Edwards Brothers Conservation & Restoration’s aim is to provide an exceptional and first class service to their customers. They are a family business of five brothers forming a core of highly motivated specialists combining their knowledge of traditional building methods with modern management techniques.
Adare Manor, one of Ireland’s most renowned resort hotels, is set to reopen its doors in September 2017 after an 18-month refurbishment.
The expansion includes a new 42-bedroom wing, bringing the total room count to 104 guest rooms including the existing Manor House accommodations. An expansive ballroom has also been added, with capacity for 350 guests for weddings and special events.
Both structures are clad in limestone, a tribute to the detail of the original Manor House.
The specialist services of Edwards Brothers were utilised during the renovation work. Experts when it comes to the sympathetic restoration or conservation of historic buildings, monuments and period homes, the Dublin-based company has developed a reputation that is the envy of many of their competitors.
A Tudor Revival country house begun in 1832, with a wealth of stone detail including oriel and mullioned windows, door surrounds, decorative chimneys, frieze, carved sculptural work, and stone polychromy, Edwards Brothers’ work included facade cleaning, stone repairs and repointing.
All cleaning was targeted, using biological cleaning, steam cleaning and specialist chemical cleaning where appropriate.
Stone repairs were executed using salvaged limestone from Adare Manor estate, and new limestone finished to match the existing stone.
Edwards Brothers undertook careful recording to inform taking down and rebuilding vulnerable elements such as the stone chimneys and castellations. Their pieced-in stone repairs reinstated lost detail such as decorative hood mouldings as well as delicate repairs to damaged sections of mouldings and other architectural stonework.
Edwards Brothers provide specialist stone masonry, metal-smith, brick masonry and carpentry expertise backed by full-time office and administrative staff. Their firm also draws on a wider network of professional and craft skills to meet specific project needs.
The range of services they provide their clients includes facade cleaning, stone restoration, brick restoration, roof restoration, repointing and lime rendering and plastering.
Although only set up four years ago, the Edwards family has wasted no time in piecing together an impressive project portfolio that also includes Richmond Barracks, Dublin; ‘Old Abbey’ of Saint Mary D’Urso, Drogheda and landmark Georgian buildings at 51 North Great Georges Street and Baggot Street in Dublin.
They have also completed work on Ashford Castle which was very much the centre of attention back in April as the venue of choice for the nuptials of world number two golfer Rory McIlroy and his fiance Erica Stoll.
On top of all that, Edwards Brothers offer a complete building service, operating throughout the country for new build and refurbishment.
“We pride ourselves on the quality of our work and we always deliver on programme,” stated Gerard Edwards, a qualified stonemason by trade, who established the company in 2013.
“Conservation and restoration is a niche market and attention to detail is second nature to us. This year we are going to be concentrating a lot more on main contracting work, direct with private clients.”
Regular viewers of RTE’s ‘Room to Improve’ programme got to see first hand what Gerard and his team of 20 employees bring to the table.
They were the main contractors in episode five of the last series of Dermot Bannon’s hugely popular show where they helped teacher Celine and sound engineer Dave move in to a farmhouse once owned by her grandparents at Kildalkey village in County Meath.
Retaining the charm and character of the old place was a major concern for the whole family so architect Dermot designed a single story extension within the footprint of a cow barn attached to the gable wall and the Edwards Brothers brought his plans to fruition.
“We’ve another project coming up in the new series,” Gerard revealed and he added that it’s exciting times for the burgeoning business. “The construction industry in Ireland appears to have turned a corner and the cranes are back up in Dublin city.
“There is a big challenge, however, and that is the lack of skilled tradesmen in the market place. That’s a struggle for every company starting up now and something that we all have to deal with over the next couple of years at least.”
Edwards Brothers Ltd
31 Drynam Crescent
Drynam Hall
Kinsealy
Co. Dublin
Tel: +353 (0)1 4303670
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.ebb.ie
Taken from Building Ireland Magazine, August 2017, Vol 3 No 7
