Attention to detail, reliability, and experience. FV Design and Build are master builders and licensed building practitioners who specialize in high-end work and strive to deliver building excellence. Multi award winning builders of new homes and renovations FV Design and Build M: 021 577 082 E: francis@fvdab.co.nz W: fvdesignandbuild.co.nz
FV Build and Design wins supreme with a little Raglan beauty HOUSE OF THE YEAR <strong>2023</strong> FV DESIGN AND BUILD 25 Attention to detail, reliability, and experience Building beautiful homes for good people to a really high standard has won FV Design and Build the <strong>Waikato</strong> Supreme House of the Year under $1 million award. It might sound like a simple catchphrase but it what drives owner/operator Francis Van Den Einden and the team to deliver quality workmanship. The exceptional home that won the team House of the Year is testament to the flawless design and construction undertaken by the team. Sitting prettily under two old pōhutukawa trees overlooking Raglan Harbour, this home was built to replace the original and faded family bach. The compact three-bedroom, two-bathroom, two-living room newcomer makes astute use of the space available in its 173sqm footprint. Constructed over three levels, with engineered block foundations, it’s an all-weather address lending a gallery-like appeal. Connecting decks protect from both wind and sun, while a covered outdoor area with louvre roof and walls leads to the kitchen and living area. Inside or out, it’s a delight to behold. Heated, polished colouredconcrete floors with plywood and cedar walls predominate indoors and frame additional touches. These include a feature halo light fitting that throws a dreamy, star-studded reflection on the ceiling. A solid plaster fireplace over aerated stone makes it all the better for lighting up some timber logs to keep this home cosy on cold winter nights. And when the world-famous Raglan surf’s up, there’s a place to clean up afterwards right at the back door. An exterior shower washes away the notorious black sand. This home’s stunning design integrates with the sloping site, whilst skilfully crafted recesses and protrusions add character and style to its long rectangular form. The complexity of the roof, with its well-installed internal gutters and downpipes, further highlights the precision and expertise involved. Inside the dining room, FV Design and Build used cedar on the walls and ceiling, along with full-height wallto-wall doors, creating a feel that effortlessly extends to the outdoors. A special feature, the hidden floor-to-ceiling door in the dining room leading to the bedroom wing, adds a unique touch. “The cedar door is a full height panel to look like a secret door, which leads you down the hallway and it came up really good,” Francis says. The judges noted the team’s outstanding skilfulness shone through making this house well-worthy of the Supreme Award for the category. They also took out the Altus Window Systems New Home $750,000 – $1 million category, Outdoor Living Excellence Award, and a Gold Award for the build. FV Build and Design has entered the Master Builders House of the Year since 2017 picking up multiple awards along the way. Taking out Supreme is a first and, Francis says, an awesome acknowledgement for his team and their dedication to continually producing a high standard of workmanship “It was extremely special and with so many other great builders in the room, it’s really humbling to have got it across the line,” he says. “The main reason I enter is to get validation for the team. To be put in front of our peers, and judged by our peers tells us if we're on the right track with the product that we're trying to put out and being recognised in front of them is a nice feeling.” Francis is a trade qualified, licensed building practitioner, and with over 20 years' experience, he’s still very much hands-on and the personal point of contact during an entire FV Build and Design project. “I'm still on site and you deal with me the whole way through. If you've got an issue, you just ring my number, and you get me. We offer a lot of transparency with what we're doing for our clients and I find this helps during the project.” The small crew not only work on new builds they do renovations and can assist with the design, and Francis says, they’re a ‘one stop shop’. “We can do everything from pouring the concrete through to doing the landscaping and building your pool.” Trained by an old school builder, Francis learnt to do everything from the ground up and it’s the fundamental skills he passes on to his crew that helps them produce high quality finishes. “I still train apprentices and I want them to learn the whole package.” Congratulations to the team at FV Design and Build. We are proud to support and work alongside FV Design now and into the future.
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