The Danco Story
Danco Homes has been providing custom home building in central Washington for 4 generations.
Call us today to discuss your next project or check out the floorplans available in our newest development.
PO Box 1051
Moses Lake, WA
Call 509-760-2837
Dan Ferguson wasn’t actually born with a hammer in his hand, but he might as well have been. A fourth-generation builder, Dan is responsible for quite a few of the high-quality houses that have been springing up all over the Basin.
Dan began to learn his trade as a little boy, watching his father, Dennis, build homes and apartment complexes in the Seattle area under the name Mr. Build Total Construction. But in the early 80s, Dan got a chance to learn a different lifestyle when his parents bought a farm near Royal City.
For four years, the Fergusons grew peaches, apricots, and alfalfa as well as raised cows. During that time, Dan’s work ethic evolved, as he found earning money after school more satisfying than playing sports or activities. In 1987, the family moved to Moses Lake, and in 1990, Dan graduated from Moses Lake High School.
After graduation, Dan headed off into the Navy. By the time he got out, the family had moved back to Seattle. There Dan found himself smitten with a Puyallup girl named Jeanette.“She was beautiful,” says Dan. “She was driven and ambitious.”
“I kept coming back to construction,” Dan says. “I loved it, and I knew that if I decided to do this, I could go to my father for advice.” But it wouldn’t be in Seattle. Dan was “sick of the rain” and “sick of the traffic.” His old high school stomping ground, Moses Lake, was the answer.“I love it here,” Dan says. “I love the weather. I love the lake, being close to recreation areas.”
With a contractor’s license he obtained in November of 1993, Dan moved to Moses Lake in the spring of 1994, with Jeanette to follow after they were married. Work was waiting for him when he arrived. Dennis had bought a piece of land at Fourth and A Streets and he wanted two four-plexes built. With Dan returning to Moses Lake, the situation worked out perfectly for both of them.
While Dan amassed construction experience with the multi-family units, Dennis found himself missing Eastern Washington as well, and the elder Fergusons moved over the mountains. Dennis started working in concert with Dave Dinges, a local realtor, and it didn’t take long before Dan was, too.
Dave was well skilled in the ins and outs of real estate and financing, an area that Dan hadn’t much to do with so far. Dave’s history as a computer guru, boat dealer and auto body shop owner had left him with an uncanny ability to learn a business from scratch and make it a worthwhile venture. Fro Dave and Dan’s father, Dan learned to thread the mazes of home sales and financing.
For Dan, building a home was a challenge when he started. As time went on new challenges presented themselves, such as company growth and development of subdivisions. That’s where Dave came in. Dan and Dave finished at Desert Highlands, where Dan built 20 homes. They were also involved in a multi-home project at Sancastle IV which is in the Pelican Point area.
The company’s mission statement, in part, states: At Danco Homes we believe that after a home is contracted, integrity means standing behind our product. Our vision at Danco Homes is to continue fulfilling our customers’ dreams for years to come.”
To that end, Dan says, the company has never come back to a customer with added costs after a deal has been made. Even if it cost the company, Dan has always put his word ahead of the bottom line. “We’ve never had a contract dispute,” says Dan. That is important, Dan says, because it’s by word-of-mouth that he gets most of his business. Negative word-of-mouth would be bad for business.
“I have been working with Dan and Jeanette for many years and have been proud to present the quality of work they do,” says Dave Dinges.
Also important is the company Danco Homes keeps. Dan says he’s been building relationships for years with the most qualified vendors and subcontractors in the region. He deals mostly with subcontractors to ensure a good final product.
Danco has come a long way over the years. Today, Dan and Jeanette are more likely to be found in the office than out on the job site. Dan is key busy looking for new and better products, resolving shortage issues, and other desk work. Jeanette works the books and takes care of the rental properties, although she can still pound a nail with the best of them when the opportunity arises.
Still, Dan and Jeanette haven’t forgotten what the root of their business is. “Most of the time I’m on the phone,” says Dan, “but when I get a chance to get out there and swing a hammer myself, I still love it.”