We always loved the style of American homes and it was our dream to have a Hamptons style home. Unfortunately, Hamptons style homes are uncommon in Brisbane. Over recent years, while we were just starting to plan the building of our second home, I started collecting many images from books, magazines and the Web. In fact, we essentially started everything from scratch, which we found very challenging. After months of research and looking at hundreds of magazines and pictures, we finally came up with a unique design which included custom-styled features, custom made timber windows, dormers, and an elegant kitchen. We were obsessed with this classic style and everything to do with neutrals, natural textures and lots of white.

However, sourcing the right builder was our biggest challenge. Rex Manley truly made the process of implementing this unique house plan an exciting and memorable one for us. We could not be happier with the way things turned out. We are most impressed by the level of professionalism and commitment from the team at Manley Homes. We loved their attitude and “can do” spirit.

The whole building experience was stress free which is not always the case. We certainly went with what we thought was the best. We are glad that we picked a builder that we felt comfortable with and trusted.

We cannot say thanks enough to Rex Manley for all of his patience listening to our questions, giving suggestions and the work he and his team put into building our house in Fig Tree Pocket. We look forward to spending many happy years in this beautiful house.

We would be pleased to recommend Rex to anyone that is considering building a home in this area.

Excellent communication, no fuss attitude, flexible and good quality of works.

After hearing and reading all the horror stories about builders and after talking to a large number of builders (and rather clueless salesmen), we narrowed our search down to two builders. After checking their BSA records and talking to their references, we had both of them do the soil test and prepare all the documentation including the contract. This was not the cheapest exercise but in this process, we quickly found the differences: With Rex Manley and also his salesman Greg, we had two experienced professionals that could answer questions right there on the spot (no need to talk to some remote head office…). Also their attitude to some of our “crazy” ideas was very positive - we never heard “we don’t do…” but there was always a proposal on how we could achieve what we wanted. Greg also put in a lot of work to get actual quotes for all the items – so once we came to the contract the whole lot was fixed price – no provisional sums whatsoever. Also no weird clauses that allow the builder to use any excuse as a valid extension of time (the second contract we got was by far not as straightforward!!).

The actual building started on 05/07/2011 (after a delay caused by the certifier) but from then everything went very well and it was a pleasure to work with Rex. Since we lived only 100m away I saw what was going on daily – and he was very open to showing me around, introducing me to the main tradesmen and allowing me to be involved (also not something any builder will do). I saw a lot of things that went right the first time, and also things that had to be fixed – but all these items were sorted without any discussion. I never heard “that will do” or anything like it. Rex was quite happy to let us in on a Saturday so we just could look around (and not be faced with a big surprise at handover…). Being a small builder, he was also quite happy for us to provide the tiles and electrical fittings etc.

We had a number of small changes throughout the process, and kept track of them on a “plus / minus” list – no variation fees for every move, it was all washed up at the end of the build with a total value of $724 (this is no typo !).

All invoicing or commercial questions that came up in the process were addressed by Karen - usually by email the same day.

In the end we moved in on the 07/12/2012 – only five days later than the estimated date he gave us at the beginning of the job – and still more than a month ahead of the contractual date.

There was excellent communication directly with our builder, no fuss attitude, very flexible and good quality of works.

We had an independent quantity surveyor checking the works, and he stated that based on what he saw, we were really lucky with our builder. The quantity surveyor even charged us 30% less than initially quoted, since he said he just did not have that much work on a Manley Homes site. There were next to no issues to be dealt with.

We are more than happy with what we got and told our neighbours – they are now building with Manley Homes.

So if you are doing something that is not stock standard and you are interested what is going on on-site in Brisbane, we can only recommend Rex.

The process of the house design was perfect

I spoke to a number of builders prior to my commencement with Manley Homes and also spoke to a number of people I knew that had built, or were currently building. After months of due diligence I commenced with Rex Manley. This was due to price, value for money and overall quality. I really liked how the entry point for the fixtures and finishing they provided were of a high quality standard and not a minimalistic entry point.

The process of the house design was perfect, I provided my layout, ideas and wish list. These were all incorporated and the resulting design was exactly what I was after.

This was my first experience of building and I was somewhat hesitant due to the war stories you hear about cost blowouts, hidden costs and poor quality. I was fortunate to have Rex and Karen Manley as my builders and my experience was nothing but positive. Importantly to me, the initial costs that were estimated remained entirely accurate through to completion. There were no surprise costs or charges and where I did require some minor changes during construction, these were incorporated at a very reasonable rate and with a can-do attitude.

On completion, prior to handover, I had a complete building inspection performed to ensure all was ok. The inspector also commented on the high quality construction and finishing of the home. Twelve months on, there have only been two very minor concerns I have had since handover, in both cases I contacted Rex and Karen and the problems were addressed for me quickly and without issue.

I highly recommend Rex and Karen Manley. Should I look to build again in the future, I would have no hesitation in re-employing their services.

It was a pleasure working with both Karen and Rex and I love my new home

Building a house is a huge task and I can honestly say that working with Rex and Karen made it a much easier experience than I had envisaged. From the start I was kept in the loop with scheduling, deliveries and completion times which meant there were no surprises. Karen was well organised and fantastic in letting me know what had to be done and by when. She also helped when I had questions or needed to know next steps.

Rex always let me know what was happening and went through each stage with me so we both knew what was required. For some of the special requirements I asked for, Rex was always agreeable and willing to work out how to achieve the right outcome.

It was a pleasure working with both Karen and Rex and I love my new home – thanks once again.

Throughout the building process Rex and his wife Karen were only a phone call away

We had done a lot of research before building our first house, visiting many display homes. We were fortunate to have been introduced to Rex Manley through one of our visits. We then began the process of designing and watching our dream home become a reality. We chose quality appliances and ducted air con at realistic prices due to Rex`s belief in not charging all the overheads and he even challenged us to beat his prices or find them cheaper ourselves.

Throughout the building process Rex and his wife Karen were only a phone call away. Karen was always there to help and offer advice from the office and Rex would make every effort to come out and check the progress of the house if we had questions to ask. We were introduced to all the suppliers when choosing the decor and fittings and when we came to the kitchen, the designer promised that he would make us a beautiful kitchen at an affordable price, and he wasn’t wrong. Everyone who visits our house is blown away by the colours and design. It looks as though it came straight from a magazine.

We were able to achieve all of this and more, such as high ceilings, and many other features that you won’t find in other homes. This was all thanks to Rex and Karen`s experience and expertise in the building industry.

We were honoured to be asked to do a testimony and would definitely not hesitate to recommend Rex and Karen to anyone wanting to build a house and they will definitely be our choice if we were to build again.

We engaged Manley Homes once we had complete architectural plans for our new home. Right from our first meeting we knew that we had a good fit with Rex our builder. Rex took the time to get to know us and we were confident that he understood our motivations and aspirations with the build.

Having never built before, we relied heavily on Rex to provide guidance and advice throughout the project. No detail was too small and all aspects of the build were considered and discussed with the appropriate level of detail. During construction Rex was ready with innovative and stylish solutions to minor issues and was always consultative and professional.

His eye for detail and high standards culminated in a beautiful and sophisticated home. We would thoroughly recommend Rex and his team at Manley Homes for any building project.

My husband and I would highly recommend Rex Manley for anyone wanting a wonderful custom building experience. We sought Rex out before we even bought our block of land. From the first moment we met him, we felt he was a really genuine person that we could trust to help us with this major endeavour. He recommended our designer, Nathalie Knight (also excellent), and worked with us through the entire build process. On most days, Rex was on site himself and made sure the build process flowed as smoothly as could be hoped. He always gave us advanced notice for upcoming decisions, he trouble shot little issues but seemed to know which things to run by us. If there were things we changed our minds about during the build, he was never dismissive but would always carefully consider the request and try to find a way to make it happen. Both of our neighbours later told us what a pleasure he had been to deal with. Also, all the tradespeople he brought on site were people I would happily recommend. Rex’s wife Karen, also helped us with all our tile selections and was marvelous (and patient with indecision). Our finished home has been everything we could have hoped for and more. I still cannot quite believe it. Overall I could not recommend Rex more highly.