John Gavin knew the luxury house he was building on the site of Queenstown’s original schist quarry was an award-winner before a stone had been laid.
‘‘I remember sitting with the owners in one of my first meetings with them and saying ‘this will be an award-winning home’.’’
The John Gavin Construction principal was ‘‘very, very pleased’’ to be again be sitting with the owners last month when the home won Supreme House of the Year, More than $1 million at the Southern Region Registered Master Builders House of the Year awards.
The house also took out the regional Gold and Outdoor Living awards.
‘‘It really is a standout home in the portfolio of homes we’ve done,’’ Gavin says of the 650 square metre Dalefield property with sweeping views of Coronet Peak and the Remarkables.
It comes with an entertainer’s kitchen, scullery, wine cellar, media room, north-facing timber decks, barbecue area, five-car garage, and ensuites for each of the bedrooms.
It certainly had the Master Builders judges gushing about how the ‘‘incredible home showcases excellent craftsmanship and design’’.
Schist standout: This Dalefield home won Supreme House of the Year at the Southern Region Registered Master Builders awards
‘‘[The] impeccable construction features … combines beautifully finished interior elements, resolved planning relationships, and site complexities with elegant functionality.
‘‘Blending materials and design to create a visually stunning and functionally exceptional home, this is a masterpiece in craftsmanship.’’
Gavin says the house, constructed with standing seam Colorsteel, and 3m-plus walls clad with an ‘‘awful lot of local Gibbston schist’’ was a technically challenging build.
‘‘Structurally it’s a pretty out there, specific-engineered designed house and the structure to support that schist veneer is quite substantial.’’
He also applauds the owners for their patience over the 18-month build — ‘‘they did give us the time to do it and do it right.
‘‘I said, ‘if you let us do it right, the pain of the build cost and the pain of the time will go away when you’ve got what you wanted’.’’
Gavin also got a kick out of working with architect Tim Dagg on the project, an old mate from Wakatipu High School, for the owner who was three years ahead of him at the school.
‘‘It’s pretty cool to be doing it with some local guys I knew.’’
