The team at Design Builders Waikato/Franklin has won Gold at the Waikato 2025 Registered Master Builders House of the Year Awards.
Category: Altus Window Systems New Home $750,000 – $1 million
Award: Gold
View image gallery: here
This award-winning home makes an immediate impression. Its bold architectural form and raw coastal materiality perfectly reflect the client’s brief. The exterior wows with its strong presence, defined by Japanese-style shou sugi ban charred vertical cladding. Spanning 260sqm, the home has been architecturally designed to maximise sun and views, while also offering shelter from the coastal breeze.
A kwila boardwalk-style path leads to the front door, where more of the rugged yet refined aesthetic is revealed. Inside, you’ll find thermally polished concrete floors, generously proportioned windows and doors that frame sweeping coastal views, and timber features, including layers of warm marine ply on the ceilings.
This contrast of raw textures and refined finishes creates a sense of visual depth and calm. Expansive stacker doors open to an outdoor retreat with matching ply-lined ceilings, a skylight, and a fire for ambience. On cooler west coast days, the concrete floors store heat and the ducted internal fireplace provides cosy comfort.
The home includes two distinct living areas, a minimalist designer kitchen with scullery, a bespoke timber wine cellar, three double bedrooms, two bathrooms, a guest powder room, home office, and double garage. It’s a modern coastal retreat, designed for relaxed, refined living.
Congratulations to everyone involved in bringing this stunning home to life, a true team effort and a well-deserved win.
Inspired?
If you’d like to learn more about building a home designed around your lifestyle, get in touch with the Design Builders team today, or view our other award-winning homes here.
