Meet Matt - In conversation with Matt Build’s director, Matt Sweeney.

We love surrounding ourselves with people who do what they do, really, really well. We like to learn and be guided by the people in our industry who work hard and work honestly to produce an exceptional end product.

We’ve known the Matt’s of Matt Build for a long time. Before we were building pools for them, we were pouring concrete for them and before that we were playing footy together. It’s been a real treat watching as their business has gone from strength to strength. We see first hand how seamlessly they run things, focusing on client satisfaction and communication and quality, always.  

Catching up with our builders is important for us. It helps us to navigate the ins and outs of our working relationship, ensuring we are always delivering to the highest of standards for them and their clients. But it is also I wonderful way for us to refer them, to you. Because lots of you keen pool lovers are also wanting renovations on your home, or to build a brand spanking new one.

And the power of a great referral is immeasurable. It’s what we all work tirelessly for. The best pat on the back you could ever get.

I sat down with Matt from Matt Build to chat to him about his business, their success and some handy tips for you all to consider when picking the perfect builder for you.

Enjoy.

Ok let’s kick things off by telling the world a bit about Matt Build.

Myself and my business partner, Matt Chapman, have been in business coming on 12 twelve years now. We started off with one apprentice and now there’s close to 28 of us, including office staff. We do everything from major renovations to complete knockdowns, rebuilds to commercial fitouts. But mostly we work on residential.

Your houses are so beautiful. Do you have a top pick?

Probably the best one we’ve ever done I reckon is down at Lilli Pilli – our Bush by the Bay project. It was a complete project from start to finish. It’s right there on the water and it’s awesome. 

Where’s your sweet spot – what’s your dream project?

Really for us any time clients want a complete build it’s a big thing. A complete build is where the client wants us to do everything – they don’t take away any part of the project to do themselves. When clients take on part of the build there’s always a line in the sand to draw and it can get complicated. For me when they basically hand everything over to us, and we give them a set of keys at the end and say, “Enjoy”, that’s the best.

We know for a fact your clients love you. Why do you think that is?

I suppose in a sense we always get feedback saying our communication is pretty good at our end. That’s really important to us, to make sure the client is involved at every stage particularly with regard to costing. When costing changes on a project, whether it’s positive or negative, we’re always up front with the client and that always works for the better.

Clients really appreciate that transparency …

Yeah, I don’t think in the whole time we’ve been building projects, and we’ve built over 100 projects, that we’ve ever walked away from the client not friends, still shaking hands.

That’s a good sign – especially when every client is different. How do you nail it every time?

Understanding that everyone’s different and everyone has different needs and that you need to communicate differently. Everyone needs to be lead differently through a project. You know, some clients want nothing to do with a build and are just happy with a weekly email. Other clients are hugely invested and want support and communication every step of the way. You’ve got to cater for everyone.

Why do you keep coming back to do business with Cronulla Pools?

Matt and Kate run a pretty tight ship, like us. From a communication point of view Cronulla Pools are completely engaged with their clients, and when they’re involved with our clients they do things directly, a lot of one-on -one. So yeah, they’re great communicators and problem solvers. If ever we need help, they’re right there. It’s the ease and effectiveness of the relationship we have. We trust them completely.

Do you think trust is a key factor in a successful build?

Absolutely. You have to know how each other operates. Many of the trades we use – plumbers, roofers, electricians – we’ve used for 12 years. You have to have total trust in the trades and I know Cronulla Pools is similar to us in that respect. We do a survey with every one of our clients and feedback about trades is always the biggest thing.

What are the elements of a really successful build?

I always come back to communication. Communication is the biggest thing for us. It’s about being respectful and polite and meeting the needs of the client. It’s about taking the time to explain things to the client – why things would be done better another way, it’s about giving them an understanding of the project. We use Buildertrend to its full capacity now and from the customer’s point of view this is a way to stay informed every step of the way. We take photos every day and upload them, they can see what’s coming up. Just working in partnership with the client is really crucial. 

What are you working on at the moment?

We run about ten projects at a time! Matt’s doing a new one for us at Lilli Pilli . He’s already poured the shell for that. We have a couple of pools being renovated, and a big one going in at Darling Point.

This is a bit cheeky, but … are Cronulla Pools the best pool builders around?

[Laughs] You know, I don’t think I’ve ever done a pool without them!

Well that says something!

Yep. Actually, we’re about to have a go working with another company – that was an architect’s choice and was out of our hands. So ask me again in 6 months!

We will hold you to that! Almost forgot – you’ve known Matt from CP since you guys were playing footy together. Any memories from that time?

I don’t know. He was probably running rings around me, to be honest. He was probably flat-out side-stepping me!

Oh, and last one – what’s your favourite Cronulla Pool’s pool?

Has to be the one they did for us in Clare Street. Fully-tiled with Balinese tiles. So cool.

If you’re wanting to get in touch with Matt Build you can do so here