One hundred of the best home builds in New Zealand have been named as National Gold Reserve Finalists in the Registered Master Builders 2018 House of the Year competition and two stunning Auckland homes caught the judges’ eye.
W.G. de Gruchy Construction Limited won the Auckland Registered Master Builders 2018 Supreme House of the Year, a Gold Award and Category win for the New Home over $2 million award for their Devonport home. The company were also awarded the Craftmanship Award, Plumbing World Bathroom Excellence Award and the Heart of the Home Kitchen Award for their work on the home.
The judges said it was a spectacular build, that made extensive use of New Zealand natural materials.
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“This is a well-designed and functional house. Its high ceilings and clerestory windows make it feel very open and spacious,” they said.
Timaru Bluestone has been used for the exterior cladding and interior feature walls, while Totara Riverwood had been used on the fascia, ceilings, soffits and decking, along with Rimu Riverwood for flooring and skirtings.
Hargraves Homes Ltd was awarded the Auckland Registered Master Builders 2018 Supreme Renovation of the Year, along with a Gold Award and Category win for the Renovation over $1 million award.
It was a detailed renovation of a classical 1970s Robert Railley designed home that took place while the owners were still living in a part of the home.
The renovation included remodelling both the two lower levels and adding a new kitchen, bathrooms, and a third-level master bedroom, ensuite and study area.
We talked to two judges of this year’s competition, Eric Dally and Clive Barrington about the trends they noticed when out on the road judging.
2018/19 trends
Kitchens — Pendant lights are a popular trend in kitchens this year, with many homes featuring three hanging lights above an island. Judge Dally noted that lighting is becoming more sophisticated in kitchens with hidden LED strip lighting used in kitchen and pantry toe spaces, so these pendant lights are a great way to add style to a kitchen.
Bathrooms —While visiting homes across the country, Dally came across stunning bathrooms with wall-to-ceiling tiles. “In bathrooms, we are seeing tiling of both walls and floors continue to dominate. This has been a trend for a while and continues to be popular in many homes,” he says. “This creates a cohesive, stylish and modern look for any bathroom.”
Exterior claddings— Across the country, judges are continuing to see black cedar exterior claddings continue to grow in popularity. “Black exterior claddings are still very in vogue and consist generally of cedar weather boards stained black, plaster systems painted black, and Linea weatherboards painted black,” says Dally. Clive Barrington agrees with this trend, saying many of the luxury properties he judged featured cedar that was generally stained dark brown or black.
Flooring — While polished and exposed concrete floors were a leading floor trend in 2017, this year timber floors were popular across many homes. “Engineered natural timber floors are becoming popular in living and kitchen spaces, and passages,” says Dally. Barrington also noticed the timber trend: “Timber is featuring more now than ever in all areas of the house — kitchens, interiors, floors.”
Feature walls — If you are looking to add a splash of colour to a room, bold wallpaper is a new trend being seen in many homes. “Bold wallpaper is becoming popular to highlight walls and, in some cases, whole rooms as it provides a dramatic effect,” says Dally. Barrington agrees, saying he saw “really way-out wallpaper coming on to the scene” in many homes he judged.
- National winners will be announced at a gala dinner in Auckland on November 24.
