Using the state-of-the-art ICF system to deliver beautifully-constructed, energy-efficient homes that are built to last, Daly’s Construction is firmly established as one of Ireland’s premier ICF contractors. Building Ireland interrupted founder Patrick Daly’s busy schedule to find out more about this cutting-edge, industry-leading operation.
Since its inception four years ago, Daly’s Construction has quickly earned an unrivalled reputation as Leinster’s foremost installer of the game-changing ICF system. As an efficient, tidy and speedy alternative to traditional block and timber frame construction methods, ICF (Insulating Concrete Formwork) invariably delivers high-performance economical building solutions.
Due to the myriad benefits inherent in this low-energy system, demand for ICF building solutions has soared in Ireland in recent years and Daly’s Construction is recognised as the go-to ICF contactor in the Greater Dublin and wider Leinster regions.
Proprietor Patrick Daly established Daly’s Construction in August, 2017, having worked in the industry all his life, including a spell in Australia. The Meath man, who was already labouring on-site at the age of 15, studied Construction Management at DIT before opting to set up his own company, initially specialising in groundworks, renovations and extensions before diversifying into ICF work two years ago.
Today, ICF contracting accounts for up to 95% of Daly’s Construction’s day-to-day activities. What it is about this practical, high-performance system that appeals so much to Patrick?
“First of all, I recognised the momentum behind it and the surge in demand for ICF buildings. It seems to have completely taken off even since I started doing it. Secondly, it’s extremely clean and tidy work and, as a contractor, you end up loving it.
“The end product is second to none. When it comes to low-energy buildings, you look at insulation, thermal bridging and airtightness – it ticks all of those boxes. Speed, of course, is another important advantage as you can build an ICF home much quicker than a traditional build using blocks and timber. Also, at the time, there weren’t a lot of other companies providing this service so I felt there was an opening there for a good ICF contactor.”
Patrick’s first experience of installing ICF came when Daly’s Construction acted as subcontractor to the ICF contractor on a PPP development in Dunleer, County Louth. He hasn’t looked back! One-off houses have since been delivered in Athboy and Trim in County Meath as well as four in Louth and further projects in Wicklow and Mullingar.
“We recently did a bungalow in Clonard, County Meath and we had it up in six or seven days, whereas that would have taken three-four weeks with block laying. We’re working on three one-off new builds at the moment and have three more in the pipeline, so we’re fairly busy.”
At the time of writing, Daly’s Construction were also active as the ICF contractor on a major scheme in Kilcock, County Kildare – a 14-month project comprising 140 units.
Currently generating direct employment for a full-time crew of ten, Daly’s Construction uses the Amvic Ireland ICF system consisting of high-density polystyrene panels. These panels are spaced apart forming a shuttering system, and concrete is then poured into the space. This forms a solid concrete cast, making the building a solid structure with excellent sound insulation, fire safety, thermal mass and durability.
The versatile, rapid-build, weather-resistant ICF system can be used on almost any type of building, including residential homes, extensions, commercial units, industrial buildings, and basement and earth-sheltered developments. Any building constructed using the ICF system will feature a number of advantages over more traditional methods. It will be cheaper to heat or cool and achieves higher BER rating as well as being quicker, cleaner and more efficient to build. Cold bridging effectively becomes obsolete with ICF. All of this can be delivered at a much lower cost for comparable performance to any other building system available today.
Another advantage of ICF is the massive choice of exterior finish. External rendering is available in a vast selection of colours and will not need to be repainted as it is extremely durable
“Because the ICF work is so tidy and clean, that simplifies things for the following trades and leaves fewer problems on the main contractor’s table,” Patrick continues. “While we are busy at present, one potential problem is that a shortage of other building materials could slow things down. The ICF is manufactured in Ireland and we will be okay on that front, but access to timber and windows and doors is becoming a problem for the industry as a whole.”
Does he hope to grow the business further in the coming months and years? “Going forward, there could be scope for growth but it will all come down to numbers. It will depend largely on how the economy is performing as a whole. The more you grow your business, the more you will leave yourself exposed if there is a downturn. We’ll move cautiously, though, as you are better to grow in a controlled and sustainable manner without taking too much credit on board or leaving yourself vulnerable.
“I firmly believe that ICF is the future for construction in Ireland,” the owner of Daly’s Construction concludes. “It takes time to convert main contractors over because they already have resources in place for traditional builds, but once they use the ICF system and see it in action, they tend to love it.”
Daly’s Construction,
Clonard,
Enfield,
County Meath.
Tel: 085 8278274
Email: [email protected]
Web: dalysconstruction.ie
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, December 2021, Vol 7 No 12
