THE RAVEN'S NEST

“Well here it is almost 3 months to the day that my “sisters” and I got the keys to our amazing new home, “Raven’s Nest” at Shoalhaven Heads. 

From start to finish, the whole process was professional, seamless and stress free. We came into this “new  build” lark with an expectation that it would be difficult and take significantly longer than planned. I can happily  say the reality was very different. 

We first approached Nest Residential Design at the very end of 2020 to help us with developing a design for  our new home. They were fantastic. They helped us with dealing with the council, the certifier and the NSW  Planning Portal. We have to say that without the help of Susan Dhu and Kerry Bowley we would have  struggled. They are worth their weight in gold. Because we came to trust them so much, we asked Nest  Design for recommendations for builders. We wanted a quality builder. After all, this new home was going to  be our forever home. Following their recommendation we contacted Chris Mann, at Mann Made. 

From our first meeting with Chris we knew we were in good hands. Chris impressed us with his professional  approach to our project. It was clear to all of us that we were making the right decision. Chris emphasised to  us that he employed a team of craftsmen. A team that required excellence in their own work. An expectation  we could share. At the outset of our meetings Chris told us he had an amazing designer ( Melissa Allen ) who would work with us and give us as much or as little input as we wanted. Little did we know how much we  would come to rely on Mel as we navigated this exciting, but daunting project! Having to deal with three  women “of a certain age” can be tricky at the best of times. Helping these same three women build a home  that acknowledges each individual while at the same time creates the energy of family in shared spaces  requires a special magic. A magic she has in spades by the way! I know the joy of working with her in  particular, will be one of the most wonderful memories we will carry with us as we enjoy our new home, an  amazing asset to Chris and to us, hopefully a new friend. 

As we said earlier, Chris emphasised his team from the outset. Our experience certainly proved his pride in  his team to be well placed. Mark Zillesen, as Site Manager/Senior Carpenter was exceptional. His attention to  detail and commitment to time frames was critical to the successful outcome of our project, we can not praise  him enough. 

Given the massive amount of tiling in our house we were relieved to see the quality of Brendon’s work. Tilers  like Brendon are hard to find! Plumber, Benny Lahene, was so good to deal with, he is a real keeper. Thank  you to our new Electricians John, and the Clack & King boys. Building a big house means a lot of painting,  inside and out. Enter Goran Trifunovic. The quality of the painting in our new home is unlike anything we have  ever seen. Talk about attention to detail! Our superb kitchen is the stuff of dreams, and we can’t thank Jason  enough for stunning joinery here. 

To think that  in July 2021  the actual building project started with knockdown of an existing house and we  were given the keys to our amazing new forever home on 23/12/21, it’s amazing, even complete with  landscaping!”

Bravo to everyone at Mann Made Design + Construct