D J Hewitt Builders Ltd was named national winner of the Nulook Builder’s Own Home Award and Mico Bathrooms Award for a property with estuary views in Redcliffs, Christchurch, at the Registered Master Builders 2005 House of the Year, in association with PlaceMakers.
The home easily caters to the demands of the builder’s business and home life, and judges were impressed with the way clever design, building skill and quality features had maximised the site.
“Despite a tight section there is four-car garaging, onsite parking, extensive, fl at outdoor living areas and a cantilevered pool. This well planned home shows an exceptional level of detail”, they said. Director Daryl Hewitt says he is constantly surprised at how private and spacious the home is. He worked closely with O’Neil Architecture to perfect the design of the home, and says living in it has given him a new appreciation of the level of privacy and the unobstructed views the architects were able to achieve.
“Other properties surround our house from all directions, but the home has been so well designed that we never see them. It feels like you have the whole estuary to yourself.” A winner of 47 local and national House of the Year Awards, Mr Hewitt has a proven track record in the industry but says he had butterfl ies before the national event and couldn’t eat his dinner.
“My team and I put our heart and soul into the house and, because it was my own home, I felt accountable for how it turned out. Winning two national awards affi rmed our commitment to excellence.” The team at D J Hewitt is well renowned for its attention to detail at every stage of the building process.
Mr Hewitt says he feels lucky to work with such a loyal and talented group of people. When it comes to doing well in House of the Year Mr Hewitt believes it is important that a home is 100% fi nished before it is entered. “The standards in this competition are extremely high. If you are not totally proud of every detail then it needs to be sorted.
Don’t try and hide faults, correct them.” Mr Hewitt has two properties that have reached the national fi nals this year, and is looking forward to the national event on October 28. “It is always a great night out. I just hope my nerves remain calm so I can sample the menu!”
