One builder has set the bar for custom design homes on the coast after being recognised for his innovative work in Potato Point.
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Southpoint Building Services’ Morgan Evans was the winner of the 2009 Master Builders and Boral Excellence in building awards for a custom-built home valued over $900,000.
The house took four years to be completed and has 360degree views across the Eurobodalla and coastline.
It has an innovative design that gave it the edge over its competitors in the ACT and south aast NSW, which was acknowledged by Mr Evans.
“This house has been future-proofed for at least 20 to 30 years,” he said.
“Housing will predominantly turn into this theme, having a solar passive design and using a variety of technologies to back it up.”
The house has been designed to capture the sun’s heat through glass and blinds that have thermal properties.
Owner Lynne Babbage said that this allowed them to stay warm in winter and a retractable shade reduced the heat in the summer.
“It was 16 degrees during the night on Monday and it hit two degrees outside,” she said.
Mrs Babbage and her husband Ross also installed a two-kilowatt solar system that has reduced their power consumption by 50 per cent.
The award also commended Mr Evans for the sustainable properties of the house, which included grey and black water management systems.
A septic treatment system beneath the lawn filters water and releases it into transpiration beds. Grey water is also filtered and recycled back into the home, which reduces the need to use town water supplies.
The builder, who was described as a sucker for punishment by Mrs Babbage, said the success of the project was due to him taking time to make sure it was done right.
“The bar has been set,” he said. “I will work to this constantly. The quality has to be there because each home is different.”
News of the win was a shock to Mr Evans, who was unable to attend the award ceremony. A phone call from the Master Builders Association made him “fall over backwards” when they asked him to pick up the award.
“I must have sounded a little blasé,” he laughed.
“I said, ‘Are you kidding me?’ ... We certainly weren’t expecting to win’.”
The house has been automatically nominated for the Mater Builder’s national awards and will also be judged for the Housing Industry Awards in September.
