Donegal Developments Ltd

Article appeared in the Cyprus Times 13/07/08

After last week writing about the bad light a certain developer puts the construction industry in here, I met an English builder who is trying to do his bit to improve things, not only by building to a high standard and not accepting compromise but he is also planning to put together some kind of Trade Association for builders and developers who produce a product that they are proud of, within acceptable time limits and within budget, with no hidden extras and no compromise.

This builder is proud of the product he produces and he is also one of the recent NC Property Award Winners. Having now seen the quality of his construction then he was a worthy winner but in my opinion the Award is devalued somewhat when a bad builder like the one I wrote about in my article last week was also a winner.

Because there is more to the buying experience here than just one showcase development they can trade on - people expect the quality they have paid for, the property to be handed over within the time period they were told, and responses from the company when they have concerns on any issues.

One of my clients says he has over 50 unanswered emails which he has sent to the company I wrote about last week and he goes on to say that the level of help he has received over the period of three years is zero and the whole company has shown to him that they are unworthy of his trust in any shape or form by both their actions and in most cases their total lack of action. He also told me I was welcome to quote him on this.

So I found it a breath of fresh air meeting Kevin Moane, a director of Donegal Developments Limited, who won the ‘Gold Award for Best Luxury Villa’. I learned from Kevin that in entering the competition he had to present to the team of judges a portfolio of projects undertaken, in addition of course to letting the judges have a more detailed inspection of the property he had entered. Whilst his building projects are relatively new to the island he was able to produce testimonials from satisfied U.K. customers, with such things being said about his British workmanship:

‘I would fully recommend and endorse Donegal Developments as a professional, innovative and creative company that has produced for me and my family a high quality and modern home’

Another testimonial in respect of his construction works in Northern Cyprus stated:

‘I would recommend KM, he is 100% trustworthy. We were recommended to Kevin by a friend and his reputation is why we bought in North Cyprus. His work is finished to a high standard. We are very pleased with our apartment and have recommended Kevin to many of our friends who have also bought from him’

If all the builders here were to strive to receive accolades like that then the property industry here would be cleaned up in no time. This would in turn increase confidence in the buying process here.

It was interesting looking around the prize-winning property where the artisans used were companies here I both know and respect. The carpentry company is one that has made a lot of the furniture in my own home. The kitchen company is one I successfully used on a client’s refurbishment, as is the marble company. So it was good to see that no corners were cut and it proved that quality of construction can be provided here without making lame excuses like ‘it is impossible to find proper skilled workmen here’. They are here - you just have to find them!

Donegal Developments is the first developer in Northern Cyprus to be registered with The Federation of Master Builders in the U.K. They have had many years in the construction industry in the U.K. building quality houses for happy customers under the watchful eye of The Federation, and they felt it was about time that customers in Northern Cyprus were given the same confidence and peace of mind while having their dream holiday homes built.

Kevin has a lot of respect for The Federation of Master Builders, and to become a member he had to sign The Federation’s Declaration of Policy ‘to promote excellence in the construction of buildings and just and honourable practice in the conduct of business and to suppress malpractice’. Well isn’t that what we all want from builders here? Perhaps we ought to have a Federation in Northern Cyprus and I concur with Kevin that we definitely need one, foreign purchasers, and particularly British purchasers, could then recognise and find a trustworthy and honest builder from the list of members. That way I wouldn’t be getting emails from clients like the ones I have received today:

‘we are very worried, I rang (the company representative) yesterday and explained that there has been no building progress for around eight weeks and what was going on, as usual she said she would have to get in touch with (the company director) and would ring back, at the time of writing we have not heard anything’

‘in your professional opinion is this the normal standard of finish in this instance or is it basically £55,000 you get what you pay for? Or are Turkish builders indeed crap?’

Kevin would be keen to see a branch of The Federation of Master Builders set up here, although this will require a lot of work and will need to be set up in cooperation with the existing construction chambers here.

He is investigating how a British Federation could be set up and I have offered him my support as I would like to see this idea get off the ground. I am thinking there are estate agents here that wish to portray themselves as being different from the average and are proud to say they are members of The National Association of Estate Agents, so why can’t we have the same for builders? Let’s wait and see.