Mike Jamieson of Absolute Building Services was “absolutely stoked” when he heard their name read out as the winner of the Future-Proof Building Renovation Award over $500,000 and the Supreme Award for Registered Master Builders 2014 Renovation of the Year.
Mr Jamieson says the team was pretty surprised it won due to the tough competition, despite the fact that Absolute Building Services Ltd were up for two awards in the same category.
He says teamwork is what made this renovation so successful, with everyone involved contributing to the big win.
“Winning an award like this is a team thing — a combination of architects, painters, suppliers and all the subcontractors working together to deliver an awesome result,” he says.
“This renovation was a real challenge. The house had gone through many alterations over the years by lots of different companies and owners.
Once we started to pull it apart, we found there was job after job that hadn’t been finished properly.
“It ended up taking over double the planned time of eight months, growing into a 19-month project.”
The judges called the winning home a renovation of major proportions with numerous challenges for the builders.
“The builder was faced with a difficult building environment, including a steep site requiring scaffolding over 10 metres high, and a narrow shared drive providing the only access to the site,” they said.
“The kitchen was removed and placed in storage before being reinstated in the existing position. Clever cavity sliders allowed the entry foyer to be closed off from the large living area, and the balance of the home was incorporated into three levels.
“What has resulted can only be described as a beautifully functional modern home with faultless attention to detail, situated in a breathtaking area of Auckland’s Stanley Bay.”
Mr Jamieson says there is great professional satisfaction for their team in competing in House of the Year, but one of the main benefits is promoting the business and getting your name out there.
“Everybody researches everything on the internet these days, and anywhere you can get your profile out there is going to help your business,” he says.
“The House of the Year awards is a great event to bring together builders from all over the country to celebrate great craftsmanship.
“We are working towards entering another two homes for next year’s competition, which we’re looking forward to already!”
The Awards are made possible through the support of PlaceMakers, GIB, James Hardie, Nulook, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Future-Proof Building, Carters, ITM, Plumbing World, Resene, Westpac and Master Build Services.
