Synonymous with consistently delivering stunning new build homes with the wow factor, MRPx Construction collected the prestigious ‘House Builder’ award at the 2023 Federation of Master Builders Northern Ireland Awards. Building Ireland travelled to scenic Portaferry in County Down to find out more from director and co-founder Bryan McGimpsey.
Fronted by Bryan McGimpsey and Ryan Lusk, MRPx Construction has in the twelve years since its inception earned a stellar reputation for delivering industry-leading building projects across the greater Belfast area, including Hollywood, Bangor and the Ards Peninsula.
Invariably producing high quality workmanship and collaborating with a who’s who of innovative and creative local architects, MRPx Construction boasts an unrivalled track record for completing luxurious bespoke dwellings, extensions and refurbishments as well as churches, commercial buildings and shop fitting.
Their reputation was further embellished at this year’s Federation of Master Builders Northern Ireland Awards in Belfast’s Malone Hotel on the night of Friday, June 30th, when they took home the coveted ‘Home Builder’ award for their outstanding delivery of a majestic new build home at Cragavad Park, Station Road, Hollywood, County Down – a breath-taking build which captured the judges’ attention with its attention to detail, top-notch brickwork, exquisite sandstone portico and brilliant joinery.
This impressive new build project combines traditional features usually associated with grand Victorian houses with an abundance of luxury features and conveniences fit for 21st century living. While grounded in traditional design with its chimney stacks, full-height bay windows and grand fireplaces, it also boasts a thoroughly modern kitchen/living space that flows out to the garden through an expanse of glass.
Outstanding features include the detail and quality of the brickwork, the sandstone portico and window surrounds, and the joinery work showcased through the alcove bookcases, staircase and window panelling. The judges heaped praise on the project, stating that it is “an exceptional bespoke new dwelling with excellent detailing and workmanship”.
MRPx Construction Ltd. worked closely with their developer client and the architect to ensure a high-quality finish to both this home and others set within the prestigious development of unique homes. Their client commented: “The MRPx Construction Ltd. team is professional, knowledgeable and dedicated to ensuring the highest quality of workmanship and materials”.
“We were absolutely delighted to win the Federation of Master Builders award for this house, which is one of a series of high-spec homes we are building on a site on Station Road,” states MRPx Construction director and joint-owner Bryan McGimpsey. “This site will accommodate 27 top-end homes and we have built nine of them to date on behalf of a developer whom we have been working with for up to 30 years.”
The architect on the project was Des Ewing Residential Architect, the renowned, multi-award-winning firm whose work is celebrated across Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and the UK.
“The award reflects extremely well on our team, their workmanship and attention to detail,” Bryan continues. “When you strive to always achieve the highest quality, you are putting yourself in the frame for this kind of recognition. It all boils down to the unconditional ethos in the company: that we are intent on only producing high quality work.”
Rather than slapping themselves on the back, the team at MRPx Construction are now more determined than ever to continue setting the standards of excellent house building. “It’s nice to get recognition for our work and the entire team within MRPx are delighted to receive this prestigious award.
“The main thing as far as I am concerned is that all the members of the team that work with us are appreciated. This award is in large part for them too.
“It’s their expertise, attention to detail and quality control that shines through on every project. We all work as a team and use high-quality subcontractors to achieve the high standards we are hopefully known for.”
Between all ongoing activities, MRPx Construction generally have up to 50 men on site at any given time. “We maintain a core crew of self-employed bricklayers, joiners, plasterers, labourers and groundsmen, and sub in a number of specialist contractors on top of that, most of whom have been working with us long-term. Function Design Furniture, WH Engineering Services and Philip Hughes Plumbing & Heating have worked with us a lot over the years, while J.A. Steele is another very busy and important subcontractor as we do a lot of landscaping, particularly on that site this won the FMB award.”
Although MRPx Construction are known as specialists in the building of luxurious homes, they are not limited to residential new builds and have the capacity to deliver all the services associated with a general builder, including excavating and earthmoving using their own modern fleet of equipment.
“We’re not exclusively house builders but also regularly carry out large extensions and refurbishments, commercial works and historical renovations / conservations,” Bryan confirms. “We’ve worked on a number of churches and also on a variety of properties across the North for the National Trust.”
Although MRPx have worked all across the island and the mainland UK, their reputation for quality is such that they are in the envious position of currently having a healthy workload within the Greater Belfast area (Northern Ireland’s capital being only 35 miles from Portaferry). “We’re getting all the work we can handle here, thankfully, and the market is good despite the forecasts of doom, we’re not seeing any drop-offs in enquiries at present.”
As for the plans going forward, the company director concludes: “We did our own developments up until the big crash of 2010 and haven’t delved into that since. We may look at that again but for now the aim is to maintain the business as it is and to hopefully grow in a sustainable manner. To do that, you need the right people in the right positions – the right men on the ground, site managers, foremen and contracts managers. It all comes back to the strength of the team you have around you – these are the people who enable us to deliver projects to client satisfaction.”
MRPx Construction Ltd.,
PO BOX 280,
Newtownards
County Down.
Tel: 028 427 39009
Mobile: 07860 647114 – Bryan McGimpsey
Mobile: 07796 614646 – Ryan Lusk
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: www.facebook.com/mrpxconstruction
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, November 2023, Vol 9 No 11
