House of the year search a nervous time
Nervously standing in the kitchen of a Cambridge house two Hamilton building company directors wait for the knock on the door.
An earlier phone call from Clive Barrington, judge for the Registered Master Builders 2017 House of the Year competition advising Nate Alley and Del Hart from Sentinel Homes he was running late, added to their stress.
The Cambridge house was the company’s entry into the PlaceMakers New Home $450,000 - $550,000 category in the competition.
‘‘This is our first entry in the House of the Year competition and I’m not too sure what to expect from the judges when they arrive,’’ said Alley.
Remaining confident he talked about the design of the home which featured a spacious contemporary look for its owners.
‘‘Things were were really proud of are the two features in the house, the kitchen and the fire place which exudes warmth as soon as you walk through the door, said Alley.
With all the living area centralised around the fire, kitchen, dining, and lounge area with good flow through either into the remainder of the house or onto the deck with a fireplace and a louvre roof to maximise sun or shade.
Putting nervousness to one side the owners, who wish to remain anonymous, were pleased with their home and felt the company had listened to what it was they wanted from their build.
But it was the judges who had to be impressed as the House of the Year judge Clive Barrington arrived and revealed the criteria the entry is judged on.
‘‘Out of 100 points 65 percent is for workmanship, after all its about the builder, and the rest of the judging criteria is about design style and functionality,’’ said Barrington.
Barrington didn’t reveal how he judged the home so Alley and Hart will have to await the judges decision when the Waikato region finalists are announced on July 14.
They will then go onto be judged to find New Zealands House of the Year.
Registered Master Builders Association chief executive David Kelly said this year’s competition involved 370 homes and apartments nationwide and had evolved to reflect the changing market and the types of homes that are now a part of our landscape.