Many factors can transform a residential building firm into a dynamic business. When it comes to VM Building in Western Australia, a point of difference – a project that stands out from the crowd – is the key.

‘We always try to do something that hasn't been done before,’ explains Robert Agostino, the Perth-based firm’s CEO.

This family-owned and operated home building company has been in the business for more than 40 years now. It was launched by Vince Agostino in 1982, and his sons, Rob and Chris, eventually joined the firm.

‘Dad’s still involved with the company as he’s an integral part,’ says Rob. ‘Although Chris and I now run the business, he spends plenty of time working onsite. We were involved from a very young age, and the business has evolved.

‘We started building small, standard homes, but as the industry changed, we decided to go in a different direction. We’re now passionate about our niche – we don’t want to build the same house twice. We don't want to produce a replica.’

VM Building recently won the 2024 HIA Australian Spec Home Award. Located in the leafy suburb of Dianella, the four-bedroom spec home is on an 850-square-metre block. When Rob first took on this project, he could see the ‘secret ingredient’ that would create a real point of difference – a weeping Japanese pagoda tree positioned in the centre of the property.

‘This huge, mature tree inspired us to design a monolithic home that brings the outside in,’ he says. ‘The tree is now positioned right inside the entrance foyer.’ 

Here, a bank of large skylights appears over the internal planter, which allows ample natural light and cleverly divides the entry from the rest of the home. The sense of space is tangible, given the four-metre soaring ceilings at their highest point. ‘The pagoda tree takes pride of place,’ says Rob.

Working closely with clients is a priority for VM Building, and the clients were keen to incorporate natural materials.

The exterior facade includes natural stone with an integrated garage door, all clad in cedar, exuding a raw, organic feel. In contrast, the polished plaster has a concrete effect. It’s topped by a concave concrete-finished roofline across the width of the elevation, and soft curves are introduced in both external and internal elements. These curves draw the eye to its central entry point with a matt-black glass pivot door.

The timber-clad garage door and natural granite wall complement the home’s contemporary tones of black, white and charcoal. This provides an impressive, yet not overbearing, streetscape.

Embracing the indoor-outdoor living, the expansive living zone opens seamlessly to the inviting pool and alfresco areas through banks of wide, full-height sliding stacker glass doors.

One of the difficulties during the build was that the block had a four-and-a-half-metre slope. Building the retaining walls required attention to detail and a lot of hard work. ‘We used steelwork to create curves and arches to the front and back facades of polished concrete,’ explains Rob. 

‘Protecting this was difficult – you can't use tape because that's going to bleed into the actual concrete. Also, the formwork creating the planters were inside and the overhung steps already had recessed strip lights installed.’

Despite the difficulties, Rob and the team were undeterred. ‘When you produce a building plan, you should be able to overcome everything. I had to remember this when managing the huge amount of intricate details. There were days when the team wished they were working on a house down the road,’ he says, laughing.

With VM Building’s qualified design team on board, its philosophy is to create ‘something that isn't what the guy next door has’, says Rob. ‘Our design process is never rushed. It takes many meetings to make sure everyone's on the same page. And attention to detail is a priority – from the first meeting to the time we hand over keys.’

While the design team worked closely with the clients, the final product had a surprising element. Some aspects hark back to mid-century designs, such as the sunken lounge room and the interior koi pond. However, up-to-the-minute design elements, such as the contemporary kitchen and bathrooms, bring out the originality and daring of the VM Building crew.

‘These modernist touches didn’t stand out in the design brief; it was just a happy coincidence,’ says Rob. ‘And yet, they work intrinsically with our brief, which focused on raw, organic materials. Everything just tied together naturally.’

After completing this complex build in 2022, the VM Building team were thrilled to win the 2024 HIA Australian Spec Home Award. ‘We’ve had nothing but positive feedback from trade suppliers to current and potential clients. It also proved that this difficult build was certainly worth it. Sure, some days it's easier to go to work than others, but now everyone can look back and take pride. That’s a good feeling.’

Award

HIA-CSR Australian Housing Awards - 2024 HIA Australian Spec Home

Partner

Stratco

Materials

• Timber roof frame : Treated timber
• Roof covering : Colorbond
• Roof tile : Colorbond Monument
• Render : Dulux Acratex acrylic texture
• Gutters : Colorbond steel 
• Stone cladding : Warmberal Freeform natural stone walling from Eco Outdoor
• Driveways : Washed aggregate concrete 100mm with mesh
• Concrete garage : 100mm troweled finish with no mesh
• Alfresco tiles : Washed aggregate concrete 100mm with mesh.

First published 20 September 2024