A focus on margins over sales growth helped boost six-month results at house builder Taylor Wimpey.In news which will delight graduates looking for construction jobs, the company recorded pre-tax profits of ??19.6 million for the half year to the end of June.In 2009, Taylor Wimpey was forced to write down the value of work in progress by more than ??500 million, and it made losses of ??672.7 million.In an environment where the company faces possible changes to planning policy and wider economic uncertainty, Taylor Wimpey believes it is the correct strategy to focus on maximising margins rather than looking to accelerate volume growth.It added that the UK housing market had been "relatively robust", despite uncertainties stemming from the general election.Revenues for the division increased 11.1% to ??827.1 million after it completed a total of 4,804 homes in the first half, a slight increase on a year earlier. The average selling price rose by 9.8% to ??168,000, with changes in the type of properties sold helping to improve the figure.It opened 46 new outlets during the half year, although the average number of sites reduced to 295 from 322 in the second half of 2009."Our priority continues to be maximising the value achieved from each home completion rather than looking to grow volumes ahead of underlying improvements in market conditions," the company said.
