A family-run construction company based in Tower, Blarney, Ryan’s Renovations Ltd. has a proven track record delivering industry-leading new build, extension, renovation, attic conversion and drainage work solutions across Cork city and county, with every project invariably completed on time, within budget and to the highest possible standards.
Over the past ten years, Ryan’s Renovations has built up an unrivalled reputation for construction excellence. Tipperary-born, Cork-based building contractor Finbarr Ryan boasts over four decades’ experience in the industry, having started working on site as a fresh-faced, wide-eyed thirteen-year-old, and his company offers the best combination of management skills and craftsmanship, always giving customers value for money and quality of service.
Covering Cork city and county – predominantly working on bespoke, turnkey residential new builds, refurbishments and extensions – the Ryan’s Renovations order book is full for the next twelve months and this fact alone affords an accurate indication of the stellar reputation the company has developed since its inception. Finbarr’s services are in big demand and he’s busier now than he’s ever been. “We’re up the walls at the minute and I’m certainly not going to complain about that,” he states.
Quality is a prerequisite of everything Finbarr does and is one of the cornerstones of Ryan’s Renovations: “We pride ourselves on quality and on providing a proper finish on every building,” he confirms. “We strive to make sure that when we walk away from a job that the client is happy with what they are getting for their money. We stand over our work and if any problems do pop up we will go back and make sure that our customers are 100% happy with the finished building.
“Your reputation is everything in construction and you have to do everything you can to protect it. It’s important, too, to have good relationships with clients … if you don’t, you are wasting your time. We go out of our way to look after clients and that’s one of the reasons why we get so much work. We communicate with them from start to finish and go through everything with them and with their engineers and architects as we move through the various stages, keeping everybody in the loop. We can also provide an engineer or architect if required.”
Going back to the genesis of the company, Finbarr reflects: “I’ve been in construction all my life and this is all I ever wanted to do. I spent nine years in England, where I did a lot of groundworks, and worked as both a foreman and site manager over there. Starting at the bottom and working my way up, I saw all aspects of the job.
“When I came home, I stayed in construction and set up the business with my wife Claire. When the last crash came, I decided to keep going and started sourcing and finding work for myself. I’ve been out on my own for ten years now – it’s been a limited company for two years and I was doing this for eight years prior to that.”
At the time of writing, Finbarr and his close-knit crew were starting work on an apartment renovation in Cork city, converting an old site that used to be a hospital, gym and café into a building comprising three apartments upstairs and a mosque downstairs. Another block of six apartments is due to commence imminently, while Ryan’s Renovations are also working on an all-in renovation, extension, drainage and sewage works project in Clonakilty.
Meanwhile, in Donoughmore, an existing bungalow is being transformed into a two-storey dormer house with double garage. “We’ve just completed a two-storey extension in Whitechurch – an architectural job with glass on the front from the floor to the peak of the roof. The original design for that didn’t work, so, to make it work, we tweaked it with a re-design for the glass, in conjunction with Munster Joinery,” Finbarr continues. “We’ve also just finished a single-storey extension and renovation here in Blarney.
“We have an excellent QS here in Blarney – Adam Dawes at AD Quantity Surveyors, who does all of our pricing and also works on our clients’ behalf if they so wish.”
Direct employment is generated for a team of seven, all of whom are family members, resulting in an unbeatable personal touch. “We’re all hands-on. My wife Claire helps run the business with me, while out sons Darren, who oversees the jobs, and Jeremy, who had just joined the business after doing Business Studies, are also involved. My daughter-in-law Kayleigh does the paperwork and her brother is also here as well as a brother-in-law and my wife’s nephew. It’s all family-based.”
The fantastic in-house team is supplemented by a dependable extended team of tried and trusted subcontractors. To this end, Pat Jordan of Jordan Electrical has been Finbarr’s electrical contractor since Day One, while Stephen Grimston Electrical also provides outstanding electrical services. Elsewhere, Roy O’Halloran of O’Halloran Plumbing in Blarney and Derek O’Leary of O’Leary Carpentry are two more regular subbies but, generally, the vast majority of work is carried out in-house. “This guarantees optimal quality control and you have to have that if you want to maintain complete control of the programme,” Finbarr adds.
Munster Joinery supply all windows, while building materials are sourced through MD O’Shea’s Builders Merchants, who go above and beyond when it comes to providing a professional, dependable and fair service. Ryan’s Renovations also own all their own plant, machinery, trucks and vans, which helps them keep overheads down and to provide customers with the best value for money possible.
“We’re growing all the time and there is scope for further growth, but you have to control that carefully,” the in-demand Cork contractor concludes. “You have to make sure you are always on top of things and that standards don’t slip. We aim for the highest standards and that’s something I’m not prepared to compromise on. I’ll give you an example: when we finish off a job, my wife goes in and cleans everything to make sure the building is spotless from top to bottom. It might seem like a small thing but it’s the little details that matter and these are the sort of extra steps you have to take to make sure the client is always happy.”
Ryan’s Renovations Ltd.,
Tower,
Blarney,
County Cork.
Tel: 086 240283500
Email: [email protected]
Web: ryansrenovation.com
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, September 2022, Vol 8 No 9
