The Platinum Award was introduced in 2010. Builders who have won five or more national titles in the House of the Year competition are eligible for the award, which is highly sought after by Registered Master Builders who consistently achieve in the competition.
With a long history in the construction industry, Mr Saville says he is a Registered Master Builder because it helps to advance his reputation as a quality builder.
“Being a Registered Master Builder and winning House of the Year awards satisfies our clients that we will give them a quality result. It’s reassurance for them that they are dealing with a select group within the building industry in New Zealand,” Mr Saville says.
“Winning the award was such a morale boost for our team, an indication that all our hard work had paid off. Everyone should strive to win the Platinum Award — it is the ultimate goal.
“The House of the Year judges have extremely high expectations, so it should not be underestimated what it takes to win five times. It’s a huge achievement.”
Joining Registered Master Builders in 1999, AJ Saville Builder Ltd has consistently featured in the House of the Year Awards ceremony.
Their first national category win was in 2003 with the Bathroom Excellence Award, closely followed by taking out the New Homes over $1 Million and the Pink Batts Ultra Energy Efficiency Award categories in 2006.
In recent years, the company has also won the James Hardie Show Home Award and the New Homes over $2 million category. Mr Saville was overjoyed to win the Platinum Award after sweating over all of the company’s wins.
“I really had hoped we would win, so I was just elated when our name was read out. To join such an elite group of superb builders is a fantastic feeling.”
In 2012 AJ Saville Builders Ltd also won the Sustainable Homes over $1 million category, which was praised by the judges as built to an incredibly high standard in a particularly harsh environment.
“Working within strict covenant constraints the home has, as much as possible, been built with local product, while maintaining a sustainable focus throughout. Big but light on the environment and consciously in keeping with its surroundings, this home is an entertainer’s delight,” they said.
Mr Saville says his favourite of the houses he has entered in the competition was his 1999 entry.
“1999 was the first year we ever entered House of the Year. It was also the year we entered the Builder’s Own Home category, making this entry a very special one for us,” he says.
AJ Saville Builder Ltd’s team is currently working on a range of different projects. “We’re currently half way through a large project for Millbrook Resort. We’re also working on three private homes within the resort, and two homes in Queenstown,” Mr Saville says.
“As an organisation, we’re all about the challenge. All of our builds are customised to our clients, so we are consistently challenging ourselves to work more proactively with the client and other providers to achieve the very best outcome for them.
“The House of the Year competition fits in perfectly with our philosophy — the experience of measuring ourselves against the rest of the building industry and really finding out our limits has been invaluable.”
The Awards are made possible through the support of PlaceMakers, James Hardie, Gib®, Nulook, MBIE – Building and Housing, 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.
