House Fourie
I have been involved in a number of building projects locally and abroad and I am happy to share some of my experiences with you. First of all your choice of the contractor will be the difference between a relatively painless or an extremely frustrating experience. We have chosen to appoint Tanton Dace as contractor for our building project and I have not regretted this decision for a single day. His broad knowledge base on local building conditions, professionalism, excellent communication skills, reliability and trustworthiness made our building project a rather pleasant experience, something that I am not use to. Although our house, which is currently nearing completion, is rather big and complex I did not appoint a QS. This was the right decision and I saved a lot of money. The decision as to whether or not to use a QS will depend on the specific contractor you appoint. In certain cases I will recommend the use of a QS. If you appoint Tanton this will not be necessary.
One can pose the question as to why our project ran smoothly without the frustrations which one normally experience with building projects? The answer lies in teamwork between the architect, contractor and client. Our house was designed by well known, award winning architects based in Bloemfontein. The one flaw that most architects have is their over emphasis of form, structure and aesthetics and their lack of understanding of function. For example, the initial design of my house was such that the house will receive ample sun from the north during winter, which was great.
The problem is that little provision was made for the very scenic sea view on the south without any balconies to enjoy the view! This was the very reason why I bought the specific stand. We have also changed the design to make provision for protection from the most dominant winds whilst still being able to use the main deck, in this respect Tanton’s inputs was very valuable. His advise on the best materials to use in the very corrosive sea environment, based on his extensive experience was also very helpful. He also made suggestions as where to save money on the project without sacrificing on quality.
For teamwork to be successful their must be good communication and an understanding between the different parties. If the architect wants to enforce his views without being open to consider the recommendations of the contractor or client, the ride will be very bumpy. For great teamwork the different parties should not compete with each other but compliment each other. This was true in our case.
House Honeyball
“We were particularly impressed at Tanton’s attention to detail on our project. He was knowledgeable and the build quality was excellent. Our professional team remarked on numerous occasions that the build would have been more complicated to manage without a builder of Tanton’s calibre. Overall we were very impressed and would not hesitate to use Tanton again if the need arose.
David and Janet Honeyball”
House Briscoe
Hi Tanton now that Anne and I have spent a few months in our new home we wanted to thank you very much for turning a set of plans into our dream house.
The often talked about “ building nightmare” never happened and the whole process was painless.
Well done and a big thank you to you and Jade for a job really well done.
I like to think you started as our contractor and finished as our friend.
Tim and Anne.Tim Briscoe
House Fourie
Tanton Dace built our dream house on the wild side at cape st Francis.
He was magnificent in all respects including being involved in EIAs, liaising with our architect, giving strong yet not overbearing opinions on all issues pertaining to how to build and position with regard to our strong winds and hostile climate.
His workmanship is top class as are his sub contractors. Importantly his costing was spot on with no hidden surprises and his integrity is a huge plus.
Jade,his wife was also an important cog in the business and went out of her way to assist us.
I can recommend Dace construction without reserve.
Philip Fourie
House Schewitz
- I’ve been involved in half a dozen building projects both commercial & residential over the past 6 years – primarily in Port Elizabeth.
- On all of these projects I worked with a PE based QS.
- On the reassurances of a friend who had recently completed a residential home in Cape St Francis with Dace Construction, I opted not to use a QS.
- Fortunately any concerns I might have had were totally unfounded.
- The project was completed within timeframes and with little or no variances on the initial contract price (other than my changes of course) – even with a QS on other projects I expected and paid variances.
- Furthermore, the build quality far exceeded my expectations, having come off the back of the other projects. Both my architect & cabinet maker where impressed with finishes and attention to detail.
- Dace Construction also added value and cost savings by offering suggestions and material changes throughout the project.
- While I was not staying close to site, I managed to attend the majority of the weekly site meetings and found these to be purely a formality, encountering few if any anomalies.
House Muller
Thank you for a hassle-free building experience – we can recommend your professionalism, knowledge and honesty as a building contractor to any prospective client. Your expertise, workmanship and care given to project MULLER was great. Although we were far away from Cape St Francis (Gauteng) we stopped worrying as soon as we realised how competent you were.
Marian Muller
Contact details available on request.
House Smit
Tanton at Dace construction built the main dwelling on our property in Cape St Francis.
Ninety percent of the construction time, we were overseas. It could not have been easy for him. Tanton always kept us up to date on progress. His attention to detail and his constant dedication to our needs and decisions were unparalleled. We are extremely happy with the final product.
His honesty and down to earth approach made the whole process a pleasure. We wish him the best of all the success he deserves. Thank You!
JUSTIN AND CAYLEY SMIT
Cell: 0726985776 or 0827299096
House Stanford
We engaged Dace Construction to renovate our newly purchased house in Cape St Francis. After discussing pricing options and getting a detailed estimate we chose cost plus, mainly because we wanted flexibility to change the scope during the build process. We live in Australia, so all communication was done via email and Skype. Even though we had the distance and different time zones between us, we were kept thoroughly updated on all progress, and any decisions to be made were promptly communicated to us for our action. The estimates provided turned out to be very close to the final costs, and the handover occurred at the time agreed.
We were highly impressed with the quality of the finished product, and would not hesitate to use Dace Construction again.
Paul Stanford and Jacqui Badger
Contact details available on request.
House Gooch/ Davies
Use Dace Construction if you are about to build a new home or alter your existing home and if your priorities are:
• Excellent workmanship and
• Site and labour management
• Keeping to deadlines (despite our weather)
Combined with:
• Integrity
• Trust
• Undue patience and reliability and the
• Ability to explain the whys and wherefores of buildingHaving DACE CONSTRUCTION build my home was a really stress free and wonderfully exciting project.
Lynne Davies
Contact details available on request