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Winner
Taylor Woodrow
Taylor Woodrow 2004 is a triumph of commercial reinvention. At the end of the last century, the group was undergoing something of an identity crisis. Within five years, it has metamorphosed into the second largest British-based housebuilder by global completions. It has pulled off audacious purchases, most notably that of Wilson Connolly last year – the largest UK housing transaction in history. And it is a good bet to make it into the FTSE 100 before too long. One secret of its success is its ability to combine the group's expertise in construction, engineering and investment to unlock the kinds of brownfield sites that other housebuilders cannot reach.

'We have been overjoyed with our new home. The customer service department is fantastic'

RUNNERS-UP
Berkeley Homes
This company is the housebuilding equivalent of a Savile Row tailor – a provider of bespoke housing for the seriously well-heeled. And it has become so with outstanding success. Although it is true that it would take remarkable ability not to make money in the present housing market, it is quite something for a company of Berkeley's size to more than double over three years. And it says a great deal about the company's expertise that it has done this by developing 95% of its houses on brownfield sites – most notably the Royal Arsenal project, a huge residential scheme in Woolwich, south-east London, for which Berkeley is committed to finding £145m to fund.

'Overall quality of design, workmanship and service is outstanding'

Barratt
It's true that Barratt did not come out of the recent Housing Forum's customer satisfaction survey with flying colours, but looking at the evidence it's hard to see why. This is the company that has won more Greenleaf awards for environmentally-sensitive development than any other, and for two years running. This is also the company that trains more apprentices than any other – it has 420 nationwide. And it has just overhauled its customer care procedures. The financial results are excellent: pre-tax profit, completions and turnover over the past five years all show a steady increase. And its landbank has grown into one of the largest in the country, having more plots with planning consent than any other housebuilder.

'I have nothing but praise for the entire Barratt operation from purchase to completion and beyond'

Bellway
Housebuilders are in a dog-eat-dog world, and the difference between diner and dinner is straightforward: size. With that in mind, a public company like Bellway is under an imperative to grow as quickly as possible. So with sales now pushing the billion mark and growing by about one-third year on year, everything seems to be going according to plan. And given the firm's canny move to catch the wind blowing from Whitehall to the Thames Gateway development zones, expect this trend to continue. You should not conclude from the above that growth has been achieved at the expense of profit: Bellway has been making a return on capital employed of more than 30%, one of the highest in the sector.

'We are very happy and impressed, and we aren't easily won over'

David Wilson Homes
Smart housebuilders who are looking to put a little Brasso on the brand have the option of linking up with a celebrity designer. Wimpey did it with Wayne Hemingway, and now David Wilson Homes are doing it with Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, who is to design a couple of interior schemes. It is also building two concept houses, which will be constructed with the latest techniques and fitted with the latest furnishings and equipment. These initiatives are clues that DWH is a thinking company, and one of the things it is thinking about with some success is how to buttress its position as a leading supplier of quality upmarket housing.

'David Wilson Homes is second to none'