Since its inception in 2005, Colm Phelan Building & Carpentry has earned a stellar reputation for delivering outstanding new build, refurb and extension projects across Waterford city and county, painstaking precision and attention to detail resulting in an outstanding finish every time. Building Ireland interrupted Colm’s busy schedule to get an update on this industry-leading building contracting operation.
Colm Phelan’s reputation for excellence is built upon solid cornerstones of reliability, experience, craftsmanship, flexibility and safe work practices, his eponymous carpentry and construction company having successfully completed a broad range of residential and construction projects across Waterford over the past decade-and-a-half, from new builds to extensions, refurbs, fit-outs and attic conversions.
A carpenter by trade, Colm places a keen emphasis on achieving a quality finish and admits to being a real stickler for detail: “You have to be. Finish is the end product and the finish has to be of a very high standard,” he confirms. “The bottom line is that if a client isn’t happy with the finish then he isn’t going to recommend you to others. And in this business you really do rely on word of mouth and your reputation. I strive to make sure everybody is happy at all times and to this end I use excellent workers and procedures to ensure top-quality workmanship.”
Direct employment is generated for an in-house crew of eight as well as a core team of tried-and-trusted subcontractors. Colm is always on site himself to make sure things are moving smoothly. “You need good people around you and to this end I have been using the same staff and subcontractors for the past eight-ten years. They know what we expect from them and they always meet the exacting standards required.”
At the time of writing, Colm Phelan was engaged on 14 extensions and two new builds. The refurbs and extensions tend to be within Waterford city while the new builds are generally a little further out. “We have a fair few projects at various stages of completion and we’re booked out until January / February,” the Waterford contractor continues.
“It’s good to be busy and we’re delighted to be picking up so much business through word of mouth – that’s a real vote of confidence. We’ve never had to do any advertising. We’re working for a lot of people within the same age bracket and they are recommending us to others. There are a lot of people in the city, in around the 30-50 age group, who can’t move or sell their property, and they are opting to renovate their homes or maybe to go for an extension with an extra room out the back. We provide a seamless build and look after everything ourselves from start to finish.”
Starting out 15 years ago, Colm was offering carpentry, joinery and roofing services primarily. “From the carpentry subcontracting work, I got a fair idea of what was required from a contractor, so I gradually took on more and more building work and grew it from there.”
While Colm Phelan Building & Carpentry has found a niche for itself carrying out extensions in Waterford city, they also still provide a keen carpentry service including fit outs, garden decking and new kitchens – anything from roofing, first fix elements through to high-class quality finish at second and third fix stages.
Being such a dedicated and precise skill, carpentry is in many ways the best background that any contractor can have. “That’s what we are used to doing and definitely the carpentry background has served us well in terms of showing how important the finish is. We handle the majority of the work ourselves and I use a very skilled and experienced team, including all our own carpenters and block layers, while we bring in subbies for the mechanical and electrical elements.”
With three vans and a truck on the road, Colm Phelan is also the contractor of choice covering Waterford city for AXA Insurance. “We’ve been doing that for six years now,” he reveals. “In the event of a fire or flood or damage to a property, we survey the job and carry out a report and then go in and do all the restoration work on behalf of AXA.”
Covid-19 has of course wreaked havoc with the construction sector – like every other one – in 2020. Colm is completely Covid-compliant and is taking all the necessary precautions in line with official public health guidelines. However, he’s keen to see some sort of normalcy return sooner rather than later:
“It’s been a strange year. Everyone’s profits are down and you are trying to get through it week by week, with new challenges popping up all the time. We’ve managed to keep things moving, thankfully, but at this stage, I’d say the sooner we see the back of 2020 the better and hopefully we’ll have a fresh start in January.”
Regarding the attributes that separate his company from the competition, Colm adds: “For us it’s all about organisation, workmanship and timescale. Those are the things you pride yourself on. Of course, since the first lockdown was lifted, it hasn’t been easy to get projects across the line on time. Materials are slower in arriving – windows and doors, for example – and people are having to be a little more patient.
“Also, you can now only have certain trades on site at any given time, while the cost of materials has also gone up. Even plasterboard has gone from €8 to €10.20 and that can make a big difference at the end.
“But I’ve been in the trade for 20+ years now and I have no regrets,” he concludes. “We have a good reputation and are busy with a nice bit of work ahead of us, so we can’t complain.”
Colm Phelan Building & Carpentry,
15 The Crescent,
Kill St Lawrence,
Waterford City.
Tel: 087 6667485
Email: [email protected]
Web: colmphelan.com
This article was published in Building Ireland Magazine, February, Vol 7 No 2
Colm Phelan Building & Carpentry
