes, as well as on Victorian and Federation restorations, commercial fit outs, and demolition projects.

Back in Auckland, he has focused on Villa and Bungalow renovations, refining his eye for detail and knowledge of traditional New Zealand craftsmanship. Matt thrives on the challenges of building and creating spaces clients love.

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Jesse Crooks
Founder/Director

Jesse is a father of two and married to interior designer Kate, so home design and architecture chat is never far away. He spent five years in London before returning to New Zealand to form Astute Build.

A Licensed Building Practitioner (Carpentry, Site 2), Jesse trained across residential and light commercial construction in Central Auckland, specialising in additions and large scale renovations. He also studied horticultural science with a focus on sustainability, bringing a broader environmental lens to his work.

In London, Jesse worked for an acclaimed high end residential developer, followed by a site management role with a well known commercial company back in New Zealand. He now brings experience from both sectors into the Astute Build business, combining strong technical knowledge with practical, on site leadership.

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Daryl
Site Foreman / LBP

Jesse
Site Foreman

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Jack
Site Foreman

Jack
Carpenter

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A young man with short brown hair, wearing a black T-shirt with yellow text reading 'ASTUTE BUILD', standing outdoors with trees and blurred background.

Riki
Carpenter

Finn
Apprentice

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Dev
Apprentice

Sam
Apprentice

Working together

We’ve shaped our process into four clear phases, so we work together at every step, ensuring your needs are consistently met. This ensures the process is well-managed, collaborative, and stress-free.

Phase 1:
Plan

Our Discovery meeting explores your vision and any drawings you have. Then we develop the scope, cost estimate, timings, phasing and contract structure.

Phase 2:
Prepare

Your Astute Site Manager is assigned to you, the team is introduced, and we work through the procurement details.

Phase 3:
Build

Construction begins, with regular meetings, open communication, and transparent invoicing in line with the phasing as agreed up front.

If you are thinking about a project, or just want to explore what is possible, we would love to hear from you. Get in touch to start a conversation, and we can guide you through the next steps from there.

Phase 4:
Completion

We walk through the finished project together, hand over, and provide post build support, and documentation of the build.