Hawaii companies were honored for excellence in design and construction last night at the 24th annual Building Industry Association of Hawaii Renaissance Building and Remodeling awards—showing that dollars are still being spent on such work despite the economy.

During a gala in the Monarch Room at the Royal Hawaiian, BIA-Hawaii presented four Overall Grand Awards for commercial and residential construction work and the Carl Reppun Award, the latter recognizing a small contracting company for a residential project.

“;Ka Hale O Ka Pama Huna,”; or “;House of Secret Palms,”; a custom home project 250 feet above Kauai's Secret Beach, won the Overall Grand Award for new residential construction valued at more than $2,000,001.

The client served as his own general contractor and used “;some of the best (subcontractors) on Kauai,”; according to the entry submitted by Honolulu-based Welch and Weeks LLC.

Craftsman Gary Zigler was on the job for all phases of the work and “;served as a real asset,”; the company said.

ADM Retail Planning & Architecture Inc. won the Overall Grand Award in the new commercial construction division for Island Gourmet Markets in the Queen's MarketPlace on the Big Island. The 25,000-square-foot store has a high central ceiling space and uses architectural elements and lighting to differentiate the various departments while avoiding use of traditional supermarket aisles.

The winner of the Overall Grand Award for residential remodeling between $150,001 and $350,000 was Green Sand Inc.

The project renovated, remediated and added to a circa-1956 single-story home in Kahala.

The kitchen remodeling enlarged the pass-through to the lanai, rearranged the kitchen into a more social configuration and reconfigured the bedroom wing, greatly increasing the size of the master bedroom, among other changes.

A project at Honolua Store on Maui won the Overall Grand Award for commercial remodeling. The store was originally built in 1929 and the project connected its original square footage with a subsequently built warehouse-type building.

The work by James Tucker Associates Inc. and Mason Architects aimed to preserve the plantation history of the store that still serves local clientele while appealing to the upscale visitor market that frequents Kapalua Resort.

Derrick Partain of Honolulu-based Cabinets 4 You LLC received the Carl Reppun Award for his “;Serenity Uninterrupted”; project in the category of kitchen or bath work valued at $50,001 or more.

The project created an open kitchen design, where the kitchen previously had been blocked off from adjacent spaces including a central atrium. Poor ventilation, lighting and sight lines within the family's living area also were improved.