We’re an
AWARD-WINNING
Sydney Builder
2026 Master Builders NSW Excellence in Housing Award Winner &
2026 Young Builder of the Year Finalist
We've always believed that exceptional craftsmanship speaks for itself.
On 10 October 2026, it spoke a little louder.
Opulent Finishes was named a winner at the 2026 Master Builders NSW Excellence in Housing Awards, receiving the award for House Alterations & Additions in the $3 million to $3.5 million category for our Cottage Point renovation, Project Cowan Drive.
Making the evening even more meaningful, our Director and Co-Founder, Taylor Meyerson, was also recognised as a finalist for the 2026 Master Builders NSW Young Builder of the Year award.
Two remarkable honours, reflecting something we've always held close at Opulent Finishes: a genuine love for our craft, pride in the smallest details, and the belief that beautiful homes are made possible by exceptional people.
As an award-winning Sydney builder specialising in heritage restoration, period home renovation and considered residential alterations and additions, Opulent Finishes works across Sydney's Upper and Lower North Shore, Eastern Suburbs and CBD.
This recognition represents an important chapter in our story.
But its meaning reaches far beyond one project or one evening.
It reflects the care, experience and dedication that go into creating a home long before anyone sees the finished result.
And for that reason, it means a great deal to us.
A Milestone for Opulent Finishes at the 2026 Master Builders NSW Awards
The story behind our Award-Winning renovation
There's a certain beauty in a finished home that feels effortless.
Every material seems to belong. Every detail has its place. And the complexities of construction are almost impossible to imagine once the work is complete.
Our Master Builders NSW award-winning residential renovation at Cottage Point, on Sydney's Northern Beaches, is a wonderful example of just how much can sit behind that feeling.
Known as Project Cowan Drive, the complex, multi-level residential renovation presented significant construction challenges, particularly its exceptionally difficult site access within the natural landscape of Ku-ring-gai National Park.
The majority of building materials had to be transported to the property by barge, requiring careful planning, coordination and an experienced building team capable of managing an unusually challenging construction environment.
But beyond the complexity was something far more meaningful.
Our clients wanted to preserve the spirit of a home they already loved, while creating something better suited to the way their family would live within it.
An extensive internal renovation reimagined the kitchen, dining and living areas to create a more connected home. The lower cottage was transformed into a family retreat, complete with a rumpus room, kitchenette, bathroom and sauna.
Every space was considered not simply for how it would look upon completion, but for how it would be lived in and enjoyed for years to come.
Because a beautiful home should offer more than something to admire.
It should make room for the life unfolding within it.
“Perhaps the greatest privilege of building is knowing, that we get to honour the life a home has already held, while making space for the generations who will call it theirs”.
~ Taylor Meyerson, Opulent Finishes Director
Preserving what was already there…
Some of the most meaningful elements of the project weren't the new materials arriving on site.
They were the ones already there.
Feature timber from the original home was carefully salvaged, recycled and milled for reuse within the new work.
Rather than losing those materials in the process of renovation, they were given another purpose, allowing something of the home's past to remain part of its future.
It's an approach that reflects something we care deeply about at Opulent Finishes.
Whether we are undertaking a major residential renovation or the restoration of a Sydney heritage home, good building is not always about replacing what exists.
Sometimes the better decision is understanding what deserves to remain.
Taylor Meyerson 2026 Young Builder of the Year Finalist
As proud as we are of our award-winning project, seeing Taylor recognised as a finalist for Master Builders NSW Young Builder of the Year 2026 was something particularly special.
To be considered, young builders are assessed not only on their craftsmanship and safety standards, but on their leadership, business integrity, financial management, client relationships and standing within the industry.
Having started his business in 2017 with a background in carpentry, Taylor has always had a genuine love for the finer elements of building. The precision of finished joinery. The complexity of heritage restoration. The carefully considered details that most people might never consciously notice.
To Taylor, these things matter. Not because someone will necessarily admire them, but because knowing they've been done properly is a reward in itself.
It's a standard he's worked hard to instil in the people around him, believing that exceptional craftsmanship should be shared, taught and carried forward.
But building a business asks much more of a person than technical skill alone.
It means leading people, making difficult decisions, honouring commitments and earning the trust of those who depend on you. Often carrying responsibilities that few people outside the business will ever see.
Taylor is often the first to acknowledge the extraordinary contribution of his team, and the last to seek recognition for himself.
So to see him recognised not simply for what he builds, but for the builder, leader and businessman he has become, makes this achievement all the more meaningful.
And one we're incredibly proud of.
“A complex multi-level project with extremely challenging access requiring the majority of materials to be brought in by barge. The project achieved a very high standard of quality.”
~ Master Builders New South Wales
Award-Winning craftsmanship, rooted in Heritage Restoration…
While our 2026 Master Builders NSW award recognised excellence in residential alterations and additions, the values behind Project Cowan Drive are the same ones that guide our heritage restoration and period home renovation work across Sydney.
At Opulent Finishes, we have a particular appreciation for homes with history.
From Federation and Edwardian residences to Victorian terraces, our work as a Sydney heritage restoration builder is grounded in preserving original craftsmanship while thoughtfully adapting these homes for the people who live within them today.
Working across Sydney's Upper and Lower North Shore, Eastern Suburbs and CBD, our heritage restoration work can encompass original timber windows and doors, detailed joinery, façades, brickwork and repointing, roofing, leadlight glazing, balconies, decorative timberwork and the careful integration of modern services.
But the philosophy behind that work is much simpler.
We believe good heritage restoration is rarely about making the biggest change possible.
It's about making the right changes, so a home can continue its story without losing the qualities that made it worth caring for in the first place.
To have that same respect for what already exists, and care for what a home might still become, recognised through the 2026 Master Builders NSW Excellence in Housing Awards makes this achievement all the more meaningful.
Considering a heritage restoration or period home renovation? Bring the same care, expertise and award-winning craftsmanship to your own home. We'd love to hear what you have in mind.