Based in Ballintubber, Co Roscommon, Slamen Carpentry & Construction Ltd carries out building services to both the public and private sector. Building Ireland touched base with its founder Sean Slamen to discuss everything about the company – from its origins to the projects it has on-going at the minute.
Established in 2015, the company today employs six direct staff with Sean’s wife Elaine looking after its accounts.
As the years have rolled by, Slamen Carpentry & Construction Ltd has evolved from solely concentrating on carpentry and roofing work into delivering high quality construction projects throughout Ireland.
Building Ireland caught up with Sean to learn all about the firm which will be marking an even decade in business next year.
“At the minute, we’re doing mainly renovation and new builds,” outlined the Managing Director. “To give you an example, we’re currently building a beautiful stone faced house in Roscommon town and we’ve just completed a two classroom extension on Roosky National School.
“We try to keep up with new building methods, so we incorporate ICF and passive rafts into our renovation and new builds.”
Sean finished school in 2001 and trained as an apprentice carpenter before taking the decision to go out on his own in 2006.
“We started off as a carpentry company, doing mainly first and second fixing, roofing and all general carpentry,” said Sean.
In the beginning, carpentry work would very much be the business’s bread and butter, but the economic recession of ’08 would change things.
“When the recession kicked in, we branched out into doing general building works alongside the carpentry and we continued to grow the business from there. We worked hard to build the business over the next few years following this.
“To date, we have completed some big projects in Dublin, our biggest being an estate in Blackrock, which included nine luxury houses and six apartments. We also constructed an underground carpark in Ballsbridge under an apartment block, and alongside these projects we carried out building works on several private houses in Dublin.”
Tracing his very own footsteps, Sean has always ensured to have apprentices within the team at Slamen Carpentry & Construction Ltd. “We always have at least two apprentices on the go all the time,” explained the company MD.
He explained that one of them even experienced award success at Dublin’s RDS during 2023.
“We had an apprentice last year that won the World Skills Competition in Roofing in the RDS. His name is Daniel Connolly, Daniel is a naturally gifted carpenter and he has a bright future ahead of him.”
Right now, business is going well and Sean and the team hope to keep it that way.
Trips back and forth to Dublin are now a thing of the past for them, as the company concentrates on projects that are closer to home.
“We’re doing an exciting renovation in Castleplunkett and we’re also doing a lovely playground in Ballintubber village at the minute,” said Sean. “It’ll be a nice project once it’s completed.
“We started a new community centre project in the county this coming March, and that’ll be a big renovation project for us.
“We’ve a brand-new house started in Barrymore in Athlone which is over two levels. It’s a stunning house, very architectural and we look forward to working on this and can’t wait to see the finished project.”
So, the burning question is, what has been the secret behind Slamen Carpentry & Construction Ltd’s success to date?
How has a small carpentry start-up grown into what is now very much a thriving construction business that holds a golden reputation amongst clients?
For Sean, it comes down to several factors but, when the question is put to him, he cites two in particular.
“The main reason is that we thrive to set very high standards. I’d be very particular in my work, especially how it’s finished,” the Roscommon man stated.
“I suppose, I’ve built up a good team around me of both staff and subcontractors. Some of the sub-contractors that we work with have been with us for 10 or 11 years now and they’re great lads, we work well together and they know the standard of work that’s expected from Slamen Construction and they deliver every time.”
At Slamen Carpentry & Construction Ltd, they workclosely with architects, engineers and clients to deliver projects to the highest specification.
It’s a construction firm which is fully aware that its success is dependent upon its quality of service, so it commits to quality in every area of its work.
Looking at the months ahead, Sean is eager to carry on with that commitment of quality to his clients and grow things a little more along the way.
“The hopes are to grow the business even more than what it is. We’ve had some great years the last few years and I hope it continues to grow,” he concluded.
Slamen Carpentry & Construction Ltd
Ballintubber,
Castlerea,
Co Roscommon
Mobile: 086 603 4711
Email: [email protected]
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, June 2024, Vol 10 No 6
Slamen Carpentry & Construction
