A step back in time has won GP Pringle Building Ltd Supreme Renovation of the Year at the 2023 Waikato Registered Master Builders House of the Year competition.
Winning a Supreme is a first for GD Pringle and managing director George Pringle says entering the awards is a great way to track the team’s craftmanship.
“I like the fact that there’s someone else judging our work and making sure we are achieving high standards. I know our team worked really hard to do nice work, but it’s nice to be validated from someone else that you’re actually doing a fantastic job.”
Once a small 1930s bungalow, the Cambridge renovation pays homage to the past whilst expertly bringing in the new.
The attention to the details of the house’s history was driven by the clients Jo and Richard who were keen to retain the home’s character while giving it the new lease of life.
Jo, an interior designer, is the reason why you’ll see a dedicated effort to tie the old with the new by reusing existing materials, George says.
“It was just an absolute pleasure to work with Jo and Richard, and the reason we have a result today is because of the passion and the effort they put in.”
Reusing existing materials, and sourcing materials sympathetic to the house’s age, including some gems found at Demolition Traders, has helped create a seamless transition from the past to the present day.
“We purchased some internal doors to match in with the existing. I think it was $1,500 to have the doors remade brand new and it was about 150 bucks from Demolition Traders. While we were there the client actually saw some leadlight windows and we incorporated those into the house as well.”
The leadlight windows added a tasteful sense of charm to the powder room.
The renovation saw a 47sqm extension with a laundry, bathroom, separate toilet and main bedroom ensuite that enabled this house to spread its wings.
Little details like the recycled butcher’s block table re-purposed as an island unit in the kitchen help to tie the old with the new.
Elegant touches throughout the house, like the additional patterned ceiling sheets running down the hallway from the main entrance are a delightful nod to the past.
The creation of matching cornices, renovated architraves and skirtings, and meticulously matching new matai with existing matai flooring showcases the GD Pringle Building team’s eye for detail.
New double-glazed timber joinery throughout the house brings the house into the modern age.
Plus, there’s a ducted underfloor heating and cooling system and upgraded insulation in keeping with a contemporary, warm and healthy home.
Open plan living adds to the spaciousness of the extension as well as a adding a welcome update to what were once separate living areas.
A home designed for today’s lifestyle is not complete without bringing the outdoors in and a portico provides a gorgeous all-weather space for entertaining.
Creating a renovation for modern living whilst being sympathetic to the past had its challenges, George says, but the effort, time and energy that went into the project was worth going the extra mile.
“It was just a neat project to be involved with. And the fact that the client was willing to go to those levels, because it would be so easy to cheat out on some of those details but it wouldn’t have the same effect.
“You would be hard pressed to work out where the extensions begin and the old house ends.”
NATIONAL AWARDS WON
Top 100
REGIONAL AWARDS WON
Regional Supreme Renovation of the Year
Regional Category Winner
Regional Gold
WINNING HOMES
Bunnings Renovation $750,000 – $1.5 million – GD Pringle Building Ltd
