22 July 2022
Builders, projects, and individuals were honored at this year's glittering Master Builders Downs & Western Housing & Construction Awards.
Held at Rumors International Convention Center on Friday, 22 July, the Awards saw projects from as far as Goondiwindi, Muckadilla, St George, and Roma recognised.
From refurbishing historic buildings and developing Queensland Fire and Emergency headquarters to expansive mansions and decorative interiors, the talent of this year's Awards is once again, inspirational.
Valdal Projects stole the show, racking up a total of nine awards, including the coveted BMS House of the Year for the breathtaking home, Cliffhanger.
The Redwood home also won best Individual Home over $2 million, as well as the award for Best Use of Sloping Sites, highlighting its nature as a true design and construction feat.
Cliffhanger is an engineering masterpiece with more than 1,000 cubic meters of concrete and hundreds of tons of steel.
Situated on an expansive, grassy sloping site, the home was designed to take in and endure the climate of the Toowoomba Range. Boasting a seven-bay garage, impressive infinity pool, outdoor fireplace, and incredible views of the Lockyer Valley, this home is something special.
The team at Valdal Projects also won awards for their off-the-grid, contemporary home, Bunya Retreat. The project won best Individual Home from $950,000 up to $1.25 million, Best Use of Steel Frame Housing and Excellence in Sustainable Living Award.
They picked up awards in three more categories – Best Home Renovation/Remodelling Project from $400,000 up to $650,000 for the Warren home, best Commercial Building up to $5 million for OAK on Erin and Best Residential Kitchen for Joie De Vivre.
Northbuild Construction were onto a winner when they renovated the Rowes building in Toowoomba, taking out the PlastaMasta Toowoomba Project of the Year Award.
The Rowes Redevelopment transformed a tired, old building into a high-quality office and retail precinct.
By using modern construction materials yet preserving the integrity of the heritage, the builders created a project that pays homage to its past while also positioning it for the future.
The team at Northbuild Construction also took home the Refurbishment/Renovation over $750,000 and Education Facilities up to $10 million for the Toowoomba Christian College Music Centre.
Paul Spence Constructions were the other big winner on the night, with their Frew House project winning the BUSSQ Building Super President's Award and Home Renovation/Remodelling Project from $650,000 up to $1 million.
The beautiful 19th-century home was restored to its former glory. Keeping the historic value of the property was a priority and the incredible attention to detail and quality finishes make this a unique home.
Master Builders' Downs & Western Regional Manager, Linda Rosengreen, congratulated all the winners across the 43 categories.
"From modern retail spaces, educational amenities and training facilities to stunning renovations and state-of-the-art home builds, this year's entries were inspirational," she said.
"It's a true testament to the quality and range of building that happens in and around the Downs & Western region.
"Winning an award this year, despite the stresses our industry is facing, shows that our builders are resilient and can continue to shine, even when times are tough."
Major winners
Retail space preserves history with modern style
Winner of the 2022 Downs & Western PlastaMasta Toowoomba Project of the Year – Rowes Redevelopment by Northbuild Construction.
The Rowes Redevelopment transformed a tired, old building into a high-quality office and retail precinct.
The original store founded around 1900 had existed for more than 100 years, spread throughout the various buildings across all three levels. This exciting redevelopment rearranges the building and condenses the furniture store entirely on the ground floor. This allows the upper levels to be purely for a variety of tenancies of varying sizes to suit a range of potential customers.
The re-use of old materials found on-site, plus installing new services and structures into the old building fabric made this a challenging construction job.
Judges' comments
"The Rowes Redevelopment showcases the ability of the builder to work in collaboration with their client to transform a tired old building into a high-quality office and retail precinct."
"The mix of using modern construction materials yet preserving the integrity of the heritage features of the building have created a project that pays homage to its past but positions it for the future."
"The finished project is a testament to the team that built it. A very good project.”
Redwood home takes it to the edge in winning design
Winner of the 2022 Downs & Western BMS House of the Year – Cliffhanger by Valdal Projects
Cliffhanger is an amazing architecturally designed and engineered home that sits atop a substantially sloping site. With more than 1000 cubic meters of concrete and hundreds of tons of steel, this project was no mean feat to build.
This build presented many challenges with the slope and wet weather making it a design triumph as well as a construction achievement.
Judges' comments
"Cliffhanger is an exceptional house. The attention to detail shown by the builder is amazing and to construct this project hanging off the Toowoomba escarpment would have been a very complex process.”
"All aspects are finished to the highest degree of true craftsmanship. It is also a quality build.”
"An incredibly technical and difficult project with exceptional finishes. The planning required to build the cantilevered structure was very thorough.”
Historic 19 th century home restored to former glory
Winner of the 2022 Downs & Western BUSSQ Building Super President's Award – Frew House by Paul Spence Construction.
The team at Paul Spence Construction restored this beautiful 19th century home back to its former glory.
Keeping the historic value of the property was a priority and the builder admirably installed the original windows, retained the sandstone floor, and widened the verandahs.
The incredible attention to detail and quality finishes are second to none on this project. The extensive use of timber added to the look of this stunning home, and with a blend of old and new, created a house that looks original, yet functional.
Judges' comments
"The builder has showcased his incredible skills to transform a beautiful old timber house into an extremely liveable family home while keeping the original features intact."
"The builder's ability and understanding of trade skills that were used over a century ago have allowed him to match the extended areas of the house with the original house construction."
"The builder's attention to detail and quality of finish were second to none on this project."
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