Events

Build It Awards Winners 2021

9th December 2021

Each year, we celebrate the best products in the self build and renovation sector, with the annual Build It Awards.

This hotly anticipated ceremony rewards those companies and organisations that deserve recognition for their hard work, beautiful designs and quality services.

The Build It Awards also help our readers to discern which products and services will help their self build and renovation projects run as smoothly as possible, whilst the winning homes provide inspiration for those embarking on their own scheme.

After receiving hundreds of outstanding entries, the judging panel, which includes Build It’s editor Chris Bates and a variety of leading industry experts, whittled the submissions down to a group of worthy winners.

This year, the winners of the Build It Awards 2021, in association with BuildStore, were announced during a glistening ceremony in London. Here are all of our worthy winners.

Best Homes

Best Self Build or Renovation Project – Jan & Diana Thompson for their Woodland Eco Home

Eco home in the woods

The shortlist for this category was chosen by Build It’s editorial team, and Build It readers voted for their favourite. Two amazing schemes were neck-and-neck for , but the winners were Jan and Diana Thompson, for their Woodland Eco Home.

The couple self-project managed their way to a stunning woodland home that draws inspiration from the local area. Backed up by weekly site visits from their architect, the owners have achieved a truly individual house packed with eco features.

Best SIPs Home – Glosford SIPS for Fuggles Pocket

Glosford SIPS Fuggles Pocket

Fuggles Pocket by Glosford SIPS really wowed the judges. The inspiring home highlighted that SIPs houses really can come in interesting shapes and sizes – and at a great price, too!

Best Eco Home – Oakwrights for Woodlands

Image credit: Mark Bolton

Showing that beauty and sustainability go hand-in-hand, Oakwrights’ Passivhaus-rated project ticks all the boxes for an eco house, whilst harnessing the unique character of oak.

Best Timber Frame Home – Frame Technologies for Gryphon House

Best Timber Frame Home

The judges were impressed by the contribution Frame Technologies made to the final result of this beautiful home, suggesting design and engineering improvements to help the owners realise a beautifully detailed property that they love.

Best Off-Site Manufactured Home – Baufritz (UK) for House Mackintosh

Baufritz’s House Mackintosh project is a fantastic response to the brief, delivering the open contemporary spaces and family-oriented living the first-time self builders desired, all while providing them with a guaranteed price and build schedule.

Best Oak Frame Home – Andy & Sue Perrin for Willowplatt Barn

Andy and Sue Perrin worked with the team at Carpenter Oak to bring a derelict barn back into use as a wow-factor home. It respects the building’s original architecture, while putting the intricate oak frame front and centre in a light-filled new living space.

Best ICF Home – Nudura for Stonehouse

Nudura’s Stonehouse shows ICF in its element, providing the perfect solution for creating a high-quality, design-led house on an awkward rocky plot.

Best Brick Home – Graven Hill for The Adams’ home

The judges felt Graven Hill’s The Adams’ Home would inspire other self builders by highlighting that brick can be a fantastic choice for a contemporary look.

Best Self Build for Under £250k – Ke-design for The Barn Field

Ke-design reimagined a design for a boring red brick bungalow. They created a simple, yet stylish new home packed with characterful details – and all for a build budget of just £150,000.

Best Architect for a Self Build Project – James Lock of Roderick James Architects for Delphis

As always, this was a difficult category to judge, thanks to the number and quality of entries. Seven architects were recognised by appearing on the shortlist for their great achievements, but Delphis by James Lock of Roderick James Architects really stood out. With an outstanding design that fits beautifully in its context, it also offers incredible views and delights in every architectural detail.

Best Architect for a Renovation or Extension Project – David Jones of KAST Architects for Milk Moon Barns

Simple, elegant design can work wonders – and Milk Moon Barns is a case in point. The judges were particularly impressed by the detailing of the glass link that connects old and new, while allowing the original building’s character to shine through.

Best Custom Build Project or Model – Unboxed Homes for Blenheim Grove

Best Custom Build Project or Model

The judges were impressed at how all the schemes shortlisted for Best Custom Build Project or Model enabled better quality homes. But this year’s prize went to Unboxed Homes, who has demonstrated the self-finish housing route has a serious part to play in delivering on pent-up demand for customised homes.

Best Products & Services

Best Sustainable Technology or Product – Accsys for Accoya

Accoya from Accsys is a versatile product that uses an eco-friendly process to improve the durability and longevity of softwood for use in a variety of applications, from window frames to cladding.

Best Windows – The Residence Collection

The judges found it tough to choose between four great products, but The Residence Collection brings a premium but authentic heritage look to an accessible, low-maintenance product.

Best Joinery Product – Max-Stairs for The Sculpture

The name says it all: a true work of art that forms the centrepiece of a dramatic entrance hall!

Best Stove Product – Firepower Heating for Woodfire Passiv

Firepower Heating’s Woodfire Passiv is a funky and beautiful EcoDesign-ready stove that would make an amazing contemporary focal point in any self build home, and can also efficiently heat domestic hot water.

Best Home Technology Product or Installation – Moss Technical for Niko Home Control Solar Mode

Best Home Technology Product or Installation

Niko from Moss Technical offers homeowners the opportunity to move away from reliance on time-limited government incentives and use energy more efficiently around the home. In particular, to store solar power generated in a domestic hot water system.

Best Heating System or Product – RED (Renewable Energy Devices) for UHE Heat Pumps

RED’s system puts intelligent control at the heart of home heating, managing every step of the process – from heat source through to bespoke manifolds that control individual zones – to deliver optimum performance.

Best Roofing System or Product – Keylite Roof Windows for Integrated Expanding Thermal Collar

Keylite Roof Windows’ Integrated Expanding Thermal Collar simplifies installation and insulation detailing for roofers and hands-on self builders and renovators.

Best Glazed Doors – IDSystems for theEDGE2.0

IDSystems’ the EDGE2.0 is a tried-and-trusted system offering ultra-narrow sightlines, and backed up with great customer support, that merits consideration on any self builders’ wishlist.

Innovation in Insulation – CorkSol UK for SprayCork

SprayCork is a sustainable, breathable finish that’s a natural partner for many heritage homes, providing both thermal and acoustic insulation.

Best Plumbing or Drainage System or Product – Impey for Aqua-Grade

The judges commented that Impey has come up with a practical, useful product that they could see themselves using, as it solves a real problem.

Best Council for Custom or Self Builders – Durham County Council

All of the shortlisted councils for 2021 are making great strides in opening up custom and self build to more people, but Durham County Council has recognised the gap between demand and delivery, and is acting now to champion the sector and deliver more fully serviced plots through its flagship self and custom build programme.

Best Self Build Lender – Darlington Building Society

Best Self Build Lender Winner Darlington Building Society

Darlington Building Society was selected via a combination of judges’ marks, scoring against an industry framework, and results from a customer satisfaction survey, which was conducted amongst self build mortgage customers.

A huge thank you to our sponsors, for supporting the Build It Awards 2021.

Headline Sponsor: Buildstore

Category Sponsors: Self Build Zone, IDSystems, Kloeber, Niko Home Control, Northcot Brick, Stovax Heating Group, Total Home Environment, Protek, NaCSBA, NSBRC, the Insulated Concrete Formwork Association and the Structural Timber Association

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9th December 2021