Bryce Ardern of Lite-House Ltd won the Outdoor Living Award for his Waiheke Island home at the Registered Master Builders PlaceMakers 2012 House of the Year competition, and he says there is nothing like the feeling of coming out on top.
“It is such an honour to be a Gold Reserve winner, and you are in prestigious company when competing in the nationals with the best homes in the country,” he says.
“As we were working with a very sloping site, this was quite a challenging build. Being part of a project like this, from starting with a blank canvas to design, build and aesthetics was extremely satisfying.
“The harder the build, the harder it is to achieve excellence in your finish. We were elated to win a House of the Year award.”
Bryce believes the many outdoor living areas that cater to the Waiheke Island weather made it stand out from others in the category.
“The views are to the west which has exposure to the cold south-westerly winds, so all rooms open up to a protected northern court. Another enclosed outdoor area connects this inner court to the western views, allowing the stunning vistas but providing the required protection,” he says.
The judges agreed, hailing the home as achieving its goal of providing respite from the changeable weather patterns of its location.
“With the kitchen as a hub, the outdoor spaces in this property provide sunny, sheltered areas for family use or for more formal entertaining,” they said.
“With multiple options for heating outside, the indoor/outdoor dining area with glazed roof and BBQ set up is particularly special. It can be completely insulated from the elements, while another outdoor area is more open in the sunny, northern location.”
Mr Ardern believes winning a House of the Year award strengthens his brand and reputation as a high-quality builder.
“House of the Year is a great competition to be involved in as it allows us, as a company, to gauge our performance against our peers in the most widely recognised and acclaimed home building competition,” he says.
“If New Zealand builders are serious about their building quality and want to be recognised for it, they should get involved in the competition. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.”
The Awards are made possible through the support of PlaceMakers, James Hardie, GIB, Nulook, MBIE, Future-Proof Building, Carters, ITM, Plumbing World, Resene and Westpac.
For more information about the competition, visit the Registered Master Builders web site at www.masterbuilder.org.nz.
