Taupō firm Haimes Building renovates its way to House of the Year success

A Taupō home renovation won local firm Haimes Building the Supreme Renovation of the Year and Bunnings Renovation Over $1 Million awards at the Master Builders House of the Year 2020. Photo / Supplied

It was just your standard Taupō bach - complete with differing floor levels, out-of-square walls and dated design.

But the 1964 bach just happened to be on a double hillside section with panoramic views over Lake Taupō and access to a thermal bore.

What's more, it belonged to a family who were keen to see it transformed into something in keeping with its stunning site.

And so it proved, with a makeover that has not just transformed a 200sq m humble bach into a 470sq m stunning home that delighted the owners, it's also become an award-winner for local Taupō building company Haimes Building Ltd.

Haimes Building entered the renovation in the recent Master Builders House of the Year Awards 2020 and wound up taking home the Supreme Renovation of the Year and Bunnings Renovation over $1 million awards, plus two lifestyle awards at the regional competition.

This is not the first national-level House of the Year win for Haimes Building but it's a particularly satisfying one after the company took a break from entering the awards for three years.

The house is finished to a high standard throughout. Photo / Supplied

Judges said the renovation, which took the best part of two years was "an impressive example of collaboration between the passionate homeowners, a clever designer, and a craftsman builder".

"Renovations always present challenges, require great planning, and need a lot of thinking along the way to incorporate the new, maintain the old, and create a seamless result.

"From the Hinuera stone personally laid at the entry and featuring throughout the house, to the endless straightening of the original structure to cope with the unforgiving new light from the atrium windows on new wall and ceiling surfaces, the workmanship has been executed beautifully. This is a wonderful alteration that the owners clearly enjoy and has been built to stand the test of time."

Haimes Building owner Mark Haimes and co-owner Phil Pool employ some 20 staff and Mark says while renovations can be really challenging and often evolve as the project progresses, that's also what he and his staff like about them.

"I get a lot of enjoyment out of seeing an old home repurposed and brought back to life."

Haimes Building were also involved in constructing the new in-ground pools and surrounds. Photo / Supplied

The Hilltop bach had been in the family for some years and the owners' brief to architectural designer Clint Bramley was to maintain as much of the character of the original home as possible, and mix in a design focused on modern life and entertaining; while the builders had the job of bringing this blend of old and new to life.

That presented builders with the challenge of retaining the house's original feel and bringing the extension together seamlessly, Mark said.

"The existing plan had certain areas on it that were kept and then we in-filled and added on to meet the new brief. When you're working on high-end projects they need to be well-considered and thought out, you can't just go in and slap things up.

The team at Haimes Building celebrate their Master Builders House of the Year Awards 2020 wins. Photo / Supplied

"There was a lot of work that was involved in it, structural changes but the biggest challenge was trying to keep the integrity of the original building.

"It was fairly well built originally but with all older homes there's the straightening, the planning and the dealing with the different floor levels when you have a house like this."

Mark says while the house used some innovative products, the renovation was more about completing everything to a high standard. House of the Year judges look at even the tiniest details and so a lot of effort went into making sure everything was absolutely perfect.

"It's attention to detail and that's what [the judges] look at and I just keep coming back to: it has to look like it hasn't been tacked on to, it needs to use some of the existing bones and the existing shell and structure as best you can and incorporate the new.

"It's also a collaboration with the clients, the on-site construction team and the designers to make these projects successful."

While the standard of competition at House of the Year is extremely high, Mark was confident the Taupō renovation had the X-factor to be a winner.

"You really have to have the right property because it can be expensive to put the entries in by the time everything is as you want it. We had a good feeling with that project."