Shaw Builders house takes top award

By GRAHAM SKELLERN
Proud homeowner Stephen Miln made every effort to support his winning builder at the Tauranga Registered Master Builders awards in Baypark Events Centre on Friday night.
Mr Miln, the assistant rugby coach for the Bay of Plenty Steamers, flew back from Christchurch after a week's coaching course with Robbie Deans and hurriedly changed in to his evening wear at Tauranga Airport.
He arrived at the gala dinner in time to see a chuffed David Shaw, of Shaw Builders, collect the PlaceMakers supreme house of the year prize and advance to a shot at the national final.
"It's our night," said Mr Shaw who celebrated with Mr Miln and his wife Maria.
"We dreamed this home for seven years," said Te Kuiti-born Mr Miln, who played rugby in Japan for 15 years after representing the Steamers for three seasons.
Mr Miln spent every day of the 12 months labouring on the 800sq m building site in Papamoa Beach Rd alongside the Ocean Shores gated community, and shared his dream with Mr Shaw's gang and architect David Page of Te Puke.
Shaw Builders' beachfront masterpiece - it cost $1.6 million to build - is a three-level, 470sq m minimalist home finished in plaster and aluminium cladding, with plenty of hush glass.
There are five bedrooms, two living areas, three bathrooms and a self-contained guest wing, all having spectacular views up and down the Western Bay coastline.
"I love building challenging houses," said Mr Walsh, a builder for 27 years. "I had to keep visualising what the architect and owners wanted and I could see the house was going to be something different."
The family home, which was completed in March, has three storeys of piles outside the front entrance and the stairwell inside also rises three levels.
There's a 3.5m by 9m swimming pool in front of the house, and entry is from the mid level, with visitors crossing a large decked area over the garage and passing an outdoor fireplace and Japanese garden along the way.
The house is fully automated including the electric windows and sliding glass doors, and the long kitchen - which also won an award - has luxury features including a coffee maker built in to the cabinetry and a Zenith tap which delivers chilled water and hot boiling water.
Mr Shaw, who has run his company with his wife Carolynne for 11 years, entered the awards for the first time - they joined Master Builders three years ago - and last night came away with the spoils.
The Shaws collected two golds in the new homes over $1 million category - the other one was the 473sq m, twin pavilion-styled house in Oceanbeach Rd.
The Papamoa Beach Rd house won the category and the Mastercraft Heart of the Home Kitchen award. Both houses will now be re-assessed to see if they make the country's top 100 and the national awards will be announced in Auckland in October.
The over $1 million category was hotly contested with three other entrants gaining golds - Moyle Construction for a three-level holiday home in Hart St, Murray Pedersen Builders for the nautical-designed house in Oceanview Rd, and David Reid Homes (Bay of Plenty) for a four-bedroom home in Plummers Point.