Winning show home in high demand

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Lyall Dix of Abode Design & Build was ecstatic when his company was announced as the winner of the James Hardie Show Home Award at the Registered Master Builders PlaceMakers 2012 House of the Year.

Mr Dix believes winning the award was recognition of a lot of hard work by a lot of people, and this special home has been extremely popular among his clients.
“We’ve built seven homes from the same plan as the home that won this award,” he says.
“We definitely find that when we build a really great show home, we tend to build a lot of versions of that home. It’s like anything — if customers can see something and play with it, they will often end up wanting to buy it.”

He says his clients love the fact that this home has won a House of the Year award.
“This home gained a lot of publicity from House of the Year, which has absolutely impacted how popular this design has been. Today, there are a lot of builders out there, and people are looking for something a bit different. Winning a House of the Year award makes homes stand out.”
Mr Dix believes that it was trying something a bit different that ultimately won him the award.

“When we bought this site and designed the home, my wife and I really thought about how we could make it suit our own lifestyle,” he says.
“It’s a typical family home, but we put a lot of features into it so people can see just what you can do with a new house. That way, when people come through, they can see all the possibilities that come with a new home.”

The judges praised the winning New Plymouth home, saying it is a true reflection of all that the builder wanted to deliver to fulfil his clients’ aspirations.
“Ample living areas and connections to the outdoors tick all the boxes for discerning folk looking to build,” they said.
“Stylish use of robust exterior products, integration of technology and high spec fixtures and fittings throughout are the perfect mix for taking a client on the journey of building their dream home.”

Mr Dix says entering House of the Year is a great way of benchmarking yourself against other businesses.
“Anyone who is thinking of entering the competition should do it — it really makes you think about how your business is running and the people involved.
“In entering House of the Year, you set yourself up against the best in the country. We’re not just builders, we’re in business too.
“The competition gives you the opportunity to look at your company as a whole, and see whether you measure up to the standards you set yourself.”

The Awards are made possible through the support of PlaceMakers, James Hardie, GIB, Nulook, MBIE, 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.

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