The Merlin Custom Home Builders Team
“Our exceptional team is the reason we can make your dream home a reality.”
– Bart and Steve Jones
The Merlin Custom Home Builders team provides an extraordinary level of personal service – the kind that is expected and appreciated by our unique clientele. When someone engages Merlin Custom Home Builders to build a home, they are treated professionally and respectfully every step of the way. We do everything in our power to ensure the project unfolds smoothly and that the experience is as positive, exciting and stress free as possible.

Mike Alton
Mike is a competent and seasoned professional with a strong record of achievement in providing the necessary construction management and personnel motivation expertise to ensure streamlined operations, customer satisfaction and increased productivity. Mike is a native Las Vegan who’s passionate about construction and being able to build with his hands. Mike has the insight to read building plans and construct homes inside his head to project future problems or areas that may need to be looked into further.

Lloyd Hook
Lloyd moved to Las Vegas in September 2005 from Kansas City to be with his wife’s family. His background is in windows and doors which he began building and installing for eight years prior to moving to Las Vegas. Once here, Lloyd was employed as a homeowner technician for a window and door company for a year and half. He then went to work for another company as a service manager and lead technician/installation supervisor. While Lloyd was working for this company, he was onsite supervising the windows and doors installation for a large Merlin Custom Home Builders project. Merlin Custom Home Builders saw potential in his supervisory skills and his window and door knowledge and he was soon hired. Lloyd was excited to be a part of the Merlin Custom Home Builders team where he could further his construction knowledge and be a part of an amazing company.

Oscar Nuno
Oscar moved to the United States in his early twenties, from Guadalajara Jalisco, Mexico, where his family was in the construction industry. He originally came to work with his brother in the jewelry business, but soon realized he enjoyed working in construction. Oscar moved to Las Vegas in 2001 and was employed by Merlin Custom Home Builders. He is an invaluable employee and provides many skills, such as framing, concrete and carpentry. Oscar is married with a daughter and son. His family enjoys family outings to California and Utah, where they go fishing and hunting.

John Grimes
John moved to Las Vegas in September 2018 from Seattle to be closer to family. He started his career in construction in Arizona in 1981 after completing a four-year enlistment with the US Air Force. He started by stocking sheet rock into new homes that lead to hanging and taping, finish carpentry and cabinets, stone and tile, framing, concrete and site work. 20 years later, he became “hands on” proficient with most of the trades disciplines and began contracting remodels.
January 2001, he moved his family to Seattle to pursue better opportunities. He worked as a superintendent for 17 years in the greater Seattle area including Sand Point, Queen Anne, Medina, Yarrow Point, Lopez Island, Union, Gig Harbor and two remote projects in Hawaii.
John has been associated with many luxury builds in his career. One project of particular pride to John is a home in Kona, Hawaii on which he served as project superintendent. That home, which John describes as “an amazing work of art requiring a lot of forethought and care to bring to completion,” was featured in Architectural Digest in January 2018.
John is excited about being a part of the Merlin team and looks forward to continuing to build custom homes while sharing his knowledge and experiences with his new construction family.

Mario Noriega
Mario Noriega joined Merlin after retiring from a successful career in Public Safety. Upon retirement he revisited his passion for building construction and joined Merlin as a Construction Superintendent. In this role, he coordinates all site activities and construction personnel in order to ensure that custom home projects are completed on time and according to plan. Mario’s fondness for architecture began in high school when he was awarded a scholarship for best residential home design by the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association (SNHBA). After high school, he worked for several local architects in the Las Vegas valley before pursuing a career in Public Safety. When not at work, Mario enjoys overland exploring to remote locations in the desert southwest, searching for Native American petroglyphs to photograph.

Nate Ballard
Nate is a native Las Vegan who joined Merlin Custom Home Builders Contracting in August 2013. He studied Business Management at the University of Nevada, Reno. Nate brings to the job 15 years of management experience and an eye for quality and perfection. He enjoys working with his hands and watching how the project progresses from start to finish, making him a perfect fit for Merlin Custom Home Builders Contracting. Nate enjoys riding dirt bikes in Mesquite on the weekends.

Limon Annis
Limon grew up on a ranch in Wyoming. He moved to Las Vegas in 1983 and worked in the construction industry building cabinetry, framing, millwork and more. You name it, Limon is your guy to build anything you dream up. Merlin Custom Home Builders hired him in 1995 and he has been an incredible asset to the company ever since. When he is not working, Limon spends time with his wife on his ranch outside of Searchlight, Nevada.

Robert Brown, Sr.
Robert has over 25 years of experience in the construction industry including the last 12 years with Merlin Custom Home Builders Contracting. He is responsible for estimating and managing the estimating staff, project management, scheduling, reviewing product selections to ensure they fit within the project budgets, and various other financial aspects at the critical starting phase of Merlin Custom Home Builders’s custom homes and remodels and throughout the construction process. He also assists the Superintendents in locating unique materials, coordinating multiple-trade mobilization, providing cost analyses for unique field conditions and estimating additional work authorizations. Over the past 12 years, he has estimated a wide variety of projects, some of which include: * A 30,000SF Old World French Estate in Southern Highlands Estates with six buildings on 3 acres. This unique home totaled approx. $20,000,000 with much of the materials imported from France. * A Modern 9,500 SF custom home in the Ridges totaling approx. $7,000,000. * An ultra-modern 5,000 SF custom home in the Ridges at approx. $3,000,000. * An Old World 10,000 SF home on the shore of Lake Las Vegas at approximately $8,000,000. * A Modern 8,700SF home with a 5,500SF garage overlooking Red Rock Canyon from Spanish Hills totaling $6,700,000. * Multiple highrise condominium build-outs and remodels throughout the Las Vegas Valley, ranging from 1,500SF to 17,600SF and ranging from $250,000-$15,000,000.

Sara Eisert
Sara is originally from Southern Minnesota and moved to Las Vegas in 2003. She has owned and managed a variety of services and retail business. Sara joined the Merlin Custom Home Builders team in April 2011 and, in addition to her work life, enjoys traveling, recreational hiking and spending time with family, friends and three cats.

Juliann Wilton
Juliann joined Merlin Custom Home Builders Contracting in January of 2018. She brings with her 13 years of experience in the commercial construction industry. Some of her key projects include Wynn Las Vegas, Encore, and City Center. In her current role as Project Coordinator, she works closely with superintendents and clients. She reviews proposals, issues contracts and change orders, sends weekly client updates and issues weekly invoicing to the client.
Outside of the office, she enjoys spending time outdoors and volunteering to worthy causes in the Vegas Valley. In the evenings, you can often find her at The Smith Center for the performing arts, taking in the sights and sounds of a live performance.

Ashley Dowling
Ashley Dowling has more than 8 years of experience on the local construction scene, moving to Las Vegas from Northern California in 2014 to work in commercial construction. She brings that construction experience to the custom residential market for her role as Project Coordinator at Merlin. In this role, Ashley is responsible for supporting the project management team in coordinating project tasks and identifying resources that contribute to the success of the project. She works closely with Merlin’s clients and superintendents reviewing proposals, issuing contracts and change orders, assisting with submittal packages, sending weekly client updates, and issuing weekly invoices to clients. When she’s not working, she enjoys live music, sporting events, and spending quality time with her family and friends.

Marta Martinez
When she’s not working, Marta loves to spend time in nature. Whether she is toiling in her garden or traveling to see new places, she loves to be outdoors. She also enjoys spending time with her family.

Fernanda Meraz
Outside of the office, Fernanda enjoys traveling, hiking with her dog, playing softball, attending concerts, and spending quality time with family and friends.