Russell Campbell of Inhaus Developments, winner of the James Hardie New Homes $450,000 – $600,000 award at the Registered Master Builders 2013 House of the Year, was over the moon to add a third House of the Year category win to his collection.
Inhaus Developments is aiming for five category wins to secure a House of the Year Platinum Award, so this was a welcome surprise.
Mr Campbell says it was pure chance that this project landed in his hands.
“This job came about because we built our own holiday home in the same area. The people who were to become our clients liked our house, so came to our beach and walked up our track to find out who built and designed it,” he says.
“To a degree, we’re becoming renowned for holiday homes. We have a knack for creating a holiday home that blends in with the environment — they don’t scream out and make a statement.
“The materials we used reflected the casual, relaxed feel of a bach, and they were very sympathetic to the Split Apple Rock location. That made this build pretty special.”
Mr Campbell says there is no feeling like winning an award, and any builder should get involved and put their best foot forward.
“For the company, winning awards year after year is proof of the high-quality work we are doing. The wins are reflecting in our workload too, in terms of the enquiries we are receiving and the type of work we are getting,” he says.
“For me personally, it is just a wonderful sense of achievement.”
The judges called it a charming home that has been well designed to suit the sloping site.
“The beautifully crafted timber interior living spaces provide a warm feel, combined with wrap-around decking on three sides, which all combine into a seamless flow, maximising views and making best use of a limited footprint,” they said.
“Coupled with the excellent workmanship and attention to detail by the builder, this property sits perfectly in its environment — a getaway destination the owners can be proud of and enjoy for many years to come.”
Mr Campbell says the company has a very strong workload ahead of them.
“At present we’re working on a holiday home in Little Kaiteri, and we’re finishing off another holiday home too. Following that we’ve got a couple of commercial buildings we’re developing for our own use. It’s all go!”
The Awards are made possible through the support of PlaceMakers, James Hardie, GIB, Nulook, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Future-Proof Building, Carters, ITM, Plumbing World, Resene and Westpac.
