Site managers for two Devon housing developments win top national awards for quality

Two site managers for Barratt David Wilson Homes West have won a top national award for quality from the National House Building Council (NHBC) following the housebuilder's recent return to building and selling much-needed new homes in Devon.

It is the third year in a row that Andy Tugwell, site manager at Lucerne Fields, a community of 222 two to four-bedroom homes on the outskirts of Ivybridge, has won a prestigious NHBC Pride in the Job Quality award, considered to be the "Oscars of the housebuilding industry". Meanwhile, Darren Hall, who is overseeing construction of 110 two to-five bedroom homes at Embden Grange, Tavistock, has been given the accolade during his first site manager role.

Andy Tugwell, 58, who has worked at Barratt David Wilson Homes since 2014, said: "This award means a lot to me. It's the pinnacle in terms of awards in this industry and I'm very proud to have been nominated, let alone win.

"I've always enjoyed being a site manager as It's so rewarding seeing what we've created. You have to have a sense of pride in what you're doing and want to be the best in construction. For me, Barratt has always been a company that has looked after its employees and done the right thing for its customers and subcontractors, and, morally, that's an important thing for me."

Darren Hall, 32, who has been in house building for six years after initially starting his career as a tradesman before going to university to study construction management, said: "I'm over the moon with the award. I love being out on site, building relationships with people and helping to create someone's dream home. Seeing the smile on someone's face when they move in is brilliant!

"I'd encourage young people to consider a career in construction: it's not your usual 9-5 and it can be a challenging environment out in the elements, but it's worth it."

Now in their 40th year the Pride in the Job Quality awards recognise the very best site managers from around the country. In total Barratt site managers won 92 Pride in the Job Quality awards this year, more than every other housebuilder. The news comes as the leading housebuilder also recently received the maximum 5 star rating for customer satisfaction in the latest Home Builders Federation (HBF) annual New Homes Survey, for the eleventh year in a row.

This is an unmatched record for both awards across the industry, winning more Pride in the Job Quality awards than any other housebuilder for 16 years in a row, which shows its commitment to building homes of the highest quality. 

The number of stars awarded is based on responses to the question "would you recommend your builder to a friend"? For Barratt and David Wilson Homes to have been awarded 5 stars means that over 90% of its customers would recommend their homes to a friend.

For the NHBC Pride in the Job Quality award each site manager is judged on a range of key criteria including health and safety, their technical knowledge, customer service and attention to detail. The most highly regarded competition in the housebuilding industry, just 450 individual winners are chosen from over 11,000 entrants.

Huw Llewellyn, managing director, Barratt David Wilson Homes, Exeter said:

"Now that we are back building and selling homes in Devon again, it is great to see our site managers at Embden Grange and Lucerne Fields rated as amongst the very best in the country for the high quality of the homes they are delivering. It is now more important than ever that customers have confidence in the homes they are buying, and the mark of a Pride in the Job Quality award shows that their home has been built to the highest of standards. We are very proud to have won more of these quality awards than any other housebuilder for 16 years in a row."