
Great architect! Good initial experience! But the final estimate for the job was outrageous!
Merrell Building Enterprises never actually built the garage I wanted. The preliminary work they did was good. They did all the planning, but their final estimate was double what the second-closest estimate was, so I didn't use them for the project. I did pay them thirty-two hundred dollars, twenty-two hundred for the site visit and preliminary building plans. Another thousand dollars for the detailed drawings, blueprints, final permits, etc. which never got delivered. The experience I had up to that point was great. The architect was especially great. She worked with me, listened to my ideas, and spent a lot of time with me. I have no complaints about her work. Even Moses Merrill came out and talked to me a lot until the estimate came in. They knew my budget was four hundred thousand, so when they sent the final estimate of six hundred seventy thousand, and I said no, they never sent the final drawings that I had paid the extra thousand for. I started the process in the middle of Covid. The first estimate I got was about two hundred thousand, the second estimate was around three hundred fifty thousand, but Merrill came in at six hundred seventy thousand for a garage. I could have bought a whole other house with a pool and a garage and two acres of land for that price. So I said no to Merrill. I've put the project on hold for now. Up to that point, their work was fine, and they earned the initial twenty-two hundred dollars. But I can't really recommend them because I think their prices are outrageous.