What began as a simple operation quickly expanded as demand grew—not only for materials but for hands-on construction. Clients started asking the small team to assemble the kits on-site. This shift marked the company’s move into full-scale project building, and soon they were offering a catalogue of standard plans, functioning more like traditional project home builders. From there the company transitioned to more bespoke design and construct homes under the guidance of our original founder, Bruce Ellem. That evolution eventually led to a significant turning point in 2006. “Our original owner retired in 2006, and a couple of us bought the company from him,” Phil shares. “The transition went pretty smoothly, and we’ve had it since then. Now there are two directors—myself and Greg Bull—and we now service a purely bespoke design and construct segment in the Coffs Harbour area.” TAILORED DESIGNS FOR EVERY TERRAIN “A lot of the blocks we were building on weren’t level or standard,” Phil says. “People needed homes that would work on sloping sites or uniquely shaped land. So, we continued to develop the custom design and construct model, as we had been mentored to do by Bruce.” From that point on, Blue Ribbon Homes focused almost entirely on bespoke home designs, tailored to both the property and the client’s lifestyle.Although the company still maintains a set of standard plans for reference, they serve more as a pricing and inspiration guide than a final product.The real work begins once the client’s block is evaluated, and the ideas start flowing. “We do everything pretty much design and construct now,” Phil explains. “The brochure gives people an idea of size and price, but after that, we’re working from the ground up.” ACCESSIBILITY BY DESIGN Among the company’s early innovations was its proactive adoption of Livable Housing Design Guidelines.“About 2010, a voluntary code came out aimed at making homes more accessible,” Phil recalls. “We jumped on board immediately—our designs 25 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA VOLUME 07, ISSUE 05 BLUE RIBBON HOMES
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