Don attended Robert Morris Junior College for an associate of business, and then attended Triangle school of Civil Engineering, Design and Drafting. Almost 35 years of professional life have been devoted to civil and structural engineering and design projects from single family residences to Nuclear power generating facilities. Don has been directly involved in the design drafting and surveying of many of the residential subdivisions we know today. Don has been project construction manager for several local county projects working on behalf of the contractors.
Don brought with him to Martin County his wife Charlene of 46 years and his daughter who attended the first Palm City Elementary School, Stuart Middle and is a Graduate of Martin County high and the University of Florida, with a degree in finance. Following after her father, she is now a state certified contractor and inspector running operations in Orlando, Florida along with raising his two grand-daughters and spending what free time she has with her husband who is an attorney.
Over the years Don and his family have enjoyed Florida for what Florida is, the outdoors. Don is an accomplished SCUBA dive having attained the level of Master Instructor and a licensed boat captain, certified by the United States Coast Guard as an Ocean Operator being able to operate passenger vessels up to 100 tons.
Aside from SCUBA and boating Don and Charlene are accomplished horse people owners of, Paso Fino horses and sporting dogs have been an important part of the Castagnero family for many years. With more and more development open land for this type of activity is greatly reduced.
Why incorporate DC Inspections Inc? Unlike many other people in similar businesses, the motive behind being an inspector and forming the inspection company, Dc Inspections Inc, was not to create a job but was an evolution. The evolution came from being asked by realtors or acquaintances to look over a residential or commercial building as a favor and provide an opinion. This was fine but not demanding enough to leave engineering / construction or the building / facilities management business.
The real push came about ten years ago when Don’s daughter and her husband purchased a home in central Florida. The purchase was made without asking dad to look it over because dad is many times to out spoken or blunt. The home was only one year old and was built by the owner occupant. Six months after moving in, Don’s wife asked Don if he would take time to look at some problems with his daughter’s home. A problem wasn’t the word and the initial investigation could not reveal what we were unable to see. No recourse to the sellers, they were gone and divorced, and the money was gone. Add to the complications the county could not find records, drawings, inspection reports etc.
The only choices were to walk away or roll up our sleeves and attack this problem riddled home head on. Out came the drawing board and construction equipment and seven years of weekends and holidays with limited use of outside sub contractors. Now what was once a disaster is a show place in which they still live in today.
To help others avoid a similar nightmare became and still is the primary mission of DC Inspections Inc.
