Established in 1998, Sammon Developments Ltd. is an exceptional third-generation family-run general contracting business specialising in delivering high-quality healthcare and social housing projects. Building Ireland spoke to managing director Gavin Sammon to find out more about this industry-leading, County Leitrim headquartered operation and some of their current and recently-completed projects.
Since its inception 23 years ago, Sammon Developments have forged an unrivalled reputation for invariably delivering outstanding residential and commercial construction projects – new builds and retrofits alike – across Connacht and beyond. A family business that offers a personal touch and the keenest attention to detail on every project embarked upon, they pride themselves on providing the highest levels of workmanship, resulting in quality solutions – on time and within budget.
Such is Sammon Developments’ reputation for achieving excellent results that they regularly secure work for local authorities in counties Cavan, Leitrim, Roscommon and Sligo. Last year, Gavin Sammon (MD) and his team successfully completed a magnificent revamp of the stunning three-storey Sligo Credit Union, while projects ongoing at the time of writing included a 30-bedroom extension to Bethany House Nursing Home in Tyrrellspass, County Westmeath and an 18-unit social housing scheme for Roscommon County Council in Ballyleague.
“I would like to think that we are a very customer-focussed company providing a personal service – our doors are never closed,” Gavin notes. “The lines of communication are always open. We are approachable and clients can talk to us at any stage during a project – we will always come to a solution that everybody is happy with. It’s absolutely vital that everybody is happy and feels important.”
Regarding the company ethos, the affable Ballinamore-based contractor continues: “Man management is very important, as is communication between the design team and our own men on site. Once you go on site, Health & Safety becomes a major factor. Everything is geared towards making sure that when everything comes together you are handing over a high-quality project that meets the requirements of all the stakeholders.”
Sammon Developments continually invest in modern business practices and management techniques in order to ensure that they remain at the forefront of the construction industry. Their management team have accumulated extensive and diverse experience in civil, commercial, industrial and residential construction and fit out projects while their ability to deliver high-quality projects has resulted in strong, lasting relationships with clients and associates across all sectors of the industry.
As a progressive and dynamic 21st-century building and civil engineering contractor, Sammon Developments provide an extensive range of services, including design and build, commercial and residential projects, civil, fit out, infrastructure and general construction.
Completed works have varied in size and complexity and Sammon Developments have evolved into a company that caters for many different types of construction projects ranging from small to large education and healthcare facilities to high-end housing schemes. They work for a large client base nationally and have completed prestigious projects in Connacht, Leinster and Ulster for public bodies, semi-state bodies and private organisations.
Gavin Sammon is a third-generation contractor, following in the footsteps of his father Padraig and late grandfather Michael. “We have adapted and moved with the times, and we have a very good crew of experienced, skilled men who can work with design teams and bring projects to fruition exactly as they had envisioned them.”
The spectacular, complete transformation of the historic Sligo Credit Union building in Sligo town, which reopened last October to a chorus of praise and acclaim from industry peers and the general public alike, epitomises the capabilities of Sammon Developments to deliver high-quality results on any project. “Indeed, we were very happy with that project,” Gavin confirms. “It’s a fabulous building dating back to the 1870s – with an open foyer providing a fantastic view down to the ground floor from the top level – and there was a lot of conservation work involved. It’s one of the largest credit unions in Ireland and we were delighted to work on it.
“We’re very flexible and we do all types of construction, from residential to commercial and retrofits and fit outs. Education is another area where we’ve been extremely busy, completing a number of schools projects, including a €6m project at Coosan National School in Athlone and a €3m project at Stonepark National School in Longford.”
At the time of writing, Sammon Developments were busy working on a €6.8m extension to Bethany House Nursing Home in Tyrrellspass. This development consists of a new 1,493 sq m ground floor extension to the existing nursing home incorporating 23 en-suite single bedrooms, two en-suite double bedrooms and four suite rooms including support / service, administrative and ancillary services. Meanwhile, a 495 sq m partial basement incorporating stores, laundry, toilets and plant area is also being added. All ancillary site works are included as well as alterations to the existing nursing home.
“We put in a 30-bed extension a couple of years ago and are putting in 30 more now,” Gavin points out. “This project comprises a 30-bed extension which will bring the nursing home up to a capacity of 90 bedrooms. It comes close to 2,000 square metres in total and will include day rooms, physio rooms, a kitchenette, lounge room, extensive courtyard with landscaping, paving and stone walls, etc. – it’ll be a fair extension when it’s done. We’re doing the timber frame and roof at present and will then get our men inside. We’re hoping to be finished by August-September and are actually ahead of schedule at the moment.”
In September, Sammon began work on a €2.1m 18-unit social housing scheme at Meadowbook, Ballyclare, Ballyleague in Roscommon, consisting of ten two-storey three-bed semi-detached dwellings and eight two-bed semi-detached bungalows. This project for Roscommon County Council also comprises all associated site works including construction of footpaths, roads, car parking area, street lighting, ducting for utilities and formation of new connections to existing foul and surface water drainage.
“We’ve completed a lot of work for local authorities in Roscommon, Cavan, Leitrim and Sligo over the past 25 years. Recently we finished a 14-unit, four-storey residential social housing development called Harbour View Apartments on the Rosses Point Road in Sligo town.
“We were lucky enough that we were allowed to keep going during the lockdown in January and February as nursing homes are classified as essential construction,” Gavin states. “It’s important to get that extension in Tyrrellspass up and running as there’s a pressing need for it, to get patients out of hospitals and into the nursing homes, away from the risk of infection, and to take pressure off essential workers.”
With the arrival of the pandemic, we are living in extraordinary times… “It’s very strange and I doubt anybody will ever see the likes of it again,” Gavin agrees. “But the good thing about construction is that it is well-backed by the CIF and the construction industry will get back to full strength again as there is a pent-up demand for building services.
“Hopefully, there will be many more social housing projects as there is a real need for those and the good thing with social housing schemes is that they are full-time coming on stream. They are getting spread around, too, and looking after the small builder as well as the big builder. It’s really good that they are giving them out in 18-20 unit developments rather than 200-300 units. As the need for social housing continues, we will be here to do our bit.”
When busy, Sammon Developments can have up to 30 men on site at any given time. They generate direct employment for around 15 men and also use a strong suite of tried-and-trusted subcontractors with whom they have worked regularly down through the years. “We do all the groundworks ourselves and have our own carpenters but subcontract out the wet trades,” the conscientious MD concludes. “We have a very good subcontractor base of lads we can trust to do a good job and produce the high-quality work we insist upon.”
Sammon Developments Ltd.,
Killaneen,
Ballinamore,
County Leitrim.
Tel: 071 9644911
Email: [email protected]
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, May, Vol 7 No 5
