Merlin Constructions

The Merlin team has just completed our new home in South Hobart – an elaborate build, on a very complex site. From the outset, they conveyed a real passion for their line of work, which immediately made them stand out relative to any other builders we spoke to. They were also prompt and clear with all their communications, which was probably the most important thing to us in terms of establishing initial trust. So many other builders could barely return a phone call or provide any reasonable detail on their approach, while Merlin was en pointe from the outset.

The calibre of all the subtrades, and their care and attention to detail across the board, was really impressive. Everyone collaborated extremely well, and for such a complex project, there was literally not a single issue worth noting. We had so much faith in the process that we were able to work overseas for six months and simply relied on Merlin to communicate with us proactively, which they did every time.

The end result is absolutely incredible and was also completed ahead of schedule. Any minor defects (and they were all very minor) were also tended to with genuine urgency and care.

Merlin’s price point is obviously “premium”, but you absolutely get what you pay for, and they earn every cent. A remarkable team of people and a real credit to the industry.

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 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 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!

Merlin Constructions completed a renovation and extension for us in 2017/18, we engaged Merlin in the early design stages to help us and our architect. We could not fault Merlins professionalism, workmanship and attention to detail, nothing was ever a problem when requesting a few minor changes at the last minute.
Our regular onsite meetings with Adam and Dave would not only allow us to see the weekly and fortnightly progress but helped us being organised with ordering our fittings and fixtures. Their staff and all of the Merlin subcontractors were a pleasure to work with, everyone onsite were hard working and very polite which reflects the great culture at Merlin.
We had a wonderful experience with Adam, Dave and their team at Merlin and look forward to working with them again in the future.

Can’t recommend Merlin enough! They were brilliant to communicate with and demonstrated a great eye for detail and craftsmanship. But what’s most important was the trust that I have in them

Merlin built our house (now home) in mid 2017, and we couldn't be more impressed with their service, quality and integrity. Would recommend them to anyone!

Merlin Constructions completed a roof and deck extension for us in 2018. Our site is sometimes exposed to exceptionally strong winds and after a year, there have been no issues.
I found them to be reliable, communication was very good, the quality of the work excellent and they were responsive and accommodating of minor changes to the agreed plan.
The young builder in charge was hard working, polite and also very accommodating of requests/suggestions.
I involved a number of subcontractors in aspects of the build and Merlin was flexible in regard to this and helpful in working with my sometimes changing time schedules.
The building inspector commented that the work was of very high quality and there were no issues at all in signing off the work.
David and Adam (the Directors) made several on-site visits to ensure all was going well. David was of great help in following up with one sub-contractor whose work was not up to his standards.
I was very happy we engaged Merlin Constructions and I would certainly use them again. I note the negative review on this site - I can only say that was not my experience. I found them to be very professional and I would have no hesitation in recommending them to others.

This was my first time building a home, a lovely large two-bedroom cottage for my mum to retire in, 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 interaction with them was lacking, and it felt like no one else really ‘cared’ about my project as much as I did.

I cannot fault Merlin Constructions in that regard. They really did care about it as if it were their own home they were building. The communication was on point, from start to finish, always touching base. It seemed like David 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 David and his team always explained everything so well that the reassurance and trust developed very early in the process. From start to finish, it felt like I was a part of their family. I loved how well they all got along with each other, how close they were with their contractors, and just the overall positive and happy atmosphere every time I had to interact with them.

Merlin 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 (although I do have to point out that I had the financial flexibility to do this in my loan contract). I was welcome on-site throughout the ENTIRE build process, which was very important for me as I was genuinely interested in learning about what went on from the ground up. 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, 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 where 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, of 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 aren’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 really 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 David was 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 really 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 (a home for myself this time), and I am 100% using Merlin Constructions again.

Our third time with Merlin, and this time was a little different. We had a difficult renovation - cutting in to an existing concrete slab and dealing with some 1970s construction techniques that would not pass muster today. We decided to go cost-plus, as it was impossible to properly scope and cost the end result we wanted. Realistic, but not without its concerns. Very happy with the work on what was a dirty, dusty, mangy job to begin with. Special thanks to Dan. The end result was just what we wanted - except one key element would not work and no one could figure out why. If it is the installation, said Merlin, that it down to us and it will be fixed at our expense. No one likes delay, but thumbs up for accountability and focusing on fixing the problem. As it turned out it was the appliance and not the instal - so relief all round and thanks to Roca and their support team for getting the loo around the bend.

On budget and before deadline. Can't fault them! Dave always made sure we were aware of what was happening with the renovations and made sure we were happy with any changes.

Great tradesmen, friendly staff and easy to work with.

As Builders, Merlin Constructions advertise and market themselves as delivering 'unsurpassed quality' and 'meticulous attention to detail'. We experienced a horrible, stressful and difficult time with these Builders.
The workmanship lacked professionalism and smacked of inexperience, was atrocious, incompetent and demonstrated a non-caring attitude.
The defects list was long and ranged from minor to major. They denied, minimalised and resisted to making right their own wrongs and in sheer desperation we approached the HIA, MBA and Justice Dept for assistance. Thankfully, the MBA helped us and the defects were fixed and financial compensation received after much stressful communication.
The stress over 2 years however was exhausting and very challenging. We are writing this review to inform people of this company's attitude, inexperience and poor work ethics. We also want to advise people that the current Owner/Directors and Builders (David Overeem &Adam Dareen) of Merlin Constructions bought the Business in 2017 (unbeknown to us at the time of signing our contract) and at no time did they inform us of this! Many of the projects featured on their website and awards won are not the current Directors/Builders work. These people had NO intention of applying their 'UNSURPASSED QUALITY AND METICULOUS ATTENTION TO DETAIL!!!!!!!l' mantra, They built a poor quality project with the intention of grabbing the money and running. (deal with the fallout later!) The house required a fire rating of BAL19. Which needed a fire resistant foam strip inserted round the roof perimeter. David showed us a picture of a fire proof foam product that he said he would use, OK we said. It turned out that the foam that he supplied and installed was not fireproof and did not meet the BAL19 requirements. I tested the supplied foam for flammabiliy, It ignited easily and was in fact hard to put out. It was foam he had bought locally (Bunnings)and it had no fire resistance! Thats an example of these unethical builders!
To finish off we paid high end money for low end service, low end respect and low end attention to detail. Post Script: Notice how Merlin are flooding our genuine review to dampen its impact, So i say to all prospective clients of this company, Beware. Also recently it has come to our attention that Merlin Construction are known also as Merlin Enterprises, since 16th October they are also known as Tasdom Constructions.