Our Hall of Fame series reconnects with past WhatHouse? winners to revisit the moment that put them in the spotlight.
We ask them to reflect on what winning meant at the time, how it shaped their business, their plans for 2026 entries, and what advice they have for those hoping to follow in their footsteps…
Meet Andrew Rinaldi, Managing Director of Antler Homes, who won Bronze for Best Small Housebuilder in 2025.
On the day, how did it feel to win?
You always like being recognised, but WhatHouse? is THE award. It was huge for us. It’s an exceptional day anyway, with networking opportunities that are second to none, but this made it even better. In fact, our team had such a great time that they managed to ‘misplace’ the trophy in the bar afterwards! Thankfully the WhatHouse? team was very kind and helped us organise a replacement.
6 months on, what is the lasting impact of winning?
We’ve got all our plaques on display in our office entrance and we’re all really proud of them. As a small business, for morale and people feeling job satisfaction, it’s so important. Everybody enjoys the celebration and the recognition that they get. It also confirms the business is doing all the right things, building a great product that people want to call home.
How did you make the most of your win commercially?
From a marketing perspective, winning a WhatHouse? award is massive. We like to make as much noise about it as we can. We added it to our socials, our website, and obviously the team was really helpful with cross-promoting the class of 2025 winners on Showhouse too.
There are other award ceremonies that we go to, but because times are tough, this year there will probably only be a couple. But WhatHouse? is the one.
For housebuilders sitting on the fence about entering, what’s your advice? And what do you think makes a winning entry?
In our experience, it’s about really promoting what we see as our USPs, what makes us different and how we go the extra mile for our customers. I think often, less is more. You don’t want the messaging to get lost in the weeds. So be concise and clear with your messaging, that’s my take.
Will you be entering again this year?
Definitely, we’re determined to become Gold or Silver winners! We were only chatting recently about which categories to go for because we see WhatHouse? Awards as the pinnacle in our industry – these are the one you want.
Who would you like to see host the WhatHouse? Awards 2026?
There’s been some excellent comperes over the years. My personal favourite was William Hague but James Nesbitt was quite a character, so I wouldn’t mind a repeat of one of those!
