MBL construction

I feel compelled to warn others to avoid MBL Construction and Marin Bernevec at all costs.

I engaged him to work on the refurbishment of my flat but from the outset, it became clear that Marin himself had very little involvement in the actual building work. He was rarely on site, and instead he subcontracted every aspect of the job to others, who appeared to lack the necessary skills or oversight to deliver a passable standard of work.

Tasks were started in a completely ad hoc manner with no sense of structure, planning, or basic project management. The lack of basic building knowledge was apparent at every stage, with mistakes mounting faster than they could be addressed. The quality of the work carried out was poor.

Health and safety were treated with disregard. During the course of the project, the glass hob of my induction oven was smashed, multiple plants were killed, and my possessions were handled carelessly. It was clear that neither Marin nor his subcontractors had respect for my property or the space they were working in.

I received multiple complaints from both my neighbours and the building management regarding the conduct of the workers, the mess they left behind, and their general lack of professionalism.

Marin initially stated that the project would take seven weeks. However, after seven weeks, minimal progress had been made. Instead of taking responsibility for his non-existent project management, he blamed delays on materials arriving late—a claim that was simply untrue.

The level of unprofessionalism throughout this project was staggering. Communication was terrible, often leaving me in the dark about what was happening on site. On several occasions, I even received threatening messages and two requests for money from Marin ahead of agreed milestone payments. One of his subcontractors (Alexander) directly approached me on site asking for money, as it was evident Marin had not been paying them.

Furthermore, Marin consistently lied to me about the progress of the work, providing false assurances and misleading updates. It became abundantly clear over time that he is an entirely untrustworthy contractor who cannot be relied upon to deliver on his promises.

In the end, I was left with no choice but to cancel the project halfway through. The quality was so poor, and the situation had become so untenable, that continuing would have been throwing good money after bad. I would rather take the financial hit than working any more with MBL construction.

I only wish I had seen John's review beforehand, as his experience mirrors mine. MBL Construction, under Marin Bernevec, operates in a manner that can only be described as reckless, bordering on dangerous. More...

M

Reply from MBL construction

1 —WORK NOT WAS DONE BECAUSE TOM STOP WORKS 2 —WE RECEIVED MATERIALS WITHOUT ANY STRUCTURE AFTER 2 MONTHS WE RECEIVED LAST ITEMS (to do plumbing in bathroom not nposible 2 months ,if plumbing not done not posible to install tilles,not posible to move job ) 3 —HOB DAMAGED DELIVERY PEOPLE OR ANYONE FROM TEAM BUT I ASK TO COMPLETE JOB AND RETURN MONEY (for Tom is more convenient to stop in these stage to not complete second and last payments) 4 —NEIGHBOURS MAKE COMPLAIN IN WORK GRAPHIC (around 10 am ,but 10 am is permitted to work from Monday to Friday from 9am to 5 pm) 5 —WE START JOB ON BEGGING OF OCTOBER BUT MATERIALS COME END OF NOVEMBER (In these period we do other works in property,but without all items not posible to complete job in 7 weeks ) WHEN I START JOB I ASK TO ORDER EVERYTHING SOONEST POSIBLE TOM ORDER EVERYTHING VERY SLOW AND WITHOUT ANY STRUCTURE 6 —WE DO MOST OF JOB BUT RECEIVED JUST 30% OF PAYMENT 9625 -2500£ extra works wich is done - 3500£ I spend for materials and waste disponsal = 3625 left From 3625 I pay advance to —ALEXANDER (who ask you to not stop job at that stage because for us left maxim 1 week to complete whole job)left amount to pay to Alex I pay from my pocket Alex done painting and varnished all panels —I pay to tiller for his work to that stage —I pay to plumbers and left ammount pay from my pocket —all demolition and waste disponsal —provided all first fix materials From 3625 I spend time and money to received all materials in 2 months time We done 70% tilles We done 80% paint We done 100% all first fix plumbing We done demolition 100% We provide 100% first fix materials We varnishing 100% panels 7 —MY INSURANCE IS AVAILABLE AND IS NOT FALSE YOU ORDER EVERYTHING WITH BIG DELAYS VERY SLOW (I make one plan for works schedule ,after come items very slow I rearrange people again and these take time ) —ON TOP to these buylding plumber come after 2 weeks to change one valve wich we don’t have permission to change 8 —YOU CANCEL JOB WITH ME AND ASK MY TEAM TO COMPLETE JOB (if my team done bad job why you ask my team to complete job ? My team not accepting these because not trusting you ,not trusting because not understanding why you stop job and ask him to continue ,maybe to complete and to not pay was plan ) 9 —EVERYONE RESPOND FOR HIS JOB AND FEEDBACK (To be believed, you have implicated another name from whom I have bad feedback to make your story sound more real.) BUT REALITY IS YOU SPEND 30% FROM AGREMENT AND HAVE DONE MORE THAN 75% OF JOB 👏

We worked with MBL in Septembr and our experience was mixed. On one hand the builders were friendly and very quick (~4 weeks) for flat renovation including kitchen, bathroom toilet etc. ,., we were on a tight timeline so they were very forthcoming and willing to meet us on the timing side. On the other hand there were some mistakes and issues that have left us in a worse off position long-term, such as completing our LVT flooring over very uneven floor surface in our corridor, resulting in a potentially very costly mistake for us in the future to replace if the flooring rips, potentially thousands if we have to replace all the flooring all over again. As a temporary fix, we've now had to get a rug to lay over there to soften foot traffic.

Another example is installing our shower without checking if the water drained. The builders had suggested making the access to our waste pipes smaller (which were behind a access door originally), but since they hadn't checked if the water ran and did not want to come back to fix it, we have now had to hire plumbers to fix the issue, which has not only been more costly but more time-consuming given that the access panel we have is now a lot smaller based on their suggestion.

Overall, if you are experienced with renovations and have the time to supervise, they are efficient and quick, and will get the job done. It would just be important to supervise on issues like the ones I mentioned above (unevenly layered flooring, a shower installed on pipes that don't drain etc.,.). More...

M

Reply from MBL construction

FLOOR: I ask Sophie to come back and ceck floor If we fiend any problem in floor fitting , I cover cost of new floor or reparation of floor ! PLUMBING we do just second fix plumbing and connected to old waste pipes (we ceck before and when conected and not see any leaks and water flowing without any problems) We sugest and recommend to do first and second fix But client not want to spend more money for these IF still Available to come and ceck and if any problem in us work completition I CAN COVER ALL COSTS

Marin and team have really done a wonderful and clean job. They have completed a full house refurbishment (5 bedroom house) in the span of 7 weeks. The works include removing the existing staircase, remodeling and installing a new Staircase. Installing Kitchen and Diner Area inclusive of all pipework and accessories from a new un-vented cylinder, Extending an existing bathroom and remodeling the other bathroom with new appliances, tiling and plumbing works, Creating a new utility area including drainage and water supply, Installing new lighting throughout the house and additional sockets where necessary, Loft boarding and creating storage area with access ladder, Installing new in-built wardrobe in master bedroom, Replastering where required and painting the overall house. The cost comparatively was cheaper and also included the first fix materials. Will need to give special credits for Stan and Ion who was the forefront team who done all the works and delt with us on day to day basis. Marin was always available on the phone if there were any issues to resolve. Overall a great job by the team. More...

Amazing work too bath and living room material was provide and sourced perfectly and the job was done very quick and efficient finished within 3 days one of the best companies I’ve worked with.

Marin helped me to renovate my house and he organised, arranged and done the following for me:
Plumbing
Electricity
New bathroom
New kitchen
Painting and decorating the entire house
New laminate flooring

Of all the quotes I received for the renovation, Marin came in the best and most competitive, by a large amount, so it was good value for money!

The project was done in the agreed time and budget, and my house looks great now!

What I like most about working with Marin is that he is always available to answer any questions and resolve any issues and problems that come up.

Renovation is always a big project, and issues do come up, and I like that Marin was there to address and solve all of them promptly and efficiently.

On top of that, Marin was very keen and quick to help out with other things that came up such as for example great value for money contacts for waste removals, etc.

I would hire Marin again for other projects! More...

Marin is a very dedicated professional who takes pride in his work. His finish is excellent. He did wallpaper, coving, painting walls and ceiling, glossing skirting, window pane, radiators, along with filling and sanding my living room and dining area. He is also very respectful, commited and dependable. Marin worked into the late hours of the evening to finish the job on time. A true professional who I will be recommending to friends and family and using his services again. More...

The boys did an amazing job with painting and helping me install some mirrors and other things! I went with a couple of colors and paneling and they really made my vision come to life! Their attention to detail made me very happy and they were really kind and enthusiastic in their job! Thank you so much More...

MBL Construction worked efficiently and are very professional in their job.
They did a great job and finished the job in a short time.
They did a fantastic job in their painting and was very pleased with it.
Overall, they did a fantastic job and would recommend. More...

MBL Construction are very professional, honest, tidy and efficient. They went above and beyond to get the painting and decorating work completed to an excellent standard. I will work with them again on future projects. More...

Painting a whole 1 bed flat. Marin was able to start the job quickly and finished it in good time. He made a particularly good job of an area that had water damage from a leaking roof. Also fitted a new internal door, stayed in touch well and responded quickly. More...

I recently hired MBL to paint my flat and I couldn't be happier with their services. Not only did they expertly paint every room to my satisfaction, but they went above and beyond by offering to carry the paint from the shop and staying until late to ensure the job was completed in a timely manner. The team was professional, courteous, and friendly. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for quick, efficient, and good quality painting services. More...

Great boys done a great proffesinal job very clean and tidy workers , work very hard and finished to a high standard, you can’t fault them ,

Both Marin and Tim work very hard and painted my flat beautifully.
They worked quickly and cleaned up afterwards.
I would highly recommend MBL and will use them again

I was really happy with Marin and his team. Polite, neat and on quote. I have found in the past tradespeople quite challenging to communicate with and he made it very easy to work with. Painting was done fast and neat and I have already recommended him to my friends. I am happy to recommend him confidently as a good painter. More...

MBL construction.. were reliable, efficient and quick! Painted my whole house and came back for touch ups. Would work with them again.