Though it’s tempting to believe building awards are won through hard work and talent alone, there are plenty of occasions when good fortune plays a leading role. As many of our members have discovered, in the case of the Building Excellence Awards it often bookends the experience.

Peter Stepic, of Elite Homes, offers his own accomplishments as an example. Though Stepic has yet to be named Builder of the Year, as Peter Apostoli of Armadillo Homes enjoyed last October, he has his own, slightly longer, history of success with submitting his work for public review. For Stepic, the rewards of participating in the Building Excellence Awards have had less to do with specific tools, like banners and advertising packages, and more with the word-of-mouth reputation he’s built from repeated involvement with the program. Those benefits are, he assures any colleague who will listen, no less substantial.

Stepic and his business partner, Emilio Rossi, first entered the Building Excellence Awards in 2011, the year they launched their business. It scored them an immediate win for a renovation, and they’ve maintained their momentum ever since. More submitted projects earned them nominations in 2012 and 2013.

In 2014, a chance referral came about through one of Stepic’s hired apprentices, leading to a renovation for a heritage-listed Port Melbourne home. Last October, that home earned Stepic and Rossi a Master Builders Association of Victoria award for Best Renovation/Addition from $300 thousand to $500 thousand. They then went on to win the parallel category at the national level.

“There’s no doubt about it,” Stepic says of his involvement with the awards. “We’ve picked up more clients.”

“We don’t do much contract work, but when we do, it’s through referrals. We specialise in that heritage and California bungalow style of work and, from what we’ve achieved at the Victorian and national awards, we’ve seen that when homeowners are debating what they want to spend on a renovation, they’re willing to spend more so they can hire us. They can see it’ll be done to a high standard,” he said.

After four consecutive years of involvement, Stepic knows what to expect of the applications and judging processes.

“They want to know the basics—the scope of work, how much you’ve done, the finishes and, of course, the photos make the first impression. But when the judges knock on the front door, they just look at what’s important,” he said.

“With the Port Melbourne home, I was up against houses in Brighton and Kew that had backyard swimming pools. It’s easy to worry the judges will be distracted by that kind of wow factor. But they didn’t care what was beyond the back door. They focus on what the competition is about—the finishes, the workmanship and the feel of the home.”

“There are real benefits to submitting your work,” Stepic advised. “The awards program is a challenge, but worth it. And if they do call your name and you come up to the stage, that’s fantastic.”