For more than 20 years, Galvin Ceilings & Partitions has been delivering high-quality, bespoke suspended ceiling and partition solutions to the commercial, industrial and domestic sectors. We touched base with busy founder / MD Brian Galvin to get an insight into this exceptional operation.
From its County Kilkenny base, Galvin Ceilings & Partitions has worked on a wide range of projects of varying sizes and complexities across counties Kilkenny, Wexford, Waterford, Kildare, Tipperary, Carlow and Dublin. With over two decades’ experience of the industry, the company prides itself on providing tailor-made suspended ceiling and partition solutions that perfectly meet the needs of each individual project.
An impressive portfolio of projects has been built up working for clients in the residential, commercial and industrial sectors, resulting in a steady flow of repeat business, with Galvin Ceilings & Partitions entrusted by leading main contractors, architects and project managers alike to fulfil largescale and complex projects.
Services provided include the supply and installation of shop, office commercial and domestic suspended ceilings and partitions (including metal stud and glazing partition systems) as well as suspended ceiling / partition repair, fire proofing of steel and Fire Safety Certification.
Galvin Ceilings & Partitions only use products of the highest quality in their systems, working with market-leading suppliers such as Armstrong, Knauf, Gyproc, SAS Ceilings, Speedline, AWA and Lafarge.
Since its inception, the company has worked extensively on offices, homes, hospitals, schools, shops, boutiques, restaurants, pubs, cinemas, music studios, etc. with practical, innovative solutions a given and neat, tidy, cost-effective workmanship guaranteed at all times. Invariable, projects are delivered not only to the highest standards but also within time and on budget.
The vast majority of work carried out at present is comprised of retail and office fit-outs. At the time of writing, Galvin Ceilings & Partitions had just completed work for Clancy Construction at St Fintan’s Hospital, Portlaoise. “We also spent a couple of years on a re-fit project in Wexford Hospital for JJ Rhatigan and did a school project for them in Feahtard-on-Sea, Wexford as well,” notes Brian, who set the business up in 2000, having worked in a self-employed capacity for a number of years previously.
“There have been so many units left unoccupied in the wake of the recession that we are doing a lot of re-fit work at the moment,” the Kilkenny man continues. “At present, we are working on the third floor of the Dell Building in Cherrywood doing a partition and ceiling re-fit. We also re-fitted suspended ceilings on a building adjacent to that one for CGDM as well as a job for Duggan Lynch installing ceilings and partitions in the new library in Athy.”
The most striking feature of any of Galvin Ceilings & Partitions’ projects is how aesthetically pleasing they are. It would be no exaggeration to state that, as well as being completed to the highest possible quality, every finished job looks stunning. “We will build whatever the client wants,” says Brian. “We can do it with flair or in a more under-stated manner, but our focus is on giving clients exactly what they want.”
And the key to the enduring success of the business? “It’s a mixture of a lot of things, really, all of which come hand in hand with experience. One thing I’d stress is that you have to be prepared to advise a client that there’s no point putting in a ceiling that won’t suit their needs just because an architect thinks it will. Sometimes architects come up with solutions that aren’t very practical and you have to advise the client that they need to re-think if they are going to need access, etc. I’d rather do this than just go ahead and complete work that isn’t going to be practical.
“Word of mouth is a buge part of it so you have to deliver quality. It’s a small enough country and bad news travels fast, Fortunately, I’ve always got callbacks and positive referrals from my clients.”
Direct employment is currently generated for the proprietor as well as five other fitters. While there is room for growth as the economy seems to be taking off again, Brian intends to proceed cautiously and maintain the business at a size that allows him to provide a personal service and keep quality levels high:
“I’ll try to keep it neat enough. My intention is to retain it at a manageable size and only take on what we can do. I don’t want to take on too much or find myself under unnecessary pressure. We’ll look after our clients but if we can’t do a job, then we’ll pass on it. You’ll know when you look at the details of a project if it’s going to stretch you or not.
“We’re also doing a lot of work with local businesses in Kilkenny again and it’s nice to have that work close to home,” Brian concludes. “We’ve been staying overnight in Dublin recently to get ahead on those two projects in Cherrywood, as you can only drill between 9am and 6pm and too much time would have been lost on the road. Staying away from home isn’t ideal but we do what it takes to deliver the projects and we’re committed to delivering them all on time and to budget. There’s a lot of work in Dublin and it’s nice to get it but I’m looking forward to hopefully doing more work locally as well.”
Galvin Ceilings & Partitions,
Leugh,
Threecastles,
County Kilkenny.
Tel: 056 776 7294
Mobile: 087 293 3090
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.galvinceilingsandpartitions.com
Taken from Building Ireland Magazine, November 2018, Vol 4 No 10
