Merlin Construction Pty Ltd

Dealing with mutliple stakeholders from 3 states was always going to be a challenge. But Merlin nailed it. Delivered ontime, kepted us up to date with progress and iniatiated leads and changes if needed. Well done Merlin et al. Show details

Our project was always going to present challenges not encountered during a normal residential build. We operate a medical practice at the site, open 5.5 days a week, and our project was to excavate and re-engineer underneath the working practice to create downstairs administration, meeting and storage spaces connected with a new internal… Read more

stairwell. Merlin were up for the challenge. Every member of their team approached the project with a positive attitude, a flexible approach to getting the job done and extreme consideration for the sensitivities of maintaining an open medical practice directly above. They were accommodating, respectful, communicated effectively, on time and achieved a fantastic result for us with minimal interruption. We couldn't recommend Merlin highly enough.

Couldn't be happier! – This was my first time building a home, and after reading about how stressful building a home can be, I was prepared for the worst. I had approached several other high-end builders, but the interactions with them was lacking and they took a long time to respond to anything. The consistent communication wasn't there. I cannot fault Merlin… Read more

Constructions in that regard. They genuinely cared, as if it were their own home they were building. The communication was on point, from start to finish, always touching base. The site manager was available 24/7, I could text him late at night or on a weekend with ideas or random questions, not expecting an answer until he was in the office, but would get a response within minutes. I had so many little niggly questions and worries when they commenced building, but the Merlin team always explained everything, so the reassurance and trust developed very early in the process. From start to finish, it felt like I was part of their family. I loved how well they all got along with each other, how close they were with their contractors, and the positive and happy atmosphere every time I interacted with them.

They allowed me to use some contractors/companies that I had already obtained quotes from, (such as the cabinetry), and I wasn’t pressured to use their own preferred businesses. They also gave me the flexibility to choose layouts/styles/products later in the project, so I could see how things would match only after most of the building had been done. I was welcome on-site throughout the ENTIRE build process, which was very important for me. Very few builders allow this, and most will even have it in the contract that you are not allowed on-site without making an appointment. I was on-site almost every single day of the week, just for a quick peek, and most of the work was done by Merlin’s own qualified staff, who were friendly, welcoming, patient, and more than happy to answer all my dumb questions while I was there.

There were times when I wanted to make some changes to what was on the floorplan, and the Merlin team accommodated this wherever it was practicable, despite it often creating extra work and a delay for them, for which I was beyond thankful. Some things looked good on paper but in reality you wonder what the hell you were thinking, and it would have been awful if I were not able to change them.

Merlin isn’t just there to complete your project with unsurpassed quality, they are there to give recommendations and advice that you would never have thought of on your own. Their combined experience and unique styles of each person working on the project helped me to see things from a different angle, and more often than not, I went with their recommended changes. And David wasn't afraid to tell me to calm down when some of my ideas got a little out of hand haha

One of the external contractors didn’t deliver the quality that you would expect from a company like Merlin, but Merlin were all over it, getting the contractor back several times until it was perfect. I didn’t have to worry about anything not meeting my standard, because my standard was their standard.

I tend to be overly critical and will always point out the negatives before the positives. But there was not one single negative thing in this entire experience, and looking back, none of it gave me an ounce of stress. I’ve almost got my next project ready to go and am 100% using Merlin Constructions again.

Communication, trust and craftsmanship – We cannot recommend Merlin Constructions enough. It was not easy to build a house interstate during Covid but Merlin communicated with us every step along the way. Their dedication towards superb craftsmanship meant that building building our dream home was the easiest build we have ever experienced. Show details

A collaborative professional team with excellent results – This is not our first build, but it's by far the most complex house plan we have had and most difficult site in terms of access and gradient. Being designed as our long term family home, we had very little room for compromise and had very high expectations of the finished result. Right from our first meeting we felt included and engaged in the… Read more

process and respected as the client who would be living in this home. Throughout the build the entire team were genuinely interested in our requirements and ensuring the final product was everything we had hoped for.

Our site team were fantastic, we initially liaised with the project administrator and director in the contract and negotiation stage and then expanded to be introduced to our foreman and core site team. They stayed with us throughout the entire build, as a point of contact and source of advice during decision making. Always offering a range of options or solutions to any questions we raised. The entire team and sub contractors were all very professional, polite and respectful and we felt welcome during our site visits. It stood out to us that the staff selection, training and company ethos was apparent in everyone we dealt with.

Working with a more established business during a time where supply issues are well known and price increasing is frequent, we were safeguarded by pre-ordering and storage of supplies allocated to us at contract stage. The only cost variations were as a result of us tweaking interior design choices or expanding the brief to include further works in our parking and outdoor entertaining areas.

The quality of the finish is excellent throughout and Merlin worked with the sub trades to ensure we were happy with all final finishes. Our defect list at handover was a short list of superficial and cosmetic touch ups that have all be attended to and throughout the build the Merlin team was always easy to contact and open to communicate with.

Overall, the process of creating our long term family home has been very smooth. It still took a lot of time and energy to be part of, as we chose not to have our architect oversee the build and were the main contact throughout. Also taking on all selections and interior design ourselves was a big job, but has ensured we are thoroughly in love with the completed project and feel that we have been included as part of the journey.

Its extremely satisfying to spend time at home getting to know the spaces and enjoying the different design aspects that have been so well executed. We can't thank the team at Merlin enough for being so collaborative and supportive throughout our build, and for being so focussed on ensuring we loved the end result... which we do!

Architect designed new build – Our architects selected Merlin after asking 5 builders to provide a tender for the construction of our new house and then doing a detailed evaluation of the tender and interviewing the builders. As clients, we were also involved in the process and from the outset we were impressed with Merlin's professionalism and communication skills. Our site… Read more

was a difficult sloping block which required extensive excavation and the building design itself was very demanding. The project was very well supported with an on-site foreman, who remained dedicated to the project over its entire lifetime. He ensured that all aspects of the project proceeded smoothly and on schedule and he was an invaluable link between us, the architects, the builder, and the numerous tradespeople on site. His presence and dedication were perhaps the most important elements that contributed to the overall success of the project and his high expectations ensured that the build quality was exceptional. We also had an excellent working relationship with Merlin who communicated well at all times and was responsive when issues needed to be resolved. The project came in above the contract price but this was due entirely to variations that we introduced during the construction.

We have now been in the house for 12 months and quality of workmanship during construction has meant that we have had very few issues. The hot water service/hydronic heating system did not initially perform to our expectations, however Overeem Plumbing have made a great effort to resolve this issue and the system is now operating effectively. The house recently won two HIA Awards (Best Construction over $1M and Best Outdoor Development) and our joiner, Made To Measure, won HIA Tradesman of the Year for their work on the very extensive joinery in the house. These awards attest to the quality of our construction.

We have been very happy with Merlin and our collaboration with them was stressless and enjoyable. We thoroughly recommend them.

Extension Pavillon at the holiday house – The build was very well managed. The communication at all steps was excellent. During the build there was a foreman on the job who took excellent pride in the build. The workmanship of the final product was the highest quality. I have no fault to report. The final cost (which was considerable) was slightly more than contract due to my changes to the project. Generally the suggested changes by Merlin saved me money.  Show details

Forever House – After 5 years of deliberation (and some procrastination), we decided to build a new house in Tranmere. The intent started as building a similar house to our previous house but better laid out, and progressively morphed into our "forever house" - if we're doing this, let's go hard, do it once, do it well and do it right. Our first involvement… Read more

with Merlin was early in the detailed design phase when our architect invited them in to provide costing and constructability advice. This advice was provided without charge from Merlin and without commitment on our part, and was very valuable to us in scoping and designing our house.

Once the design was complete, we approached six builders inviting them to express interest in building our house. We short-listed two for initial pricing, one of which was Merlin, whom we eventually selected as we knew them and their pricing was around 10% lower than the other builder.

We then went through a relatively transparent pricing phase, during which we were able to negotiate scope and price and eventually an agreed Contract. Merlin was adamant that we should define and include fixed pricing for as much of the scope as possible, which we did, and I'm sure that avoided some potential conflict later.

Our experience through the build and handover was, on the whole, highly positive. The underlying attitude was a desire to deliver a quality outcome and achieve the objectives of both parties (we wanted a quality house, and Merlin wanted that plus make a profit and build on their professional reputation). I think we achieved all that in a very collaborative way. When issues arose, as they inevitably do, Merlin were pro-active in recommending solutions and options to help us decide how to resolve them. Most often these were not Merlin's fault, rather arose from errors, inconsistencies or omissions in the documentation that none of us had picked up previously. Occasionally we had to push back on issues that were Merlin's responsibility, but these were generally resolved without angst.

A few more specific positive comments: - We saw Merlin as a quality builder, not a cheap builder, which is what we were looking for and what we believe we experienced. - We did have a few robust discussions around interpretation of the Contract (I administer major construction Contracts for my day job), but managed to resolve these. - Merlin involved us in the build process as appropriate and necessary, in particular with some of the details where they could have just made an arbitrary decision without consulting us. - My observation was that the workmanship was of a high quality with high attention to detail, including for things that would ultimately not be visible. For instance, the subsoil drainage behind structural retaining walls was installed exactly as per the drawing details, even though this involved a fair bit of effort by the builder. - Since we moved in 18 months ago, we've had virtually no issues. A couple of minor water leaks when storms hit, which were addressed immediately and haven't returned. - Some building sites seem to progress in fits and starts, but our experience was that there was nearly always something progressing on site. It was a relatively large and complex build, but was still finished as per the finished date agreed initially.

And finally, a few take-aways (which is why it's four stars, not five): The sub contractors were a bit of a mixed bag. Hobson Electrical were excellent & very helpful with some of our ideas, most of the others were OK. Overeem Plumbing didn't install the recirculated hot water system they way we expected, so the "instant hot water" goal at all the taps wasn't realised. The finish of the concrete driveway and the blockwork weren't up to the standard of other trades. EGS installed the reverse cycle heating systems such that thermostatic temperature control was basically non-existent, and it has taken almost 18 months to get this rectified, which was very disappointing.

Al in all, it was our first house build, and there was a bit of the Grand Designs experience about it, but we were happy with what Merlin delivered for us at the price, and would happily recommend them to other people looking for a competent Contractor to build a quality home.

A Very Positive Experience – We were one of the first major projects undertaken by Dave and Adam after they took over Merlin Constructions.We have a steep site with difficult access and the project involved a major rebuild to a 70's building with lots of problem solving required along the rebuild. We found Merlin to be professional with an excellent team onboard. Dave and… Read more

Adam were very attentive throughout the whole project and worked well with our architect to ensure problems were solved as they arose and we were happy with things. The workmanship was good , the build quality was good and they were very helpful, pleasant and easy to deal with.Totally approachable at all times. We were so happy with their work that we didn't hesitate to have them return and complete some further works to the property recently with an excellent outcome. The negative review on this site is the total opposite of our experience. We are happy to recommend them.

A great partnership – When we decided to renovate and extend our 1950s Kingston Beach home on a steeply sloping block few builders would provide as with a quote, openly overwhelmed by the complexity of the project. It was therefore refreshing to find Dave and Adam from Merlin who weren't at all phased by our project. Throughout the build we maintained open… Read more

communication and whilst we were certainly confronted with a range of significant and unexpected challenges, we tackled them in a spirit of partnership where options were discussed together, costed and agreed on. We made numerous changes along the way and nothing was ever a problem for the team. Since completing our build, we've had Merlin back to do a few smaller jobs. Despite being busy they've always found time for us. And yes there were defects, all corrected with the same customer focus approach we received throughout the build. Dave even contacted us 12 months after we moved in to check if there was anything further that needed attention. Numerous people who witnessed the build (and not known to us) have approach us, so impressed with the transformation they saw unfold. We are honestly so pleased to have had Merlin on our project and look back fondly on that time.