Client Testimonials

In 2007 Wilkinson Building & Construction were awarded the contact to complete a major refurbishment of the bars, bottle shop and restaurant at our Lincoln Green Hotel and Conference Centre in Henderson, West Auckland.

Waitakere Licensing Trust were pleased with the standard of workmanship and also the manner in which Wilkinson Building & Construction worked though design change issues in a constructive and efficient manner. The project was completed within the agreed timeframes. Following the completion of the project Wilkinson Building & Construction showed no reluctance towards returning to site to carry out any remedial works.

We remain very satisfied with the final result and would consider Wilkinson Building & Construction for any future works of this nature.

Michael Friend
General Manager Operations
Waitakere Licensing Trust

At various times during 2010 and 2011 Richard and his company carried out a major renovation project at our property. Some of the works were minor and remedial in nature while others were more substantial and included the building of an on ensuite, deck, replacement of all windows and substantial interior works like a new kitchen area.

In all cases the work was completed in a high quality and professional manner and Richard was very competent and diligent in project managing the entire renovation and all of the sub-contractors. From time to time Richard contributed to the design of the renovations combining his practical building skills with the ideas and concepts from our architect. Richard’s contribution was appreciated as it usually resulted in lower costs (without compromising the final look) or a quicker build.

I would have no hesitation in recommending Richard for any residential building project and would be happy to speak to this reference at any time.

MJ Bennetts

I have known Richard Wilkinson personally and have dealt with his company for 7-8 years.

In that time I have been impressed with both Richard’s and his various employees commitment to quality and especially to the detail required to achieve weather tight, durable and cost effective buildings.

Richard works in a “hands on” manner, and is closely involved in all of his projects on a day to day basis – he leads by example and understands the importance of good design and detailing.

His company has undertaken a number of our projects, both residential and commercial work, including alterations and additions to my own house.

As architects we do not recommend builders often, but in Richards’s case I have no hesitation in recommending him and his company to you unconditionally.

John Durkin
Architect, ABRI Architecture Limited

Wilkinson Builders have undertaken a number of construction contracts ranging from significant renovation and reconstruction work on TRG Groups Auckland medical practices and Radiology clinics to small and straight forward repairs on the groups properties while working around TRG’s daily operations in difficult conditions.

Richard and his team work to a very high standard and have been particularly efficient in the work undertaken for the group irrespective of project size.

The major project they completed was the construction of the Auckland Breast Centre and support buildings housing a new MRI scanner in Shakespeare Rd Milford by adding onto and renovating an old house in 2007.

This project had a number of complications and requirements to meet local council requirements which involved coordinated team approach and use of a good group of sub-contractors which Wilkinson have access to.

Richard runs a good operation, is able to keep to predetermined timeframes and also meet budgets set for this work and is flexible when requirements change. I have no hesitation in recommending Richard and his team and should you require any further information please do not hesitate to contact me.

Chris Gillan
Group General Manager
TRG Group

Richard Wilkinson was employed by us to renovate and upgrade the basement to our house late last year. He carried out the work to our expectations and satisfaction, with the quality of his work being to a high standard. During the course of construction he recommended various improvements to our proposed plans, which we implemented resulting in an improved end result.

Richard and his team were a pleasure to have around the house and carried out the work with limited interference to everyday life.

We would highly recommend Richard to anyone contemplating renovation or construction work.

Diana and Adrian Walker

Richard and his team built the additions to our house over a 3 month period this year. Richard employed the sub-contractors, worked with architect and consultants, and liaised with our interior designer as well as ourselves.

It was obvious to us that Richard had a very good working relationship with all the sub-contractors and an ability to coordinate their work. Nothing was too much trouble and small changes to the plans were quickly dealt with. His opinion was sought on various issues during the job and his advice was always practical and well thought through.

Richard is an excellent builder, as were the builders working with him, and we would have no hesitation in engaging with them again.

Hilton and Cathy Brown

We employed Wilkinson Builders Limited to undertake extensive alterations and renovations to our home in 2004/2005.

Throughout the project, Richard was very professional in his approach. We had booked Richard up for some months earlier, and he started on the date on which he said he would. Richard was also very good at organizing the subcontractors so that they were available when required.

Throughout the project, we found Richard very easy to talk to and receptive to any ideas that we might have. Nothing was ever a problem.

We have nothing but the highest praises for Richard, and for the workmanship of both himself and his employees. We would be very happy to employ Richard again for any building work which we might undertake in the future.

Barry & Jody Whale

Wilkinson Builders & Construction were the main contractors during the demolition and refurbishment of my bar in 2007.

I must say that I was very impressed with Richard Wilkinson and the various teams of professionals employed by him in terms of the quality of work carried out and also their willingness to listen to the client and be prepared to make subtle changes where necessary.

During the project we had demolition guys, carpenters, plasterers, painters, electricians to name but a few, and at no time were there any issues with Richard and his team. Certainly there were anomalies along the way; however these issues were always dealt with promptly and in a professional manner.

Like any project such as this there were strict guidelines and timeframes which had to be adhered to and met, and on each occasion Richard and his team fulfilled their obligations.

I was delighted with the end product, the bar looked fantastic, and the quality of workmanship is evident to this day as the bar still looks brand new. Richard kept in contact with me several months after the project had been completed as invariably there are little “touch ups” to be carried out and without hesitation Richard was onsite and resolved any issues that may have been present.

I would have absolutely have no hesitation in recommending Richard Wilkinson and his team in any future construction projects in the future and I am more than happy to be contacted should you require any further information.

Stephen D’Arcy
General Manager
Panmure Historical Hotel

I have personally known Richard for the last three years. I have a business in Remuera and was aware of his construction company and knew personally a number of his recent clients.

In early 2010 my business partner and I purchased the old Remuera Telephone Exchange in Dilworth Avenue and immediately engaged Richard to assist us in the planning and consenting of the proposed document.

The construction commenced in March 2011 and we are due for handover mid-September 2011.

Turning a 100 year old building into a future proofed head office for our business has been an usually challenging job. Richard and his team have been outstanding in participating and delivering a building that in real terms has probably exceeded our expectations.

Wilkinson Construction’s back end office and accounting functions has given us the confidence to embrace this project fully, a trust not lightly given.

We have bought and renovated a number of commercial buildings over the years, so I guess we are in a position to fully appreciate the professionalism he brings to the table.

Grant Lynch
Managing Director
Unlimited Potential Real Estate

We had certain strict (and potentially restricting) criteria we wanted to adhere to when deciding which builder we would use to construct our sustainably designed 609m2 house in Meadowbank – where we do not expect to move from for 30+ years.

We had personally built out previous house and wanted to improve on the design & components previously used…
Architect; Kristina Cope was also the client…and would be actively helping with building…
Electrician; Simon Cope was also the client and would also take 6 months off work to also actively helping with general building…
Father of client; Sam Cope had previously built 72 other dwellings and wanted to work with the builders Leading Hand/ Head builder as “Overall Project Manager”…
Client was going to subcontract some parts of the project to “themselves” or to preferred subcontractors they has previously worked with outside of builders scope/ responsibility…
Second stage of a two stage building project that had been started 8 years earlier and required seamless integration between them- even though building standards and significantly changed in that time…

Therefore we initially struggled to find a building company that had the capability to accommodate these various criteria as they wanted to provide 100{cf50b2c39c48b22f6652a80a9efc43d07323c0f575bf75096c21782bc1332906} of all the (sub) contractors, or were extremely rigid with the materials they would work with, or simply refused to have the client on site each day…

Then we were introduced to Richard Wilkinson of Wilkinson Construction and a couple of other similar building companies… The main difference between Wilkinson Construction and the others was the extreme difference in quoted price: Wilkinson Constructions price sat in the middle between $150,000+ more and $100,000+ less than two other quotes we received.

What scared us about the $100,000 less price was it was literally typed up on one sheet of A4 paper. Minimal evidence of a quantity surveyor had been involved; through to no background on the company, no testimonials from past clients, no photos of previous building construction styles, and an attitude of arrogance that staggered us…

What worried us about the $150,000+ higher price than Wilkinson’s was where did they get there figures from? As the client we were going to be responsible for the slab & block basement, buried water tank, insulation, electrical, plumbing, storm water, roof, driveway, landscaping, project management, painting and all “odd extras”…

Wilkinson Construction was the obvious choice – however we had one minor reservation; even though we didn’t know Richard personally, he lived in the neighborhood… ‘what if it all went pear-shaped?’…

1 Stage 1 of the house was already attracting 500+ people a year (visitors include architects, electricians, domestic and commercial builders, home owners looking to build a scratch, or do major renovation of their homes throughout NZ and Asia Pacific.) formally touring through it to see the integration of solar photovoltaics to generate all of the house’s electricity needs with sustainable design, in a modern house…

However Richard was quick to reassure us that:

this had never happened with a prior client of his,
the team of 2 qualified builders + 1-2 apprentices he would allocate to this job were experienced professionals,
he would be calling regularly on the job to check progress and
every Monday morning his team would be meeting prior to going out to all jobs to enable feedback to occur so he could be on top of any developing issues if they started to arise…
and he was insured for all eventualities.
Testimonials from his past clients then clinched the deal!

Initial impressions with working with Richard and his team were excellent. Quickly had fencing around the site, signage up to comply with all the safety laws and team communicating with both Kristina and I as the client, but also working with Sam Cope as Project Manager.

From there the project progressed like clockwork with regular site visits (as promised) by Richard, sub-contractors coming in to do scheduled work etc. to a high standard.

Of course there were issues! These were dealt with by Wilkinson Construction extremely promptly and professionally – so never escalated beyond minor issues that are typical on all building sites.

Of course the architect and client changed their minds on parts of the construction as it went along. Richard’s Leading Hand/ Head Builder noted all these alterations and then Richard was quick to notify us – the client that these were not accounted for in the initial quote. He would then quote for the change and approval to proceed was made. This enabled us to keep a close eye on the budget as the project progressed.

Overall working with Wilkinson Construction was as Richard promised. Easy to work with – good communication, great work ethic from his team, efficient and accommodating of clients’ needs and wants – quick to suggest excellent options where needed and high level of master builder construction.

Since the job has been finished over 1000 people have formally visited the house and they have something complimentary to say about the quality and feel of the construction – solid, well made – all the comments we associate with Wilkinson Construction.

We strongly recommend you invest in getting Richard of Wilkinson Construction to build your next commercial or residential building.

Simon & Kristina Cope

For a close up look and feel of a Wilkinson Construction then check out extensive details on the construction here at www.SolarEnergyHouse.co.nz