Features

Carrying on the family tradition

5 Feb , 2021  

Donegal based John O’Donnell Construction Ltd has been supplying an efficient, highly skilled and experienced service to a large customer base for many, many years.

This family run business which has over 50 years’ experience is headquartered in Ballybofey and carries out the majority of their work within the county borders.

John O Donnell Construction have amassed a level of skill, expertise and capability that is deployed in full for every project they are involved in.

“Our team is highly trained and experienced in all aspects of the construction, engineering, management, financial and safety disciplines. We are renowned for the experience and expertise we offer on all projects, providing the highest standards of workmanship and completing all projects on time and within budget,” said Managing Director Paul O’Donnell.

Paul learned the skills of the trade from his late father John who had amassed decades of experience in the building industry, before his untimely passing in 2013.

“Client satisfaction was always something that my father focused on and we have carried on that ethos with quality and safety other key areas that demand a huge amount of attention.”

John O’Donnell Construction Ltd provide a full range of services in the construction industry which includes, foundations, shuttering, block laying, plastering, roofing, 1st and 2nd fixing, flooring, kitchens and wardrobes, cladding and decking.

“We can turn our hand to a variety of different jobs from new builds to extensions, domestic and commercial, we take on all types of work and through this we have gained invaluable experience.”

Planning is a key element on all projects as Paul revealed that attention to detail is crucial in ensuring that a job is completed to the highest standard possible.

“Everything is planned from the start and through working closely with the client, we can achieve our targets on time and within the budget. We would have a lot of repeat customers who we work for on a regular basis and I think this is a testament of the good work that we do for our clients.”

John O’Donnell Construction Ltd are currently working on a 26-house social housing scheme in Donegal town, while the also carry out work for state bodies like the HSE and ETB.

“We have worked on hospitals and schools. Our ability to be able to diversify has stood us well over the years and has enabled us to keep busy.”

Of course, to maintain such a high standard of work, the company depends on a highly skilled workforce to carry out their duties and Paul admitted that they were fortunate on this front.

“They are 18 employed here, many of who have been with us years, some in excess of 30 years, and have massive experienced in the industry, without them, we wouldn’t have had the success that we have had.

“We would also use a number of trusted sub-contractors that have been with us for years also. They know the standards that we expect from them and we know that they can deliver on those standards every time.”

As mentioned, health and safety is a major focus for the business and Paul revealed that this area is continually worked on a daily basis.

“Health and Safety is something that we take very seriously, the safety of our workers is paramount and the safety of anyone that is on site. We use a company called Safe Tech who do regular inspections and ensure that all our paperwork is up to date. There are Covid-19 regulations in place now and they are being adhered too. This can slow a job down as there are only so many workers allowed in the one area, but it is necessary and looks set to be in place for the foreseeable future.”

Speaking of the future, Paul is hopeful that they will continue to be busy, but feels that there is one situation that could cause a few issues.

“Brexit could possibly cause a few issues, it is hard to know at this stage what will happen with it, we will just have to wait and see. Hopefully, it won’t have any impact on our business.

“We are busy enough at the moment and we have enough work for the remainder of the year so that is a good way to be. We are always tendering for new work, while we have four or five clients that we do regular work for, so we are in a good position at the moment. The business has come through a few recessions down through the years and when I took over in 2013 after my father passed away, it wasn’t easy, but we are still going today and I’m confident that our reputation will allow us a successfully tender for work in the future.”

Contact Details:

John O’Donnell Construction Ltd

Curraghamone

Ballybofey,

Donegal              

Tel: (074) 91 31370

email: [email protected]

This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, September/October, Vol 6 No 5