AN American-inspired residence in Waroona has won the Master Builders WA 2019 South West Best Country Home award.
The magnificent house built by Palazzo Homes is a fusion of a grand Colorado ranch house and stylish Hamptons holiday home.
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READ NOWIt consists of a five-bedroom main residence, stunning pool wing and private villa, each with its own kitchen and living areas.
Massive hand-built stone fireplaces in each zone are reminiscent of rugged mountain homes, but work harmoniously with the fresh white tones and elegant style of US coastal playgrounds.
Master Builders regional awards judge Charlie Baggetta said the workmanship was first-class throughout the huge building.
“The house is very impressive, Palazzo can be proud of themselves,” he said.
“The quality of work is exceptional throughout and some of the highlights are the custom-made cabinetry, beautiful stonework and imported slate roof, which lent itself to the Hamptons style.
“The tiling across a huge area, including large bathrooms and the indoor pool, showed precision workmanship which was amazing.”
The residence also won the award for Best Contract Home in the over $3.5 million category and trade awards for roofing and tiling.
The top commercial prize was won by Perkins Builders of Bunbury for the $15 million expansion of Hocart Lodge in Harvey.
Hocart Lodge was a family home until the late 1960s, when Annie Hocart donated the house and land in memory of her husband John to provide care for the elderly in the Harvey area.
The growth of the organisation lead to the new 60-bed development, which has doubled the size of the facility while maintaining its home atmosphere.
Mr Baggetta gave the construction the highest possible praise by saying: “That’s where I’d like to live when the time comes”.
“The design is good, the level of finish is very high and the building process has been well managed,” he said.
“It was spread out into stages, which allowed the facility to continue functioning while the work was going on.
“I admire what the builder has done because the work is excellent in all aspects.”
Master Builders executive director John Gelavis said the South West awards attracted more than 100 entries and the projects added up to a value of more than $255 million.
“The South West is a cherished part of our state and it is great to see builders in the region can be held in equally high regard,” he said.
“The area is well known for its variety in scenery, lifestyles, housing and industries so it needs builders who can respond to that diversity by being adaptable and offering a wide range of skills.
“The Master Builders top WA home of the year award went to South West builder Paradigm Construction recently, which shows the high standards of the local industry”.
Mr Gelavis said the builders would be proud of their entries, which represented months of planning, coordination of specialist trades and attention to detail in delivering the finished product.
“They have been judged on the excellence of every aspect of the construction by experienced and highly esteemed builders,” he said.
“Anyone who is considering a building project, whether it’s commercial or residential, should seriously consider a Master Builders award winner.”
The winning commercial project will be put forward to compete with the best across the state in the 2019 Master Builders Bankwest Excellence in Construction Awards in July and the residential winner will progress to the WA housing awards next year.
FULL LIST OF WINNERS
Best country home: Palazzo Homes, Waroona
Best overall project: Perkins Builders, Hocart Lodge, Harvey
Best display home: Dale Alcock Homes South West, The Westhampton, Geographe
Best alterations & additions: Cape Constructions, Naturaliste
Best alternative construction: Karamfiles Builders, Deanmill
Best contract homes: Under $200,000: Plunkett Homes South West, Provence $200,000-$250,000: Smart Homes for Living, Kealy $250,000-$300,000: BGC Residential South West, Kealy $300,000-$350,000: WA Country Builders, Dunsborough $350,000-$400,000: Ventura Home Group, Quindalup $400,000-$450,000: The Rural Building Company, Dunsborough $450,000-$550,000: WA Country Builders, Noggerup $550,000-$650,000: Hanrahan Construction, Margaret River $650,000-$750,000: WA Country Builders, Waroona $750,000-$1 million: Challis Builders, Roelands $1 million-$1.5 million: Holst Design + Build, Dunsborough $1.5 million-$2.5 million: Cape Constructions, Eagle Bay Over $3.5 million: Palazzo Homes, Waroona
Best alternative construction home: Under $200,000: Express Living Homes South West, Dalyellup $250,000-$300,000: Resonate Homes, Margaret River $300,000-$350,000: The Schlager Group, Dawesville $350,000-$400,000: Ventura Home Group South West, Witchcliffe $450,000-$550,000: Daly & Shaw Building, Abbey $550,000-$650,000: The Rural Building Company, Roelands $1 million-$1.5 million: Karamfiles Builders, Deanmill
Best display homes: $200,000-$220,000: Dale Alcock Homes South West, The Spinnaker, Port Geographe $220,000-$240,000: Dale Alcock Homes South West, The Franklin, Port Geographe $240,000-$270,000: BGC Residential Southwest, The Sunset Cove, Vasse $270,000 – $300,000: WA Country Builders, The Manta, Kealy $300,000 – $350,000: Plunkett Homes South West, The Augusta, Kealy $350,000 – $400,000: Dale Alcock Homes South West, The Westhampton, Port Geographe
Best alternations & additions: $200,000-$250,000: Resonate Homes, Bunbury $300,000-$400,000: Hanrahan Construction, Margaret River $500,000-$750,000: Cape Constructions, Quedjinup Over $1 million: Cape Constructions, Naturaliste
Best multi unit development: Two to five units: BGC Residential Southwest, Busselton Five to 10 units: BGC Residential Southwest, Vasse
Best state building: BGC Construction, Pingelly Health Centre
Best senior persons multi unit development: Perkins Builders, Hocart Lodge, Harvey
Best refurbishment or renovations: Karamfiles Builders, Southern Forests Medical Centre, Manjimup
Best retail building: BGC Construction, Vasse Commercial, Vasse
Best office building: BGC Construction, Victoria Square, Bunbury
Best industrial building: $10 million-$20 million: Perkins Builders, Western Power Vasse Depot, Vasse $20 million – $50 million: Perkins Builders, Bannister Downs Dairy Creamery, Northcliffe
Bankwest best customer service: Small builder: Karamfiles Builders Medium builder: Plunkett Homes Large/Volume Project Builder: Dale Alcock Homes South West
Small builder of the year: Cape Constructions
Medium project builder of the year: Plunkett Homes
Large project builder of the year: WA Country Builders
Best new builder: Hanrahan Construction
Innovative construction for small lots: Express Living Homes South West, Dalyellup
Construction on a challenging site: Perkins Builders, Dolphin Discovery Centre Redevelopment, Bunbury
Best waterwise home: Resonate Homes, Margaret River
Excellence in energy efficiency: Holst Design + Build, Yallingup
Trade awards: Excellence in concreting: Huttcon Concrete for Perkins Builders Excellence in cabinet making: Bay Cabinets for Cape Construction Excellence in external finishes: Facelift Plastering for Holst Design + Build Excellence in brick & block paving: Performance Pavings for BGC Construction Excellence in ceilings: Geographe Ceilings for Karamfiles Builders Excellence in roofing: Palazzo Homes Excellence in carpentry: RPK Carpentry for Challis Builders Excellence in painting: Prism Painting Professionals for Holst Design + Build Silver trowel award: Nathan Reynolds for Karamfiles Builders Excellence in plastering: South West Quality Plastering for Challis Builders Excellence in floor & wall tiling: Tuscan Tiling for Palazzo Homes
Employer trainer of the year: Dale Alcock Homes South West
Apprentice of the year: Harley Depiazzi for Perkins Builders
Carpentry apprentice of the year: Harley Depiazzi for Perkins Builders