Q&A with Director, Adam Valli

There’s no single path into construction.

Adam’s has crossed sales, estimating, marketing, project management and business leadership, giving him a broad perspective on the industry and the people within it.

As Director, he leads East with a long-term view, balancing design, delivery and the continual refinement of the business behind the projects.

With East entering its next chapter, we sat down with Adam to discuss leadership, architecture, construction and the ambition driving the business forward.

If you had to explain East to someone in a single conversation, what would you tell them?

The homes are probably the easy part to see. What people don’t see is everything that happens before we even get to site.

For us, it’s about the relationships, the planning and getting the right people around the table early. We spend a lot of time making decisions before construction starts because that’s what makes the build feel smooth later on.

I think that’s what East really is. It’s not just a builder. It’s a team that genuinely enjoys the process of putting a project together.

You often talk about building for architects. What does a great architect-builder relationship actually look like?

It starts with respect.

Architects have usually spent months, sometimes years, thinking through a design. As builders, our job isn’t to change it. It’s to understand what they’re trying to achieve and work out the best way to build it.

The best projects are the ones where everyone leaves their ego at the door. You can have honest conversations, challenge ideas when you need to, and always keep the project at the centre of it.

Your role spans both the office and the site. How involved are you personally in each project?

Quite heavily.

I’m usually involved from the first tender or pricing conversation, through initial engagement, contracts, construction and the financial side of the project. My role sits across the business, so I get to see the full picture rather than one part of it.

Because we only take on a small number of projects, I can stay close to each one and work directly with the project team throughout the build. It means I’m involved in the bigger decisions, helping remove roadblocks and making sure everyone is working toward the same outcome.

For me, that continuity is important. I don’t want to be involved at the start and then disappear once the job gets to site.

Construction is often judged by the finished home, but where do you think great projects are really won or lost?

Before site starts.

Everyone loves watching a house come out of the ground, but if you’re making big decisions during construction, you’re probably already behind.

The projects that run well are the ones where the documentation is resolved, materials have been thought through, trades are engaged early and everyone knows what they’re trying to achieve. Construction becomes a lot easier when you’ve done the hard work upfront.

East deliberately limits the number of projects it delivers each year. In an industry that often celebrates growth, why take the opposite approach?

We’ve never really been interested in being the biggest.

I’d rather know every client, every architect and every project than chase numbers. Once you take on too much, something has to give, and usually it’s communication or attention.

For us, staying boutique means we can stay involved. That’s important because the little conversations are usually the ones that make the biggest difference.

If you could change one thing about the way architects, clients and builders work together, what would it be?

I’d get everyone talking earlier.

Too often people work in stages, handing a project from one person to the next. I think the best outcomes happen when everyone is part of the conversation from the beginning.

Builders can offer practical input. Architects protect the design. Clients keep everyone grounded in what’s important to them. When those conversations happen early, you usually end up with a better project.

When someone finishes a project with East—whether they’re a client, architect or consultant—what do you hope they say about working with you?

Honestly, I just hope they’d work with us again, and recommend us.

To me, that’s probably the biggest compliment. It means we communicated well, we solved problems together and people enjoyed the process.

Anyone can take nice photos when a project’s finished. What people remember is how they felt during the build. That’s the part we’re always trying to improve.