The team at Design Builders Wellington has won Gold at the Wellington & Wairarapa 2025 Registered Master Builders House of the Year Awards.
Category: Bunnings New Home $1 million – $1.5 million
Award: Gold
View image gallery: here
This award-winning home proves that exceptional design doesn’t need to be enormous. At just 153sqm, it sits high on a steep Wellington hillside, designed to capture a north-facing corridor of sun and sweeping views across the harbour and city skyline.
The engineering alone is remarkable. Supported by sleek steel foundations, the home appears to float, reaching up to 11 metres above ground at its highest point. No surprise the team nicknamed it the ‘Spider Home’, thanks to its long steel legs and delicate balance.
But this home is more than structural genius. It’s warm, refined, and perfectly formed. Inside, you’ll find timber-lined ceilings and floors, custom built-in furniture, and a stunning feature screen designed for hanging indoor plants, all working together to create a beautifully layered interior.
The home includes two bedrooms, generous open-plan living, and extensive decking. There’s beefed-up insulation, thermally broken joinery, and a powerful solar energy system designed to generate and store most of the home’s energy needs. Outside, a flat lawn area provides space for grandchildren to play, while a sheltered firepit creates a cosy spot for entertaining.
The exterior is equally impressive, clad in dark steel and vertical timber, with custom solar window shrouds, timber soffits, fencing, and screening. This is clever, compact architecture that balances sustainability with serious style.
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.
