Trading for over 50 years, Carry Construction in Drumbaragh, Kells, Co. Meath is a second-generation family business specialising in residential new builds, extensions, renovations as well as commercial, industrial and civil engineering projects.
The company was established in 1970 by Christopher Carry and is now run by his sons Derick and Damien. Providing local and nationwide building services, Carry Construction has earned an enviable reputation in the provision of quality builds for both first-time and repeat clients.
Superior workmanship, attention to detail, value-for-money and a commitment to working closely with clients to deliver total satisfaction with high standard finish are the hallmarks of Carry Construction. Health & Safety is at the core of the business, and never more so than in this post-Covid era. From concept to completion, the Carry team are with you every step of the way, ensuring that your new project is designed and built to your specific needs, and that there are no hidden or extra costs involved.
Whether your next project is a new build, extension or renovation, Carry Construction’s one-stop shop approach will ensure that both the design and building processes are smooth, comfortable and hassle-free. Communication, trust and close working relationship with the clients throughout the project process ensures a quality finish and a satisfied client. The Meath contractor’s ability to complete projects on time and within the agreed budget is borne out by the high volume of repeat business and referrals it receives from scores of satisfied clients and design teams.
“The company was called Christy Carry & Sons up until the early 2000s when it was changed to its present name,” Damien explains.
“Christy was the driving force until his retirement in 2013. However, he’s still involved in the background and is always there to offer advice. Derick has worked in the company since the mid-1980s and I joined a few years later. We pride ourselves on our quality finish and building relationships with clients. We recognise that building your new home is a stressful time, and we would like to think we make it as stress-free as possible. Our clients are holding a lot of trust in us to deliver a home to the highest standard and it’s important to us to deliver this standard, on budget and to programme.
“While we’re best-known for constructing beautiful, bespoke homes, we provide a wide range of services to residential, commercial and industrial clients. We are heavily involved in all three sectors and also have our own maintenance and civil engineering section which enables us to turn a greenfield site into a turnkey finish.”
Damien continues: “We also provide council, grant-approved projects covering maintenance and building works, electrical and plumbing installation and fit-out, disability access grants along with civil engineering works and energy upgrades to council properties. We do a lot of work for Meath and Dublin City Council in this regard.
“In addition to this, we provide maintenance, repair and restoration services to businesses such as bars, restaurants and large storage facilities. As part of our commitment to delivering energy efficient homes, We are approved SEAI contractors.”
Fully insured and a member of the CIF (Construction Industry Federation), IHBA (Irish Home Builders Association and SEAI (Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland), Carry Construction employs 18 people directly comprising carpenters, block layers, ground workers, plant operators and labourers.
“Our high standard of workmanship would not be possible only for our employees / tradesmen’s hard work and meticulous attention to detail while producing high quality finishes, always working hard to complete the deadlines that we provide to our clients,” Damien says.
“We use mostly local sub-contractors, some who go right back to the 1980’s working alongside my dad. This is very important to us as our relationship with them helps us deliver quality finishes consistently as they are committed to the standard that we expect. Our sub-contractors move along with us from job-to-job and always work closely with us which means we can smoothly move through the tight deadlines we provide our clients.
“We try to source our materials locally as much as possible and we have held an excellent personal and working relationship with all of them over the years. We can always rely on exceptionally high-quality products from our suppliers. Over the recent years with the supply shortages on materials, our suppliers have assisted us in every way possible to keep materials delivered on time in order for us to complete our project on a schedule.”
Carry Construction collaborates closely with various architects, quantity surveyors and designers on a regular basis, and prides itself on continued repeat business and referrals from them. By employing highly-skilled people, working closely with its architects and designers, and using only the very best building products, the family-business is able to deliver the highest quality construction to its clients.
The new homes Carry Construction typically build range from 2,500 sq. ft. to 5,000 sq. ft. in size. On average, the company completes eight-10 new builds every year. A list of some of its current projects include two four-bed semi-detached houses in Blackrock, Co. Dublin, a new build in Coolquay Co Dublin and also in Killeen Castle along with a deep retrofit house to an A2 BER rating in Kells. Carry Construction recently completed two other retrofit projects in Skerries along with upgrade works to The Stag’s Head and Foxes Den pubs in Ashbourne.
The cost of building materials has sky-rocketed in the last two years and this is being acutely felt in the new build sector. However, Damien is confident that the worst is over.
“Rising costs and supply chain issues have put a huge strain on everyone. But there is light at the end of the tunnel. We’re expecting to see a gradual decrease in material costs over the next few months. We hope to see a return to post-Covid material costs soon.
“We provide all of our clients with a full bill of quantities breakdown before work commences and this gives them the security of knowing exactly what we are providing them with and ensuring all our projects come in on budget.
“We have kept to our bill of quantities since prices started to escalate during the pandemic and have never tried to put the extra costs on our clients. We have our own quantity surveyor and this helps greatly with rising costs and ensuring the clients’ budget is kept in line with their expectations.”
Passionate about construction, Derick and Damien are committed to carrying on their father’s business principles, values and best practice, while embracing new technologies and innovation. They would like to take this opportunity to thank their clients, suppliers and design teams for their continued support as well as their staff and sub-contractors for their hard work, dedication and expertise.
“Our business would not be what it is today but for everyone’s hard work and dedication,” Damien concludes.
Carry Construction
Rockdrum House,
Drumbaragh,
Kells,
Co. Meath.
Telephone: 046 924 0631 / 087 266 4299 / 086 871 9522
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, February 2023, Vol 9 No 2
