Construction Director Dan Taylor was just 12 years old when a visit to see Derby County’s new Pride Park stadium taking shape sparked his interest in construction.
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.
