From their headquarters in Drumree, County Meath, Zilic Developments Ltd. deliver high-quality construction projects nationwide, including social housing schemes, bespoke one-off homes, commercial projects and mixed-use developments. We touched base with director Ivan Blake to find out more about this versatile, industry-leading building contractor.
Since its genesis in 1997, Zilic Developments Ltd. has forged a stellar reputation as one of Ireland’s premier building contractors, covering a wide catchment area encompassing Leinster and the border counties. The construction wing of the Blake Kearns [BK] Group, Zilic provides a complete range of building services, from social housing schemes and remedial works for local authorities to commercial projects, mixed-use developments and prestigious one-off houses.
An accredited member of both the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) and Construction Industry Register Ireland (CIRI), Zilic have earned an unrivalled reputation for excellence in construction and project management in residential, commercial, industrial and mixed-use construction. Equally comfortable working on new builds and refurbs, they currently generate direct employment for a team of ten, having recently completed a fantastic 16-unit housing scheme at Court View, Main Street, Stradbally, County Laois, comprising A-rated two-bedroom bungalows.
“We source strategically-located sites through our BC group with a view to designing and developing a number of houses that are suitable for social needs and private residential developments,” reveals director Ivan Blake, outlining one of Zilic’s core activities. “Zilic then construct all of our own developments in addition to private and contracted work. As well as our own developments, we take on a vast range of work from one-one houses to nursing homes, playschools, crèches, community centres, housing estates, etc. – new builds and restorations.”
As for the geographical area covered, Ivan notes that even though Zilic are located close to the Dublin / Meath county boundary that they are not restricted to working within the greater Dublin area: “We literally go all over, from Monaghan to Laois. For the social housing scheme in Stradbally, for example, the site was sourced in conjunction with North & East Housing Association to meet the social housing needs of Laois County Council. That particular development comprises homes which are specifically built for elderly people and those with limited mobility.”
Zilic have completed another urban social housing development for the North & East Housing Association at Cassan Sraid on Commons Road, Navan and have secured planning permission for 22 similar units at Duleek. “We have another one pending in Drogheda for 20 units,” adds Ivan, who has worked in construction for 35 years.
“Generally, we tend to specialise in small-to-medium sized developments of between 5 and 30 units. Last year we also successfully completed five large, high-end houses for the private market in Celbridge, County Kildare. On the commercial front, the first project we completed was at St Margaret’s Nursing Home in Dublin, where we added on 26 bedrooms. We also did
a crèche in Ratoath and this is certainly an area where we feel there is scope for growth. We tend to take on private work when we’re between securing planning and building our own developments. To this end, we’re working on a beautiful home for a private client in Sutton at the moment.”
Zilic bring formidable knowledge and experience to bear on every project undertaken, ensuring that clients are provided with the optimum solution at the most affordable price. This knowledge and experience, together with meticulous internal quality assurance procedures, enable them to invariably deliver real value for money combined with the highest possible standards of workmanship.
“Quality workmanship is vital when it comes to construction – probably the most important thing of all” agrees Ivan. “Sticking to programme is also crucial because that’s how you make your margin. With the quality of the tradesmen we use, you can’t afford to run over.
“We have ten directly employed but once we get on site that can go up to 20, 30 or even 40. We use a cohort of tried and trusted subcontractors who have been working with us for a very long time.
“All the houses we build are A-rated with the environment in mind. The days of the big open fire are gone forever – these days it’s all about fuel efficiency, cost control and minimising your carbon imprint. Homes now have to have the best energy rating. They come with underfloor heating and everything is push button. Things have changed a lot and you have to move with the times to incorporate as much green energy as possible into every building.”
Zilic Developments is a family-run business that is wholly transparent and provides a personal touch. Going forward, Ivan is confident that they can continue to thrive and maintain their position at the forefront of the construction industry:
“It’s a strange environment at the moment in a lot of respects but we are fully Covid-compliant and that is the way forward,” he concludes. “We have a land bank of sites either identified for development or in planning to help fight Ireland’s well-documented social and private housing needs.”
Zilic Developments Ltd.,
Knockmark,
Drumree,
County Meath.
Tel: 01 8259640
Fax: 01 8259785
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.zilic.ie
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, February, Vol 7 No 2
