DKC Carpentry & Construction is synonymous with the consistent delivery of exceptional homes in County Galway. Although he only turned his hand to new builds in 2018, founder/proprietor Damian Kelly has worked in construction for over a quarter of a century. As a carpenter by trade, he has the keenest eye for detail…
The fantastic portfolio of stunning new homes built in the countryside by DKC Carpentry & Construction to the east and south of Galway city over the past seven years and counting – from Loughrea to Oranmore, Gort to Clarinbridge and New Inn to Kilcolgan – stands as a lasting testament to the exacting levels of attention to detail and painstaking craftsmanship invested into every project from start to finish.
DKC specialises in bespoke new builds and extensions / refurbishments, and Damian has earned his reputation as an industry-leading carpenter / builder by invariably achieving the highest possible levels of client satisfaction. When Building Ireland touched base with the Galway contractor to briefly interrupt his busy schedule, he was working on five new builds of various sizes and a couple of extensions for good measure.
With no stone being left unturned in the relentless pursuit of building excellent, the new builds at Kilchreest, Craughwell, Kiltullagh, and New Inn are at various stages of completion and DKC’s services remain in big demand as the business continues to go from strength to strength.
“We’re very thorough and conscious of always doing good work,” Damian confirms. “Homes are a massive investment. When people are prepared to trust you enough to give you their hard-earned money to provide a service, then you like to give them a good finished product. That’s the least you can do and I also make sure to maintain good relationships with all my clients from start to finish of the project, and even afterwards. It’s so important to get on with people, and to look after them.”
Focused predominantly on the organisational side of the business these days, Damian always makes sure he has the most experienced and skilled trades onsite to craft high-end homes that look and perform brilliantly whilst offering unbeatable value over the lifetime of the building itself.
“It’s expensive for everybody today, not just for the client but for the builders as well,” he notes. “Costs are incredibly high and there is no value in money anymore. So, if anything, quality is more important than ever. We take great pride in the standard of our work and it’s always nice to look at the finished product and feel confident that you have given it everything and couldn’t have done any better.
“We get all our work from the quality of previous projects and through word of mouth as well as recommendations from engineers and architects. When you do good work, then that’s the best advertising of all.”
Since completing its first new build home in Kilcolgan in 2018, DKC has steadily become a byword for residential construction excellence. For more than 20 years before that, Damian had made his name as a carpenter of choice in the local area. Since switching focus from carpentry to main contracting, the business has grown organically from humble beginnings to become one of rural Galway’s premier one-off new home builders.
Considering the level of demand for his services, further growth is definitely an option, but going forward Damian will prioritise maintaining the all-important personal touch that DKC Carpentry & Construction is known for far and wide:
“The business has grown and that’s great. My wife gave up her job a couple of years ago to come here and run the office and that has been a massive help to me. We’re busy, the phone is ringing, but I don’t know if I’d want to grow much more, to be honest. Of course, you always hope to improve your standards and to make the business better. We’ll certainly always be looking at that, but I think we’re at a good size now, with a volume of work we can maintain without sacrificing quality.”
DKC Carpentry & Construction was established in July, 2009, Damian having spent more than a decade in the industry prior to going out on his own: “I finished school in 1997/98 and served my time as a carpenter,” he reflects. “I was lucky in that even through the bad times I always managed to stay busy.
“It was pretty much all carpentry in the early days but I’ve been focused more on building since ’18, moving more and more into that. At one stage, I had a crew of up to nine or ten carpenters working for me.”
Direct employees today include four highly-skilled carpenters as well as groundworkers and foremen, with all other trades subbed in. To maintain continuity and quality, Damian has a policy of using the same tried and trusted subcontractors time and time again. The Galway man is acutely cognisant of the importance of surrounding himself with good people:
“We’re doing a nice mix of new builds and extensions, as well as the occasional renovation. All the work is in our own area, close to home and we try to avoid the towns. The projects tend to be in the country.
“I’ll always be very particular and thorough when it comes to doing good work. We aim for a high-end finish every time and our clients are always happy.
“You are only as good as your workers and I’m very fortunate to have some excellent people working for me too, in fairness – both directly and indirectly,” the man behind DKC Carpentry & Construction concludes. “I use the same crew of subbies all the time and I value the great work they do. They are all local, all skilled and dependable tradesmen and they never let me down.”
DKC Carpentry & Construction Ltd.,
Castledaly,
Peterswell,
County Galway.
Tel: 086 8877161
Email: [email protected]
Web: dkcconstruction.ie
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, June 2025, Vol 11 No 6
