An industry-leading, family-run construction firm specialising in delivering stunning new builds, renovations and extensions in the capital, Sugrue Builders celebrates 30 years in business in 2026. To mark this fantastic milestone, Building Ireland interrupted managing director Cormac Sugrue’s busy schedule to offer our most sincere congratulations…
Quality workmanship, client satisfaction and inherent value for money have always been prerequisites at Sugrue Builders – the highly-regarded Portmarnock-headquartered family-owned construction contracting firm that was incorporated as a limited company in May, 1996.
Dan Sugrue was the man who set the company up and it is the values and vision he unequivocally instilled into his self-made business down through the years that still stand as the cornerstones of the Sugrue Builders ethos and approach today.
While there have been ups and downs aplenty along the way, for any independent family business to stand the test of time in an industry as challenging as construction represents a wonderful achievement.
With a magnificent portfolio of residential and commercial projects successfully delivered across three decades and counting, it’s his Dad who Cormac Sugrue thinks of instantly when asked what has been the secret of Sugrue Builders not just surviving but thriving for 30 years and counting:
“It’s great to get to 30 years and I think it’s fair to say that my father has been the key to everything we’ve achieved. Sugrue Builders wouldn’t exist without him. He was the one who set the business up in the first place and he’s the one who set the standards that we have insisted upon unconditionally since the very beginning. He’s still involved in the background and keeps a close eye on things and makes sure we continue to deliver to the level we’re known for.”
The strong work ethic and unswerving can-do attitude Dan instilled into the business are still very much evident under the second generation’s watch and have culminated in an ever-expanding list of satisfied clients
“He was always a very hard-working man and I guess they don’t make them like that anymore,” quips Cormac, who has been part of the family business since 2002 and who channels his father’s old-school emphasis on good old-fashioned hard work, honesty and integrity into ensuring that Sugrue Builders remains one of the go-to contractors in Dublin for the complete range of residential new build, extension and renovation projects, each painstakingly delivered to the most exacting of standards and imbued with the keenest attention to detail.
As versatile and flexible as they are skilled and experienced, Sugrue Builders are comfortable working on projects of any size, value, scope and scale, collaborating strongly with design teams and clients to invariably not just meet but exceed briefs and expectations time and time again.
While luxury, energy-efficient new build homes, extensions and renovations with long-term value locked in are very much the Sugrue Builders bread and butter, Dan, Cormac and the team have also delivered a broad range of bespoke projects locally and across the capital from commercial buildings to GAA clubhouses and physio practices to city apartments.
Without exception, high-end craftsmanship is a constant and that’s why Sugrue Builders’ services remain in big demand in this their 30th-anniversary year:
“When you do good work, that tends to lead to more contracts and we are very busy at the moment, thankfully,” Cormac confirms. “Right now, we have five large projects at various stages of completion and of course you have to give them all your full attention.
“We have one-off new builds in Malahide, Donabate and Balbriggan as well as refurbs in Howth and Clontarf. Plenty of variety in there and we’re really enjoying those projects and looking forward to handing over high-quality homes to our clients.”
Sugrue Builders is very much integrated into the local community and, considering that Dan is originally from Kerry (he worked in both the Kingdom and London before settling in Dublin), it’s no surprise to hear that the conscientious family business has provided invaluable sponsorship to Parnells and Naomh Mearnog GAA clubs as well as Malahide Rugby Club.
Any building project is only ever going to be as good as the men and women who turn up onsite to put in the hard yards and in this regard Cormac and Dan have surrounded themselves with a superb team of tradesmen, both in-house and subbies, who cover all the trades diligently and masterfully, with no stone ever left unturned in the relentless pursuit of perfection.
“We have a large crew and are lucky to have a lot of very good lads – both directly-employed and subbies. We cover a lot of the trades in-house, including a full-time carpentry team and brickies, and we also have apprentices and lads coming through college, who will be important going forward as it’s not easy to get good tradesmen. Having a strong team is massive and we’re definitely very fortunate with the calibre of staff we have here.”
As the 30th anniversary of Sugrue Builders’ genesis as a limited company is ticked off, what are the plans for the future of this stellar, client-focused family business? “Simple really – to keep doing what we are doing,” Cormac concludes. “We’re very happy with where we are at, with the work we’re doing and the clients we’re working for. With the price of materials going up the way it is, it’s very difficult to make plans beyond that, but the approach my father brought to the business has served us well and we won’t be deviating from that.”
Sugrue Builders Ltd.,
Skelligs House,
Carrickhill Road,
Portmarnock,
Dublin 13.
Tel: Tel: 01 846 3554
Mobile: 087 251 2203
Email: [email protected]
Web: sugruebuilders.ie
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, November 2026, Vol 12 No 12
