From Pride Park inspiration to Construction Director at Casamia Homes

Dan said: “My dad took me to see the stadium being built and I was fascinated by it. I

watched it rise from the ground over its incredibly fast one-year build programme.

“That was where my love of construction began. From then on, I knew I wanted to

build things and pursue a career in the industry.”

It is fitting that Dan is now based at Casamia Homes’ Pride Park headquarters - with

a view of the stadium that first inspired his career!

He has served as the company’s Construction Director since 2022.

Dan began his career in quantity surveying before progressing through several

senior commercial roles, including Commercial Manager and Managing Quantity

Surveyor with Miller Construction and Galliford Try Partnerships.

He was also part of the team at respected regional housebuilder Radleigh Homes,

where he worked alongside Tom Finnegan and several colleagues who eventually

came together again at Casamia.

Throughout his career, Dan has helped to oversee major construction schemes with

contract values of up to £250 million, developing extensive experience in

procurement, commercial management, cost control, project delivery and leading

multidisciplinary teams.

Dan said: “As my career progressed, I became increasingly interested in property

development and housebuilding. My time at Radleigh gave me valuable experience

of regional housebuilding and showed me how rewarding it is to create homes and

developments within the communities we know.

“Having spent time at other developers, I felt the time was right to explore the

opportunity of establishing a development company, so approach Tom who id

worked with at Radleigh. Coincidentally, Danielle and George had also been talking

to Tom about setting something up and so everything seemed to align.

“It was an exciting opportunity to combine our experience across housebuilding and

major commercial construction to create distinctive homes and developments that

we could be genuinely proud of.”

Dan is now responsible for the construction and commercial delivery of Casamia’s

developments. His role encompasses procurement, health and safety, cost

management, design coordination and the management of consultants, contractors

and site teams.

He also brings what he readily admits is a naturally cautious outlook to Casamia’s

boardroom.

Dan said: “I’m probably the pessimist in the office - although I prefer to think of

myself as the realist. In construction, you need somebody who is always asking what

could go wrong, what something will really cost and whether enough time and

contingency have been allowed.

“My role is to test the assumptions, identify risks early and make sure that when we

commit to a development, we properly understand what it will take to deliver it.”

That discipline has become increasingly important during one of the most

challenging periods the housebuilding industry has faced in recent years.

Housebuilders are operating in a difficult sales market while contending with

significant increases in labour and material costs, prolonged planning timescales and

an ever-growing burden of regulation and red tape.

Dan said: “The market is undoubtedly challenging. Build costs have risen at an

unprecedented rate, planning and technical processes are taking longer, and finance

costs can become crippling when a development’s gestation period extends beyond

what was originally anticipated.

“Some businesses are still appraising sites using assumptions that no longer reflect

where build costs are today, let alone where they may be by the time construction

begins. That can quickly turn what appeared to be a profitable development into a

very difficult one.

“For an SME housebuilder, every decision matters. You cannot afford to be naïve

about costs, timescales or risk.”

Casamia believes its size, experience and access to its own funding place the

business in a strong position to respond.

Dan added: “We see the current conditions as an opportunity not simply to survive,

but to thrive.

“As an SME housebuilder, we are agile, closely involved in every detail and in control

of our own finance. That allows us to take a considered, long-term approach without

the same exposure to expensive development funding that can place enormous

pressure on other businesses.

“There will inevitably be companies that fall by the wayside because of crippling

finance costs, extended development periods or a failure to appreciate how far build

costs have risen and continue to rise.

“Our focus is on remaining disciplined, making informed decisions and ensuring that

every scheme is viable before we proceed. We are ambitious, but that ambition is

underpinned by caution, experience and a clear understanding of the numbers.”

The variety of Casamia’s development pipeline is another aspect of the role Dan

particularly enjoys.

He said: “We have an eclectic mix of sites and projects, which makes every day

interesting for the whole team. No two developments are the same, and each

presents different commercial, design and construction challenges.

“Our pipeline includes larger strategic sites that we will bring forward over the longer

term, smaller bespoke schemes where we can give close attention to every detail,

and Casamia Signature Homes, where we work directly with private clients to create

completely individual homes around their requirements.

“That breadth of work keeps us thinking. Whether it is planning a larger

development, delivering a small collection of distinctive homes or creating a one-off

residence, the same focus on quality and careful commercial management applies.”

Dan has played a central role in bringing forward Casamia’s flagship development,

The Firs in Allestree - a private collection of ten individually designed executive

family homes with spacious layouts, high-specification interiors and a wide choice of

finishes.

Casamia is also delivering Black Fir Farm at Dalbury Lees, an exclusive

development of three distinctive contemporary barn-style homes in the Derbyshire

countryside. Further schemes are progressing through planning and pre-

construction.

George Tyler, Land and Sales Director at Casamia Homes, said: “Dan’s experience

has been invaluable as Casamia has grown and taken on increasingly ambitious

developments.

“He combines the commercial discipline gained from delivering major construction

projects with a genuine understanding of regional housebuilding and a passion for

creating exceptional homes.

“Dan calls himself the pessimist in the office, and we often joke about it, but his

ability to interrogate costs, challenge assumptions and anticipate problems is

essential. In this industry, enthusiasm needs to be balanced by commercial reality,

and Dan provides that balance.

“He is also a natural leader who is highly respected by our consultants, contractors

and site teams. He has played a fundamental role in establishing the standards for

which Casamia is becoming known.”

For Dan, seeing The Firs take shape represents another important milestone in a

career that began with that childhood visit to Pride Park.

He added: “The Firs is a very special development, and it has been a privilege to

help bring it together.

“When the scheme is complete, I will be able to stand back and know that I played

my part in creating something distinctive and lasting. That will be an incredibly proud

moment.”

To find out more about Casamia Homes, arrange a viewing or speak with the sales

team, contact Casamia Homes on 01332 498695 or

email sales@casamiahomes.co.uk, or visit www.casamiahomes.co.uk.