A Cromwell home has been recognised at the Southern Master Builders House of the Year Awards 2025.

The annual competition recognises “the best homes and those who brought them to life”.

The Cromwell home - ‘Smart Start’ - built by DCD, won a regional gold award for the new home $500,000 - $750,000 category.

At just 82sqm (plus double garage), the home was “proof that clever design and considered choices can deliver comfort, performance and style in a compact footprint”, judges said.

The two-bedroom, one-bathroom home, which was purpose-built for a young couple taking their first step onto the property ladder, was “efficient in every sense”. 

It features triple-glazed PVC windows, insulated slab and double-layer insulation in walls and ceilings, supported by a ducted heat pump and a ventilation system. There is also solar prewiring and an EV charger.

“Every square metre of this compact home has been designed to deliver smart, sustainable living, without excess. It is a model of how to get it right,” the judges said.

The Registered Master Builders House of the Year Awards is held in two stages.

First is the regional level, and from the award winners 100 homes are selected for Top 100 status and proceed to a second round of national judging, before the National House of the Year Awards in November. 

Find full details of all the homes and awards from the Southern House of the Year Awards 2025 here.

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