It is my pleasure to submit a testimonial regarding my experience with P.E. Timber Homes.
My wife and I bought a plot in Jeffrey’s Bay, Eastern Cape in 2007 with the intention of building our future retirement home. We lived in Durban at the time and knew that it would be a challenge undertaking a “long distance” build, particularly as we had no knowledge regarding the pros and cons of Jeffrey’s Bay house builders. We had heard that one must be extremely careful when selecting a builder as there were many stories of “fly by night” builders leaving clients in the lurch.Through enquiries amongst the local community, we were referred to Ian Smit of P.E. Timber Homes. A subsequent on site meeting with Ian during a visit to Jeffreys Bay in 2009 gave us confidence in his honesty and sincerity. The fact that his Company had a long track record building houses in the area, as well as discussions with satisfied clients (the contact details of whom Ian was happy to share) also helped to reinforce our first impression. The building division of the local Municipality also confirmed that P.E. Timber Homes had a good reputation with them.
We commenced the build in February 2010, after having received an acceptable quotation and terms of contract from Ian on our chosen design. Ian attended to all of the required plans and municipal paperwork on our behalf as we were non residents. He kept us informed of progress during the build, often on a daily basis, supplying photos by email, and promptly answered our queries.
We were only able to visit Jeffreys Bay once during the build, at which time we made some changes to the interior layout. Ian accommodated these changes cheerfully and with minimal impact on the budget. Ian’s friendly yet highly professional approach to the build made the process stress free, and allayed the fears which we had had regarding building from a distance. Ian’s on site team was highly competent, and ensured that the house was finished to a high standard. Our neighbours were also very complimentary about the cleanliness of the worksite, and the professionalism of the build team.
We were very pleased with the quality of the build and the level of service we received from P.E. Timber Homes. My wife, in particular, was very grateful for the thoughtful personal touches that Ian added, such as a hair washing hand shower over the bath, and some “tweaks” to the kitchen design which she had mentioned in conversation. Overall, we were very happy with the build, and very relieved that we had made the right choice of builder.
We moved permanently from Durban to Jeffrey’s Bay in mid 2013. We enjoyed six and a half years together in the house, until my wife passed away in December 2019. She often expressed to me that she was very happy with our home, and this was due in no small way to the friendly and efficient manner in which the build was carried out, the follow up service from Ian, and the high quality of the build. I am grateful to Ian, and to P.E. Timber Homes, for helping to make our retirement years together extremely happy. The house has “stood the test of time” and has required only the expected routine maintenance for the past 10 years.
I am willing to provide personal testimony if required to any prospective clients of P.E. Timber Homes.
Barry Campbell
