Based in Thurles Co Tipperary, Bobby Farrell & Sons Painting Contractors have extensive experience in both commercial and residential painting and decorating. Rob Farrell took some time to tell Building Ireland all about the company recently.
Set-up in 1989, Bobby Farrell & Sons Painting Contractors has been renowned as a successful family orientated business in North Tipperary which is willing to undertake projects anywhere in Ireland.
The Thurles-based company employs 15 staff, including its 63-year-old namesake founder, his sons Evan, Rob and Steven, and Evan’s wife Gemma, who have helped to gear the business towards more commercial projects in recent years.
Rob has been part of his father’s company for 18 years now and was able to give Building Ireland the breakdown on what they’re about and why he feels it has been such a success story thus far.
“Basically we do domestic and commercial painting, wallpapering, spray painting – we pretty much cover the board,” Rob explained.
“We do a lot of work in Dublin and Cork and go as far as Galway for some of the projects we take on. My father has instilled the drive in us to succeed.”
When you speak to Rob after a couple of minutes that drive becomes as clear as crystal. Bob Farrell had his sons helping out in his business from a young age and no doubt plenty of evenings during the summer holidays for Rob and his brother were spent coating walls in all areas of the country.
Rob officially started with the company three years earlier than Evan, but the pair were well experienced by the time they’d taken on their full-time occupation with their father’s business.
“I was born with a paint brush in my hand,” Rob stated. “When my dad started off it was with a bike and a step-ladder.
“He started out in the 1980s – right in the middle of the recession – and came through it. I came on board in 2000 and my brother started in 2003 and from there we just grew and grew. By 2009 we had decided that commercial projects was the way to go and started travelling to Cork and Dublin practically every week.”
Through the 29 years in business, Bobby Farrell & Sons Painting Contractors have worked with a range of commercial customers completing projects of various sizes and specifications. They’ve often found that businesses will delay having their premises repainted as they are worried about the time consumed and loss of business.
However, the Farrells and their team of skilled staff have honed their skills so that they can complete painting projects efficiently with minimal hassle and disruption cause to the business. They produce a quality finish each time and offer their services at an affordable price.
Competitive pricing is paramount in this particular industry and its why clients such as Duggan Brothers, Sammon Group, Parson Building Services, Maloney Contracts and Jephsons Shopfitters UK continues to come back to Bobby Farrell & Sons Painting Contractors time and time again.
“Business is absolutely booming right now,” Rob beamed. “We’ve basically broke it down to three teams between the three of us with three vans on the road travelling to different parts of the country.”
A fast and efficient painting service is what Bobby Farrell & Sons Painting Contractors have become known for and it’s not just domestic and commercial painting projects either.
The company specialises in the supply and applications of intumescent painting (fire resistant paint), which works by creating an essential delay between the time when a fire starts and when it takes hold, allowing time for people to safely escape the building and for emergency services to extinguish the fire.
Bobby Farrell & Sons Painting Contractors apply intumescent paint to structural steel surfaces with a variety of colours and finishes available to match your existing décor.
Along with spray painting, the company have also used a spray rolling system on a variety of projects, each time producing a top quality finish in record time with little to no disruption cause to the customer’s day to day activities.
They also pride themselves on a professional, reliable service when it comes to wall papering, with all work being completed to the highest standard. They have an experienced team who have successfully carried out numerous wallpapering projects for various clients.
If you are unsure of the type of wallpaper you would like to go for, Bobby Farrell & Sons Painting Contractors can also provide sound advice on which solutions they think would best suit your needs.
“We try our best for our clients,” said Rob. “You’re only as good as your last job and that’s carrying on from our father. Like I said, he has instilled it in us.
“The other part of it is that you have to be able to get on with the clientele you are working with and I think we do that here. It’s very much a team effort from everybody.”
Looking at the New Year ahead, Rob is keen to help continue the company’s growth via taking on more high profile projects similar to ones that were completed over the past 12 months.
The main objective in his mind is to try and double the staff numbers of the business over the coming years.
“We’d love to expand. My own dream is to have a staff of 30 working here,” he said
“Next year we’d hope to get another few big jobs again, carry them out to a tee and still have the ambition to think bigger after their completed. It’s a family effort here with everyone on board, there are no individuals.
“Between the three of us we have that trust and hopefully we’ll be able to continue to grow and keep adding to our staff for years to come.”
Bobby Farrell & Sons Painting Contractors
26 Ballycurrane, Thurles, Co. Tipperary
Office: 0504-23540
Bobby: 0862598921
Rob: 085 1660071
Evan: 0857741543
E-mail: [email protected]
Taken from Building Ireland Magazine, January 2018, Vol 4 No 1
Bobby Farrell & Sons Painting Contractors
