Wednesday, 23 July 2008
THE hammering of nails was replaced with the chink of wine glasses, tool belts and boots swapped for dress shirts and polished shoes …
As Clarry Collier, boss of Whakatane PlaceMakers, major sponsor of the House of the Year competition, said at Saturday’s awards night: “Builders scrub up very well.”
And they had every reason to look their best on a night when the skill, craftsmanship and - as was much emphasised during the ceremony - teamwork of the Whakatane Master Builders Association was celebrated.
Run as part of the Registered Master Builders Federation’s national competition, the Whakatane awards night at Ohope Hall was a mix of glamour, good humour and comradeship.
The House of the Year crown went again to John Fretwell and his team for a stunning Ohope Beach property built for Gerard and Janene Maguire.
Two years ago, a Coastlands home built by Mr Fretwell not only won Whakatane’s top title but went on to take out the national award.
He will be in the running for national glory again later this year as Saturday’s winning house - priced in the $650,000 to $1 million category - achieved the gold standard set by the national judges.
The other big winner on Saturday was the Bay of Plenty Energy cancer centre, built at Whakatane Hospital after the mammoth $1.1 million Project Hope fundraising effort.
It won the commercial project of the year award which went collectively to the Whakatane Masters Builders who all contributed under the guidance of project manager John Pullar.
Former Whakatane mayor Colin Hammond, chairman of the Project Hope fundraising committee, paid tribute to the efforts and support of the local building fraternity.
He said the realisation of a cancer centre to serve the Eastern Bay had involved all of the community … “but the contribution of the Master Builders and local trade suppliers was hugely important to our success”.
“We had up to eight different firms working on parts of the building at the same time,” Mr Hammond said.
“The new building is a credit to all involved. This quality could not have been achieved without the input from the Master Builders.”
He praised John Pullar’s management and the generous discounts offered by builders and suppliers which had kept the project within budget.
The awards night featured seven impressive new homes entered in the various price categories, an educational establishment, a major renovation and the cancer centre.
As well as the main prizes, there were awards in a number of other areas and a brand new prize launched by the Beacon, the People’s Choice.
This award allowed the public to vote for what they consider to be the best house - and the popular choice was an entry from Hallmark Homes, with boss Mike Bonne taking home a trophy and Beacon advertising prize package.
Hallmark and John Fretwell Builders scooped other categories and prizes also went to Hanlen Builders, Jennian Homes and John Pullar Builders.
The Whakatane association awards were one of 20 regional events and the national awards follow on November 8 in Auckland.
The Registered Master Builders Federation event is now in its 18th year and it has been run in association with PlaceMakers for all that time.
The House of the Year competition is also supported by James Hardie, GIB Living Solutions, Pink Batts Ultra (Tasman Insulation), Mico Bathrooms, Housing New Zealand, Nulook, Future-Proof Building, and Pacific Steel Group.