Testimonials

We selected James Tulloch for our renovations in Pymble, which were extensive taking 13 months.  We lived in the premises during the renovation.  The build was for the construction of an upper story, ground level refurbishment and large suspended terrace, and lower ground extension, all in Georgian Revival style and period detail.  The aim of the build was for the home to seem as if it had been originally built at the extended size.

Before the first site meeting he had a complete mastery of the project, and had picked up minor measurement errors in the plans.  This thoroughness continued throughout the project.  He had no difficulty in working with our architect, who by arrangement did not stay on to supervise the second half of the project. 

It was clear to us at an early stage that James has a genuine interest in building.  He was comfortable researching new (and some very old) products and techniques applicable to our build.  He had an eye for detail and was an extremely good listener, and invariably had (either immediately or soon afterwards) apt suggestions.  James undertook a lot of the work himself including making Jarrah parquetry kitchen benchtops which were of museum quality! 

James’ paper work was meticulous.  He did not mix materials on jobs, and was present for the vast majority of the build.  To give an example of his honesty, temporary brackets were needed for the suspension of our hot water heater.  After 3 months they were no longer needed.  James needed them for his own garage.  Rather than simply take them after they ceased to be needed he asked whether he could buy them from us at half price.  This level of honesty and accountability existed throughout the project.  On the few occasions he had other commitments he always gave advanced notice and returned when indicated.  We were never left in the lurch.

The trades James used were all of a very high standard.  It was clear to us that they valued working with James.  This had a very positive effect on the project. 

Lastly in our experience builders seem to fall into two groups: those that are very good business men and are well organized, but lack building ability themselves; and those who have building ability but are disorganized or incapable of running a business.  He is strong in both areas, and we have no hesitation in recommending him or taking inquiries about his work.

Jean-Jacques and Hermione Loofs - Pymble NSW

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My wife and I engaged JTB for our building project in 2013/14. The project consisted of internal and external works. Internally the home was mostly gutted including the removal of several walls and then fully refitted including flooring, kitchen, three bathrooms, windows, joinery and ceilings. Externally a new garage was excavated through sand stone, a two storey deck was structurally restored and extensive stone works undertaken.

Throughout the build process we found James Tulloch and the JTB team to be extremely professional:

• JTB was by far the most professional and responsive company that we dealt with through the bid process. JTB was flexible to our requests for a mix of fixed and variable pricing. Contract negotiations were open, transparent and quickly concluded. Approvals and insurances were quickly dealt with. JTB's pricing was competitive and most importantly demonstrated a thorough understanding of the scope and quality requirements of the job.
• JTB systems and communications throughout the build phase were extremely professional. Communications and a positive rapport were quickly established with our neighbours. Environmental and OH&S systems and controls were established from day 1 and actively sustained throughout the entire project. Project meetings were routine, timely and decision focused. Billing was timely, reflective of the original quotation structure and transparent wrt earned value. Variations, which were predominately as a result of our scope increases, were presented transparently, with appropriate cost build up and in a timely manner for discussion and decision-making. JTB was extremely helpful in proposing and pricing alternative solutions, ensuring total variations were within our budgeted allotment.
• JTB staff was a pleasure to have on site. Both Julian and Adrian proved to be extremely customer focused. The carpentry and finishing of all of the JTB team and subcontractors was of an extremely high standard, despite the challenges of existing out of plumb structures. We did not undertake a detailed architectural design and we found that the JTB team was very adept at filling in the blanks in a manner sympathetic to the age of our property and our style.

Our project was finalised in February 2014.

• The JTB team delivered the project to the original timeline despite the circa 15% growth in client scope. The programme was actively managed with JTB and subcontract staffing levels aggressively applied (without compromise) to ensure our requirements were met. The thoughtfulness put into the original programming of the project ensured the effectiveness of having numerous subcontract trades on site at any one time.
• The fixed and largest component of the project price was delivered to the original budget. There was some growth in the excavation allowance, which was not unexpected given the understood uncertainty in rock and soil volumes. We d
id increase the scope of the project and the pricing of variations was transparent and within our budgeted growth allowance.
• The project quality was delivered to our high expectations. JTB was extremely professional in this regard and we never felt quality was being traded for cost, even though this element largely fell within the fixed price and risk of JTB.

Overall, we have been extremely pleased with the entire approach and delivery of JTB. James has established an extremely professional team and business with the capabilities to deliver on its promises and clients satisfaction.

I would have no hesitation in recommending JTB to friends and others.

Doug Tucker

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We would like to thank James and all his team at JTB for all aspects of the amazing renovation they undertook on our house in North Turramurra.

James was highly recommended to us by friends and every aspect of the job was of highest quality, professionalism and client focused. Ours was a major renovation of a old single level brick and timber, three bedroom, ugly duckling and transforming it into a three level modern/contemporary four bedroom home.

Right from the start James filled us with confidence with his style and professionalism. His quoting was open and transparent and he spent a lot of time (and considerable patience) with us helping to refine our requirements giving us practical recommendations on changes.

The whole build was excellently project managed, both JTB's build and of other contractors such as kitchen installers, landscaping etc. In respect to sub or other contractor's work, we always ended up contracting with people James put us in contact with (despite seeking alternate proposals). During stages of the build we made quite a number of changes that James and the team would skillfully complete, advise of alternatives, reschedule workflow and more importantly, we were never made to feel uncomfortable with all the requests.

His onsite team, Rod, Adam, Adrian, Roger and others always maintained a high level of professionalism and standards. They were onsite six days a week, rain, hail or shine for our 11 month build (we cant recall a day that was missed). The site was always tidy and safe and they proactively kept relationships with the neighbours who also commented on the teams accommodating approach, they were a pleasure to work with.

James was always contactable and would provide excellent weekly meeting progress notes and concise detailed progress payments and variations schedules. He was very skilled at managing additional contractors and worked very well with the engineer, council, certifier and designer. He always made the process as easy as possible, so easy that we felt relaxed enough to take a family holiday in the middle of the build.

We can't thank James and his team enough and based on our experiences wouldn't hesitate to work with him again or recommend JTB to you.

Peter & Wendy McClelland

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JTB Building were employed to replace two bathrooms and extend the front of our house in late 2011. We have been very pleased with the outcome and would highly recommend them.

JTB produced good quality work at a reasonable cost. They were not the cheapest quote we received but we were very impressed with James Tulloch at tender stage. He was proactive, courteous at all times and extremely professional and patient. We found James to be easy to communicate with, reliable and honest throughout the process of building. There were very few variations on the work and James was proactive in suggesting alternative ways of doing things to improve the outcome and/or keep costs to a minimum.

As an architect with nearly 30 years' experience I have worked with many builders, large and small. James Tulloch is certainly one of the best. He understands construction, has an excellent customer service mentality and is well organised. There are few builders in my view that are able to satisfy all of these attributes.

We are very happy to recommend JTB Building.

Darren Tims
Principal
Rice Daubney

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Tanya and I wish to provide this note of thanks for your performance in undertaking our extension and completing it in the time initially specified.

As you are aware, selecting a builder to carry out any renovation can be a daunting exercise. However, from our first contact with you and throughout the prokect, we can only say that you and your team carried out the work with the utmost professionalism and friendliness. This made the whole project very stress free, particularly as we elected to remain in our hose during the renovation. For this, we thank you greatly.

In relation to the work, your entire team, wonderfully managed by Adrian Reneke, paid the utmost attention the detail. They listened to our suggestions and took them on board. Where relevant, they were also superb in offering alternative design options for the more complex details. These discussions and developed solutions ultimately led to a final design that exceeded our expectations. Where these solutions resulted in additional works, as well as scope reduction, our dealings with you regarding variations were treated with frankness, fairness and without rancopr. The whole process simply removed any additional stress for us.

In addition to the performance of your core team, your selection of professional and friendly subcontactors also needs to be commended. We were delighted to note that they all demonstrated a true passion for their particular field of experise and a genuine attention to detail. Their desire to complete their work to the highest level possible was highlighted by their own evaluation and review of the finished job.

Once again we thank you most sincerely fo the word you have done for us and have no hesitation in recommending you and your team.

Carlo Tribbia & Tanya Zenari

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I am extremely fortunate to have been able to work with JTB Building on the renovation of our house in East Lindfield.  This involved the construction of a new master bedroom wing with ensuite and laundry and the enclosure of an existing basement carport to create a rumpus room.  It was a difficult, steep site, with tricky waterproofing issues in the basement and a tight budget – but JTB Building delivered!

Coming from an architectural background and with several projects as an owner builder under my belt, I was very impressed by the efficient and consistently high quality of workmanship from James and his team.

I found James to be reliable, honest, an excellent communicator, and very easy to work with.  He combines extensive construction experience with outstanding project management skills.  We entered into a cost plus arrangement (paying the cost of labour at an hourly rate plus the cost of materials) and have absolutely no regrets.  James offered us competitive fees and directed all of his resources and energies at our project to make sure that it progressed as quickly and smoothly as possible (thus minimising costs) and was completed within 4 months.  Along the way, he submitted regular progress claims and reports that clearly documented and itemised all of the costs and made it very easy to understand exactly where the money was going and how we were travelling with respect to the budget.

I loved having James’ delightful team of guys on site everyday:  they were a pleasure to work with.  I found Justin, Adam, David and Julian to be highly skilled and experienced craftsmen who worked hard – in rain and shine – and paid great attention to every detail, no matter how small or apparently insignificant.  They were polite and courteous, non-smoking, and always cleaned up after themselves.  Very little time was wasted taking calls on the mobile (I’ve never seen anything like it!).

My experience with JTB Building was positive in all respects and I have no hesitation in recommending them to others.

Dr Kirsten Orr
Registered Architect NSW no. 6236
Senior Lecturer & Associate Head of School of Architecture,
University of Technology, Sydney

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We had been looking for a builder to complete a major renovation of a property we purchased in 2008. I met and compared number of builders, their quotations, quality of past work and more importantly the work style.

James came highly recommended from a good work colleague of mine. We finally decided to award the job to James, based on the impression we had about quality of his work, his honesty and the flexibility he showed during early discussions.

Our renovation lasted for over 10 months and it was a relatively complex project. Our renovation included: breaking back half of the old house, completely renovating all interior and some exterior of the old front section, adding and extending the house with the first floor and ground floor to the back of the house and a new deck area. We completed the project in two phases, first phase was to complete the renovation of the interior of front of the house. We then lived in the front section, while James broke the back of the house and completed the second phase.

James completed the job to our full satisfaction with no regrets. I have recommended James to a number of my friends since, we will also have no hesitation in using James for any future work.

Contractually we executed a “Cost + Time & Material” style contract. The primary attraction of this style of contract compared to others who offered fixed price contracts, was the ability to have great flexibility during the building phase as well as treating quality as the top priority. Overall James was very easy to work with, he listened well and addressed all our requirements. Both James’s direct team as well as the trades people James introduced were of highest quality and very pleasant to deal with. I want to call out Justin and David from James’s team for their great work throughout. James came across as being very honest in all his dealings. Both in early planning and during the building we introduced number of changes (some big and some small), in all instances James was very accommodating and customer satisfaction was clearly a priority for him. With all the changes, James was quite pro-active in suggesting how to make the changes to our liking, but also he advised how to make the changes to be more economical during the process.

Dealing with all the progress claims was also made easy with clear and easy to understand format we followed with him. I have no hesitation in recommending James for building work and I am more than happy to share my experience and his work quality if you require.

James, best of luck with the business. You are certainly passionate about what you do !

Vajira & Kali - Wahroonga NSW

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We hired JTB Building to do a recent renovation for us, which involved opening up the kitchen to the existing TV room and then pushing the TV room wall out 3 metres into the garden to make an open plan family room. We have a double storey house, so special long steel beams were installed to support the upper structure. We also added on a small deck from the new family room, accessed through glass French doors. The powder room / toilet was gutted and then completely refurbished. New blackbutt flooring was installed in the entrance hall, dining room and new family room and kitchen. Glass French doors replaced solid wooden ones into the dining room from the family room. We hired a kitchen company to design and manufacture a new kitchen for us.

We found James's company on the internet and liked him instantly at our first interview. He turned out to exceed our expectations. It was his idea to remove two doors in the entrance hall, extending the steel beams, thereby giving that area a much better flow and this has made a huge difference to the house. His attention to detail suited me particularly, because I am very fussy. In fact, we went through two basins before finding the right one for our toilet and the same happened with the tiles, the original ones ending up in the wine cellar. New marble tiles were laid in the toilet and I am so happy these changes were made. James waited patiently while we sourced other basins and tiles. At every turn, James made good suggestions and he was meticulous in checking every aspect of the job. We were delighted with all his employees and subcontractors, especially Adrian and Julian who were consistently on the job and for whom nothing was too much trouble. Considering the many months they were in our house, they were always courteous and obliging. After site meetings, James sent us detailed spread sheets via email, confirming what we had discussed and listing the costs of changes we'd made. This meant that we always knew where we stood with him.

The completed job and our new kitchen are an absolute joy. The detailed finishes like the larger cornices and skirting boards and the fabulous flooring have modernized and smartened the house considerably. We have already ear-marked JTB Building for further improvements we hope to make next year.

Harry and Mariana Flynn - Pymble NSW

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We had been looking for the right builder for a while not only one that meet our budget and we felt confident in doing a good job,but a builder that could work around us still living in the home.

On first meeting James he immediately instilled confidence in us that he understood what we needed and that the job would be completed of the utmost quality and attention to detail.

We could not be more pleased with our renovations which involved opening up and extending the back part of the house to give us a combined kitchen, living and dinning room which opened up onto a deck.

As this was an old house James took alot of time in matching bricks,tiles and other features of the home so that the extension seamlessly flowed on from the existing part of the home.

Mark and Danny were the two tradesman we had onsite, we were very impressed with their friendly nature, reliability and the craftsmanship was spot on with great focus on not only getting the job done right but the attention to detail was also there.

We found James to be a very good communicator always keeping us up to date with how the job was progressing with weekly site meetings where he was more than happy to answer any questions or concerns we may have had about work being done.

The extension was completed in the timeframe given and every tradesman, consultant we dealt with were great. It was a pleasure to deal with a company who was so well organised, were onsite everyday but one due to torrential ran. Any concerns were addressed in an efficient and timely manner. I have no problems recommending JTB Building to anyone looking for a truly professional and reliable builder.

Your sincerely,
Matthew & Nicole - Hunters Hill NSW

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James Tulloch is a remarkably well organised and skilled builder. He has an excellent team of tradespeople who all enjoy working with him because of his professional attitude. James completed an entire renovation on our apartment within the agreed time frame. We were so impressed with the standard of work that we requested he return to complete additional work two years later. Once again JTB Building provided an outstanding building service.

David Gray – Mosman NSW

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Dear James,

Gary & I would like to thank you and your team for an excellent job! 
Your workmanship, professionalism and courtesy was always of the highest standard throughout the project and we would be delighted to recommend your building company to anyone wishing to partake in any building work or renovations.

Yours sincerely,
Gary & Mary Wearne

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James Tulloch managed my renovation which involved the construction of a deck, planter boxes, and the removal of windows and the installation of french doors. The builders were friendly, polite and trustworthy and kept the site very tidy and clean. The job was finished ahead of schedule and where additional works were required, the costs were flagged well ahead of time. The communication process was well handled with James being easy to contact and happy to answer my many and varied questions. This was a well run experience from my point of view as a customer.

Jenny Gray

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Dear James,

We'd like to thank you and your team for the wonderful work you did in building our new study, bathroom and laundry. Right from the very beginning we were impressed with the consideration given to planning the various elements of the work and with the assistance you gave us in resolving all the uncertainties we faced.

The quality of the work was excellent throughout. Everything was carried out efficiently and within the time originally expected. All your team were extremely well organised, capable and were genuinely friendly guys. They were always happy to put in extra effort to ensure any problems were properly dealt with.

The changes are a wonderful addition to the house. After hearing so many stories from other people about difficulties with their own building jobs, it was a real delight to have had such a positive and straightforward experience. We wish you all the best for your business in future.

Murray & Joanne

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19 April 2010

C3d Design Pty Ltd has had an ongoing and successful professional relationship with Mr James Tulloch of JTB Building Pty Ltd over a number of years on various sized residential projects.

James’ building project management ability allows him to be organised and a forward thinker. He solves problems in a very practical and commercially realistic manner by thinking outside the square.

We have always found him and his team to be skilful, efficient, cooperative and courteous.

We have no hesitation is recommending his and his teams services.

John P Mangraviti
B Arch. BA Industrial Design
Director

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Dealing with James during the building process has been a pleasure. James runs an extremely professional building business. I was always well informed as to where the project was at and most importantly the quality of the finished product was excellent. As a result I am happy to recommend James.

Andrew - Mosman NSW

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James and his team have carried out various projects within our home and there is always the same degree of professionalism, consideration for their surrounds and at the end of the day, quality workmanship. I have always been impressed by the punctuality of the team and the excellent co-ordination of multiple tradesmen for the larger jobs. My husband and I would not hesitate in recommending JTB Building.

Kristen & Michael - St Ives NSW

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Hope we have a chance to see you before we skip the country. If not, many thanks for a great job. As last time, you've been a real pleasure to work with. We've much appreciated your input, your efforts, your patience generally, the quality of workmanship, and your commitment to follow up.

Dianne & Keith Walker

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James Tulloch managed my renovation which  invloved the construction of a deck, planter boxes, and the removal of windows and the installation of french doors. The builders were friendly, polite and trustworthy and kept the site very tidy and clean. The job was finished ahead of schedule and where additional works were required, the costs were flagged well ahead of time. The communication process was well handled with James being easy to contact and happy to answer my many and varied questions. This was a well run experience from my point of view as a customer.

Lachlan Cameron – Cammeray NSW