2 | Dado Homes Based in South Australia, Dado Homes is a fastgrowing independent builder committed to combining quality, affordability, and customer service in one convenient package. Their highly skilled team of designers, architects and contractors are capable of bringing any project to life – right from the initial concept stage through to final handover. “We take our clients very seriously, and we take our quality very seriously,” says Stefano Draca, Assistant Manager at the company. Dado Homes was founded by in the mid-90s by Stefano’s father Predrag, who migrated from Europe to South Australia “looking for a new beginning in a land full of opportunity.” Prior to starting his own company, Predrag had worked in the building industry for many years in several different positions. When he founded Dado Homes, it was a single-man operation. He took care of all aspects of the building process – from
Dado Homes | 3 the paperwork to the tiling and landscaping. “He did everything he could do himself to make sure the quality was at a high standard, and the price was affordable,” Stefano explains. “He had a passion for building and was determined to deliver quality homes to clients.” At the same time, Predrag was equally determined to deliver a high level of customer service. According to Stefano, he strived to have “faceto-face personal contact, and make a connection with everyone that walked through the front door.” In the years since, DadoHomes has grown and evolved. They have incorporated modern house designs, adopted new materials and methods of construction and planning, and added more dedicated and talented employees to their team – but they have never deviated from Predrag’s founding principles. As a company, Dado Homes still pride them-
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Dado Homes | 5 selves on their attention to detail, they still strive to keep the price of building affordable, and they still consider communication with clients a key factor in the fabric of the business. “The face-to-face time with clients has not changed,” Stefano says. “Predrag still takes it upon himself to sit down with every client and go through their project from start-to-finish, and he’s always available for a chat.” SATISFYING CUSTOMERS At Dado Homes, customers are seen as “the fire that fuels the business.” Accordingly, they are treated with care and respect at every step of the process. “From the minute a potential client walks through our doors, we have an obligation to make them feel important,” Stefano explains. “Without clients there is no business, and without business there is no Dado Homes – so we take looking after our clients very seriously and try our best to keep them happy.” A big part of keeping client’s happy, Stefano explains, is by keeping the lines of communication open. If clients have any questions, queries or concerns about their project or the company, both Stefano and his father are always available to address them. As a company, Dado Homes also goes out of their way to keep clients informed throughout the build – they know that building a new home can be a stressful process, so they do everything in their power to help put their client’s minds at ease. “We send regular updates via e-mail and phone calls to make clients as if they were running their We would like to congratulate Dado Homes on winning the HIA South Australian Project Home of the Year 2012
6 | Dado Homes own project,” Stefano says. “At no point should our client feel like they are in the dark or are unaware of what is going on.” Dado Homes’ relationship with clients extends past the handover of their dwelling. As a company, they recognise that moving into a new house can also be a difficult process, so they aim to make it as easy as possible for clients by helping them out where they can. “Even for questions as simple as how to work the oven or dishwasher in their new house – we are always here to help,” Stefano says. THE PERFECT MIX Dado Homes’ commitment to quality and customer satisfaction has not gone unrewarded in the industry. Over the years, those qualities have earned the business a lot of positive word-of-
Dado Homes | 7 mouth and repeat work – when combined, Stefano estimates that those streams account for 80 per cent of the company’s business. “Nothing makes up happier than having a new potential client coming in and telling us they have heard many good things about Dado Homes,” he says. Dado Homes’ quality commitment has also earned them recognition from the HIA, who recently named one of their houses the South Australian Project Home of the Year. According to Stefano, that accolade means more to them “than words can describe.” “How do people feel when they win a gold medal at the Olympics?” he asks. “It was our first housing award and there was some stiff competition from the bigger SA building companies – but we came out on top.” “Everyone here at Dado Homes was overjoyed at the result,” he adds. “All the hard work over the years paid off, and a stepping stone was laid down to create a positive path into the future.The award not only showed that Dado Homes is a progressive building company, but it showed that even a smaller company can achieve big things with some hard work and dedication.”
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Dado Homes | 9 The award-winning project was a two-storey home built on a challenging site. According to the HIA judges, the home displayed “workmanship and innovation in the highest order.” Stefano credits the achievement to the hard work of the Dado Homes team, including their subcontractors – many of whom they have worked with since the very beginning of the company. “We had just the right mixture of everything to create something outstanding,” he says. “Like anything in life – whether it be baking a cake or playing golf – the right combination of ingredients and factors comes into play.” “When you find that perfect mix you stick to it,” he adds. “From there, you can only improve.” ALWAYS IMPROVING Moving forward, that is exactly what Dado Homes wants to do – improve, and not necessarily expand. They currently work in most metropolitan areas of South Australia, and are satisfied with their project load. “We’re very happy with the volume of work that is coming in,” Stefano says. “We could consider taking on more in the future, but for now we’d like to keep things the way they are so we can supply consistent quality and communication to clients.” The company’s main goal for the future, Stefano says, is to modernise. They want to develop and refine new construction techniques and systems in order to make their building process more efficient. They want to investigate methods for keeping building times down, but while still improving their level of workmanship – all of which will benefit their customers. “At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about,” Stefano concludes. “Our clients always come first.”
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